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                                                                 Exhibit 99.2

                                  CERTIFICATION


      I,  Frank  Sexton,   Jr.,  Chief  Financial  Officer,   of  New  Peoples
Bankshares, Inc., certify that:

      1.    I have reviewed this quarterly  report on Form 10-Q of New Peoples
            Bankshares, Inc.;

      2.    Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain
            any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
            fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the
            circumstances under which such  statements  were made, not
            misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly
            report;

      3.    Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
            financial information included in this quarterly report, fairly
            present in all material respects the financial condition, results of
            operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the
            periods presented in this quarterly report;

      4.    The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible
            for establishing  and maintaining  disclosure  controls and
            procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and
            15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

            (a)   Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or
                  caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed
                  under our supervision, to ensure that material information
                  relating to the registrant, including its consolidated
                  subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
                  entities, particularly during the period in which this
                  quarterly report is being prepared;

            (b)   Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
                  controls and procedures and presented in this quarterly report
                  our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
                  controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered
                  by this report based on such evaluation; and

            (c)   Disclosed in this quarterly report any change in the
                  registrant's internal control over financial reporting that
                  occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter
                  that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
                  materially affect, the registrant's internal control over
                  financial reporting; and

      5.    The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,
            based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
            financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit
            committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons
            performing the equivalent functions):

            (a)   All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in
                  the design or operation of internal control over financial
                  reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
                  registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report
                  financial information; and


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            (b)   Any fraud,  whether or not  material,  that
                  involves management or other employees who have a significant
                  role in the  registrant's  internal  control over
                  financial reporting.


Date:  August 13 , 2003                  By:  /s/ FRANK SEXTON JR.
                                            ----------------------------
                                         Frank Sexton, Jr.
                                         Chief Financial Officer