STOCKCHASE

Made great strides in the last few years in de-risking the bank. Boosted their wealth management operations and he expects to see more improvements in this area. Less exposed to structured credit than what they have been. Have a compelling multiple compared to the group. Dividend yield in excess of 5%.

2011-11-25

WEAK BUY

75.090

Stan Wong

Neutral on banking in Canada. Likes dividend of 4.8%. This and TD are the more solid bank names. He prefers BMO covered call ETF instead.

2011-10-19

Comment

75.130

Colin Stewart

Holding up better than other banks because it has a larger retail franchise and is less dependant on capital markets than some others. As a safe haven in the Cdn banking space, probably a good place to look at.

2011-10-18

DON'T BUY

71.440

Ron Meisels

How would you view Canadian banks on the long-term? This bank is not doing well. It broke down through the up trend line and is now struggling to hold at around $68. All the banks are having major problems.

2011-10-03

BUY

75.380

Over the years has made its share of mistakes so has always sold at a discounted multiple to the group. On an ROE basis it is probably one of the most profitable banks. In the last few years, they have taken significant steps to de-risk this bank. Yield of close to 5%. (See Top Picks.)

2011-09-20

PAST TOP PICK

71.200

Robert McWhirter

(A Top Pick Sept 10/10. Up 0.81%.) Outlook for Canadian banks is good on a relative basis with attractive yields but doesn't see much opportunity for increased dividends or earnings growth.

2011-08-26

BUY

71.630

Andy Nasr

Significant exposure to Canadian consumer. Recently acquired an investment company in the US, which will be accretive next year. You could see a very competitive environment in Canada and it could put pressure on the price.

2011-08-23

DON'T BUY

71.150

Paul Gardner, CFA

Canadian banks have done a brilliant job of not losing money. Trading at a premium at 2X BV and doesn't know if they have much more room. This one trades at a higher BV so he prefers Toronto Dominion (TD-T) and Royal (RY-T).

2011-08-10

Comment

72.980

David Cockfield

Has to live a little with its past history. One of the banks that has never got back to where it was before 2008. Has made a few mistakes in the US in the past. This one is in the lower tier of the big 5 banks. Have cleaned up their act and the stock is a lot better. Not his #1 choice.

2011-07-29

BUY

74.560

Douglas Kee

Made interesting acquisition in the US and looks like an interesting, accretive one where they will invest capital – have a mutual fund business. Done a good job of diversifying. His concern is that if there is a mud-hole out there, they seem to fall into it. Likes the other banks better.

2011-07-21

BUY

77.160

Bill Carrigan

Has completed an A B C correction and the trend line is intact. Has a lot of volume. Thinks it goes higher.

2011-06-17

HOLD

77.140

Brian Acker, CA

Don’t buy any more until the $72 area. Be patient. It has a 10% upside, but it is above its model price.

2011-06-09

HOLD

80.500

Ron Meisels

When the market was hitting its low in 2009, all the bank stocks hit a low and started a new up leg. Then developed an upward trending channel. We are now 2 years into the bull market when banks some times start to slow down. Be aware that it s not going to have the same exciting move as it did moving from $37 to $70. Keep an eye on the 200 day moving average, which it is still above.

2011-05-30

TOP PICK

81.620

Brendan Caldwell

Has the highest dividend and the cheapest valuation and banks do tend to revert to the mean, so that those that underperform, tend to pull up their socks. Looks very good on a technical basis. Over 4% yield.

2011-05-03

WATCH

82.050

Christine Poole

Banks have recovered nicely from the bottom and have good earnings visibility. This is the year when they will start increasing their dividends. This one is going through an internal transformation and is de-risking their business. Talking about expanding into global markets so watch to see how they do.

2011-05-02

WAIT

75.830

Would like to see them get their act together a bit more. Get rid of some of the overhang questions that relate to write offs, etc.

2011-01-27

Comment

77.330

Looking for a dividend increases in the 1st half of the year but is probably already largely built into the stock price. There could be a slight stock price increase when this happens.

2011-01-12

BUY

78.660

Chyanne Fickes

Getting more positive on this bank. Banks will see slower growth in earnings. Of the Big 5, those with better domestic operations will do better and this is one of the best.

2010-11-22

BUY

78.100

Cdn banks have lagged. Expects there will be increases in bank dividends but not until well into 2011, except for Toronto Dominion (TD-T), which will be the first to go. This one is fine but would not be her Top 2 banks. (See Top Picks.)

2010-11-18

Comment

78.100

Stan Wong

Within the Big 5, Toronto Dominion (TD-T) and CIBC (CM-T) are his favourites. This one has a very decent dividend. If you are looking for dividend growth, look at TD who will increase their dividends by about 8.5% per year over the next 3 years. CIBC is looking at about 3.7%.

2010-11-18

Comment

75.120

Bruce Campbell

Assessing risk management relative to other banks? Great question, particularly for this bank. Had a relatively poor showing last 10-15 years. Trades at a discount multiple because of this. Now an opportunity since they have now exited all those other riskier businesses.

2010-11-12

DON'T BUY

76.840

Veronika Hirsch

Not crazy about banks from an earnings standpoint. Housing market is slowing down, which is a big part of their loan books. Doesn't expect unusual performance out of any of them. Least expensive bank so has the highest yield.

2010-10-28

BUY on WEAKNESS

79.500

It is the bank that everyone loves to hate. Made its share of tactical errors over time. Sell at somewhat of a discount to the group. Have more leverage in their earnings. Can earn $7.50 a share over the next couple of years. Thinks he will see more capital appreciation.

2010-10-20

TOP PICK

74.600

Robert McWhirter

Banks will have excess capital so should be able to crank up dividends. This one is forecast to have $6.37 earnings for Oct/10 year growing to $7.80 for 2011. PE to growth of about 8X. ROE 22.6% on forecast earnings. 4.7% yield.

2010-09-10

BUY

74.190

Ron Meisels

With exception of Royal (RY-T) banks are doing fairly well. Chart shows a beautiful downtrend line that the stock broke through recently. Banks should participate between now and the end of the year.

2010-09-08

Comment

66.880

Brian Acker, CA

His model price is $70.74, about 6.5% upside. One of the few banks that actually has a positive to his model price. As a group, there is really no value. He would get excited about them if there were a correction in the financials.

2010-07-08

BUY

65.910

Martin Hubbes, CFA

Cheapest of the banks. Hasn't owned this one in years. Prefers the strategies of Royal (RY-T), TD (TD-T) and Scotia (BNS-T) but this bank seems to be trying to turn itself around. If a long-term investor and reasonably optimistic about the markets for the next 3-5 years, this one makes a lot of sense.

2010-07-05

Comment

66.050

Rick Stuchberry

Banks have been taken down pretty well on a fundamental basis and he is accumulating some of them. Good yield but he prefers Scotia (BNS-T), Bank of Montreal (BMO-T) and Toronto Dominion (TD-T).

2010-07-02

PAST TOP PICK

71.000

Mark Carpani

9.976% bonds maturing 6/30/19 (Top Pick Jun 2/09, Up 22.14%)

2010-06-07

BUY

74.950

Barry Schwartz

Likes all the banks in Canada. You have to be patient but you will do well. Great history of raising dividends and no reason for it to change.

2010-05-25

WEAK BUY

75.700

Douglas Kee

He doesn’t expect dividend increases this year. It’s not a primary holding for him. The others are. Interest rate increase could help them to increase their spreads.

2010-04-20

DON'T BUY

75.970

Jim Houston

Expect banks to move higher over the long term. In the short term there could be backing and filling. Too much volatility compared to Royal (RY-T) and Toronto Dominion (TD-T).

2010-03-25

HOLD

77.190

Sees the banks as continuing to be strong. Has had a pretty good run in the last while but will probably not continue at the same rate. If you are a trader, consider taking some profits.

2010-03-23

SELL

67.820

Paul Gardner, CFA

CIBC 9% bond. Last February bonds were the place to be. It was crazy. There are not enough reasons to sell this bond now, but there are not enough reasons to buy. There may be opportunities elsewhere.

2010-02-24

BUY

63.640

Banks peaked out in August/September and has been trending down and plateauing over the last several weeks. This is a great entry point especially in this low interest rate environment where they are making a very good spread.

2010-02-10

DON'T BUY

63.400

Benj Gallander

He is not in love with the Canadian banks right now. He owns the preferreds. There could be a fair amount of upside in the longer term and there is the dividends. If you are looking for appreciation, there are lots of others out there.

2010-02-09

BUY

64.500

Randy LeClair

C19 9.976% due June 2018 Bond. Have done very well through 2009 with the narrowing spread. Thinks there is a little bit more spread narrowing to go on.

2010-01-26

BUY

63.730

Jason Donville

Would rank this as #2 in terms of attractiveness in Canadian banks. Historically they have always seemed fast and loose with regards to risk but he feels there will be a conception of higher quality banking from now on. 5.4% dividend yield.

2010-01-22

BUY on WEAKNESS

65.660

Dividends for all Canadian banks are safe. This bank is having a little more difficulty because of write-offs, etc. Would like to buy at $60. Yield of 5% plus.

2010-01-18

BUY on WEAKNESS

66.570

Ross Healy

Would prefer it closer to $60-$61. This is probably the one Canadian bank with the greatest upside potential.

2010-01-11

HOLD

67.920

Bruce Campbell

Canadian Imperial (CM-T) or National Bank (NA-T). Which would you sell? As Canadian Imperial have cleared up their problems, it has become a well-run Canadian retail bank and probably the one with the best 2-3 year outlook. Prefers Toronto Dominion (TD-T)

2009-12-30

VAGUE

67.920

David Driscoll

Capital markets have been hot, vs. retail markets.

2009-12-29

BUY

70.000

Jason Donville

Attractively priced and likes some of their management. Thinks the stock will perform better than some of its peers.

2009-12-03

BUY

68.730

Prakash Hariharan

They have fortified their balance sheet against dividend cuts. It has under performed. We always feel that the worst is over. If you line it up with the other banks, it looks cheaper.

2009-12-01

DON'T BUY

65.450

Benj Gallander

Canadian bank stocks are pretty fully valued but he doesn’t have any interest.

2009-10-22

TOP PICK

65.860

Mark Carpani

9.976% bond maturing June 30/19. Price is a bit expensive at $126 so it may not appeal to individual investors. A safer way than using the common stocks as it puts you higher up on the structure. In balanced portfolio he would use a different bank for the stocks.

2009-09-21

BUY on WEAKNESS

62.400

Banks have had a massive recovery since the March lows. This one has lagged. There are a lot of disbelievers as to whether they can get it turned around.

2009-09-10

DON'T BUY

60.220

Veronika Hirsch

She has a Short position on this bank. Her least favourite financial.

2009-09-02

DON'T BUY

64.240

Rick Stuchberry

Canadian banks are no longer inexpensive. Have had a great run. Prefers Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS-T) and Royal Bank (RY-T) and would buy these on a pullback.

2009-08-27

PAST TOP PICK

65.990

Richard Croft

(Top Pick Sep 19/08 Up 23.95%) CIBC with option.

2009-08-17

TOP PICK

66.180

Christine Horoyski

Tier-1 9.976% bond maturing June 30/19. Rated A and yielding about 300 basis points over Canada. This bank is working on back to basics reducing their wholesale risks.

2009-07-30

DON'T BUY

67.200

David Baskin

His favourite is Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS-T) because of its exposure to Latin America and lack of exposure to the US.

2009-07-27

BUY on WEAKNESS

54.020

6.43% is the highest yield in Canadian banks. Looking at buying this but below $50.

2009-06-16

DON'T BUY

54.160

David Burrows

While the banks have had a wonderful rally off the bottom he would be significantly underweight on the financials as it is hard to see where earnings growth comes from. Good revenues in the recent quarter but generally there will continue to be erosion in the credit quality.

2009-06-15

HOLD

54.800

A little disappointed with their last earnings release so he is having a good hard look at the position. Reasonable multiple and reasonable yield. Would prefer Toronto Dominion (TD-T).

2009-06-10

TOP PICK

54.200

Mark Carpani

9.976% bonds maturing 6/30/19. Recently issued. Very solid balance sheet. Good company and he doesn't see much maturity risk.

2009-06-02

Comment

54.470

Paul Harris, CFA

More of a higher risk in Canadian banks. Had tried to be in the global investment banking, which starved their retail banks for capital. If you are a trader, you could buy when it is trading at a multiple to huge discount to the bank index and sell it at a premium.

2009-05-28

PARTIAL BUY

58.800

Dividend yields on the banks are very attractive. Pullback could occur over the summer. If you have a reasonable timeframe of 3 to 5 years, this is not a bad entry point, but you can buy it in pieces..

2009-05-26

BUY

52.000

The most levered to a recover of the big 6. Most punished on the way down and deservedly. Over next couple of years could see earnings in range of $6-7/share

2009-04-22

PAST TOP PICK

41.080

(A Top Pick March 5/08. Down 36.2%.) On a risk weighted basis, probably has greatest potential of capital appreciation, but also greatest potential for price volatility.

2009-03-10

Comment

37.500

Gerald Allaye-Chan

10% capital note with 100-year maturity. Cautious about these hybrid securities. He didn't participate in the offerings. Don't treat it as fixed income, but treat it as a preferred share.

2009-03-06

Comment

25.500

(Preferred A) She would be highly confident that they would pay their preferred dividends. About 7% yield.

2009-03-04

PAST TOP PICK

45.520

(A Top Pick Jan 8/08. Down 28.3%.) Will have to be even more patient with the banks. Amongst the big 5 this one probably has the greatest risk/reward potential. Core earnings are potentially about $7 a share.

2009-02-02

BUY

46.710

Ken McCord

(Market Call Minute.) Would buy it but would write a call option against it.

2009-01-29

Comment

43.890

Robert McWhirter

Preferred Shares. Outlook is neutral in his model. Earnings have been revised downward 15%. There are concerns for dividend cuts in the Canadian banks but preferreds would likely keep on paying.

2009-01-26

BUY

52.660

Ross Healy

(Market Call Minute.) Reasonable buy at the present time.

2009-01-09

BUY

55.110

Andrew Guy, CFA

(Market Call Minute.) Very strong capital ratios. Dividends are safe. Expecting a turnaround in the next little while.

2009-01-06

BUY

49.900

Thinks you can buy the banks at these prices. Will be hurt by the spread narrowing but dividends are good. See them going much lower than where they are now.

2008-12-19

Comment

50.310

Peter Gibson

Has concerns. Rate of profit decline is significant. Also has some CDO exposure.

2008-12-09

DON'T BUY

53.270

Greg A. Taylor, CFA, BBA

Have no US retail or US capital markets. Have already written off their bad assets. Seem to be more of a low risk bank now. Has probably had its run.

2008-12-08

Comment

43.190

Don Vialoux

Has been in a downward trend. Look for signs that it is trying to bottom.

2008-11-24

Comment

55.300

Jim Huang

Preferred shares: Any danger of dividends being cut or delayed? Have a very good Canadian retail franchise. Also have exposure to the US in structured products and have taken huge losses and there is probably still more to come. Doesn't think they will cut the dividends.

2008-11-05

Comment

57.430

Chyanne Fickes

Not a fan of management. Really got knocked down in the last 1.5 years relative to the other banks. Doesn't have the same level of risk because of what happened in the past. Probably the least riskiest of the banks.

2008-11-04

VAGUE

61.080

Gordon Higgins, CA, MBA

Bank with the greatest risk. The rescue package in the US could have a direct effect on CIBC.

2008-09-30

BUY

56.900

Bruce Campbell

Upgraded by RBC and Nesbitt Burns. Still write offs to come. Most depressed of Canadian banks.

2008-09-29

TOP PICK

62.590

Richard Croft

Buy CIBC and Sell CIBC Jan 64 Calls. A basic “Call Right” on CIBC. One of the more volatile banks. The options trade at the highest premiums. The $64 level is kind of attractive. The return on this is about 8% between now and January if it is above $64.

2008-09-19

Comment

55.670

Gavin Graham

(Market Call Minute.) The Canadian bank that has performed the worst and will rebound the most.

2008-09-17

DON'T BUY

62.310

Norman Levine

Has a well-deserved reputation of being the riskiest bank in Canada.

2008-09-05

WAIT

58.430

Robert Floyd

(Market Call Minute.) Still facing some headwinds. If you are looking at this one, wait until they actually report.

2008-08-21

Comment

58.450

Had very disappointing performance this year but is not remotely in danger of failure.

2008-08-19

PAST TOP PICK

60.500

(A Top Pick Aug 31/07. Down 35%.) Current valuation is ridiculous. This is a retail bank and retail is 70%-75% of their operations. Should earn over $7 in cash earnings this year and $7.50 next year. Still a Buy.

2008-08-14

PAST TOP PICK

62.350

Gordon Higgins, CA, MBA

(A Top Pick Sept 12/07. Down 44%.) Ended up with more impact on the US side than expected. Odds are they're going to have to take another $1 billion or so write-downs again. Sold some of his holdings. Looking for better times once we are through this difficult period. Always buys this as a pairs trade with Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS-T)

2008-08-08

DON'T BUY

63.420

David Burrows

Has traded up underneath the point that it has broken down on the last leg down. Expect this will pose some resistance technically.

2008-08-05

Comment

60.450

Ken McCord

(Put Options) A Put is protecting your downside, which is a wise move. (Like buying insurance on your stock.) Not a fan of banks right now. You might consider HBP Global Gold Bear (HFD-T), which is a great way to short the Canadian Financial industry.

2008-07-29

DON'T BUY

52.210

David Burrows

Situation is deteriorating. There are consistent lower revisions to the earnings estimates. Probably the weakest technically of the Canadian banks. Difficult sector. He is Short this company.

2008-07-11

Comment

55.320

Richard Croft

Re: Bank of Montreal (BMO-T) and CIBC (CM-T). Doesn’t think the banks are going anywhere for the next 3 months. You could Buy them here although they have a ways before they really turn. In the meantime you will get a dividend.

2008-07-02

DON'T BUY

56.100

Still very cautious on the banks. Significantly more write-offs to come, especially in the US. This could rub off on some of the Canadian banks. Holding off on buying any banks until the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

2008-06-30

PAST TOP PICK

58.580

(A Top Pick July 13/07. Down 35%.) The bank that everyone loves to hate. On a core earnings basis, they are still capable of earning $7 a share. Expecting more write-downs, but the market is overestimating their problems.

2008-06-26

DON'T BUY

60.090

Robert Floyd

(Market Call Minute.) Would avoid this one until some of the asset write-downs are at little bit clearer.

2008-06-24

DON'T BUY

60.090

Norman Levine

Expect there is more hurt coming in the global banks including Canada. We are in recession in many parts of North America and there will be loan losses. This one is back to its historical position of beating the riskiest Canadian bank. When times turn, it is the riskiest bank that will do the best.

2008-06-24

BUY

61.630

Pat McKeough

Canadian banks are well established companies with good dividends and good long-term growth. Everybody should own 2 or 3 of Canada's top line banks. This one is a bit more speculative because of its brokerage exposure etc. Prefers Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS-T) but this is an attractive company.

2008-06-20

DON'T BUY

63.450

Norman Levine

Dividend is safe. Have raised an enormous amount of capital and is well capitalized now. Very speculative.

2008-06-13

DON'T BUY

64.750

David Baskin

Street has pretty well lost confidence in this bank's risk management. Wouldn't buy until there was some evidence they had straightened things out and they won't have another disaster.

2008-06-10

Comment

67.000

Ross Healy

His view on bank stocks is that we are kind of in the eye of the hurricane. If anyone thinks that the credit problems are done and over with, they have another think coming. Wouldn't be surprised if there were fears that Canadian banks could cut their dividends. He doesn't see it happening.

2008-06-05

BUY

73.410

Gavin Graham

Profitability of a Canadian retail franchise, with a comfortable oligopoly in Canada gives you a wonderful base in earnings. You’ll probably take more money in this one in the next few years than you would in the more stable banks.

2008-05-20

DON'T BUY

73.250

David Baskin

Last time they had a disaster, they bounced back and people made a lot of money and who's to say they won't do it again. Not the bank that he would choose to own because of their proven track record of making it really bad, big mistakes.

2008-05-13

HOLD

73.400

Paul Thornton

Undergoing a bit of a recovery, but it is a long way off the high. He would suggest not buying any Canadian banks right here, at least this one. He would like to see more of a recovery. Give it some time to go through a bottoming process but this could go on for a long time.

2008-05-07

PAST TOP PICK

74.170