About Laurentian Bank
Financial Group

The Bank launches an extensive school savings program in collaboration with the Montreal Catholic School Commission.

The Bank becomes the first institution of its kind to hold a trust company with the creation of the Montreal City and District Trustees (later to be known as Laurentian Trust). The organization’s workforce numbers 300, and it operates 25 points of service.

The Quebec Savings Bank Act is sanctioned, allowing the institution to open branches throughout the southern province of Quebec.

The Bank lists its shares on the Montreal Stock Exchange.

All branches adopt an online system to process savings account transactions, personal loan files and term deposits. As such, the Bank becomes the first financial institution in Canada to link all its branches to a central computer. The Bank inaugurates the Drive-Through banking service, allowing clients to make bank transactions from their car.

The Bank opens its first branch outside the Montreal region in Granby.

The Bank lists its shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The Montreal City and District Savings Bank changes its name to become Laurentian Bank of Canada, of which Laurentian Group Corporation becomes the majority shareholder.

The Bank acquires General Trust Corporation and purchases most of the Société Nationale de Fiducie’s assets from the brokerage firm BLC Rousseau, thus creating Laurentian Bank Securities (LBS).

The Bank acquires 30 branches of North American Trust in Ontario and Western Canada. Between 1987 and 1995, Laurentian Bank’s average annual asset growth is in the order of 15.8%.

Subsequent to the withdrawal of its principal shareholder — Desjardins-Laurentian Financial Corporation — the Bank becomes a Schedule 1 institution. This new status allows for easier and freer financing of the institution’s activities through capital stock issues.

Management announces its intention to concentrate activities within markets in which the Bank excels and holds a strong position —for direct retail financial services in Québec, and for its other services throughout Canada. The Bank puts its 57 branches in Ontario and Western Canada up for sale.

The Bank posts record net income for the fourth consecutive year totaling $122.9 million, while its earnings per share rise for the sixth year in a row. It also opens its second generation financial services boutique in Québec City and LaSalle, in addition to inaugurating its Laurentian Bank Career Station, a unique and innovative talent recruitment centre permanently located at the Berri-UQÀM subway station. As well, the Bank is named the second most admired banking institution among Québecers for a third consecutive year.

B2B Trust becomes federally chartered B2B Bank to better reflect the nature of its loan and deposit activities. Laurentian Bank proceeds with the acquisition of AGF Trust, which consolidates B2B Bank’s positioning as leading provider of products and services to independent financial advisors across Canada. In order to reinforce its capitalization, Laurentian Bank goes ahead with capital issues in the order of $482 million, and its total assets surpass the $35 billion mark.

Laurentian Bank posts record results for an eighth consecutive year, with activities conducted outside Québec accounting for 50% of the organization’s profitability. The integration of MRS Companies and AGF Trust is completed, thereby doubling the size of B2B Bank and reinforcing its leadership position within its market. The Bank launches two new and very promising product lines during the course of the year — equipment financing products intended primarily for small and medium-sized enterprises, and alternative mortgage solutions offered to mortgage brokers by B2B Bank.

Laurentian Bank acquires the Canadian equipment financing and corporate financing activities of CIT Group Inc. This transaction provides a more complete line of products and services, a larger pool of customers and an enhanced sales force deployment. The Bank takes the opportunity to regroup all of its equipment financing activities in a new national subsidiary called LBC Capital.