PRESS RELEASE
October 26, 2004

Contact
Cathy Reines, Chief Financial Officer
(360) 459 -1100
(360) 459 - 0137 (fax)

Venture Financial Group Announces Cash Dividend

Olympia, Wash. - October 26, 2004 - Venture Financial Group, Inc., parent company of Venture Bank, announced that on October 20, 2004, the Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $.06 per share payable November 19, 2004 to all shareholders of record as of November 8, 2004.

The declared dividend is a twenty percent (20%) increase over the previous quarterly dividend, and marks the twenty-third consecutive quarterly dividend to be paid.

Venture Bank, with 13 financial centers in three western Washington counties and one loan production/Venture Wealth Management office in Elma, Washington offers a full spectrum of financial services including commercial, construction, residential and consumer lending, deposit products, and other banking services. The bank also provides a broad range of investment services through its subsidiary Venture Wealth Management, Inc. Further information about the bank may be found on the Internet at www.venture-bank.com.

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