EXHIBIT 99

NEWS RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           Contact:  Larry Holdren
September 13, 1999                        President, Retail and Banking Division
                                          (740) 373-3155


                 PEOPLES BANK TO OFFER INTERNET BANKING PRODUCT
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                    Customers will be able to "bank on-line"

     Marietta,  Ohio - The Peoples Banking and Trust Company ("Peoples Bank"), a
subsidiary of Peoples  Bancorp Inc.  (Nasdaq:  PEBO),  today  announced plans to
introduce  Peoples  OnLine  Connection,  an  Internet-based  electronic  banking
system.
     Peoples OnLine Connection will bring together a wide range of financial
services and products at one site, 24 hours a day,  making banking and financial
management easier than ever before.
         "With the dynamic  world of e-commerce  upon us,  Peoples Bank has been
dedicated  since January to devise and  implement  Peoples  OnLine  Connection,"
commented  Larry E.  Holdren,  President  of Peoples  Bank's  Retail and Banking
Division.  "This  electronic  connection will enable us to provide our customers
with enhanced, customer-driven quality service they have come to expect."
         Holdren continued, "We have worked for nearly 100 years to build strong
relationships  with our customers and understand their financial needs.  Peoples
OnLine  Connection  provides  our customer  with  another  means to access their
accounts and financial  information.  It empowers each customer to control their
own financial matters and accelerates the  transaction-oriented  process to make
it easier to connect with Peoples Bank."
         With Peoples OnLine Connection and through a personal computer, Peoples
Bank's customers will be able to enjoy easy access to comprehensive,  up-to-date
information,  including  viewing account history and real-time current balances,
transferring money between accounts,  paying bills,  reordering checks, ordering
Savings Bonds Certificates, and more.
         Peoples Bank has partnered with Q-UP Systems  (www.qup.com),  a leading
provider of web-based  financial  products.  Holdren  added,  "Q-UP has a proven
interface and successful  track record with our core  processor.  In addition to
the Peoples OnLine  Connection,  they also offer a user-friendly Cash Management
system and will be able to fully integrate our current Bill Pay customers."
         Alison Thompson, Project Manager for Peoples OnLine Connection, stated,
"This is an exciting challenge for our Electronic Banking area and one that will
enhance our ability to better serve our  customers  and  potentially  expand our
current customer base.  Peoples OnLine Connection will provide customers 24-hour
access to account and transaction information,  as well as provide an electronic
method to pay bills and manage finances."
         Thompson  continued,  "Our  on-line,  real-time  service  redefines the
methods in which financial service products are delivered,  and represents a key
factor to enhancing the connection between our customers and Peoples Bank."
         Interested users of Peoples OnLine  Connection can visit Peoples Bank's
redesigned  web site at  www.peoplesbancorp.com.  Simply  select  the  "Internet
Banking" link and follow the  instructions to either "test drive" Peoples OnLine
Connection or enroll in the program.
         Holdren  summarized,  "We have always focused on the needs and goals of
our  customers.  Internet  banking,  with  its  worldwide  access  and  customer
controlled  flexibility,  is yet another way we can  anticipate the needs of our
customers  as  e-commerce  continues  to prosper.  We also  realize that we must
maintain a balance between  emerging  technologies  and  traditional  methods to
deliver  products and service to our customers.  Whether it is behind the scenes
through Internet banking or tending  personally to customer needs,  Peoples Bank
is  ready  to  fulfill  the  needs  of  our  customers  through  locally  driven
decision-making and personalized service."
         The  Peoples  Online  Connection  service is free to all  Peoples  Bank
customers.  A minimal fee will apply to those  customers who wish to utilize the
Bill Payer  service,  an online bill payment  service that gives  customers  the
opportunity to conveniently pay bills over the Internet.
         Peoples Bank is a subsidiary  of Peoples  Bancorp  Inc., a  diversified
financial  services bank holding company  headquartered  in Marietta,  Ohio. The
Company,  which is Y2K ready,  has over $1 billion  in assets  and  operates  36
financial service locations in the states of Ohio, West Virginia,  and Kentucky.
Peoples Bancorp's banking subsidiaries include Peoples Bank with offices in Ohio
and West Virginia;  The First National Bank of Southeastern Ohio with three Ohio
offices;  and  Peoples  Bank  FSB,  with  four  Kentucky  offices.  Through  its
subsidiaries,  Peoples  Bancorp  offers  complete  banking  services  and  makes
available other financial services,  such as trust services,  and investment and
insurance products.  Peoples Bancorp's common stock is traded through the Nasdaq
National Market System under the symbol "PEBO". Learn more about Peoples Bancorp
and Peoples OnLine Connection at www.peoplesbancorp.com.

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