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-K for the year ending December
          31,  2003  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

          (a)  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)
          February  26,  2004


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