Baltimore, December 14, 2005 — Provident Bank announces the promotion of R. Thomas Jefferson to Vice President within its Commercial Real Estate Division. Jefferson, who will work within the Custom Builder Group and will be primarily responsible for ADC lending, will operate out the Bank’s Baltimore Headquarters.

Jefferson, who has more than 35 years of real estate lending experience, was an Executive with Chesapeake Bank in Baltimore prior to joining Provident.

“I look forward to building a strong portfolio with small to middle market builders in my new role,” said Jefferson.

Jefferson holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Loyola College in Baltimore. He has been a member of the Maryland Mortgage Bankers Association and Maryland Banker’s Association.

He currently resides in Perry Hall, MD.

Provident Bankshares Corporation is the holding company for Provident Bank, the second largest independent commercial bank headquartered in Maryland. With $6.4 billion in assets, Provident serves individuals and businesses in the key urban areas of Baltimore, Washington and Richmond through a network of 152 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.