Capitol Bancorp Center
200 Washington Sq. North
Lansing, MI 48933

2777 East Camelback Road
Suite 375
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Analyst Contact:
Michael M. Moran
Chief of Capital Markets
877-884-5662

Media Contact:
Joal Redmond
Corporate Communications
602-977-3797

LANSING, Mich., and PHOENIX: Dec. 28, 2005: Capitol Bancorp Limited (NYSE:CBC), a $3.4 billion national community bank development company, concluded 2005 by opening two new community banks, bringing its network to 41 individually chartered community banks, the largest of any financial institution in the country.

Bank of Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California, Capitol Bancorp's 41st bank, opened for business mid-December. This is Capitol's sixth bank in California. Summit Bank of Kansas City in Lee's Summit, Missouri, opened last month, representing Capitol's 40th community bank nationwide and first bank in Missouri.

"Capitol Bancorp has reached a significant milestone, as the only company in America that holds 41 individual bank charters," Joseph D. Reid, Capitol Bancorp's chairman and CEO said. "Our highly successful business model of affiliating separately chartered community banks admittedly runs contrary to the massive consolidation of bank charters witnessed over the past several years. We are firmly committed to preserving the customer individuality our community bank model delivers."

Capitol Bancorp added nine community banks to its network in 2005, through the development of eight de novo community banks and the acquisition of a community bank in Georgia. The development efforts took Capitol Bancorp into four states this year where it had not had a banking presence: Washington, Colorado, Illinois and Missouri.

Capitol Bancorp currently has six applications pending for new community banks.

About Capitol Bancorp Limited
Capitol Bancorp Limited is a $3.4 billion national community bank development company, with 41 individual bank charters and bank operations in thirteen states. Capitol Bancorp Limited identifies opportunities for the development of new community banks, raises capital, mentors a community bank through its formative stages and manages its investments in its community banks. Each community bank has full local decision-making authority and is managed by an on-site president under the direction of a local board of directors composed of business leaders from the bank's community. Capitol Bancorp Limited was founded in 1988 and has executive offices in Lansing, Mich. and Phoenix, Ariz.