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MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - June 7, 2010) - National Bank Financial Group (TSX:NA) is pleased to announce that Martin Lavigne, Senior Vice-President – Third-Party Business Solutions, has been named a Recipient of Canada's Top 40 Under 40™for 2009.

Canada's Top 40 Under 40™is a prestigious national award program, which annually honours 40 Canadians in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors under the age of 40. The program, now in its 15^th year, is managed by founding sponsor, The Caldwell Partners International. In addition to The Caldwell Partners, national sponsors include Deloitte, National Bank Financial, The Globe and Mail, and WestJet.

Martin Lavigne and his peers were selected from over 1200 nominees by an independent Advisory Board, comprised of 25 business leaders from across Canada. Honourees were chosen on five key criteria: vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; community involvement and contribution; and strategy for growth.

The 2009 Recipients of Canada's Top 40 Under 40™are featured in The Globe and Mail on June 7^th. Honourees will attend a series of celebratory events at the beginning of June in Toronto, including an Awards Ceremony to be held at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre at 12noon on Tuesday, June 8^th where they are presented with their Top 40 Crystal Cube.

Martin Lavigne is currently Senior Vice-President – Third-Party Business Solutions of National Bank Financial Group, and oversees the development, management and coordination of all product and service distribution to third parties for the Financial Group. He assumes responsibility for the Correspondent Network, Partnerships, as well as for the Advisor Distribution teams of banking products, investment products and financial product solutions.

About National Bank of Canada

National Bank of Canada is an integrated group that provides comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. National Bank offers a full array of banking services, including retail, corporate and investment banking. It is an active player on international capital markets and, through its subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth management as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. National Bank has over $150 billion in assets and, together with its subsidiaries, employs 18,248 people. The Bank's securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:NA). For more information, visit the Bank's website at [ www.nbc.ca ].

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