NEWS RELEASE

CCC INVESTMENT BANKING COMBINES WITH STIRLING MERCANTILE

TORONTO, ONTARIO, September 29, 2014 - CCC Investment Banking (CCC) today announced that it has joined forces with Stirling Mercantile Corporation of Vancouver to form Canada’s leading, national independent mid-market investment bank.

“We continue to see increased demand from private and public companies across Canada for investment banking that combines proven experience, independence and highly attentive, hands-on service from senior professionals,” saidBill Rogers, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of CCC. “Mid-market companies prefer to work with advisors who understand and focus on them and that is truer today than everbefore. The opportunity to join forces with an established firm like Stirling Mercantile, whose values are aligned with ours, and to expand our national presence as the mid-market grows, came at a perfect time.”

Stirling Mercantile, founded in 1998 and its Managing Directors Hugh Notman and Peter Scott, have a long record of successfully advising businesses in British Columbia and Western Canada.As CCC’s western client base continued to grow, it sought a larger and more permanent presence in the market. The combined firm will operate out of CCC’s Toronto offices and Stirling Mercantile’s existing Vancouver offices, under the CCC name.

“We believe that the combination will bring significant benefits to both firms’ clients. Stirling Mercantile’s clients will gain the benefit of a deeper bench, added breadth and depth of services including Valuations and Fairness Opinions, as well as CCC’s specialized expertise in a number of industries, including Food & Beverage and Healthcare. CCC gains an expanded full-time presence in Western Canada,” said Hugh Notman, Managing Director of Stirling Mercantile.

About CCC Investment Banking

CCC is Canada’s leading, national independent mid-market investment bank, serving clients from offices in Toronto and Vancouver. Clients include the successful owners of private companies, the shareholders, boards and management of public companies, as well as private equity firms, pension funds and high net worth individuals. Known for innovative solutions that create value, CCC has a 40-year track record of successfully completing transactions.

For more information:

Bill Rogers, Managing Director & CEO

CCC Investment Banking

416-619-9120

Hugh Notman, Managing Director

CCC Investment Banking

604-689-2495