Recognized by Corporate Knights and Maclean's magazines for leading environmental, social and corporate governance practices

TORONTO, June 4, 2015 /CNW/ -  CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) was recognized for its industry-best corporate social responsibility and sustainability practices this week by two prestigious publications.

Corporate Knights Inc., publisher of Corporate Knights magazine and an investment advisory and research firm, named CIBC one of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. The bank was also recognized as one of the country's Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations by Maclean's magazine.

"We recognize that the long-term success and viability of our bank requires both the trust and confidence of our clients and stakeholders," says Sharon Mathers, CIBC Senior Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs. "Our commitment to putting the client first extends to our communities, where we not only support economic growth but also invest in social issues that make a significant difference in the lives of Canadians."

Corporate Knights evaluated companies on 12 key performance indicators, covering resource, employee and financial management. Maclean's selected their Top 50 list based on performance metrics tracked by Sustainalytics, a global provider of environmental, social and governance research and analysis.

CIBC is recognized as a world leader in responsible business practices and has been listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for 13 consecutive years and the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index since its inception. The bank is also listed on the FTSE4Good Index and Jantzi Social Index.

According to Bloomberg Markets magazine, CIBC is also one of the top 20 greenest banks in the world partly due to its wholesale banking division, which is a registered observer of the Green Bond Principles, a set of voluntary guidelines designed to promote integrity in the green bond market where capital is raised to fund projects with environmental benefits.

CIBC's 2014 Corporate Responsibility Report and Public Accountability Statement provides more information about our approach and commitments to sustainability issues that matter in the communities where we do business.

Other recent recognition includes:

• The strongest of the publicly traded major banks in Canada and North America by Bloomberg Markets magazine
• One of the Top 10 Safest Banks in North America by Global Finance magazine
• Best Consumer Internet Bank - Canada and Best Integrated Consumer Bank Site - North America by Global Finance magazine
• One of two banks to earn the highest overall score in Forrester Research's Mobile Banking Benchmark Report
• One of Canada's Top 100 Employers, Canada's Best Diversity Employers, and Canada's Top Employers for Young People by Mediacorp
• One of the Best Workplaces in Canada by Great Place to Work® Institute
• One of Canada's 50 Most Engaged Workplaces™ by Achievers

About CIBC
CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units - Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Wholesale Banking - CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world. You can find other news releases and information about CIBC on our corporate website at www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre/.

SOURCE CIBC