COMMERCE BANK ANNOUNCES OFFICER PROMOTIONS AND ELECTIONS

KANSAS CITY, MO - January 13, 2002 - The Board of Directors of Commerce Bank, Kansas City, announced the following officer promotions and elections.

Christa Krumm has been promoted to Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate Department of Commerce. Krumm is responsible for business development and commercial real estate lending. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, and has more than 10 years of industry experience.

Timothy W. Gillock has been promoted to Assistant Vice President in the Retail Lending and Payment Systems (RLPS) Division of the Bank. Gillock is responsible for the management of advanced product deployment and technology services for the merchant and commercial card product lines, as well as providing assistance on technology-related products across all RLPS business units. Gillock has been with Commerce Bank for three years and has over 22 years of Information Technology experience within the financial services industry. He attended Wichita State University, is a graduate of the ABA School of Bankcard Management at the University of Oklahoma and is a member of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP.)

Genny M. Pointer has been promoted to Assistant Vice President in the Operations Department of The Commerce Trust Company, a division of the bank. Pointer provides system support and training for the division's accounting system and works on various special projects and is a member of the Process Improvement Committee. She has been with Commerce for over three years and is a United Way Ambassador for the bank, a Junior Achievement volunteer and recruiter for the Community Blood Center. Pointer has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO.

Michael S. Carnahan has been elected to Officer in the RLPS division of the bank. He is responsible for business development of Commerce's merchant and commercial card product lines. Carnahan has been with Commerce for two years and has a Bachelor of Science degree from Wichita State University, Wichita, KS.

Kelly A. Hickman has been elected to Officer in the Retail division of the bank. She is responsible for managing retail sales and customer service at the Blue Springs Hy-Vee branch. Hickman has been with Commerce for two years and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration from Avila University, Kansas City, MO.

Christopher Lantman has been elected to Officer in the Treasury Services Department of the bank. He is responsible for the analysis, design and implementation of corporate cash management systems and has been with Commerce for four years. Lantman is a member of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) and is a Certified Cash Manager (CCM). He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, and is currently pursuing his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.

About Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank is the principal subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), a $13.2 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 340 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
800-892-7100 ext. 1930

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

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