Ms. Laflamme comes to the Bank after 11 years at the MontrA-A?1/2al Exchange where she most recently held the position of Executive Vice-President and Advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer after serving as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. She also worked 12 years at the accounting firm Raymond, Chabot, Martin, ParA-A?1/2 & AssociA-A?1/2s. Ms. Laflamme is a Certified General Accountant and has been a member of the Ordre professionnel des comptables gA-A?1/2nA-A?1/2raux licenciA-A?1/2s du QuA-A?1/2bec since 1977.

National Bank is pleased to welcome Ms. Laflamme to its Board of Directors where she will also serve on the Audit and Risk Management Committee. Given her solid experience in accounting, finance and management in a regulated context, Ms. Laflamme is certain to contribute extensively to the mission of the Board and the Bank's sound corporate governance practices.

About National Bank of Canada

National Bank of Canada is an integrated group which provides comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. The National Bank offers a full array of banking services, including retail, corporate and investment banking. It is an active player on international capital markets and, through its subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth management as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. National Bank has close to $122 billion in assets and, together with its subsidiaries, employs 17,232 people. The Bank's securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (NA: TSX). For more information, visit the Bank's website at www.nbc.ca.

The telephone number provided below is for the exclusive use of journalists and other media representatives.

Contacts:
National Bank Financial Group
Denis Dube
Senior Manager, Public Relations Department
514-394-8644

SOURCE: National Bank Financial Group

"'Business as usual' is no longer an option for many nonprofit arts organizations, and standard funding practices give them little room to invest in bold and experimental solutions to economic challenges," said Ben Cameron, Director for the Arts for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "We in the funding community must be willing to take risks to test new ideas -- especially when the road gets rough -- in order to secure a vibrant, sustainable future for the organizations we support."

"Leading for the Future participants have already proven themselves adept at artistic innovation; now, they will lead the way for arts organizations to reinvent their business platforms so the artistic side will be reliably supported," said Clara Miller, President and CEO of NFF. "At a time when restricted gifts and carefully predicted outcomes are the status quo, this program offers these organizations the latitude and support that is required for true experimentation and change."

Leading for the Future grants have been awarded to:

-- Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation (New York, NY), to explore a new model of online patron engagement for its celebration of African-American heritage through modern dance.

-- Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles, CA), to explore new subscription and producing models resonant with young audiences.

-- Cunningham Dance Foundation (New York, NY), to transition to a post-founder legacy period as it furthers the work of legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham.

-- Jacob's Pillow Dance (Becket, MA), to extend its impact as the longest-running dance festival in the United States by using technology to become a national resource and model.

-- Misnomer Dance Theater (New York, NY), to develop new relationships between technology and dance that build on its work as a pioneer in online expression and marketing.

-- National Black Arts Festival (Atlanta, GA), a year-round cultural celebration of the contributions of artists of African decent to expand to audience online for the arts and performance work of education pertaining to Africa and the African Diaspora.

-- Ping Chong & Company (New York, NY), to explore a new financial model by franchising a community-organizing experimental theatre project.

-- SITI Company (New York, NY), to establish this ensemble-based theater company as a resident New York City organization with relevant partnerships and support.

-- Steppenwolf Theatre Company, (Chicago, IL), to explore new modes of producing and engaging young audiences, including partnerships with other arts groups and universities.

-- The Wooster Group (New York, NY), to explore a new producing model, pursue partnerships, and take on a new educational role in contemporary theatre.

ABOUT NONPROFIT FINANCE FUND

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is a national leader in nonprofit, philanthropic and social enterprise finance. Founded in 1980, NFF (http://www.nonprofitfinancefund.org) provides loan financing, access to capital and direct advisory services that build the capacity and the financial health of nonprofits. A leading community development financial institution with over $80 million in assets, NFF has provided over $175 million in loans and access to additional financing via grants, tax credits and capital in support of over $1 billion in projects for thousands of nonprofit clients nationwide. NFF has a staff of more than 75 serving nonprofits nationally from offices in Philadelphia, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Boston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

ABOUT THE DORIS DUKE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (http://www.ddcf.org) is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child maltreatment, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties.

WHAT GRANTEES ARE SAYING

Alvin Ailey:

"We are thrilled and honored that this bold initiative will advance Ailey's mission of bringing dance into people's lives, enabling us to use cutting-edge technology to transform our interactive online experience with loyal fans and new audiences around the world." -- Sharon Gersten Luckman, Executive Director

Center Theatre Group:

"The Leading for the Future program will enable Center Theatre Group to focus on our business needs. By allowing Center Theatre Group to use this grant to test audience purchasing behaviors and new technological innovations, we can create models that other non-profit theatres can adapt to their business practices. We normally wouldn't have the resources to accomplish these types of initiatives, especially given the current economic climate." -- Michael Ritchie, Artistic Director

Jacob's Pillow Dance:

"It is critical that we build audiences and appreciation for dance in new ways. This initiative will exponentially advance our capacity to extend every mission area of Jacob's Pillow-creation, presentation, education, preservation, and audience engagement-to electronic form in new ways that will benefit the arts community and the public." -- Ella Baff, Executive Director

Misnomer Dance Theatre:

"We are thrilled that the Leading For the Future grant will enable Misnomer to build upon our past online audience engagement activities to realize the creation of a comprehensive online Audience Engagement Platform. We look forward to working with NFF and with the performing arts community to create new models for how the online space can serve the live arts." -- Chris Elam, Artistic Director and Choreographer

National Black Arts Festival:

"The greatest challenge the National Black Arts Festival faces in 2008 is sustainability. Leading for the Future will ultimately enable NBAF to develop, distribute and monetize arts-based content that becomes a lifestyle choice for a global audience. We will broaden the definition and functionality of art and culture and develop a model that can be maintained indefinitely." -- Stephanie Hughley, Executive Producer

Ping Chong & Co.:

"This program will create new opportunities for the public to interact with Ping Chong & Company through our community-specific social justice theater project, as well as through Ping Chong's large-scale multidisciplinary theater productions. Support from the Leading for the Future program will allow Ping Chong & Company to build and strengthen our organization to better serve our mission, our artists, and our communities. We are excited by the challenges ahead." -- Bruce Allardice, Managing Director

SITI Company:

"The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation challenged us to dream positively, innovatively and articulately about our future. This initiative allows us the opportunity to take the necessary risks to develop a new model from which others can learn and benefit. The Leading for the Future program will serve as a catalyst and inspiration for our company and board to 'wright' the narrative of our future." -- Anne Bogart, Artistic Director

Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

"Steppenwolf Theatre is honored by this extraordinary opportunity. This new initiative will allow us to create groundbreaking programming to engage young artists. We look forward to activating this new generation of theatre practitioners and fostering their conversation with audiences." -- Martha Lavey, Artistic Director

The Wooster Group:

"The LTF Initiative is important because it allows us to launch long-term artistic and collaborative initiatives that we wouldn't be able to undertake without it. We hope that the LTF Initiative gives us the strength and flexibility to reinvent ourselves and begin a whole new life cycle for our company." -- Cynthia Hedstrom, Producer and Director of Special Projects

SOURCE Nonprofit Finance Fund

http://www.nonprofitfinancefund.org

ATLANTA - Joseph Sterling Jetton, 61, of Woodstock, Ga., was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $11,194,300 in restitution on charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering related to a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme. Jetton was convicted by a jury on Nov. 26, 2007, after a three week trial, and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Beverly B. Martin.

According to U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias and the information presented in court, Jetton orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme that involved millions of dollars in fraudulently inflated mortgage loans being provided to unqualified straw borrowers from late 2004 through early 2006. The straw borrowers were paid through shell companies as much as $600,000 per property from the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds. Jetton wrote sales contracts that failed to disclose that the sales prices of the residences had been inflated and that hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the loan proceeds were going to the buyers and others. Jetton personally derived more than a $1 million in commissions from the mortgage fraud scheme.

"This defendant was a licensed real estate agent. Using his specialized knowledge of real estate and residential mortgage financing, he orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme that has caused millions of dollars in losses to lenders and untold damage to neighborhoods," said U.S. Attorney Nahmias. "Nearly a dozen people have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in this defendant's scheme. The long prison sentence handed down today accounts for his leadership role in the scheme and the misuse of his position as a real estate agent to commit the fraud. We will continue to work with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to vigorously investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud schemes, especially those perpetrated by professionals in the real estate industry."

Eleven other defendants have already been sentenced to prison terms in related cases, with sentences ranging from eight months to more than ten years in federal prison. Raymond Joseph Costanzo Jr., 63, of Clayton, Ga. -- a closing attorney in the scheme -- was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison. A loan broker in the scheme, Olympia D. Ammons, 31, of St. Louis, Mo., was sentenced to five years and three months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $7,549,044 in restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gale McKenzie, William L. McKinnon Jr. and Douglas Gilfillan prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI.

For further information please contact U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias or Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Charysse L. Alexander through Public Affairs Officer Patrick Crosby with the U.S. Attorney's Office at (404) 581-6016.

CONTACT: PATRICK CROSBY

PHONE: (404) 581-6016

WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/GAN

FAX: (404) 581-6160

# # #

"This defendant was a licensed real estate agent. Using his specialized knowledge of real estate and residential mortgage financing, he orchestrated a mortgage fraud scheme that has caused millions of dollars in losses to lenders and untold damage to neighborhoods," said U.S. Attorney Nahmias. "Nearly a dozen people have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in this defendant's scheme. The long prison sentence handed down today accounts for his leadership role in the scheme and the misuse of his position as a real estate agent to commit the fraud. We will continue to work with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to vigorously investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud schemes, especially those perpetrated by professionals in the real estate industry."

Eleven other defendants have already been sentenced to prison terms in related cases, with sentences ranging from eight months to more than ten years in federal prison. Raymond Joseph Costanzo Jr., 63, of Clayton, Ga. -- a closing attorney in the scheme -- was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison. A loan broker in the scheme, Olympia D. Ammons, 31, of St. Louis, Mo., was sentenced to five years and three months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $7,549,044 in restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gale McKenzie, William L. McKinnon Jr. and Douglas Gilfillan prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

http://www.USDOJ.gov