HOUSTON - Sterling Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBIB) will make a presentation at the RBC Capital Markets Financial Institutions Conference on Tuesday, September 28, 2004, at 8:25 a.m. Eastern Time. J. Downey Bridgwater, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Stephen C. Raffaele, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will make Sterling's presentation. The conference is being held at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Interested individuals may listen to a live audio webcast of the presentation by visiting http://www.wsw.com/webcast/dr24/sbib/. After the conference, the presentation will be archived for 60 days. There is no charge to listen to the webcast.

Sterling Bancshares, Inc. is a Houston-based bank holding company that operates 37 bank offices in the greater metro areas of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Sterling's common stock is traded through the Nasdaq National Market System under the symbol SBIB. For more information on Sterling Bancshares, please visit the Company's web site at www.banksterling.com.

For More Information Contact:
Chris Reid, Investor Relations
713-507-2873