Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Auditors

The Board of Directors

Silicon Valley Bancshares:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statement on Form S-8 of Silicon Valley Bancshares of our report dated January 16, 2002, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Silicon Valley Bancshares and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2001 and 2000, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2001, which report appears in the December 31, 2001, annual report on Form 10-K of Silicon Valley Bancshares.

/s/  KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California