Mr. Pierre Picard reports

INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCE SECURITIES ACQUIRES BURGEONVEST BICK CORPORATION -- THE COMPANY ONCE AGAIN EXPANDS ITS DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc.'s Industrial Alliance Securities Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire Burgeonvest Bick Corp., the sole shareholder of Burgeonvest Bick Securities Ltd. (BBSL), a securities brokerage firm and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada dealer member.

This transaction is in line with IAS's focus on adding new distribution in Canada.

Located in Hamilton, Ont., BBSL has assets under administration of about $840-million. The firm primarily serves a retail clientele and has a network of licensed advisers across Southern Ontario. It is registered as a full-service securities dealer.

"We're pleased to be partnering with IAS, and believe that the combination of our two organizations will best serve our clients and advisers and together allow us to achieve greater success in future," said Mario Frankovich, president and chief executive officer of BBSL.

"We look forward to welcoming the advisers of BBSL to the IAS family. BBSL and IAS share a similar culture that respects the autonomy of its advisers while ensuring that client interests are always placed first. The transaction adds BBSL's talented advisers to our distribution network in Ontario and represents another step in our firm's growth strategy," said Richard Legault, president of Industrial Alliance Securities.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions and is expected to close later this year or in early January, 2016. BBSL will be merged with IAS following completion of the transaction in spring or early summer of 2016. The financial terms and conditions of this transaction are not released.