Laurentian Bank of Canada - History

History

LBC 's history began in 1846 with the founding of the Banque d'Épargne de la Cité et du District, or Montreal City and District Savings Bank, by Monseigneur Ignace Bourget and a group of 15 prominent people from Montreal. The bank’s 60 honorary directors included Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Louis-Joseph Papineau and Sir George-Étienne Cartier.

The institution was created to provide the working class with a means for saving. The bank accepted all deposits between one shilling and 500 pounds sterling, and at the end of its first fiscal year, the Montreal City and District Savings Bank managed over 500 active accounts and held total deposits of £29,350.

In 1972, it became the first chartered bank in Canada to link all its branches to a central computer. This connection enabled the bank to process savings account transactions, personal loan files and term deposits "on-line".

Legislative revisions in 1975 allowed the Bank to open a branch in Granby, Quebec, its first branch outside the Montreal region. In 1980, the Montreal City and District Savings Bank obtained the right to expand its operations throughout Canada. This expansion led to the institution listing its shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange three years later, and in 1987, the bank was renamed Laurentian Bank of Canada, following its acquisition by the Laurentian Group Corporation.

In 2001, two branches in Saskatchewan were sold to Canadian Western Bank.

In 2003, it sold most of its branches outside of Quebec to TD Bank Financial Group. This included 57 retail branches with a $2 billion loan portfolio and $1.9 billion in deposits. TD paid $112.5 million.

In June 2009, it won a contract to operate bank machines in Montreal's metro system. It will install 44 new machines that operate under other banners in addition to 26 already in place. The 70 machines will cover 63 different metro stations.