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**CERTIFICATIONS**

| 1.   | I                have reviewed this report on Form 10-Q of Capital Corp of the West                for the                third quarter of 2005; |
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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                quarterly 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                registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly                report; |
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| 4.   | The                registrant’s other certifying officer                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))                and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange                Act                Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and                have: |
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| a.   | Designed                such disclosure controls and procedures,                or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed                under our                supervision, to                ensure that material information relating to the registrant, 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.   | Designed                such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal                control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision,                to                provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial                reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external                purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
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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 the most recent quarter                that has                materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,                the                registrant's internal control over financial                reporting; |
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| 5.   | The                registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our                most recent evaluation                of                internal control over financial reporting,                to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s                board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent                function): |
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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 registrant’s internal                control                over financial reporting. |
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| Date:                November 3, 2005 | By                /s/                Thomas T. Hawker |
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|                                  | Thomas                T. Hawker                       |
|                                  | President                and                          |
|                                  | Chief                Executive Officer                |

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