Pacific Mercantile Bancorp's

Competitive Conditions in the Traditional Banking Environment
The banking business in California generally, and in our service area in particular, is highly competitive and is dominated by a relatively small number of large multi-state and California-based banks that have numerous banking offices operating over wide geographic areas. We compete for deposits and loans with those banks, with community banks that are based or have branch offices in our market areas, and with savings banks (also sometimes referred to as “thrifts”), credit unions, money market and other mutual funds, stock brokerage firms, insurance companies, and other traditional and nontraditional financial service organizations. We also compete for customers’ funds with governmental and private entities issuing debt or equity securities or other forms of investments which may offer different and potentially higher yields than those available through bank deposits.
Major financial institutions that operate throughout California and that have offices in our service areas include Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Union Bank of California, Bank of the West, U. S. Bancorp, Comerica Bank and Citibank. Larger independent banks and other financial institutions with offices in our service areas include, among others, OneWest Bank, City National Bank, Citizens Business Bank, Manufacturers Bank, and California Bank and Trust.