COLUMBIA, Md., June 27, 1997 -- John M. Bond, Jr., President and Chief
Executive Officer of The Columbia Bank, was named the 1997 "Entrepreneur of
the Year" in the Financial Services category for the Maryland region. The
local award is part of a country-wide competition founded by Ernst & Young,
which will announce its national winners in November.

More than 40 nominations were accepted for the Maryland program, which honored
individuals in eight different business categories. The winners were judged
based on "the demonstration of excellence and extraordinary success in the
areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their
businesses and communities."

According to the judges, Mr. Bond was honored as "Entrepreneur of the Year,"
in part, for his role in "creating a bank that provides 'big bank' services in
a small, friendly atmosphere." Founded in 1987, The Columbia Bank has grown
its network of full-service branch banking offices to thirteen in the
Baltimore City and Baltimore and Howard County markets. A fourteenth location
is scheduled to open later this year. For the period ending March 31, 1997,
The Columbia Bank had total assets of $329 million.

"It is extremely gratifying to be honored with this prestigious award not for
myself, but on behalf of the entire entrepreneurial team at The Columbia
Bank," stated Mr. Bond. "We have successfully implemented our vision of
creating service-intensive banking offices, offering a comprehensive range of
products and services. It is pleasing to know that our team is being
recognized for its outstanding performance," he added.

In addition to financial services, other business categories included computer
services, healthcare and technology. The eight winners were selected from a
pool of 25 finalists.

The Columbia Bank is the banking subsidiary of Columbia Bancorp, a bank
holding company headquartered in Columbia, Maryland and founded in 1987.
Columbia Bancorp's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market System
under the symbol "CBMD."