American River Bankshares Announces the Results of Their 2009 Annual Meeting

SACRAMENTO, CA, May 27 (MARKET WIRE) --
The Board of Directors of American River Bankshares (NASDAQ: AMRB),
announced the re-election of seven Directors at their Annual Meeting held
Thursday, May 21st in Rancho Cordova, California.

Shareholders re-elected Dorene C. Dominguez, Charles D. Fite, Robert J.
Fox, Dr. Roger J. Taylor, Stephen H. Waks, Philip A. Wright and Michael A.
Ziegler as Director, each of whose current term expired at the 2009 Annual
Meeting and their new term will expire in 2010. Directors continuing in
office through 2010 are Amador S. Bustos, William A. Robotham and David T.
Taber.

The amendment of the Company's Articles of Incorporation to authorize the
issuance of preferred stock was approved by a majority of the shareholders
and additionally, the selection of Perry-Smith LLP as independent
registered public accountants for American River Bankshares was ratified
by a majority of votes cast. Perry-Smith LLP has served the Company since
1990.

In his address to shareholders, David Taber, President and CEO of American
River Bankshares, discussed the Company's performance and current economic
conditions.

"The key to American River Bankshares continued success is our ability to
deal with challenges from a position of strength," said David Taber. "That
strength comes from our capital, our client base and our team, all of
which are second to none."

To listen to or download Mr. Taber's complete comments, please visit
http://amrb.podbean.com.

About American River Bankshares

American River Bankshares (NASDAQ: AMRB) is the parent company of American
River Bank ("ARB"), a community business bank serving Sacramento, CA that
operates a family of financial services providers, including North Coast
Bank [a division of "ARB"] in Sonoma County and Bank of Amador [a division
of "ARB"] in Amador County. For more information, please call 916-851-0123
or visit www.amrb.com; www.americanriverbank.com; www.northcoastbank.com;
or www.bankofamador.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and subject to the safe harbor
provisions of the of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ
materially from the results in these forward-looking statements. Factors
that might cause such a difference include, among other matters, changes
in interest rates, economic conditions, governmental regulation and
legislation, credit quality, and competition affecting the Company's
businesses generally; the risk of natural disasters and future
catastrophic events including terrorist related incidents; and other
factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2008, and in subsequent reports filed on Form
10-Q and Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake any obligation to
publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements,
whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise, except as
required by law.

Media Contact:
Diana Walery
Corporate Communications
American River Bankshares
916-231-6717

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