8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 14, 2005

CAPITOL BANCORP LTD.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Michigan
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) 001-31708
(Commission File No.) 38-2761672
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

Capitol Bancorp Center
200 Washington Square North, Lansing, Michigan 48933
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(517) 487-6555
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.01. Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

      Effective as of January 2, 2005, Capitol Bancorp Ltd. (“Capitol”) appointed Cristin Reid English as Capitol’s Chief Operating Officer. Ms. English was previously Chief Administrative Officer, Executive Vice President, and General Counsel and has served in other varying capacities at Capitol since 1997. She joined Capitol’s board of directors in 2001. She formerly served on the boards of Capitol’s affiliates Sun Community Bancorp Limited and Nevada Community Bancorp Limited, and currently is a member of the board of directors of Capitol’s affiliate First California Bancorp and Capitol National Bank. Ms. English is 36 years of age and is the daughter of Joseph D. Reid, Chief Executive Officer and President of Capitol. Information regarding certain relationships and related transactions was previously reported in the definitive proxy statement for the Company’s 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2004.

      Effective as of January 2, 2005, Capitol Bancorp Ltd. (“Capitol”) appointed Bruce A. Thomas as Capitol’s President of the Eastern Regions. Mr. Thomas joined Capitol in February of 1998 as senior vice president of risk management. He has also served as chief operating officer for Capitol, as well as chief of bank performance in the Great Lakes region. Mr. Thomas is 47 years of age. Information regarding certain relationships and related transactions was previously reported in the definitive proxy statement for the Company’s 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2004.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press release dated March 14, 2005

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SIGNATURES

      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	CAPITOL BANCORP LTD. (Registrant)
Date: March 15, 2005	/s/ Joseph D. Reid
	Joseph D. Reid, Chief Executive Officer

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit No.	Description of Exhibit
99.1	Press Release dated March 14, 2005.

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EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1

	Capitol Bancorp Center 200 Washington Square North Lansing, MI 48933 2777 East Camelback Road, Suite 375 Phoenix, AZ 85016
	Contact:	Joal Redmond Corporate Communications 602-977-3797

For Immediate Release

Capitol Bancorp Announces Two Executive Appointments

Cristin Reid English Appointed Chief Operating Officer
Bruce Thomas Appointed President/Eastern Regions

LANSING, Mich. and PHOENIX, Ariz.: March 14, 2005: Capitol Bancorp Limited (NYSE:CBC) has appointed Cristin Reid English its chief operating officer (COO) and Bruce A. Thomas has been appointed president of the Corporation’s Eastern Regions.

Commenting on the appointments, Capitol’s Chairman and CEO, Joseph D. Reid, said both individuals have strong track records of success and their insight and guidance will be well utilized as Capitol accelerates its development activities. “We’ve been laying the groundwork to capitalize on growth opportunities and a component of that preparation is having the human resources in place to respond to those opportunities and to keep current operations running efficiently and profitably,” said Reid. “Both of these individuals have an in-depth understanding of the Corporation and are an integral part of our past successes as well as our future growth plans.”

As COO, Reid English has direct management responsibilities for Human Resources Services, Corporate Communications/Relations, Accounting, Corporate Governance and Regulatory Compliance, Credit Administration and Capitol University (CBC’s internal training program). She also is responsible for SEC compliance. Reid English has been with Capitol for eight years and has been a member of its board of directors since 2001. She most recently served as chief administrative officer, with prior responsibilities including serving as General Counsel and bank development oversight.

Prior to joining Capitol, Reid English was vice president of Access BIDCO, a venture capital company, where she focused on business and regulatory work. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Toledo College of Law and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Kalamazoo College.

Thomas’ new responsibilities include oversight of all operational and performance-related activities for Capitol’s affiliate banks in the Great Lakes, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast regions. Capitol currently has 15 banks located in Michigan, Indiana and North Carolina.

Thomas joined Capitol in 1998 to develop and implement Capitol’s risk management program. Prior to joining Capitol he was with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for 19 years where he served in positions of increasing responsibility including as field office director for the northeast district. He also implemented the OCC’s Supervision by Risk program.

Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Southern Illinois University. He attended the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and is a graduate of the OCC’s Managerial Career Development program.

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Capitol Bancorp Limited is a $3.1 billion community bank development company, with 33 individually chartered banks and bank operations in nine states. Capitol Bancorp identifies opportunities for the development of new community banks, raises capital for investment in banks, mentors its community banks through their formative stages and manages its investments in those community banks. Each community bank has full local decision-making authority and is managed by an on-site president under the direction of a local board of directors composed of business leaders from the bank’s community. Founded in 1988, Capitol Bancorp has headquarters in Lansing, Mich., and Phoenix, Ariz.