American Bank Ranked One of the Top Internet Banks by Gomez Advisors

CONTACT: Mark W. Jaindl, President and Chief Executive Officer
Allentown, PA, Thursday, May 25, 2000

Allentown, PA, May 25, 2000 - Gomez Advisors, a leading authority on financial e-commerce sites and services for both customers and businesses, announced today that American Bank (www.pcbanker.com) ranks as one of the top Internet banks in the nation for overall value. Based upon Gomez Advisors' evaluation, it was determined that American Bank leads the industry with their high yielding e-Checking, money market and CD accounts. In addition, significant improvements were notated by Gomez Advisors as to the ease of use and relationship services on American Bank's premier Internet banking service, pcbanker.com.

President and CEO Mark Jaindl commented, "We are very pleased to be recognized as one of the top Internet banks in the United States and will continue to enhance our products and services in an effort to exceed our customer's expectations."

The services at pcbanker.com can satisfy the needs of any customer. For example, American Bank's e-Checking account offers the highest checking account rate in the country, with an APY of 6.25%, with no monthly minimum balance required. Other benefits included with American Bank's e-Checking account are free "unlimited" online bill payment, free first order of checks, unlimited VISA® Check Card usage, free incoming wire transfers and ATM rebates. In addition, American Bank's Money Market and CD rates have continuously been within the top 1% nationally.

American Bank is committed to serving the Lehigh Valley and focuses their efforts on remaining a "nationwide community bank." Mr. Jaindl stated, "While we are very proud of our achievement as being one of the top Internet banks in the country, we will work very hard to develop American Bank into one of the top community banks in the Lehigh Valley."

American Bank will be completing its initial public stock offering as of May 31, 2000 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

About American Bank
American Bank, a locally-owned community bank based in Allentown, PA, offers a complete selection of banking products and services to suit the needs of consumers and businesses and includes checking, money market, savings, certificates of deposit, consumer and commercial loans and Visa credit cards. American Bank is dedicated to providing customers superior, personalized customer service while offering some of the best loan and deposit rates available and as a result, has received the Bankrate.com® Top Tier award for consistently offering annual percentage yields (APYs) that were among the highest reported. Their online banking service, pcbanker, allows customers to bank conveniently and delivers a full range of real-time online banking services free of charge including online bill payment and presentment, ACH Direct, transfers between accounts, transaction history, check images and e-Statements. American Bank is FDIC insured.

American Bank Online and pcbanker.com are trade marks for the Internet financial services provided by American Bank, a state-chartered, FDIC insured full-service financial institution serving customers throughout the United States. American Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
Statements in this press release regarding American Bank’s business which are not historical facts, including expectations regarding future financial results, are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements.

For additional information, please contact Mark W. Jaindl, President and Chief Executive Officer.