COMMERCE BANK TO GIVE AWAY $160,000 IN CASH PRIZES

Kansas City, MO, April 7, 2003 - Commerce Bank today announced the addition of $30,000 in prizes to its "Skip the PIN, Sign and Win" sweepstakes that awards cash prizes to randomly selected sweepstakes entrants. Commerce Bank Visaâ Check Card, ATM Plus Card, Platinum Check Card, CommerceOptionsSM Check Card and Business Check Card holders are automatically entered into the contest each time they use their Commerce check card and sign for their purchase rather than enter their Personal Identification Number (PIN). The more times a cardholder makes a signature-based transaction, then the more chances the customer will have to win.

From January through October of 2003, Commerce Bank will select a $1,000 winner every week. This year, three new bonus prizes of $10,000 each will be awarded at the end of March, June and September. The first $10,000 prize will be awarded after the end of March with all entries from January 1st through March 31st eligible. In November and December, a $1,000 winner will be chosen daily. A final grand prize of $25,000 will be awarded after the end of the year.

"Although the contest is entering its fifth year, we are still experiencing the same enthusiastic response we received at the sweepstakes initial launch," said Carl Bradbury, vice president and manager of student services and debit products for Commerce Bank. "Listening to that feedback, we extended the cycle of the contest for the entire year and added three additional bonus prizes."

We want our customers to be fully aware of the consumer benefits surrounding signature-based check card transactions, and we are finding that this contest is delivering on that commitment," Bradbury added.

Benefits of Signature-Based Debits

According to Bradbury, signature-based transactions have a number of measurable benefits check cardholders may not be aware of, some of which are:

• Commerce Bank's Zero Liability Policy eliminates the customers' liability for any unauthorized transactions that might take place. Customers must notify Commerce Bank within 60 days of receiving a statement showing unauthorized account activity.
• Customers can dispute purchases of goods and services that were never delivered or do not meet their expectations.

All Commerce Bank Visa Check Card customers who select "credit" and make signature-based purchases during this period are eligible. There is no waiting period for eligibility after a card is issued. Complete sweepstakes rules and alternative forms of entry are described at the Commerce Bank website at www.commercebank.com. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

About Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank is the principal subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), a $13.3 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 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

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

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