BURLINGTON, MA, July 9, 2003 —Cognos, (Nasdaq: COGN: TSX: CSN) the world leader in business intelligence (BI) and corporate performance management, has signed an agreement with Laurentian Bank of Canada, a major Canadian bank, to implement Cognos Enterprise BI Series 7. The system will allow Laurentian Bank to integrate and manage critical business information across departments, divisions, and locations and to better leverage the new enterprise data warehouse. Cognos won this deal in a competitive situation against several other BI vendors including Business Objects.

Laurentian Bank is comprised of several major lines of business, including retail financial services, commercial and corporate banking, brokerage, funds management and financial markets. Laurentian Bank will use Cognos to analyze and report on customer, marketing, finance, credit department, and risk management data. Cognos will provide the Bank with increased customer visibility and insight into the impact and effectiveness of marketing campaigns, which will lead to increased customer satisfaction and profitability for Laurentian Bank.

"Implementing Cognos will provide with consolidated access to accurate, up to date information and the powerful analytical and reporting capabilities we need to identify, analyze and manage opportunities and threats to the business," said Stéphane Gagnon, vice president, marketing research and information, Laurentian Bank of Canada. "The security, flexibility, and performance of Cognos Series 7 fulfills the criterias we had set for our system and we are confident that Cognos will provide us with substantial time savings, by eliminating the need for manual reporting."

"With Cognos, Laurentian Bank will be able to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, track market and credit risk exposure, and better understand the new and existing customer base," said Leo Tucker, banking industry-marketing director, Cognos. "Immediate and secure accessibility via the Web, ensures that banks are able to quickly identify factors that will affect business and take corrective action before it affects the bottom line."

About Lauretian Bank of Canada:
Founded in 1846, Laurentian Bank ranks seventh among Canadian Schedule I banks, with assets of over $18 billion. The Bank offers highly competitive products and superior personalized service to meet the banking and financial needs of individuals, businesses and independent financial advisors. The Bank's common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (stock symbol: LB). The address of the Bank's website is www.laurentianbank.com.