Legal disclaimer

On This Page:

Website Terms and Conditions Trademarks FACTA and CRS Hold funds policy Designated locations for services of enforcement notices

Website Terms and Conditions

In these terms and conditions, “we”, “us” and “our” means Canadian Western Bank (“CWB”, and together with its subsidiaries, “CWB Financial Group”). These terms and conditions apply to all CWB Financial Group websites, unless specifically superseded by other terms and conditions of any webpage or online service accessible through a CWB Financial Group website.

Each time you use our website, you acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions below, which we may revise periodically without notice. If you do not accept these terms and conditions, do not use our website.

1. Access. We cannot guarantee that our website will be accessible at all times, without interruption, or that it will be free from errors and/or omissions. We will not be responsible for any damages that may result from the inaccessibility of our website or from any difficulties that you may experience while accessing or using our website. We reserve the right to suspend at any time, without warning, full or partial access our website and any pages accessible through certain social media sites. We may discontinue uploading information to our website without notice.

2. Purpose. Information on our website is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to buy or a solicitation to sell any currency, investment fund, securities, units of mutual funds, or other product service or information in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or cannot be legally made, or to any person whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. The information and materials available on our website are not intended to provide legal, accounting, investment, financial or tax advice to any user and should not be relied upon by a user. We encourage users to seek qualified professional advice.

3. Content. Although we take reasonable care to ensure that information is accurate when posted to our website, we do not warrant or make any representations or claims as to the validity, correctness, currency, timeliness, or completeness, of the information provided on our website. We will not be liable or responsible for any claim or damages, direct or indirect, arising out of the interpretation, reliance upon or other use, authorized or unauthorized, of such information.

4. Currency. The documents and information available on this site are provided as a convenience only. Our website may not always be the most current source for information about CWB Financial Group. We disclaim any liability for any failure to update our website or any information, data, materials or documents available on our website. Where any documents on this site have been filed in accordance with applicable securities law, such documents are not the official versions of CWB Financial Group's securities law disclosure documents. For up to date information about CWB, its subsidiaries and respective publically available securities, see www.SEDAR.com.

5. Links. Certain links on this website lead to websites maintained by independent parties over whom we have no control. The fact that we provide links to other websites does not mean that we endorse or approve of the content of any linked website. We make no representation in respect of the accuracy or any other aspect of the information contained on such websites, and we disclaim any responsibility for the content of such websites.

6. Availability. Not all products and services displayed on our website are available in all regions of Canada. Our products and services are available in accordance with local law where they may be lawfully offered for sale. All of our products and services are subject to the terms of applicable agreements.

7. Online Services. You may carry out transactions with us on through our internet banking platform, CWBdirect. The services available through CWBdirect are governed by specific agreements and terms that describe your access and use of CWBdirect. These terms and conditions apply concurrently to the specific agreements and terms that govern those products and services accessed via CWBdirect and this website. When you carry out transactions with us through CWBdirect, you are solely responsible for ensuring that all user IDs, access card numbers, passwords, and personal identification questions used on the website are protected. We will not be responsible for any damages that you may incur as a result of the unauthorized or illegal use of user ID(s), access card number(s), password(s), or personal identification question(s), or your failure to ensure the secure and confidential nature of the transactions.

8. Internet: Internet software transmission problems could produce inaccurate or incomplete copies of documents or other material from this website when downloaded and displayed on a user's computer. We take reasonable precautions to ensure this website is free of computer viruses. We recommend that the user install and use appropriate anti-virus or other protective software. However there is still a possibility that data security violations may occur and we disclaim all liability for any computer viruses, “worms”, “Trojan horses” or other disruptive or destructive programs that may be inadvertently downloaded from our website or otherwise.

9. Security. We will protect sensitive communication between you and our website, CWBdirect, and CWB Mobile by encrypting the communication while in transit. However, we cannot protect information exchanged when our website, CWBdirect or CWB Mobile is accessed through a non-secure platform, connection, or in a public location, and as a result, we are not responsible for any damages that you may incur under such circumstances. In addition, we have no control over the protection of your e-mail communications with us. We recommend that you not include private and sensitive information in e-mails to CWB Financial Group including, but not limited to, account numbers, user IDs, account balances, passwords, etc. We will not be responsible for any damages you may suffer if you transmit confidential or sensitive information to us through e-mail.

10. Paramountcy. In the event that these terms and conditions are incompatible or inconsistent with the specific agreements and terms applicable to any specific product or service, the latter shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

11. Monetary amounts: All amounts mentioned in this site are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

12. Copyright. No material from this site may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, except, you may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for your personal, non-commercial home use only, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. Modifying the materials or using the materials for any other purpose is a violation of CWB's copyright and other proprietary rights.

13. Ownership. The material and information on this site are made available only under the conditions set out herein. CWB reserves its rights to the intellectual property presented in and by our website, which includes, but is not limited to, its copyrights, trademarks and corporate logos.

14. Limitation of Liability. In general and without limiting the specific cases of limitation of liability mentioned above, and notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, we shall not be held responsible for any damages that may result from or relate to our website and/or its contents. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we shall not be held responsible for issues of access, use, accuracy of contents, or the loss of data or information, whether or not we have been informed of the possibility of such issues.

Trademarks

CWB Financial Group companies

The symbols ® and ™ designate Canadian registered trademark and, generally, unregistered trademark status respectively. The below lists registered and unregistered trademarks of Canadian Western Bank. Canadian Western Bank has additional trademarks and service marks, registered and unregistered, in Canada, which may or may not appear on this site.

Apex® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
A Reputation for Getting Things Done® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank, used under license by Computershare Trust Company of Canada.
Conseillers T.E.® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Business Advantage Account™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Business Trust Account™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Business Unlimited Account™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Core® is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWBdirect® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Echelon Rewards Business™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Echelon Rewards + Business™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Equipment Financing® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Franchise Finance® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Onyx™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Prestige™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Wealth Management® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
CWB Western Choice Home Equity Plan® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Echelon Rewards Business™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Echelon Rewards + Business™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Focussed on You® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Gold Leaf PLUS® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
High Rise® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
HOMEWORKS® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
In-Touch Telephone Banking® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Leading an Interesting Life® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Notre Priorité, C’est Vous® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Obsessed with your success™ is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Peak Performance® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
ProsperiGuide® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Prosperity® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Scratch & Earn® is registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Sensible Lending® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank, used under license by Optimum Mortgage.
Service You Can Trust® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank, used under license by CWB Trust Services.
Strata Solution® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Summit Savings Account® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
T.E. Wealth® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
The Greater Interest GIC® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
The Working Bank® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Ultimate Choice® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Valiant Trust Company™ is a trademark of Canadian Western Bank Company, used under license by Computershare Trust Company of Canada.
Votre Communaté. Votre Héritage.® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
WestEarner® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Your Community. Your Legacy.® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.
Your Life. Your Legacy.® is a registered trademark of Canadian Western Bank.

Third party trademarks

The display of trademarks herein does not imply that a license of any kind has been granted.

American Express® is a registered trademark of American Express Inc.
Android™ is a trademark of Google Inc.
App Store® is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Apple®, the Apple logo, iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the United States and other countries.
BlackBerry® is a registered trademark of Blackberry Limited
Canadian Securities Course (CSC)®, Conduct & Practices Handbook Course (CPH)®, Professional Financial Planning Course (PFPC)® and Wealth Management Essentials (WME)® are registered trademarks of the Canadian Securities Institute.
Ceridian® is a registered trademark of Ceridian Canada Ltd
CFP® and Certified Financial Planner® are certification trademarks owned outside the U.S. by Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB). Financial Planning Standards Council is the marks licensing authority for the CFP marks in Canada, through agreement with FPSB.
Cirrus® is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Inc.
Discover® is a registered trademark of Discover Financial Services.
Google and the Google Pay Logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
INTERAC® is a registered trademark of Interac Inc.
Maestro® is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Inc.
Mastercard® is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Inc.
MBNA® is a registered trademark of the Toronto Dominion Bank
Moneris®, Moneris Solutions®, and the Moneris design are all registered trademarks of Moneris Solutions Corporation.
PH&N LifeTime Funds® is a registered trademark of PH&N Investment Services.
Qtrade Investor is a division of Qtrade Securities Inc., Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
Samsung and the Samsung Pay logo are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
THE EXCHANGE Network® is a registered trademark of FICANEX Canada Inc.
Visa* is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association.
WESTERN UNION® is a registered service mark of Western Union Holdings, Inc. and is used with permission.

FACTA and CRS

Understanding FATCA and CRS

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) is an American law that aims to prevent US taxpayers (also called “US Persons") from using accounts held outside the United States to evade American taxes. This law applies to US persons and to dual US-Canadian citizens.

The Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”), also known as Global FATCA, was introduced by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and is aimed at preventing offshore tax evasion maintain the integrity of the tax systems through the automatic exchange of information around the world. Canada, along with over 100 other countries, agreed to comply with CRS.

The Income Tax Act (Canada) was amended to include due diligence and reporting obligations that in respect of the implementation of FATCA and CRS in Canada.

How it works

All financial institutions in Canada, including Canadian Western Bank and its affiliates (collectively “CWB Financial Group”), are required to identify and report annually on certain financial accounts held by US Persons or by foreign tax residents and specific owners of foreign (or non-foreign) entities to the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”). Loans and leases offered by CWB National Inc. and CWB Maxium Financial Inc. are not currently reportable. The CRA will then share the information with the appropriate countries through existing provisions and safeguards, consistent with privacy laws.

CWB Financial Group and other financial institutions are required by law to ask clients to self-certify their tax residency each time they open a new account (subject to certain exceptions) or when there is a potential change in the client’s tax residency.

Accounts exempt from FATCA/CRS reporting

The following list contains examples of certain accounts that are exempt from reporting under both FATCA and CRS:

Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs)
Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs)
Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs)
Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs)
Registered Pension Plans (RPP)
Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs)
Deferred Profit Sharing Plans (DPSPs)

For a complete list and details of exempt accounts under FATCA and CRS, please see CRA’s FATCA guidance and/or CRS guidance.

Who is affected?

Under FATCA, you are generally considered a US Person if you are:

A citizen of the US (including those born in the US but resident in Canada or another country who have not renounced their US citizenship)
A resident of the US (including US green card holders)
An entity (that is a business or non-profit, including estates and trusts) that is a tax resident of the US or is a passive entity with one or more controlling persons who are US reportable persons.

Please note this is not an inclusive list.

Under CRS, tax residency refers to the country in which an individual, business or other entity, including individuals who have a controlling interest in the entity, is subject to taxation due to residency. In general, an individual is a tax resident of the country where he/she lives, not where the individual invests. Similarly, a business is generally a tax resident of the country where the business was incorporated. Each country has unique rules to determine tax residency and an individual or business is responsible for determining the tax residency rules applicable in their situation and ensuring the accuracy of the information submitted to CWB Financial Group.

What information will be reported to CRA?

If an account is reportable under FATCA or CRS, the following information (as applicable) will be reported to the CRA:

Account holder’s:

Name
Address
Date of birth (for individuals)
SIN (Canada only)
Tax identification number (TIN) (if country issues TINs)
Country (countries) of tax residence

Account number
Account balance or value (or the closure of the account)
Amount of interest, dividends, gross proceeds and other payments made or credited to the account (if applicable)
Payments paid or credited to Non-Participating Foreign Financial Institutions

The above information is not exhaustive. Other countries participating in the CRS may require additional information to be reported to their local tax authorities (such as the account holder’s place of birth).

Learn more

For more information on FATCA and CRS, please visit the CRA website, or CRA’s FATCA guidance and/or CRS guidance.

The above information is intended to provide general guidance only, and is not an exhaustive analysis of all provisions of FATCA or CRS. The above information should not be construed as legal, financial, or tax advice. CWB Financial Group cannot provide legal or tax advice to clients. If you are unsure about your tax residence, speak with a professional tax advisor.

Hold funds policy

When you make a deposit at Canadian Western Bank (CWB), we may place a hold on the item deposited based on our hold funds policy. “Holding funds” means that when you deposit cheques, or any other payment instrument at a branch, at an automated banking machine (ABM) or via internet banking/mobile banking, you may not be able to access the full amount of the funds from that deposit immediately.

A payment instrument is not the same as cash, it is a promise to pay by one party to another party. If the first party doesn’t have sufficient funds in their account at another financial institution, or if the instrument is fraudulent, that other financial institution can refuse to pay the item and return it unpaid to CWB. A hold period allows sufficient time for CWB to verify that the promise to pay can be carried out, i.e. that funds will be available from the other financial institution to pay the item. This is the purpose of CWBs Hold Funds Policy.

Cashing a cheque or a different deposit instrument is considered a credit decision. If we credit your account with the full amount or part of the cheque value, we are extending you credit for that amount, until we can verify that the promise to pay can be carried out. If the promise to pay is not honoured, we will need to recover those funds from you. As such, our hold funds policy is applied to each client differently. We will be considering several factors such as length of time you have banked with CWB, the balance in your account before the item was deposited, and the amount and characteristics of the item deposited, as we determine if the item deposited will be held and for how long.

If the item deposited is a fully encoded Canadian dollar item drawn on a financial institution’s branch located in Canada, we may place a hold on the item as described within the table below:

	DEPOSIT LOCATION
Amount of Item Deposited	In person with an employee at a CWB Branch	Any other Channel (Such as ABM, Night Deposit or Internet Banking/ Mobile Banking)
$1,500 or less	4 business days^{1, 2} (Including the day of deposit)	5 business days^{1, 2} (Including the day of deposit)
More than $1,500	7 business days^{1, 2} (Including the day of deposit)	8 business days^{1, 2} (Including the day of deposit)

¹ Business day means Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays. For deposits made on a Saturday, Sunday or a statutory holiday the deposit date is the following business day

²If you opened your account within the last 90 days, the hold placed on your deposit may be longer than the period mentioned here.

Example 1: A cheque for the amount of $1,000 deposited at a branch on Tuesday, the funds will be available on the following Monday. If the cheque was deposited at an ABM, the funds will be available on the following Tuesday.

Example 2: A cheque for the amount of $1,700 deposited at a branch on Monday, the funds will be available on the following Wednesday. If the cheque was deposited at an ABM, the funds will be available on the following Thursday. If the item deposited is un-encoded or partially encoded, or if the item is drawn on a financial institution’s branch located outside of Canada, or if the item is not in Canadian dollars, we may place a hold for a maximum period of 20 business days. In some cases, we may send the item to the financial institution where the item is drawn on a collection basis rather than accepting it for deposit.

A hold provides no guarantee that an item deposited will not be returned unpaid after the hold period has expired. If an item deposited is returned unpaid for any reason at any time, either during or after the hold period has expired, we have the right to charge the amount of the item to your account.

Designated locations for services of enforcement notices

In compliance with the Support Orders and Support Provisions (Banks and Authorized Foreign Banks) Regulations and Support Orders and Support Provisions (Trust and Loan Companies) Regulations, these offices have been designated for the service of enforcement notices:

Alberta	Edmonton Corporate office 3000 10303 Jasper Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T5J 3X6
British Columbia	Park Place 100-666 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 2X8
Manitoba	Winnipeg 125 Nature Park Way Winnipeg, MB R3P 0Y6
Ontario	Mississauga Plaza 1, Suite 101, 2000 Argentia Road Mississauga, ON L5N 1P7
Saskatchewan	Regina Hill Tower III 1866 Hamilton Street Regina, SK S4P 2B8
New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and the Yukon	Edmonton Corporate office 3000 10303 Jasper Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T5J 3X6