Dear Valued Customer,

Sterling Bank has served our South Florida customers for almost 25 years! We have been consistently recognized as one of the top performing banks in the country thanks to the loyalty of our customers and the commitment of our employees to exceed your expectations whenever possible. As always, thank you for your business and continued confidence in your Bank!

At Sterling we constantly strive to answer one very important question that our stakeholders (customers, employees and shareholders) ask themselves: How can we provide you with the highest possible level of confidence in your Bank at all times? Our answer was substantiated recently by the FDIC’s stress test requirement of the largest banks in our country – CAPITAL. Your local community bank works in conjunction with its Banking Regulator to ensure that we have enough capital to continue lending while absorbing potential losses in the event the economic decline is longer than currently projected by our government. Fortunately for all stakeholders, your bank is well capitalized at June 30, 2009 as is committed to remaining well capitalized as defined by Government guidelines.

Many of our loyal customers are hurting or have seen their business evaporate due to the unprecedented challenges facing all of us in today’s environment. We did not create the economic decline nor did our clients. We never participated in sub-prime loan products or other risky products that you read about or see on the news. We are headquartered in an area that has been impacted substantially by the significant deterioration of our real estate market. It is up to us to make sure we have the sufficient capital and expertise at your Bank to manage the risks presented by these volatile times.

Our shareholders followed the simple principle that actions are stronger than words by investing substantial capital dollars in the 4th quarter 2008 and more in the first half of 2009. Our business plan recognizes the potential need for more capital if things beyond Management’s control lead to the need for additional reserves against potential loans. We will continue to look to our strong shareholder base first since they remain confident that the banking business is the best possible place for them to invest their money.

We continue to develop new products and services to maintain our competitive advantage and meet your banking needs. I encourage you to talk with your Sterling Bankers. They will all tell you that we have not lost any faith in our great community and that the bright sunshine will lead us out of this economic downturn. We look forward to the next 25 years at Sterling Bank and thank you for your continued patronage of our Bank.

Stop by and say hello to me next time you visit our Palms West office.

Kindest regards,

David Albright President & CEO Sterling Bank