Profile: The Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)

The Bank of Nova Scotia (the Bank) is a financial institution, active in both Canadian and international markets. The Bank offers a range of products and services, including retail, commercial, corporate and investment banking to almost in some 50 countries worldwide. The Bank has three business lines: Canadian Banking, International Banking and Scotia Capital. Canadian Banking provides a range of banking and investing services to more than 7.4 million customers across Canada, through a network of 1,019 branches and 2,964 automated banking machines (ABMs), and 101 Wealth Management offices, as well as telephone and Internet banking. International Banking encompasses the Bank’s retail and commercial banking operations in more than 40 countries outside Canada. Scotia Capital is the wholesale banking arm of the Scotiabank Group. In March 2009, the Company announced the acquisition of a majority interest in Five Continents Financial Ltd. (FCFL), a global asset management company.