EXHIBIT 23.1

                        CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The Board of Directors
Silicon Valley Bancshares:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement on
Form S-3 of Silicon Valley Bancshares of our report dated January 20, 2000,
relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Silicon Valley Bancshares and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999 and 1998, and the related consolidated
statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders' equity, and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31,
1999, which report appears in the December 31, 1999, annual report on Form 10-K
of Silicon Valley Bancshares, and to the reference to our firm under the heading
"Experts" in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California
June 19, 2000