COMMERCE BANK ANNOUNCES OFFICER PROMOTIONS AND ELECTIONS

KANSAS CITY, MO - July 11, 2002 - The Board of Directors of Commerce Bank, Kansas City, announced the following officer promotions and elections for the Commerce Mortgage Corporation, a division of Commerce Bancshares.

Jeffrey Gerner has been promoted to Senior Vice President of the Commerce Mortgage Corporation. Gerner is responsible for first mortgage loan production centers located in Kansas City and St. Louis, MO. The centers perform all phases of loan processing, underwriting and closing of first mortgage loans originated in all of Commerce Bank's markets. He also oversees the credit administration for the mortgage product, including the use of automated underwriting. Gerner's additional responsibilities include process automation, workflow design, new technology assessment and implementation, as well as the implementation and enhancement of management reporting systems for the mortgage product. Gerner has been with Commerce for 17 years and is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, and a Masters Degree in Management Information Systems from Friends University, Wichita, KS.

Leanna Flandermeyer has been promoted to Senior Vice President of the Commerce Mortgage Corp. Flandermeyer is responsible for the first mortgage servicing center in Kansas City, MO. The center handles the servicing of first mortgage portfolio for all Commerce Bank markets as well as secondary market loans. She has been with Commerce for over 40 years and also is the Secretary of the Corporation. Flandermeyer is currently a board member of the Kansas City Community Gardens. Additionally, she was a past President of the Plaza Business and Professional Women's Club.

About Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank is the principal subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), a $12.3 billion regional bank holding company. For more than 135 years, Commerce has been meeting the financial services needs of individuals and businesses. Commerce provides a diversified line of financial services, including business and personal banking, wealth management and estate planning and investments through its affiliated companies. Commerce Bancshares operates across three states with more than 330 locations and also has operating subsidiaries involved in mortgage banking, credit related insurance, venture capital and real estate activities.

For more information contact:
Eliza Hamlet
Public Relations Representative
(816) 234-1930

Website: www.commercebank.com
e-mail: mymoney@commercebank.com
SYMBOL: CBSH

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