[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRATULATIONS TO COMMERCE BANK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 24, 2010

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, Chairman Frank and I would like to extend 
our congratulations to Commerce Bank, its officers, directors, 
shareholders and employees on being designated by Forbes magazine as 
the third-best bank in America in 2009. Commerce Financial Corporation 
head-quartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an $18 billion bank founded 
in 1865. It is the largest bank ranked in the top 10 by Forbes. Five 
generations of the Kemper family have owned and/or operated Commerce 
Bank. Currently David Kemper is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer 
and President of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., Jonathan Kemper is Chairman 
and Chief Executive Officer of Commerce Bank, N.A. and Vice Chairman of 
Commerce Bancshares, Inc. Commerce Bank operates in five states--
Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Colorado. The Bank's corporate 
mission is ``To raise the voice of the customer and, in doing so, 
create a differentiating experience which encourages our customers to 
develop a relationship with Commerce and then become long-tenured, 
loyal customers.'' The company's customer promise is ``ask listen 
solve. That means the company promises to ask the right questions, 
listen carefully to what our customer is telling us, then solve for the 
appropriate solution to meet our customers' specific needs.''
  Commerce Bank embodies strong community involvement in all the 
communities it serves. Commerce Bancshares Foundation invested more 
than $1.4 million in community and charitable programs throughout their 
service areas in 2008 with a total of 780 grants awarded to 635 
organizations. Through their employee volunteerism and corporate 
donations Commerce stands tall with their communities. In fact Commerce 
Bank just received an ``Outstanding'' rating from the Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency in their recent public evaluation of 
Commerce's community lending and participation.
  Also in 2009, Commerce Bancshares, Inc. received J.D. Power and 
Associates Award ``Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in 
the Midwest Region Two Years in a Row, Tied in 2009.''
  Commerce is committed to environmental sustainability to reduce their 
environmental footprint. They encourage recycling, try to consume less 
paper, encourage employee carpooling and public transportation and 
monitor and manage energy usage. In 2008, Commerce opened Missouri's 
first LEED-certified bank branch in O'Fallon, Missouri. They are 
working hard to reduce their energy use, minimize water use, and use 
outdoor lighting and general building comfort in new branch designs as 
well as remodeled facilities.
  When the largest banks in America were trying to repay billions of 
dollars in TARP funds and to improve their balance sheets and to deal 
with the impact of severe economic problems in the states where they do 
business, Commerce was keeping to their business strategy, conservative 
with slow, steady growth. Their non-performing loans as a percent to 
total loans was 1.6 percent, which ranked them 20th in this category in 
the country; reserves as a percentage of non-performing loans was 114 
percent; and their Tier 1 capital ratio was 12.1 percent. Their stock 
trades at 1.8 times its book value. To be rated the third-best bank in 
America in 2009 by Forbes out of the 100 largest banks and thrifts in 
America is a great honor for everyone at Commerce Bank. Madam Speaker, 
again we offer Commerce Bank and all its employees, officers, directors 
and shareholders our heartiest congratulations on a job well done.

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