WestAmerica Mortgage Company Welcomes Ron Graf as Senior Mortgage Consultant and Team Leader.

Ron Graf, a Chicago area Retail Mortgage Loan Originator has joined WestAmerica Mortgage in its Oakbrook Terrace branch as a Senior Mortgage Consultant and Sales Team Leader. Ron, formerly a Branch Manager for Illinois based Aadus Bancorp brings several years of experience and an exemplary track record of high performance loan origination.

WestAmerica Director John Morelli commented on the recent hiring of Ron Graf: "I am very pleased that Ron has made the decision to join the WestAmerica Mortgage family. I am impressed with the level of energy and positive thinking that Ron brings to our team." Mr. Morelli concluded, "I look forward to working with Ron, and am confident that he will play an important role in developing additional talent at WestAmerica through his team building and mentoring efforts".

About WestAmerica Mortgage Company

WestAmerica has been in the mortgage banking business since 1978, and merged with Lake Forest, IL based Wintrust Financial Corporation in 2004. WestAmerica Mortgage Company has been recognized as one of the largest privately held mortgage lenders in the nation and, according to Crain’s Chicago Business, WAMC was the largest residential mortgage lender in the Chicago area based on 2002 total residential real estate loan volume.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This news release contains statements about future events and expectations, which are "forward-looking statements." Any statement in this release that is not a statement of historical fact, including, but not limited to earnings guidance and forecasts, and projections of financial results, may be deemed to be a forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the Company’s actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Specific factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: the potential fluctuations in the Company’s operating results; the Company’s potential need for additional capital, the direction of interest rates and their subsequent effect on the Company’s business, federal and state regulation of mortgage banking; the Company’s competition; the Company’s ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; and those risks and uncertainties discussed in filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those risks and uncertainties contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.