EXHIBIT 99

NEWS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          Contact: Robert E. Evans
---------------------                   President and Chief Executive Officer
February 21, 2001                       (740) 373-3155


               Peoples Bancorp Appoints Chief Integration Officer
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     Peoples also to present at Midwest 2001 Super-Community Bank Conference

         Marietta, Ohio - Peoples Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: PEBO) announced today
the recent appointment of Mark F. Bradley as Chief Integration Officer, a newly
developed executive vice president position.
         "We are breaking new ground with this  position,"  commented  Robert E.
Evans,  Peoples'  President and CEO. "Mark will be our strategy  leader and will
commit his energy to  integrating  the many facets of our  business and aligning
our resources.  He will work with our leadership team to establish the long-term
direction of our company,  ensuring that we stay focused on customer service and
creating stakeholder value."
         The  Chief  Integration  Officer  will  be  primarily  responsible  for
strategic  planning and  accelerating  change  within the Company.  He will also
coordinate investor relations  activities,  integrate sales processes and future
acquisitions, and oversee Peoples' corporate risk management programs.
         "Our ability to anticipate and quickly  implement change in the dynamic
financial  services  environment is key to our future success," Evans continued.
"We have set some big goals for  Peoples  Bancorp.  Mark will play a key role in
communicating and leading the integration of our strategies,  businesses, sales,
systems, people, processes, etc."
         Bradley will serve as Chief Integration  Officer and Controller until a
new Controller is identified. Bradley has served as Controller for Peoples since
January 1997 and has been with the Company  since 1991. He is a graduate of Ohio
University  and  received  his MBA from Ohio  University  in 1999.  Bradley also
completed the Ohio Banker's  School and is Treasurer for the  Washington  County
Community  Improvement  Corporation,  a  non-profit  organization  dedicated  to
enhancing commerce in Washington County, Ohio.
         In other news, Peoples announced the Company will be a presenter at the
Midwest 2001  Super-Community Bank Conference in Chicago, IL, on February 28 and
March 1, 2001.  Twelve of the leading small and mid-cap banks in the Midwest are
sponsoring the annual conference for the benefit of institutional  investors and
brokerage firms.  Peoples is scheduled to present February 28 at 6:15 pm Eastern
time.  A live  webcast of  Peoples'  presentation  and the entire  event will be
available    through    Investor    Broadcast     Network's     Vcall.com    and
InvestorConference.com     websites,     located    at     www.vcall.com     and
www.investorconference.com.    A    link    will    also    be    provided    on
www.peoplesbancorp.com.  Listeners  should go to the website of their  choice at
least fifteen  minutes before these events to download and install any necessary
audio software.  For those unable to attend the live broadcast, a replay will be
available for 90 days unless  otherwise  requested by a  participating  company.
There is no charge to access any event.
         Peoples  Bancorp Inc., a diversified  financial  services  company with
$1.1  billion in assets,  offers a complete  line of  banking,  investment,  and
insurance solutions through Peoples Bank's 40 offices and 27 ATM's in Ohio, West
Virginia,  and Kentucky.  Peoples Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ
exchange  under the symbol PEBO.  Learn more about Peoples  Bancorp or enroll in
Peoples  OnLine  Connection,   Peoples  Bank's  internet  banking  product,   at
www.peoplesbancorp.com.

                                 END OF RELEASE