EXHIBIT 99

NEWS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          Contact:  Larry E. Holdren
May 2, 2000                              President, Retail and Banking Division
                                         (740) 373-3155


                    PEOPLES BANK ENHANCES E-COMMERCE SERVICES
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         Marietta, Ohio - Peoples Bank, a subsidiary of Peoples Bancorp Inc.
(Nasdaq: PEBO) announced improvements to its electronic banking services at
www.peoplesbancorp.com through the transformation of the Company web site to a
`portal', which provides a variety of links to internet users, including banking
online using Peoples OnLine Connection.
         Peoples Bank's new portal provides a `one-stop' shop for internet
users, who will now be able to access their banking records through Peoples
OnLine Connection, review local and national weather forecasts, access timely
stock quotes, read up-to-date news stories, see sports scores and other
entertainment articles, and much more.
         "This is a natural extension of our online banking services and the
connection we want to establish with our clients," said Larry Holdren, Peoples
Bank's President of Retail and Banking Services. "Peoples Bank clients have
found that peoplesbancorp.com is a great addition to Peoples OnLine Connection
launched in September 1999 and already has over 1,500 users."
         At peoplesbancorp.com, links are also provided to a national shopping
mall, increasing virtual shopping access to all peoplesbancorp.com visitors. In
the future, Peoples Bank plans to develop electronic links to local retailers,
providing e-commerce capabilities to merchants by allowing internet users to
shop online at their stores without leaving their homes.
         "We are currently constructing a local online shopping mall," said
Alison Thompson, Manager of Internet Banking. "We believe this type of local,
online shopping will be a great opportunity for local merchants in our many
markets to establish their presence on the world wide web, with minimal use of
their resources."
         Peoples Bank has partnered with Q-UP Systems (www.qup.com), a leading
provider of web-based financial products, to produce the redesigned web site.
Q-UP also provided Peoples OnLine Connection and has expanded their offerings to
provide one-stop financial services convenience at the fingertips of each
Peoples Bank client. Ms. Thompson continued, "With peoplesbancorp.com expanded
to portal capabilities, we have enhanced our connection with our customers and
redefined the methods in which financial service products and other information
are delivered." Internet visitors in recent periods have averaged over 300
`hits' daily to peoplesbancorp.com, and usage has consistently increased as more
clients enroll in Peoples OnLine Connection.
         "Peoples Bank continues to push the edge of technology and create an
environment where our clients have e-commerce capabilities that make their
financial lives easier," continued Ms. Thompson. "At the same time, we have
carefully maintained high levels of personal service, security, and
confidentiality that our clients expect from Peoples Bank."
         Peoples Bancorp Inc. is a diversified financial services company with
over $1 billion in assets. The Company's lead subsidiary is Peoples Bank, which
offers complete banking products and services through 38 financial service
locations and 25 ATM's in the states of Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Peoples Bank also makes available other financial services via Peoples
Investments, which provides customer-tailored solutions for fiduciary needs,
investment alternatives, and asset management needs (securities are offered
exclusively through Raymond James Financial Services, member NASD/SIPC, an
independent broker/dealer located at Peoples Bank). Peoples Bank also provides a
full set of life, property and casualty insurance products and services, through
Peoples Insurance Agency, Inc. Peoples Bancorp's common stock is traded through
the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol `PEBO'. Learn more about
Peoples Bancorp or enroll in Peoples OnLine Connection, Peoples Bank's internet
banking service, at www.peoplesbancorp.com.


                                 END OF RELEASE