8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 16, 2003

ECB BANCORP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

NORTH CAROLINA	0-24753	56-2090738
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

Post Office Box 337 Engelhard, North Carolina	27824
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (252) 925-9411

Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits. The following exhibit accompanies this Report:

Exhibit No.	Exhibit Description
99	Copy of press release dated September 16, 2003

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On September 16, 2003, Registrant announced that its Board of Directors had declared a cash dividend of $0.125 per share of its common stock, payable on October 13, 2003, to its shareholders of record on September 29, 2003. A copy of Registrant’s press release is attached as Exhibit 99 to this Report and is incorporated by reference into this Report.

Disclosures About Forward Looking Statements

The discussions included in this Report and its exhibits may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995, including Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially. For the purposes of these discussions, any statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward looking statements. Such statements are often characterized by the use of qualifying words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “plans,” “projects,” or other statements concerning opinions or judgments of the Registrant and its management about future events. The accuracy of such forward looking statements could be affected by such factors as, including but not limited to, the financial success or changing conditions or strategies of the Registrant’s customers or vendors, fluctuations in interest rates, actions of government regulators, the availability of capital and personnel or general economic conditions.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	ECB BANCORP, INC. (Registrant)
Date: September 16th, 2003	By:	/s/    Gary M. Adams
		Gary M. Adams Chief Financial Officer

2

EX-99

Exhibit 99

PRESS RELEASE

September 16, 2003

CONTACT: ECB Bancorp, Inc.

Gary M. Adams, Chief Financial Officer

(252) 925-5525

(252) 925-8491 facsimile

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ECB BANCORP, INC. REPORTS DECLARATION OF

QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND

ENGELHARD, NORTH CAROLINA-ECB Bancorp, Inc. (“ECB”), the parent holding company of The East Carolina Bank, announces that on September 16, 2003, ECB’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.125 per share, payable October 13, 2003 to shareholders of record on September 29, 2003.

On an annualized basis the Company’s 2003 dividend of $.50 per share represents a 25% increase over the annual dividend in 2002 of $.40 per share.

Headquartered in Engelhard, NC, ECB Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company, whose wholly owned subsidiary, The East Carolina Bank is a state-chartered, independent community bank insured by the FDIC. The Bank provides a full range of financial services through its 20 offices in eastern North Carolina, including new Loan Production Offices in Morehead City and Wilmington, mortgages, insurance services through the Bank’s licensed agents and investment and brokerage services offered through a third-party broker-dealer. ECB’s common stock is listed on The NASDAQ SmallCap Market under the symbol “ECBE”. More information can be obtained by visiting ECB’s web site at www.ecbbancorp.com.