COMMERCE BANK REOPENS HISTORIC COMMERCE TRUST BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY

KANSAS CITY, MO - October 9, 2002 - After more than two years of extensive renovation and remodeling, the historic Commerce Trust Building is once again open to serve Commerce Bank customers and employees in downtown Kansas City. The reopening ceremony will be held today at 5:30 p.m. in the Walnut Lobby in the Commerce Trust Building located at 922 Walnut Street in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The event will celebrate the preservation and restoration of an important part of Kansas City history.

"Downtown revitalization has been a cornerstone in the Commerce culture for over 60 years beginning with my father," said Jonathan Kemper, CEO of Commerce Bank, Kansas City. "In the 1940s, he chaired the Downtown Committee and combated the deteriorating downtown scene by organizing the redevelopment of the downtown core."

"It is in this spirit, that I, along with my brother, David, - now the fifth generation to head the bank - spearheaded the renovation of this historical building," Kemper added.

"I am so pleased to see elements of this building restored to its original grandeur while still serving as a vibrant 21st-century workplace for our employees and full-service banking center for our customers," Kemper concluded.

Opened in 1908, the Commerce Trust Building has helped to anchor Commerce Bank's presence in downtown Kansas City for nearly 100 years. The Trust Building stands for the steadfast relationship that Commerce Bank has enjoyed with Kansas City through the years. The National Registry of Historic Sites lists the Commerce Trust Building because of its architectural and historical significance in the life and growth of Kansas City.

The Trust Building represented the first Kansas City design by Jarvis Hunt, who later developed the architectural plans for both the Kansas City Star Building at 18th and Grand (1909) and Kansas City's Union Station at Main and Pershing (1910). The George A. Fuller Company undertook the construction of the building that was completed in 1908.

Overseeing the renovation of the building were local design firm Gastinger, Walker and Harden and local general contractor JE Dunn.

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
PR Representative
816-234-1930

Nancy E. Levin, APR
Director of Regional Marketing
816-234-2632

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

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