In 1866 a group of businessmen, including William McMaster, purchased a charter from the defunct Bank of Canada, which had folded in 1858.[1][failed verification]
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was founded the following year, issued stock, and opened its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario.[2][3]
The bank soon opened branches in London, St. Catharines and Barrie.[3] During the following years, the bank opened more branches in Ontario, and took over the business of the local Gore Bank,[3] before expanding across Canada through the acquisition of the Bank of British Columbia in 1901 and the Halifax Banking Company in 1903.[2]
By 1907 the Canadian Bank of Commerce had 172 branches.[2] By the beginning of World War II, this had expanded to 379 branches,[4] including a large building by Darling and Pearson in Winnipeg, Manitoba, built in 1910 in beaux-arts classic style.[5]
During World War I, 1,701 staff from the Canadian Bank of Commerce enlisted in the war effort. A memorial on the East and West Memorial Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario is dedicated to the memory of 1701 Men of the Canadian Bank of Commerce who served in the First World War[6] A War Memorial at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario commemorates their service.
^Canadian Bank of Commerce. Canada's Historic Places.
^Canadian Bank of Commerce. Canada's Historic Places.
^"History > Mergers & Amalgamations". cibc.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2007.
^Deborah C. Sawyer. "Bank of British Columbia". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
^Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside.
Charles Peers Davidson `A Compilation Of The Statutes Passed Since Confederation Relating To Banks And Banking, Government And Other Savings Banks, Promissory Notes And Bills` BiblioLife | January 10, 2010
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