EXHIBIT 31

         CERTIFICATION OF THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE AND FINANCIAL OFFICER
            PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

     I,  Lowell  S.  Dansker, as the principal executive and principal financial
officer  of  Intervest  Bancshares Corporation and Subsidiaries (the "Company"),
certify,  that:

1.   I  have  reviewed  this report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ending
     March  31,  2004  of  the  Company;

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  Company  as  of,  and  for,  the  periods  presented  in  this report;

4.   I  am  responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
     procedures  (as  defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for
     the  Company  and  I  have:

          (a)  Designed  such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
               disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under my
               supervision,  to ensure that material information relating to the
               Company,  including  its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known
               to  me  by  others within those entities, particularly during the
               period  in  which  this  report  is  being  prepared;

          (b)  Evaluated  the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls
               and  procedures and presented in this report my 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

          (c)  Disclosed  in  this  report  any change in the Company's internal
               control  over  financial  reporting  that  occurred  during  the
               Company's most recent quarter that has materially affected, or is
               reasonably  likely  to  materially affect, the Company's internal
               control  over  financial  reporting;  and

5.   I  have  disclosed,  based on my most recent evaluation of internal control
     over financial reporting, to the Company's auditors and the Audit Committee
     of  the  Company's  Board  of  Directors:

          (a)  all  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in the
               design  or  operation  of  the  internal  control  over financial
               reporting  which  are  reasonably  likely to adversely affect the
               Company's  ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report
               financial  information;  and

          (b)  any  fraud,  whether or not material, that involves management or
               other  employees  who  have  a  significant role in the Company's
               internal  control  over  financial  reporting.



           /s/  Lowell S. Dansker
           ----------------------
           Lowell S. Dansker, Vice Chairman, President and Treasurer
           (Principal Executive and Financial Officer)
           May 12, 2004


                                       26
<PAGE>