2011-03-31 22:43:19 -

Sterling Financial Corporation : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. (NASDAQ:STSA), today announced that it expects to release first-quarter 2011 operating results after 1 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Sterling plans to host a conference call for investors the next morning, Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at 8 a.m. PDT to discuss the company's financial results.

A live audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed at the company's website, www.sterlingfinancialcorporation-spokane.com : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .
To access this audio presentation call, click on the audio webcast icon.

Additionally, you may listen to the live conference call by telephone.

To participate in the conference call, domestic callers should dial 1-773-756-4806 approximately five minutes before the scheduled start time and provide the password

"STERLING." A webcast replay of the conference call will be available on the company's website approximately one hour following the completion of the call. The webcast replay will be offered through May 20, 2011.


About Sterling Financial Corporation

Sterling Financial Corporation : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. of Spokane, Wash., is the bank holding company for Sterling Savings Bank : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. , a commercial bank. The bank is state chartered and federally insured. Sterling offers banking products and services, mortgage lending, construction financing and investment products to individuals, small businesses, commercial organizations and corporations. As of Dec. 31, 2010, Sterling Financial Corporation : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. had assets of $9.49 billion and operated 178 depository branches throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California. Visit Sterling’s website at www.sterlingfinancialcorporation-spokane.com : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .

Sterling Savings Bank : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. ranked “Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in the Northwest Region” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.℠ Sterling Savings Bank received the highest numerical score among retail banks in the Northwest region in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study℠. The study was based on 47,673 total responses measuring 6 providers in the Northwest Region (OR, WA) and measures opinions of consumers with their primary banking provider. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in January 2010. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .


Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that are not historical facts and that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for “forward-looking statements” provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about Sterling’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, including those relating to Sterling’s ability to maintain well-capitalized regulatory ratios under applicable guidelines and Sterling’s ability to become a premier community banking franchise in the Pacific Northwest and execute on its strategies, and other statements contained in this release that are not historical facts and pertain to Sterling’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 Sterling’s control. These include but are not limited to: the possibility of continued adverse economic developments that may, among other things, increase default and delinquency risks in Sterling’s loan portfolios; shifts in interest rates that may result in lower interest rate margins; shifts in the demand for Sterling’s loan and other products; changes in accounting policies; changes in the monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; changes in laws, regulations and the competitive environment; and Sterling’s ability to comply with regulatory actions. Other factors that could cause actual conditions, events or results to differ significantly from those described in the forward-looking statements may be found under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Sterling’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated periodically in Sterling’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless legally required, Sterling disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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Sterling Financial CorporationMedia

Contact:Cara Coon, 509-626-5348VP/Communications
and Public Affairs DirectororInvestor

Contacts:Daniel G. Byrne, 509-458-3711EVP/Chief
Financial OfficerorDavid Brukardt, 509-863-5423EVP/Investor
& Corporate Relations