RIDGESTONE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 
                             1996 Stock Option Plan


   Section 1.  Purpose

        The purpose of the Ridgestone Financial Services, Inc. 1996 Stock
   Option Plan (the "Plan") is to promote the best interests of Ridgestone
   Financial Services, Inc. (together with any successor thereto, the
   "Company") and its shareholders by providing key employees of the Company
   and its Affiliates (as defined below) with an opportunity to acquire a
   proprietary interest in the Company.  It is intended that the Plan will
   promote continuity of management and increased incentive and personal
   interest in the welfare of the Company by those key employees who are
   primarily responsible for shaping and carrying out the long-range plans of
   the Company and securing the Company's continued growth and financial
   success.

   Section 2.  Definitions

        As used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the respective
   meanings set forth below:

        (a)  "Affiliate" shall mean any entity that, directly or through one
   or more intermediaries, is controlled by, controls, or is under common
   control with, the Company, including, without limitation, Ridgestone Bank.

        (b)  "Stock Option Agreement" shall mean any written agreement,
   contract, or other instrument or document evidencing any Option granted
   under the Plan.

        (c)  "Code" shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
   from time to time.

        (d)  "Commission" shall mean the United States Securities and
   Exchange Commission or any successor agency.

        (e)  "Committee" shall mean a committee of the Board of Directors of
   the Company designated by such Board to administer the Plan and comprised
   of not less than two directors, each of whom is eligible and qualified to
   serve thereon as provided by Rule 16b-3 and each of whom is an "outside
   director" within the meaning of Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code (or any
   successor provision thereto).

        (f)  "Exchange Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
   as amended from time to time.

        (g)  "Fair Market Value" shall mean, with respect to any property
   (including, without limitation, any Shares or other securities), the fair
   market value of such property determined by such methods or procedures as
   shall be established from time to time by the Committee.

        (h)  "Incentive Stock Option" shall mean an Option granted under
   Section 6(a) of the Plan that is intended to meet the requirements of
   Section 422 of the Code (or any successor provision thereto).

        (i)  "Key Employee" shall mean any officer or other key employee of
   the Company or of any Affiliate who is responsible for or contributes to
   the management, growth or profitability of the business of the Company or
   any Affiliate as determined by the Committee.

        (j)  "Non-Qualified Stock Option" shall mean an Option granted under
   Section 6(a) of the Plan that is not intended to be an Incentive Stock
   Option.

        (k)  "Option" shall mean an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified
   Stock Option.

        (l)  "Participating Key Employee" shall mean a Key Employee
   designated to be granted an Option under the Plan.

        (m)  "Person" shall mean any individual, corporation, partnership,
   association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, or
   government or political subdivision thereof.

        (n)  "Rule 16b-3" shall mean Rule 16b-3 as promulgated by the
   Commission under the Exchange Act, or any successor rule or regulation
   thereto.

        (o)  "Shares" shall mean shares of common stock of the Company, no
   par value, and such other securities or property as may become subject to
   Options pursuant to an adjustment made under Section 4(b) of the Plan.

   Section 3.  Administration

        The Plan shall be administered by the Committee; provided, however,
   that if at any time the Committee shall not be in existence, the functions
   of the Committee as specified in the Plan shall be exercised by a
   committee consisting of those members of the Board of Directors of the
   Company who qualify as persons eligible to serve thereon pursuant to Rule
   16b-3 and as "outside directors" under Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code
   (or any successor provision thereto).  Subject to the terms of the Plan
   and without limitation by reason of enumeration, the Committee shall have
   full power and authority to:  (i) designate Participating Key Employees;
   (ii) determine the type or types of Options to be granted to each
   Participating Key Employee under the Plan; (iii) determine the number of
   Shares to be covered by Options granted to Participating Key Employees;
   (iv) determine the terms and conditions of any Option granted to a
   Participating Key Employee; (v) interpret and administer the Plan and any
   instrument or agreement relating to, or Option granted under, the Plan
   (including, without limitation, any Stock Option Agreement); (vi)
   establish, amend, suspend, or waive such rules and regulations and appoint
   such agents as it shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of
   the Plan; and (vii) make any other determination and take any other action
   that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the administration of
   the Plan.  Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all
   designations, determinations, interpretations, and other decisions under
   or with respect to the Plan or any Option shall be within the sole
   discretion of the Committee, may be made at any time, and shall be final,
   conclusive, and binding upon all Persons, including the Company, any
   Affiliate, any Participating Key Employee, any holder or beneficiary of
   any Option, any shareholder, and any employee of the Company or of any
   Affiliate.

   Section 4.  Shares Available for Award

        (a)  Shares Available.  Subject to adjustment as provided in Section
   4(b):

             (i)    Number of Shares Available.  The number of Shares with
   respect to which Options may be granted under the Plan shall be 100,000. 
   If, after the effective date of the Plan, an Option is forfeited or if an
   Option otherwise terminates, expires or is cancelled prior to the delivery
   of all of the Shares or of other consideration issuable or payable
   pursuant to such Option, then the number of Shares counted against the
   number of Shares available under the Plan in connection with the grant of
   such Option, to the extent of any such forfeiture, termination, expiration
   or cancellation, shall again be available for granting of additional
   Options under the Plan.

             (ii)   Limitations on Option Grants to Individual Participants. 
   During any one calendar year, no Participating Key Employee shall be
   granted Options under the Plan for more than 25,000 Shares.  Such number
   of Shares as specified in the preceding sentence shall be subject to
   adjustment in accordance with the terms of Section 4(b) hereof.  In all
   cases, determinations under this Section 4(a)(ii) shall be made in a
   manner that is consistent with the exemption for performance-based
   compensation provided by Section 162(m) of the Code (or any successor
   provision thereto) and any regulations promulgated thereunder.  

             (iii)  Accounting for Options.  The number of Shares covered by
   an Option under the Plan shall be counted on the date of grant of such
   Option against the number of Shares available for granting of Options
   under the Plan.

             (iv)   Sources of Shares Deliverable Under Options.  Any Shares
   delivered pursuant to an Option may consist, in whole or in part, of
   authorized and unissued Shares or of treasury Shares.

        (b)  Adjustments.  In the event that the Committee shall determine
   that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash,
   Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock
   split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-
   up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other
   securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to
   purchase Shares or other securities of the Company, or other similar
   corporate transaction or event affects the Shares such that an adjustment
   is determined by the Committee to be appropriate in order to prevent
   dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to
   be made available under the Plan, then the Committee may, in such manner
   as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i) the number and type of
   Shares subject to the Plan and which thereafter may be made the subject of
   Options under the Plan, (ii) the number and type of Shares subject to
   outstanding Options, and (iii) the exercise price with respect to any
   Options, or, if deemed appropriate, make provision for a cash payment to
   the holder of an outstanding Option; provided, however, in each case, that
   with respect to Incentive Stock Options no such adjustment shall be
   authorized to the extent that such authority would cause the Plan to
   violate Section 422(b) of the Code (or any successor provision thereto);
   and provided further that the number of Shares subject to an Option shall
   always be a whole number.

   Section 5.  Eligibility

        Any Key Employee, including any executive officer or employee-
   director of the Company or of any Affiliate, who is not a member of the
   Committee shall be eligible to be designated a Participating Key Employee.

   Section 6.  Awards

        (a)  Option Awards to Key Employees.  The Committee is hereby
   authorized to grant Options to Key Employees with the terms and conditions
   as set forth below and with such additional terms and conditions, in
   either case not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as the
   Committee shall determine.

             (i)    Exercise Price.  The exercise price per Share of an
   Option granted pursuant to this Section 6(a) shall be determined by the
   Committee; provided, however, that such exercise price shall not be less
   than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of such
   Option.

             (ii)   Option Term.  The term of each Option shall be fixed by
   the Committee; provided, however, that in no event shall the term of any
   Option exceed a period of ten years from the date of its grant.

             (iii)  Exercisability and Method of Exercise.  An Option shall
   become exercisable in such manner and within such period or periods and in
   such installments or otherwise as shall be determined by the Committee. 
   The Committee also shall determine the method or methods by which, and the
   form or forms, including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other
   securities, other Options, or other property, or any combination thereof,
   having a Fair Market Value on the exercise date equal to the relevant
   exercise price, in which payment of the exercise price with respect to any
   Option may be made or deemed to have been made.

             (iv)   Incentive Stock Options.  The terms of any Incentive
   Stock Option granted under the Plan shall comply in all respects with the
   provisions of Section 422 of the Code (or any successor provision thereto)
   and any regulations promulgated thereunder.  Notwithstanding any provision
   in the Plan to the contrary, no Incentive Stock Option may be granted
   hereunder after the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Plan by the
   Board of Directors of the Company.

        (b)  General.

             (i)    No Consideration for Options.  Options shall be granted
   to Participating Key Employees without the requirement of cash
   consideration unless otherwise determined by the Committee.

             (ii)   Stock Option Agreements.  Each Option granted under the
   Plan shall be evidenced by a Stock Option Agreement in such form
   (consistent with the terms of the Plan) as shall have been approved by the
   Committee.

             (iii)  Options May Be Granted Separately or Together.  Options
   granted to Participating Key Employees under the Plan may be granted
   either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution for any
   other Option or any award granted under any other plan of the Company or
   any Affiliate.  Options granted in addition to or in tandem with other
   Options, or in addition to or in tandem with awards granted under any
   other plan of the Company or any Affiliate, may be granted either at the
   same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Options
   or awards.

             (iv)   Limits on Transfer of Options.  No Option shall be
   assignable, alienable, salable or transferable by a Participating Key
   Employee otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent and
   distribution; provided, however, that a Participating Key Employee at the
   discretion of the Committee may be entitled, in the manner established by
   the Committee, to designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise his
   or her rights, and to receive any property distributable, with respect to
   any Option upon the death of the Participating Key Employee; and provided
   further that a participating Key Employee at the discretion (as reflected
   in the applicable Stock Option Agreement) of the Committee and subject to
   the limitations of the Code in the case of an Incentive Stock Option may
   be entitled to assign, alienate, sell or transfer an Option to the extent
   permitted by Rule 16b-3.  Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in
   its sole discretion (as reflected in the applicable Stock Option
   Agreement) and subject to the limitations of the Code in the case of an
   Incentive Stock Option, (i) each Option shall be exercisable, during the
   lifetime of the Participating Key Employee, only by such individual or, if
   permissible under applicable law, by such individual's guardian or legal
   representative and  (ii) no Option may be pledged, attached, or otherwise
   encumbered, and any purported pledge, attachment, or encumbrance thereof
   shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate.

             (v)    Term of Options.  The term of each Option shall be for
   such period as may be determined by the Committee but the expiration date
   of an Option shall be not later than ten years after the date such Option
   is granted.

             (vi)   Share Certificates; Representation.  All certificates for
   Shares delivered under the Plan pursuant to the exercise of any Option
   shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as
   the Committee may deem advisable under the Plan or the rules, regulations,
   and other requirements of the Commission, any stock exchange or other
   market upon which such Shares are then listed or traded, and any
   applicable federal or state securities laws, and the Committee may cause a
   legend or legends to be put on any such certificates to make appropriate
   reference to such restrictions.  The Committee may require each
   Participating Key Employee or other Person who acquires Shares under the
   Plan by means of an Option originally made to a Participating Key Employee
   to represent to the Company in writing that such Participating Key
   Employee or other Person is acquiring the Shares without a view to the
   distribution thereof.

   Section 7.  Amendment and Termination of the Plan; Correction of Defects
   and Omissions

        (a)  Amendments to and Termination of the Plan.  The Board of
   Directors of the Company may at any time amend, alter, suspend,
   discontinue, or terminate the Plan; provided, however, that shareholder
   approval of any amendment of the Plan shall also be obtained if otherwise
   required by:  (i) the Code or any rules promulgated thereunder (in order
   to allow for Incentive Stock Options to be granted under the Plan), (ii)
   any other applicable law, or (iii) the quotation or listing requirements
   of any principal securities exchange or market on which the Shares are
   then traded (in order to maintain the quotation or listing of the Shares
   thereon).  Amendment, alteration, suspension, discontinuance or
   termination of the Plan shall not affect the rights of Participating Key
   Employees without their consent with respect to Options previously granted
   to them, and all unexpired Options shall continue in force and effect
   after termination of the Plan except as they may lapse or be terminated by
   their own terms and conditions.

        (b)  Correction of Defects, Omissions and Inconsistencies.  The
   Committee may correct any defect, supply any omission, or reconcile any
   inconsistency in any Option or Stock Option Agreement in the manner and to
   the extent it shall deem desirable to carry the Plan into effect.

   Section 8.  General Provisions

        (a)  No Rights to Options.  No Key Employee, Participating Key
   Employee or other Person shall have any claim to be granted an Option
   under the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of
   Key Employees, Participating Key Employees, or holders or beneficiaries of
   Options under the Plan.  The terms and conditions of Options need not be
   the same with respect to each Participating Key Employee.

        (b)  Withholding.  No later than the date as to which an amount first
   becomes includable in the gross income of a Participating Key Employee for
   federal income tax purposes with respect to any Option granted under the
   Plan, the Participating Key Employee shall pay to the Company, or make
   arrangements satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, any
   federal, state, local or foreign taxes of any kind required or permitted
   by law to be withheld with respect to such amount.  Unless otherwise
   determined by the Committee, withholding obligations arising with respect
   to Options granted to Participating Key Employees under the Plan may be
   settled with Shares, including Shares that are part of, or are received
   upon exercise of, the Option that gives rise to the withholding
   requirement.  The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be
   conditional on such payment or arrangements, and the Company and any
   Affiliate shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct
   any such taxes from any payment otherwise due to the Participating Key
   Employee.  The Committee may establish such procedures as it deems
   appropriate for the settling of withholding obligations with Shares,
   including, without limitation, the establishment of such procedures as may
   be necessary to satisfy the requirements of Rule 16b-3.

        (c)  No Limit on Other Compensation Arrangements.  Nothing contained
   in the Plan shall prevent the Company or any Affiliate from adopting or
   continuing in effect other or additional compensation arrangements, and
   such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in
   specific cases.

        (d)  Rights and Status of Recipients of Options.  The grant of an
   Option shall not be construed as giving a Participating Key Employee the
   right to be retained in the employ of the Company or any Affiliate. 
   Further, the Company or any Affiliate may at any time dismiss a
   Participating Key Employee from employment, free from any liability, or
   any claim under the Plan, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan
   or in any Stock Option Agreement.   Participating Key Employees shall have
   no rights as holders of Shares as a result of the granting of Options
   hereunder.

        (e)  Governing Law.  The validity, construction and effect of the
   Plan and any rules and regulations relating to the Plan shall be
   determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin and
   applicable federal law.

        (f)  Severability.  If any provision of the Plan or any Stock Option
   Agreement or any Option is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal,
   or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, or as to any Person or Option, or
   would disqualify the Plan, any Stock Option Agreement or any Option under
   any law deemed applicable by the Committee, such provision shall be
   construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot
   be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the
   Committee, materially altering the intent of the Plan, any Stock Option
   Agreement or the Option, such provision shall be stricken as to such
   jurisdiction, Person, or Option, and the remainder of the Plan, any such
   Stock Option Agreement and any such Option shall remain in full force and
   effect.

        (g)  No Fractional Shares.  No fractional Shares or other securities
   shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan, any Stock Option
   Agreement or any Option, and the Committee shall determine (except as
   otherwise provided in the Plan) whether cash, other securities, or other
   property shall be paid or transferred in lieu of any fractional Shares or
   other securities, or whether such fractional Shares or other securities or
   any rights thereto shall be canceled, terminated, or otherwise eliminated.

        (h)  Headings.  Headings are given to the Sections and subsections of
   the Plan solely as a convenience to facilitate reference.  Such headings
   shall not be deemed in any way material or relevant to the construction or
   interpretation of the Plan or any provision thereof.

   Section 9.  Effective Date of the Plan

        The Plan shall be effective on the date of adoption of the Plan by
   the Board of Directors of the Company provided that the Plan is approved
   by the shareholders of the Company within twelve months following the date
   of adoption of the Plan by the Board of Directors.  All Options granted
   prior to shareholder approval of the Plan shall be contingent upon
   shareholder approval and shall not be exercisable until after such
   approval.