COLUMBIA, Md., November 17, 1997 -- The Columbia Bank has announced the
opening of its fourteenth branch at the River Hill Village Center, located
near the intersection of MD Route 108 and 32. The 2400 square foot bank is
positioned adjacent to the new Giant Food that anchors the shopping center. In
addition, a 900 square foot drive-thru featuring three service lanes, is
contained on a pad site at River Hill.

Tim Macek has been named Branch Manager for the River Hill Village Center
office and Ruth Davey is the Assistant Branch Manager. Both Mr. Macek and Ms.
Davey have extensive banking experience.

River Hill represents the third of three new full service branches opened by
The Columbia Bank in 1997. The Bank previously opened an office at the Wilde
Lake Village Center and the new Long Gate Center in Ellicott City this year.
River Hiii is the last new village center planned by The Rouse Company to
service the residents of the Village of River Hill in Columbia, Clarksville,
and adjacent areas of Howard County.

"It is extremely exciting for The Columbia Bank to be the only financial
institution serving the new River Hill Village Center," explained John M.
Bond, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer. "We view this new market as
fertile ground for The Columbia Bank to expand our customer base and continue
our rapid growth," he added. "The River Hill/Clarksville area has very
impressive demographics and we are looking forward to servicing this market,"
he added.

The Columbia Bank will offer a full complement of retail banking, residential
mortgage and commercial banking services at River Hill. In addition to its
easy access from MD Route 108, the branch will provide its customers with 24-
hour, fee-free automated teller machine (ATM) service, drive-thru banking and
extended branch hours.

The Columbia Bank operates fourteen branch banking offices and provides a full
range of financial services to consumers and businesses. 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."

Web site:  http://www.columbank.com