One of six new branches planned for Alberta by Spring 2010

EDMONTON, Nov. 18 /CNW/ - Scotiabank will open the doors of its newest Edmonton branch, Pilot Sound, on Thursday, November 19th - the second new branch it has opened in Edmonton this month. A Grand Opening celebration is planned for Tuesday, December 1st, 2009.

Located at 16620 - 50 Street, Pilot Sound is a 5,600-square-foot, full-service banking centre offering a complete range of personal and business banking, borrowing, investing, wealth management and small business services. It is Scotiabank's 24th branch in the city of Edmonton and 35th location in the greater Edmonton area.

"Allberta has been the most active province for Scotiabank in Canada in terms of new branch openings over the past few years," said George Marlatte, Senior Vice-President, Prairie Region, Scotiabank. "Since December 2006, we have opened 13 new branches in Alberta - six of which were in the greater Edmonton area - and will have opened another six new branches around the province by the time spring arrives."

"Edmonton and area has been a key part of Scotiabank's growth strategy in Alberta, reflecting the enormous development we've seen, particularly in new subdivisions and neighbouring communities," explained Chris Bruce, Vice-President, Edmonton District for Scotiabank. "We are scheduled to open another branch in Edmonton sometime next spring."

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

-   Open six days per week with extended hours:
        -  Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
        -  Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
        -  Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
        -  Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 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;
    -   Two in-branch and one drive-through 24/7 ABMs;
    -   Employees who can provide service in four other languages besides
        English, including Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese and German; and
    -   An easily accessible, convenient location with ample parking.

"Pilot Sound is one of North East Edmonton's most vibrant new communities and we are delighted to introduce a new branch to the area. 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 Janet Edwards.

With the opening of its Pilot Sound location, Scotiabank presently operates 129 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.