Banner Corporation to Present at D.A. Davidson Conference

Business Wire, May 3, 2006

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Banner Corporation (Nasdaq: BANR), the parent company of Banner Bank, today announced that D. Michael Jones, President and CEO, and Lloyd W. Baker, CFO, are scheduled to present at the Eighth Annual D.A. Davidson Financial Services Conference in Seattle. Banner's presentation is on Wednesday morning, May 10, 2006, at 7:15 a.m. PDT.

In April, Banner reported record results for the first quarter of 2006. Net income increased 44% to $6.8 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, compared to $4.7 million, or $0.39 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2005. Loans grew 19% to $2.54 billion, deposits increased 21% to $2.42 billion and assets grew 5% to $3.12 billion from year ago levels.

About Banner Corporation

Banner Corporation is the parent of Banner Bank, a commercial bank that operates a total of 58 branch offices and eleven loan offices in 24 counties in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Banner serves the Pacific Northwest region with a full range of deposit services and business, commercial real estate, construction, residential, agricultural and consumer loans. Visit Banner Bank on the Web at www.bannerbank.com.