Northwest Bancorporation, Inc. Receives Regulatory Approval for CenterPointe Community Bank Merger with Inland Northwest Bank

SPOKANE, Wash., June 14, 2017 -- Northwest Bancorporation, Inc. (OTC Pink:NBCT) (the “Company”), the holding company of Inland Northwest Bank (“INB”), previously announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire CenterPointe Community Bank (“CenterPointe”), which is headquartered in Hood River, Oregon.  Today, the Company announced it has received conditional regulatory approvals of the proposed transaction from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Washington Department of Financial Institutions and the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.  Final approval of the transaction remains contingent on the satisfactory completion of a fairness hearing by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, receipt of shareholder approval by CenterPointe’s shareholders, and other customary closing conditions.  The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017.

About Northwest Bancorporation, Inc.
Northwest Bancorporation, Inc. is the parent company of Inland Northwest Bank, a state-chartered community bank which currently operates eleven branches in Eastern Washington, one branch in Central Washington and three branches in Northern Idaho.  INB specializes in meeting the financial needs of individuals and small to medium-sized businesses, including professional corporations and agriculture-related operations, by providing a full line of commercial, retail, agricultural, mortgage and private banking products and services.  More information about INB can be found on its website at www.inb.com.

About CenterPointe Community Bank
CenterPointe is a state-chartered community bank serving its communities through its three branch locations in the Columbia River Gorge region and one branch location in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  More information about CenterPointe can be found at www.centerpointebank.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements that are not historical facts and that are intended to be “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements contained in this release that are not historical facts and pertain to the Company’s future operating results.  When used in this release, the words “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements, because such statements are inherently subject to significant assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company’s control.  These include but are not limited to: the businesses of the Company and CenterPointe may not be combined successfully, or such combination may take longer, be more difficult, time-consuming or costly to accomplish than expected; the expected growth opportunities or cost savings from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; operating costs, customer losses and business disruption following the merger, including adverse effects on relationships with employees, may be greater than expected; governmental approvals of the merger may not be obtained, or adverse regulatory conditions may be imposed in connection with governmental approvals of the merger; the shareholders of CenterPointe may fail to approve the merger; the possibility of adverse economic developments that may, among other things, increase default and delinquency risks in the Company’s loan portfolios; shifts in interest rates; shifts in the rate of inflation; shifts in the demand for the Company’s loan and other products; unforeseen increases in costs and expenses; changes in accounting policies; changes in the monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; and changes in laws, regulations and the competitive environment.  Unless legally required, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information contact:

Russell A. Lee, President and CEO
Holly Poquette, Chief Financial Officer
509.456.8888
[email protected]