"The wildfires in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas have caused extraordinary destruction and hardship for the people of that community, and the impact can be felt across Alberta," said Michael Halliwell, Senior Vice President and Regional General Manager, Northern Alberta Region. "In the face of this situation, our top priorities at CWB Group are to take care of employees who have friends and family displaced or affected by the fire, ensure our clients have the support they need, and to contribute to the overall relief efforts."

CWB Group is committed to helping clients that have been impacted by the fires and will review circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Affected clients are encouraged to contact their account manager to discuss their options.

Canadian Western Bank branches will be accepting public donations for the Canadian Red Cross from May 6 to June 6, 2016.

About CWB Group

CWB Group (CWB) is a diversified financial services organization serving businesses and individuals across Canada. Operating from its headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta, CWB's key business lines include full-service business and personal banking offered through 42 branches of Canadian Western Bank and Internet banking services provided by Canadian Direct Financial (CDF). Highly responsive specialized financing is delivered under the banners of CWB Equipment Financing, National Leasing, CWB Maxium Financial and CWB Optimum Mortgage. Trust Services are offered through Canadian Western Trust. Comprehensive wealth management offerings are provided through CWB Wealth Management, which includes the businesses of Adroit Investment Management, McLean & Partners Wealth Management and Canadian Western Financial. As a public company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), CWB trades under the symbols "CWB" (common shares), "CWB.PR.B" and "CWB.PR.C" (Series 5 Preferred Shares and Series 7 Preferred Shares, respectively). Learn more at www.cwb.com.