Laurentian Bank of Canada and B2B Trust have filed a final prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces for the initial public offering of 5,560,000 common shares of B2B Trust at a price of $9.00 per share, representing gross proceeds of approximately $50 million. The offering
is expected to close on June 27, 2001.

The offering is underwritten by a syndicate of investment dealers led by Scotia Capital Inc. and including Laurentian Bank Securities Inc., BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., Merrill Lynch Canada Inc., National Bank Financial Inc., RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and Dundee Securities Corporation. The underwriters have been granted an over-allotment option, exercisable for a period of 60 days following the closing of the offering, to purchase up to 834,000 additional common shares of B2B Trust at a price of $9.00 per share.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has conditionally approved the listing of B2B Trust’s common shares under the symbol “BBT”, subject to the listing requirements of such exchange having been fulfilled on or before August 9, 2001.

The securities offered will not be registered under the United States “Securities Act of 1933”, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

B2B Trust is a federally chartered regulated financial institution that supplies generic and complementary banking and financial products to independent financial advisors and retailers across Canada. Its head office is located in Toronto. The portfolios of loans, deposits and assets under administration are valued at more than $9 billion. The address of B2B Trust’s web site for independent financial advisors is Natlink.com

B2B Trust is a subsidiary of Laurentian Bank of Canada, a bank founded in 1846 and which ranks seventh among Canadian Schedule I banks with assets of approximately $17 billion.