Canadian Western Bank sees Saskatchewan as a land of opportunity

Canadian Western Bank (CWB or the Bank) is pleased to announce it has finalized plans for a new full-service commercial and retail banking centre in Saskatoon. Construction is slated to begin shortly with an expected opening in September 2009. The new branch site is at the corner of Faithfull Avenue and 51st Street E. and will complement CWB's existing Saskatoon branch located at 244 - 2nd Avenue. The new property will be secured via a long-term lease agreement with Concorde Group Corp., a local and highly regarded real estate investment company.

"We are very excited about future opportunities in this province and I am pleased to confirm these expansion plans, particularly being from Saskatchewan myself," said Larry Pollock, President & CEO of CWB. "From the development of oil and gas, to uranium and potash, to the Roughriders, Saskatchewan is going places and we want our Bank to play a greater role in contributing to this success."

"Clients really appreciate CWB's highly personalized service, including our commitment to building long-term banking relationships; this focus seems to have been lost among many of our competitors," added Michael Halliwell, CWB Senior Vice President and Regional General Manager, Prairies. "Commercial and equipment financing clients also appreciate our industry specialists, who recognize the unique opportunities and challenges of doing business in the west."

About Canadian Western Bank

Canadian Western Bank offers highly personalized service through 36 branch locations and is the largest publicly traded Schedule I chartered bank headquartered in Western Canada. The Bank, with total balance sheet assets of more than $10 billion and assets under administration of over $4 billion, specializes in mid-market commercial lending and offers a full range of retail banking services. The common shares of Canadian Western Bank are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol 'CWB'. Refer to www.cwbankgroup.com for additional information.

SOURCE: Canadian Western Bank

Michael Halliwell, Senior Vice President & Regional General Manager, Prairies, Canadian Western Bank, Phone: (403) 750-3577; Ron Kowalenko, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager, Saskatoon Branch, 244 - 2nd Avenue, Canadian Western Bank, Phone: (306) 477-8707