Laurentian customers transferring to National Bank should prepare for service interruptions from November 6 to 8. Key Laurentian services stop at 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday.

National Bank’s official migration notice says Laurentian debit cards will stop working at that point. Its branches and automated banking machines will also become inaccessible and will not reopen after the transfer. Laurentian credit cards, however, will continue working during and after the migration weekend. Interac e-Transfer access is scheduled to return on Monday, November 9.

What customers should check now

The bank’s preparation guidance asks customers to record account balances, payee details and recurring or future-dated transactions. It also advises recipients to accept outstanding Interac transfers before the migration. Keeping those records matters because not every setting moves automatically.

Up to 20 payees will transfer. Pending, future-dated and recurring online bill payments, along with transfers between a customer’s accounts, will be cancelled during the migration. Unaccepted outgoing Interac transfers will also be cancelled. These instructions concern the migration of Laurentian customer products; customers should consult their own guide for their particular accounts.

Independent financial publisher Ratesopedia’s October 28 guide recommends arranging cash or a credit card for weekend purchases, then checking balances and rebuilding scheduled payments after access returns. It also tells customers to give their new account details to employers and other organisations that send or collect payments. The temporary redirection of some payments should not replace that housekeeping.

For migrating Laurentian customers who already bank with National Bank, online access will also pause. Their existing National Bank debit and credit cards remain usable.

A transfer of retail banking, not the disappearance of every operation

The disruption follows the transactions announced as completed on November 2. National Bank acquired Laurentian’s personal and small-business portfolios, while Fairstone acquired all its common shares for C$40.50 each, approximately C$1.8 billion in total. Laurentian described its continuing focus as specialised commercial banking.

For customers, the immediate priority is continuity: review the official guide, keep payment records and be wary of urgent messages seeking a PIN, password or verification code. Both banks warn customers to protect those credentials throughout the changeover.