**EXHIBIT 31.1**

**CERTIFICATION**

I, Kit M. Cole, certify that:

          1.          I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K   of Epic Bancorp;

          2.          Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain   any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact   necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under   which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period   covered by this report;

          3.          Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and   other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all   material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash   flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in   this report;

          4.          The small business issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer and have:

|   | (a)    | Designed such disclosure controls and procedure, or   caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our   supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the small   business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us   by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this   report is being prepared; |
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|   | (b)    | [Paragraph reserved pursuant to SEC Release 33-8238]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
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|   | (c)    | Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business   issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our   conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and   procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such   evaluation; and                                                                                        |
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|   | (d)    | Disclosed in this report any change in the small   business issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred   during small business issuer’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially   affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small business   issuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and                                 |

          5.        The small business issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,  to the small business issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of small business issuer’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

|   | (a)    | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses   in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which   are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small business issuer’s ability   to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
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|   | (b)    | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves   management or other employees who have a significant role in the small   business issuer’s internal controls over financial reporting.                                                                                                 |