EXHIBIT 99.1

  American River Bankshares Receives Preliminary Approval to Participate in the
                     U.S. Treasury Capital Purchase Program

Sacramento, CA, November 24, 2008 - American River Bankshares (NASDAQ-GS: AMRB)
today announced that it has received preliminary approval to participate in the
U.S. Department of Treasury ("U.S. Treasury") Capital Purchase Program ("CPP").
The U.S. Treasury has stated that the aim of the CPP is to encourage U.S.
financial institutions to increase lending activities to businesses and
consumers and to support the U.S. economy. The U.S. Treasury intends to
accomplish this by purchasing senior preferred shares in financially sound
financial institutions.

American River Bankshares applied for and was preliminarily approved for a $6
million capital investment; a conservative number based on the $4.5 to $13.5
million subscription range available to the Company. At September 30, 2008, the
Company's leverage ratio was 7.9%, the Tier 1 risk based ratio was 9.8% and the
Total Risk Based Capital ratio was 11.0%. American River Bankshares capital
ratios currently exceed the regulatory guidelines and American River Bank's
capital levels are above the "well-capitalized" standards based on regulatory
guidelines.

American River Bankshares' participation in the CPP is conditioned on its
approval of the Securities Purchase Agreement and related documents, as well as
approval from shareholders to amend the Company's Articles of Incorporation to
authorize preferred stock, with the intent to issue senior preferred stock to
the U.S. Treasury. The Company's Board of Directors is still assessing the
merits of the CPP and has not yet made a final decision on the Company's
participation. The Board of Directors has concerns over the Securities Purchase
Agreement and related documents, including limitations on cash dividends and
share repurchases, among other matters.

"While the flexibility the capital investment would provide us is certainly
appealing, American River Bankshares is adamant about controlling its own
future. Participation in the Capital Purchase Program would be dependent upon a
clear understanding of all ramifications of the Securities Purchase Agreement
and related documents," said David Taber, President and CEO of American River
Bankshares. "Our Company is known for providing shareholder value and our
ability to issue dividends and repurchase shares is paramount to that
reputation."

About American River Bankshares
- -------------------------------
American River Bankshares [NASDAQ-GS: AMRB] is the parent company of American
River Bank ("ARB"), a community business bank serving the Greater Sacramento
Area in California that operates a family of financial services providers,
including North Coast Bank [a division of "ARB"] in Sonoma County and Bank of
Amador [a division of "ARB"] in Amador County. For more information, please call
(916) 851-0123 or visit www.amrb.com; www.americanriverbank.com;
www.northcoastbank.com; www.bankofamador.com.

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Forward-Looking Statement
- -------------------------
Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and subject to the safe harbor provisions of the
of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks and
uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results in these
forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include,
among other matters, changes in interest rates, economic conditions,
governmental regulation and legislation, credit quality, and competition
affecting the Company's businesses generally; the risk of natural disasters and
future catastrophic events including terrorist related incidents; and other
factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2007, and in subsequent reports filed on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.
The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any
of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future
events or otherwise.


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