Auto Finance Veteran Gary Perdue Named as President of Southside Financial Group

ARLINGTON, Texas--(Business Wire)--
Ken Burke, CEO of Southside Financial Group LLC, today named Gary
Perdue, a 30-year auto finance veteran as President. Perdue was most
recently Chief Operating Officer of Wolters Kluwer/AppOne, one of the
leading automotive finance Internet portals. Prior to AppOne, he held
leadership positions at Capital One, DealerTrack, and CitiFinancial
Auto.

"Gary brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our company,"
said Ken Burke. "His distinguished career and record of leadership
makes him an outstanding selection to fill the position of President
at Southside Financial Group." As a founding member of the National
Auto Finance Association, Perdue has served as the organization's
President, Board Chairman and he remains active as a member of the
board of directors.

Ken Burke will remain as CEO of Southside Financial Group, a
subsidiary of Southside Bank (Nasdaq: SBSI).

About Southside Financial Group L.L.C. (SFG)

Based in Arlington, TX, SFG acquires existing automobile
portfolios from lenders through out the country, including banks,
finance companies, and credit unions. To learn more about Southside
Financial Group, please visit www.southsidefg.com or contact sales at
817-635-5112 or info@southsidefg.com.

About Southside Bancshares, Inc.

To learn more about Southside Bancshares, Inc., please visit our
investor relations website at http://www.southside.com/investor. The
site provides a detailed overview of activities, financial
information, and historical stock price data. To receive e-mail
notification of company news, events, and stock activity, please
register on the e-mail notification portion of the web site. Questions
or comments may be directed to Susan Hill at (903) 531-7220, or
susanh@southside.com.

Southside Bancshares, Inc.
Susan Hill, 903-531-7220
susanh@southside.com.

Copyright Business Wire 2008