Commerce Bank Announces Officer Promotions and Elections

KANSAS CITY, MO - July 25, 2003 - The Board of Directors of Commerce Bank, Kansas City, announced the following officer promotions and elections.

Jon Benson has been promoted to Vice President in the Information Technology department. Benson is responsible for the management of strategic cross-division projects. He has more than 35 years of experience in information technology in the financial services industry. Benson is a member of the Project Management Institute, Telecommunication Association and the Data Processing Management Association. The Project Management Institute designated him a Certified Project Management Professional, and the University of Colorado named him a Certified Practitioner of Project Management. Benson is active in the Boy Scouts of America having served as a Scout Master and Committee Chairman. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo.

John Hart has been promoted to Vice President in the Information Technology department. Hart is responsible for the Retail Applications and Customer Support areas as an Information Systems Group Manager. He oversees the implementation of strategic retail projects for systems such as Online Banking, ATM, personal loans and branch-related applications. Hart has more than 15 years of experience in information technology and holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Business Administration from Rockhurst College, Kansas City, Mo.

Wanda Edgmond has been promoted to Vice President in the Information Technology department. She is responsible for the management of Commerce's enterprise application servers and oversees the implementation of server specifications for new and existing projects. Edgmond has been with Commerce for over 10 years and is an active member of information technology-sponsored charitable events and was awarded the Living the IT Guiding Principles award. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Park College, Kansas City, Mo.

S. Brent Varzaly has been promoted to Assistant Vice President in the Commerce Trust Company, a division of the bank. Varzaly is responsible for the administration of corporate and municipal bond issues and has more than three years of experience in the Corporate Trust area. Varzaly holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Washburn University, Topeka, Kan. and a law degree from Washburn Law School. Additionally, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from DeVRY University, Kansas City, Mo.

Brent W. Mueller has been elected Officer in the Retail division of Commerce. He is responsible for managing retail sales and customer service at the 6th Street branch in Lawrence, Kansas. He is a member of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and is a representative for the Lawrence Partners in Education, as well as a Junior Achievement volunteer. Mueller attended the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Mark J. Tomasic has been elected Officer in the Retail Lending and Payment Systems (RLPS) department. Tomasic is responsible for loss prevention and fraud investigation. He has more than 10 years of experience in fraud prevention and is a member of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators and the American Society of Public Administration. Tomasic holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois, Chicago, Ill. and a Masters in Public Administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

About Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank is the principal subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), a $13.4 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 additional information, please visit www.commercebank.com or email mymoney@commercebank.com

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