Exhibit 99.3. Certification of CEO Pursuant to Section 906 of the
              Sarbanes-Oxley Act
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         The undersigned officer of Northway Financial, Inc. (the "Company")
hereby certifies that the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the
quarterly period ended June 30, 2003 (the "Report"), as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, fully complies with the
requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d), as applicable, of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and that the information contained in the
report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and
results of operations of the Company. This certification is provided solely
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and shall not be deemed to be a part of the Report
or "filed" for any purpose whatsoever.

Date:     August 6, 2003                   Name: /S/ William J. Woodward
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                                           William J. Woodward
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer