Montrealers say goodbye to Laurentian Bank after nearly 2 centuries of operations

It's the end of an era for Laurentian Bank, one of the first banks to open up in Canada. It's now closed its doors for good. But back in its heyday, it was one of the biggest banks in Montreal, and this was its first headquarters opened in 1871. It's a loss. It's not just a loss of a business. It's a loss of one of the players in Quebec. The bank first opened its doors in 1846, right here in Old Montreal. Back then, it used to be called Montreal City and District Savings Bank. And for a long time, it was a go-to bank for Montreal's working class. When an institution's been around that long, it's not just seen as a business. It's seen as something much more familiar. More recently, Laurentian Bank struggled to compete against Canada's biggest banks. Last year, after a strategic review and turnaround attempts, it was split up and sold. A process winding up now. National Bank is taking over everyday banking, and Fairstone will pick up Laurentian's corporate banking business. So this is it. Laurentian debit cards are being deactivated. Same goes for other transactions like transfers and ATM withdrawals. It's not really a change that customers who are loyal want to make. So I'll miss the bank from the convenience because I'm living on St. Helens and I can just walk over here to my husband bring me here but now I have to go over there. C'est dommage, c'est triste, moi ça fait très longtemps que je suis avec eux. J'aimais beaucoup leur interface, les services qu'ils proposaient. Avec beaucoup de tristesse parce que les gens sont tellement gentils. So after more than 175 years, this logo, this bank, once a Quebec staple, is now gone forever.