Shore Bank Names Belote President and Chief Executive Officer

NORFOLK, Va., June 26, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hampton Roads Bankshares, Inc.
(Nasdaq:HMPR), the financial holding company for Bank of Hampton Roads and Shore
Bank, is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of Shore Bank has named
Steven M. Belote as the Bank's new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Belote is a Certified Public Accountant and past Chief Financial Officer and
Senior Vice President of Shore Financial Corporation, which was acquired by
Hampton Roads Bankshares in May 2008. After the acquisition, he continued to
serve as the Chief Financial Officer of Shore Bank.

After receiving a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Accounting from Virginia Tech
University, Belote spent seven years working in Washington, DC with BDO Seidman,
LLP, a large international public accounting and consulting firm. An Eastern
Shore native, he returned to the area in 1995 and joined Shore Bank. He has been
involved in various organizations, including past President and current Board
member of the Melfa Rotary Club, past Chairman of the Eastern Shore Chamber of
Commerce Education Committee, past member of the Eastern Shore Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors, current Treasurer of the Eastern Shore Chamber of
Commerce, current member of the Bay Beyond (Blue Crab Bay Co.) Advisory Board,
past Treasurer and Finance Chairman of the Eastern Shore Yacht and County Club,
past Chairman of the American Cancer Society Annual Golf Tournament, past
President and board member of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association-Eastern Shore
Chapter, past Chairman and President of the Eastern Shore of Virginia United Way
Campaign, current member of the Eastern Shore Christian Businessmen Association,
current Council Board member and Finance Committee Chairman of the Market Street
United Methodist Church, current member of the Maryland Financial Bank Advisory
Board and past Chairman of the Virginia Bankers Association CFO Committee.

About Hampton Roads Bankshares

Hampton Roads Bankshares, Inc. is a financial holding company that was formed in
2001 and is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. The Company's primary
subsidiaries are Bank of Hampton Roads, which opened for business in 1987 and
Shore Bank, which opened in 1961. The Banks engage in general community and
commercial banking business, targeting the needs of individuals and small to
medium-sized businesses. Currently, Bank of Hampton Roads operates thirty
banking offices in the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia and
twenty-four offices in Virginia and North Carolina doing business as Gateway
Bank & Trust Co. Shore Bank serves the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia
through eight banking offices and twenty-two ATMs. Through various affiliates,
the Banks also offer mortgage banking services, insurance, title insurance and
investment products. Shares of the Company's common stock are traded on the
NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HMPR. Additional information about
the Company and its subsidiaries can be found at
www.hamptonroadsbanksharesinc.com.

Certain statements in this report may constitute "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements are statements that include projections, predictions,
expectations, or beliefs about events or results or otherwise are not statements
of historical facts. Although the Company believes that its expectations with
respect to certain forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable
assumptions within the bounds of its existing knowledge of its business and
operations, there can be no assurance that actual results, performance or
achievements of the Company will not differ materially from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from
historical results or those anticipated depending on a variety of factors. For
an explanation of the risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking
statements, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2008, and other reports filed and furnished to the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to
update any forward-looking statements made in this press release and this
release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to
buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such solicitation would be unlawful.

-0-
CONTACT: Hampton Roads Bankshares, Inc.
Tiffany K. Glenn, Executive Vice President, Investor
Relations Officer
(757) 217-1000