LAURENTIAN BANK ACQUIRES DATA WAREHOUSE

Laurentian Bank of Canada announced that it has reached an agreement with Fiserv Company to develop and implement an enterprise-wide integrated data warehouse as part of a $6-million technology project. The agreement is a concrete example of the Bank's innovative strategy for developing an effective technology infrastructure in partnership with the industry's leading suppliers. This agreement is subject to regulatory approval.

"With this investment, Laurentian Bank pushes even further ahead in integrating new technologies and applications to offer high-quality financial products and services to its clients and partners," said Henri-Paul Rousseau, president and Chief Executive Officer. "This approach reflects our desire to open new markets and consolidate and increase our market share using new banking practices in order to enjoy vigorous, profitable growth in coming years."

For his part, Paul Brammeier, president of Fiserv's InformEnt business unit, said, "Fiserv is proud to note that its knowledge management solutions have an international relevance, meeting the needs of banks both in and outside the United States. Through its partnership with Laurentian Bank, InformEnt will help one of the outstanding players in the Canadian banking industry efficiently gather, transform and link key data to improve decision making and results."

The data warehouse will give the Bank a source of standardized data from all its divisions and departments. A complete software package, it includes a financial services model designed specifically for financial institutions and covering all aspects of the company's activities. Its features include powerful tools for analyzing the company's performance and profitability and for linking specialized and historical data. Drawing on this data source, the Bank and its sectors will be able to analyze and manage marketing opportunities, product and structure profitability, credit risk and so on. Among its many advantages, the data warehouse will foster more effective decision making, more personalized service and better customer relationships.

The data warehouse is the cornerstone of a global solution that, when fully implemented, will integrate the functionality of the Customer Information File (CIF) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to build stronger, more personalized ties with clients.

The Customer Information File identifies each client uniquely, regardless of his or her point of access to Laurentian Bank, be it Retail Financial Services, Commercial and Corporate Banking or Agency Banking. The file contains all the information about the client's business relationship with the Bank and allows the Bank to serve him or her better, whichever distribution channel is used. Customer Relationship Management functions make it possible, among other things, to offer highly personalized services to clients and better manage the quality of these services. This global solution opens the door to integrated Internet-based banking applications for clients, partners and intermediaries.

Over the last two years, Laurentian Bank has invested massively in its information systems to support its development strategy and enhance the operational effectiveness of its business lines.

Fiserv Inc. is an independent supplier of integrated data processing and turnkey information management systems for the financial industry. A leader in its field, Fiserv provides technology solutions to more than 10,000 clients in the financial services and banking fields worldwide.

Founded in 1846, Laurentian Bank ranks seventh among Canadian Schedule I banks, with assets of over $15 billion. In the last ten years, the Bank has experienced a level of growth that has tripled its balance sheet assets and increased its assets under management tenfold. The Bank offers highly competitive products and superior personalized service to meet the banking and financial needs of individuals and small and medium-sized businesses.

Contact Nathalie Roberge, Laurentian Bank of Canada, 514-284-4500 ext.7511.