Baltimore, May 7, 2004 — Chad Sharp is the new manager at the Provident Bank Southside Market Place Shoppers Food Warehouse (SFW) Branch located at 857 E. Fort Avenue in Baltimore, MD.

Sharp, who was the previous branch manager at the Pasadena SFW Branch, has also served as a branch manager of the Old Mill SFW Branch. He has consumer-lending experience garnered from his position as senior loan officer at Accubanc Mortgage Corporation in Columbia, MD. He also served as a retail store manager for Waxworks, Inc. in York, PA.

"My transfer is going to allow me to develop key customer relationships," said Sharp. "That’s what Provident is about—and I want our customers to be excited about banking with us!"

Sharp, who grew up in York, PA and attended York College, currently resides in Baltimore.

Provident Bankshares Corporation is the holding company for Provident Bank, the second largest independent commercial bank headquartered in Maryland. With $5.3 billion in assets, Provident serves individuals and businesses in the dynamic Baltimore-Washington corridor through a network of 118 offices in Maryland, Virginia, and southern York County, PA. Provident Bank also offers related financial services through wholly owned subsidiaries. Securities brokerage, investment management and related insurance services are available through Provident Investment Center and leases through Court Square Leasing and Provident Lease Corp. Visit Provident on the web at www.provbank.com.

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