EXHIBIT 99

NEWS RELEASE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              Contact: Robert Evans
July 1, 2002                                President and CEO
                                            (740) 373-3155


                    PEOPLES BANCORP LISTED IN TOP 100 IN OHIO
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                     2Q 2002 Earnings to be released July 22

         MARIETTA, Ohio - Peoples Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: PEBO) was recently
recognized by The Cleveland Plain Dealer as one of the Top 100 businesses in
Ohio, placing 52nd on this year's list.
         Each year The Plain Dealer honors the top 100 performing publicly
traded companies with headquarters in Ohio, ranking companies by several
measures of performance and size such as last year's revenues, and three-year
measurements of revenue and net income growth, as well as total shareholder
return, return on average equity, and other key performance indicators.
         "This recognition is a credit to the efforts of all our associates who
continue to deliver quality financial products to our growing customer base,"
said Robert E. Evans, President and CEO of Peoples Bancorp. "It does not happen
by accident. It is an honor to be recognized among the best for several years in
a row."
         In 2001, Peoples reported its 28th consecutive year of increased
earnings, as net income reached $12.3 million and return on shareholders equity
totaled 13.60%. Peoples has also increased its annual dividend to shareholders
for 36 consecutive years. Assuming dividend reinvestment, total return to
shareholders on a 10-year compounded basis is over 19%.
         "In these times of market uncertainty, I think investors like our
consistent performance," Evans continued. "We will continue to invest in
financial solutions that benefit our customers, associates, and shareholders."
         Peoples announced it will release corporate earnings for the quarter
ended June 30, 2002, on Monday, July 22, at approximately 1:00 pm local time.
Peoples will conduct a conference call on July 24, 2002 at 3:00 pm, EDT, to
discuss second quarter results of operations. The conference call is open to the
public; however, management asks that questions be limited to investment
analysts, interested members of the media and shareholders. Members of Peoples'
executive management will participate in the call.
         To participate in the facilitated conference call, please dial (877)
735-0939 approximately five minutes before the scheduled start of the conference
call. Brief opening remarks will be followed by a question and answer period. A
transcript of the discussion will be placed on Peoples' web site at
www.peoplesbancorp.com: click on "Investor Relations", then "Conference Call
Transcripts".
         Peoples Bancorp Inc., a diversified financial products and services
company with $1.3 billion in assets, makes available a complete line of banking,
investment, insurance, and trust solutions through Peoples Bank's 45 sales
offices and 28 ATM's in Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Peoples' common stock
is traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol "PEBO". Learn more about
Peoples or enroll in Peoples OnLine Connection, Peoples' Internet banking
product, at www.peoplesbancorp.com.


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