**EXHIBIT 31.1**

**CERTIFICATION**

I, Mark Garwood, certify that:

| 1.     | I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K   of Epic Bancorp;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
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| 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;                                  |
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| 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;                                          |
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| 4.     | The registrant’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 registrant’s and have:                                                                                     |
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|   | (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 registrant’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   registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during   registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is   reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s  issuer’s internal control over financial   reporting. |
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| 5.     | The registrant’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 registrant’s issuer’s board of directors   (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
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|   | (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 registrant’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. |