By James Langton

(January 12 – 11:25 ET) – B2B Trust has revealed plans to serve the independent advisor community in its proposed $60 million IPO.

B2B Trust enables non-bank partners, including independent financial advisors, life insurance brokers, mutual fund reps, deposit brokers to provide banking and other financial services to their customers.

It targets advisors and firms, directly equipping them to provide financial services to their customers under their own brands, using B2B’s technology. “What differentiates our strategy from our competitors’ is that it combines our electronic banking capabilities with some of the most successful financial and retail brands in Canada,” says B2B.

“By marketing our products under their own brands, non-bank partners increase their customers’ loyalty, leverage and enhance their Internet strategy and increase their profitability.”

B2B’s growth strategy includes: expanding the products and services it offers to advisors, including chequing accounts, debit and credit cards, bill-payment services and access to ATM networks; expanding Internet-based technology solutions and leveraging its access to Laurentian Bank’s technological infrastructure to provide products and services in a cost-efficient manner.

This year B2B plans to launch account aggregation services in the first half of 2001 and to offer inter-institution funds transfers by the end of 2001. It will offer bill presentment and payment functions in early 2001. And it also intends to deliver wireless services in the next couple of years.

The deal, led by Scotia Capital Inc. and Laurentian Bank Securities Inc., is expected to close at the end of February, 2001. B2B intends to use part of the net proceeds of the offering to pay a dividend of up to $43 million to Laurentian Bank, which funded the development and creation of its technology. The balance will be used for general corporate purposes, including the funding of Tier 1 capital.