Ontario Chamber and Meridian Announce New Partnership to Support Businesses

(Toronto, May 19, 2021) – Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and Meridian, Ontario’s largest credit union, announced a new affinity partnership available to members of the Ontario Chamber network. Through this partnership, Meridian will be providing exclusive benefits to help businesses grow, enjoy exclusive banking offers, and receive perks for employees.

“Our partnership with Meridian comes at a critical time as many of our members are facing substantial uncertainty continuing through the third wave of the crisis,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “As the indispensable partner of business, we’re proud to provide additional supports and resources to businesses in partnership with Meridian when they need it most.”

Businesses who are members of their local chamber of commerce or board of trade[1] will have access to the following benefits through the affinity partnership with the OCC and Meridian:

• Chamber network members who transfer their services to Meridian will enjoy no-fee daily banking for a year, 30% off service fees, a $200 welcome bonus, and access to market-leading equipment leasing and financing options;
• Businesses that are already both Chamber members and Meridian members will still qualify (except for the welcome bonus);
• Employees of businesses who sign up can access a personal or wealth management banking offer worth over $800.

“Through our affinity partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Meridian is actively supporting businesses in building their resilience as they navigate through the pandemic now and in the future as we rebuild a new economy,” said Wade Stayzer, SVP of Business Banking at Meridian. “For our communities to enjoy more prosperity and well-being, a strong business sector is vital.”

As a credit union, Meridian does not have public shareholders and its Members are owners. Any profit Meridian makes goes right back into improving its products and services and innovating new ways to enhance its Members’ lives. Meridian’s Business Banking serves more than 25,000 Members in 15 Business Banking Centres located across Ontario.

“Meridian has the full range of products and services that Ontario Chamber of Commerce members need to help them achieve their goals. Like the Chamber, we’re here to support businesses at all stages of their financial lives as they grow and mature,” added Jason Teal, VP, Business Banking at Meridian.

Learn more about the program benefits on the Meridian|OCC Affinity Partnership site.

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For media inquiries please contact:
Ceara Copps – Edwards, Manager, Public Affairs
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca | Mobile: (647) 936-6734

Teresa Pagnutti – Senior Manager, Public Relations
Teresa.pagnutti@meridiancu.ca | Mobile: (416) 275-3816

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

About Meridian Business Banking
Meridian’s Business Banking serves more than 25,000 Members in 15 Business Banking Centres located across Ontario, helping our Member businesses grow and build stronger communities. Meridian offers a full suite of banking services for all sizes of businesses, including cash management, financing and Business Visa. In addition, Meridian has specialized industry teams that focus on specific sectors such as Corporate Finance and Real Estate and Development. For more information, see our Small Business and Commercial Banking sites, and visit us on LinkedIn.
About Meridian
With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union and the second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of 370,000 Members and customers. Meridian has $26.6 billion in assets under management (as at March 31, 2021) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian Members also have access to THE EXCHANGE® Network, with more than 3,600 no-fee ABMs across Canada and 500,000 ABMs in the United States. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or visit us on Facebook.

[1] The chamber/board of trade needs to be an OCC member to participate in the Affinity Partnership.