Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPFH), today announced that John Morton III has been elected to the Board of Directors. Mr. Morton is a seasoned bank executive with 35 years of banking and financial services experience.

“We are pleased to welcome John to our Board,” said Timothy Vaill, Chairman & CEO, Boston Private. “He brings a tremendous amount of banking industry experience and knowledge that will be extremely valuable in today’s challenging economic climate. The depth and breadth of his industry expertise and background will be a major asset to Boston Private.”

Mr. Morton has extensive experience leading organizational turnarounds, acquisition integrations, business growth and corporate governance activities. Most recently, Mr. Morton was President of Premier Bank, a unit of Bank of America serving the entire financial needs spectrum for 750,000 affluent customers. Prior to that, Mr. Morton served as President of the mid-Atlantic region for Bank of America, and before that he was President, Private Client Group for NationsBank. Previously, Mr. Morton was successively CEO of Perpetual Financial Corporation of McLean, VA; Farm and Home Financial Corporation of Kansas City, MO; and Boatmen’s National Bank of St. Louis, MO.

Mr. Morton currently serves on the Board of Directors for Fortress International Group, Inc., Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc., and Dynamac International. In addition to his professional obligations, Mr. Morton is a Director of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Athletic and Scholarship programs.

Mr. Morton received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Harvard University.

“I have been familiar with Boston Private and its Board for years and I’m very excited about the opportunity to serve as a director of the company,” Morton said. “I am committed to working with the other directors to continue to realize the potential of this company and generate long term results for our shareholders.”

Mr. Morton was suggested to Boston Private as a potential board member by The Carlyle Group. This was done in conjunction with a $75 million investment made in Boston Private by The Carlyle Group on July 22, 2008 where it was agreed that The Carlyle Group is entitled to maintain a board seat as long as it owns at least 5% of Boston Private’s outstanding shares (on an as-converted basis).

Mr. Morton’s appointment to the Boston Private Board of Directors is effective August 12, 2008. His election will bring the total number of current Boston Private Board members to thirteen.

Boston Private Wealth Management Group

Boston Private Wealth Management Group is a national financial service organization comprised of independently operated affiliates located in key regions of the U.S. that offer private banking, wealth advisory and investment management services to the high net worth marketplace, selected businesses and institutions. The Company enters demographically attractive markets through a very selective acquisition process and then expands by way of organic growth. It employs a distinct business strategy, empowering its affiliates to run independently such that they can best serve their clients at the local level, while at the same time providing strategic oversight and access to resources, both financial and intellectual, to support management, compliance, legal, marketing, and operations. (NASDAQ: BPFH).

For more information about Boston Private, visit the Company's web site at www.bostonprivate.com

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by United States securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include, but are not limited to, prospects for long term financial performance and growth. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond Boston Private’s control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements include, among others, adverse conditions in the capital markets and the impact of such conditions on Boston Private’s business activities; interest rate compression which may adversely impact net interest income; competitive pressures from other financial institutions which, together with other factors, may affect the Company’s growth and financial performance; the effects of national and local economic conditions; and the risk that goodwill and intangibles recorded in the Company’s financial statements will become impaired; as well as the other risks and uncertainties detailed in Boston Private's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Boston Private does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

Investors:
Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc.
Catharine Sheehan, 617-912-3767
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
csheehan@bostonprivate.com
or
Media:
Sloane & Company
John Hartz, 212-446-1872
jhartz@sloanepr.com