One of three new branches planned for Edmonton by Spring 2010

EDMONTON, Nov. 2 /CNW/ - Scotiabank opens the doors of its newest Edmonton branch today. Located at 904 - 91 Street S.W. in the Market at Summerside shopping centre, this 5,000 square foot, full-service banking centre offers a complete range of personal and business banking, borrowing, investing, wealth management and small business services. It is Scotiabank's 23rd branch in the city of Edmonton and 34th location in the greater Edmonton area.

"The Edmonton market has been one of the most active for Scotiabank in Canada over the past few years, reflecting the enormous growth the city has undergone. Since December 2006, we have opened eight new branches in the Greater Edmonton area," explained Chris Bruce, Vice-President, Edmonton District for Scotiabank. "We continue to look for opportunities to grow along with the Edmonton area. In addition to our new Summerside branch, we'll be opening two more branches in Edmonton by the spring."

Scotiabank also has plans to open three new branches elsewhere in Alberta in the next 12 months.

With a team of 14 people, Summerside branch offers the following hours of operation and convenient features:

-   Open six days per week:
        -  Monday to Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
        -  Thursday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
        -  Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.;
    -   Personal banking services including day-to-day banking, home
        ownership solutions and long-term investment planning;
    -   Commercial banking facilities including small business financing and
        e-commerce services;
    -   Investment services from ScotiaMcLeod;
    -   Professional estate and trust services through Scotiatrust;
    -   One drive-through Automated Banking Machine (ABM);
    -   Two in-branch 24/7 ABMs;
    -   Employees who can provide service in five other languages besides
        English, including Cantonese, Hindi, Gujarati, Swahili and
        Vietnamese; and
    -   An easily accessible, convenient location with ample parking.

"Scotiabank is really excited to open a branch in Summerside. We're looking forward to getting involved in community activities and invite area residents to drop by and get to know us," added branch manager Monique May.

With the opening of its Summerside branch, Scotiabank presently operates 127 branches throughout Alberta.

Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 60,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve approximately 12.5 million customers in some 50 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a diverse range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With $462 billion in assets (as at July 31, 2008), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York (BNS) Stock Exchanges. For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.