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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
|_| Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5
obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
(Print of Type Responses)
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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
DiFrancesco Donald T.
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(Last) (First) (Middle)
DiFrancesco, Bateman, Coley, Yospin, Kunzman, Davis & Lehrer, P.C.,
15 Mountain Blvd.
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(Street)
Warren NJ 07059
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(City) (State) (Zip)
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2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Commerce Bancorp, Inc. (CBH)
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3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Statement for Month/Day/Year
March 20, 2003
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5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
________________________________________________________________________________
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
|X| Director |_| 10% Owner
|_| Officer (give title below) |_| Other (specify below)
( )
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7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable line)
|X| Form Filed by One Reporting Person
|_| Form Filed by More than One Reporting Person
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Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of,
or Beneficially Owned
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5.
Amount of 6.
4. Securities Owner-
Securities Acquired (A) or Beneficially ship
2A. 3. Disposed of (D) Owned Form: 7.
2. Deemed Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Following Direct Nature of
Trans- Execution Code ------------------------------- Reported (D) or Indirect
1. action Date, if (Instr. 8) (A) Transaction(s) Indirect Beneficial
Title of Security Date any ------------ or (Instr. 3 & (I) Ownership
(Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) (mm/dd/yy) Code V Amount (D) Price Instr.4) (Instr.4) (Instr.4)
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Common Stock 2,826 s/s D IRA
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Common Stock 550 s/s I Wife
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Common Stock 3/20/03 *J 10 s/s A $38.61 64 s/s I Wife Drip
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Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
owned directly or indirectly. (Over)
(*J Purchase under DRIP)
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction
4(b)(v).
(Over)
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are
not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB control
number. SEC 1474 (9-02)
FORM 4 (continued)
Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
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9.
Number 10.
of Owner-
deriv- ship
ative Form
2. Secur- of
Conver- 5. 7. ities Deriv- 11.
sion Number of Title and Amount Bene- ative Nature
or Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ficially Secur- of
Exer- 3A. 4. Securities Date Securities Price Owned ity: In-
cise Deemed Trans- Acquired (A) Exercisable and (Instr. 3 and 4) of Follow- Direct direct
Price 3. Execut- action or Disposed Expiration Date ---------------- Deriv- ing (D) or Bene-
1. of Trans- ion Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative Reported In- ficial
Title of Deriv- action Date if (Instr. (Instr. 3, ---------------- or Secur- Trans- direct Owner-
Derivative ative Date any 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity action(s) (I) ship
Security Secur- (mm/dd/ (mm/dd/ ------ ------------ Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr.
(Instr. 3) ity yy) yy) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4)
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Right to Buy $40.12 02/04/03 02/14/12 Common 5,000 -- 5,000 D
** Stock
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Right to Buy $42.80 02/18/04 02/18/13 Common 1,250 -- 1,250 D
** Stock
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Right to Buy $42.80 02/18/05 02/18/13 Common 1,250 -- 1,250 D
** Stock
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Right to Buy $42.80 02/18/06 02/18/13 Common 1,250 -- 1,250 D
** Stock
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Right to Buy $42.80 02/18/07 02/18/13 Common 1,250 -- 1,250 D
** Stock
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Explanation of Responses: ** Granted under the Company's 1984, 1994 and 1997 Stock Option Plans, which are 16b-3 plans.
*J Stock Options Granted 2003
/s/ Donald T. DiFrancesco 03/20/03
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**Signature of Reporting Person Date
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal
Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
The filing of this Statement shall not be construed as an admission (a) that the
person filing this Statement is, for the purposes of Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended), the beneficial owner of any equity
securities covered by this Statement, or (b) that this Statement is legally
required to be filed by such person.
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained
in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently
valid OMB Number.
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