TORONTO, March 18, 2020 /CNW/ - Scotiabank announced today additional measures to reduce and delay the transmission of COVID-19 and to provide financial relief to those who need it most.

Effective today, Scotiabank will offer assistance to customers impacted by COVID-19 including mortgage payment deferrals of up to six months. Scotiabank customers may also qualify for a variety of other support measures and are encouraged to visit Scotiabank.com to learn more. As every situation is different, Scotiabank is committed to working with all our customers on a case-by-case basis to help provide some relief for those who are suffering financial hardships experienced as a result of COVID-19.

"As the impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt across our communities, it brings me great pride to see our teams coming together to support our customers and navigate through these unprecedented times," said Dan Rees, Group Head, Canadian Banking, Scotiabank. "While we are taking a number of extensive precautionary measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we remain ready to support our customers' banking needs from coast to coast to coast and to provide relief measures to those impacted by the virus."

In addition to mortgage payment deferral, Scotiabank is ready to support Canadians experiencing financial stress due to COVID-19. Customers and businesses are encouraged to visit Scotiabank.com or talk to their Scotiabank Advisor or Relationship Manager to learn about the relief options available.

Providing relief is an important step to support customers during this evolving situation. Scotiabank is committed to working with customers to help provide relief due to financial stress caused by COVID-19 and is continually assessing what relief measures are available.

Scotiabank also recognizes the importance of providing a safe workplace for our invaluable employees throughout the Bank. With guidance from Canada's public health authorities, effective today, Scotiabank will be slightly reducing branch hours and gradually closing select branches temporarily to support industry-wide social distancing efforts. For details on how this may impact your local branch, please visit Scotiabank.com. Scotiabank recognizes the impact this will have on our valued branch employees and commits to continue to compensate our branch colleagues throughout the duration of these preventative measures.

Scotiabank continues to support employees by taking the latest precautionary measures to ensure that our workplaces, including branches, remain as safe as possible for everyone. Scotiabank continues to conduct frequent cleaning of branches every business day, including sanitizing all surfaces and ensuring hand sanitizer and wipes are available in-branch.

Scotiabank is here to help our customers navigate through this uncertain time. We are pleased to offer a wide range of everyday personal banking needs online, and customers are encouraged to sign up for, and access, Scotia OnLine.

"These are unprecedented times and they call for Canadians to do what we do best - work together, support one another, and put people first," continued Rees. "We appreciate your business, and particularly at this time, your patience, as our employees work diligently to meet your needs."

More information can be found at Scotiabank.com.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future," we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of approximately 100,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at January 31, 2020), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank