Exhibit 99.3
February 13, 2007
The Board of Directors
AmericanWest Bancorporation
41 West Riverside Avenue, Suite 400
Spokane, WA 99201
Dear Members of the Board:
We hereby consent to the use in this registration statement on Form S-4 of our letter to the Board of Directors of AmericanWest Bancorporation included asAppendix B to the proxy statement-prospectus forming a part of this registration statement on Form S-4 and to all references to our firm in such proxy statement-prospectus. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.
Sincerely,
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods • 101 California Street • Suite 3700 • San Francisco, CA 94111
Corporate Finance 877.520.8569 • Equity 800.345.3053 • Fixed Income 877.778.5330