Consistency and Convenience: Commerce Bank Extends Hours of Branch Banking Yet Again.

CHERRY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1998--

All lobbies in 80-branch network now open later on Saturdays

Commerce Bancorp Inc. (NYSE Symbol: CBH), "America's Most Convenient Bank," has done it again.

Last fall, in response to customer demand, the busy shopping day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday," found all Commerce Bank offices opening at 6 a.m.

In May of this year, drive-through lanes at all Commerce Bank branches began opening one half-hour earlier -- at 7:30 a.m. -- to accommodate customer needs.

And also this year, for the first time, all Commerce Bank branches were open with special hours on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

Now, beginning on Saturday, Sept. 19, even more hours of

banking convenience will be added to the Commerce Bank

schedule, with all lobbies now open until 3 p.m. each

Saturday afternoon. This represents an additional two hours

of lobby branch banking convenience added for customer

needs.

The new lobby hours will be in effect in all 80 branches of the rapidly expanding Commerce Bank network throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

A pioneer in offering weekend hours to make banking easily accessible, Commerce already offers the longest branch banking hours in the region, open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m., with drive-through lanes also open Saturdays 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Amid the push by larger mega-banks to force more and more of their customers to use electronic banking services, Commerce Bank continues to give its customers a choice -- the option of using the superb personalized service found at Commerce's coveniently located branches, or the flexibility of its 24-hour "YES 2000" telephone banking as well as its award-winning PC banking for those customers who prefer doing their banking by computer.

Commerce Bank is the region's fastest-growing independent bank with assets of $4.6 billion. As part of its recently announced plan to double the number of its convenient branch offices to 175 by the year 2002, the bank is opening 18 to 20 offices during 1998.

CONTACT: Commerce Bank

Sandra R. Martin, PR Specialist

609/751-9000, fax: [phone]

KEYWORDS: PENNSYLVANIA NEW JERSEY

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