UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 29, 2016

PRIVATEBANCORP, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

_______________________

Delaware	001-34066	36-3681151
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission file number)	(I.R.S. employer identification no.)
120 South LaSalle Street Chicago, Illinois		60603  (Zip Code)
(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (312) 564-2000

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8‑K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[x] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a‑12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a‑12)

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d‑2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d‑2(b))

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e‑4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e‑4(c))

Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On June 29, 2016, PrivateBancorp, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“PrivateBancorp”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a Canadian chartered bank (“CIBC”), and CIBC Holdco Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of CIBC (“Holdco”), pursuant to which PrivateBancorp will merge with and into Holdco, with Holdco surviving the merger (the “Merger”).

Under the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each share of common stock, without par value, of PrivateBancorp will be converted into the right to receive (i) 0.3657 common shares of CIBC and (ii) $18.80 in cash. The Merger Agreement also includes provisions that address the treatment of the outstanding equity awards of PrivateBancorp in the Merger.

The Merger Agreement provides that, among other things, as of the Effective Time, one individual designated by PrivateBancorp and reasonably acceptable to CIBC will be appointed as an independent director of CIBC, subject to CIBC’s organizational documents, policies and applicable law and regulation. Additionally, as of the Effective Time, The PrivateBank and Trust Company will be headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and Holdco and The PrivateBank and Trust Company will constitute the primary banking, lending and wealth management platform of CIBC in the United States.

The Merger is intended to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and the Merger Agreement is intended to be a plan of reorganization for purposes of Sections 354 and 361 of the Code.

Completion of the Merger is subject to certain customary conditions, including, among others, (1) approval by PrivateBancorp’s stockholders, (2) receipt of certain regulatory approvals, (3) the absence of any governmental order or law prohibiting the consummation of the Merger, (4) the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form F-4 to be filed by CIBC with respect to the CIBC common shares to be issued in connection with the Merger and (5) the authorization for listing of such CIBC common shares on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. The obligation of each party to consummate the Merger is also conditioned upon (i) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other party, subject to specified materiality standards, (ii) performance in all material respects by the other party of its obligations under the Merger Agreement and (iii) receipt by each party of a tax opinion to the effect that the Merger will qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code.

The Merger Agreement provides certain termination rights for both PrivateBancorp and CIBC and further provides that a termination fee of $150 million will be payable by PrivateBancorp to CIBC upon termination of the Merger Agreement under certain specified circumstances.

PrivateBancorp and CIBC have made customary representations, warranties and covenants in the Merger Agreement. Subject to certain exceptions, PrivateBancorp and CIBC have agreed, among other things, to covenants relating to (1) the conduct of their respective businesses during the interim period between the execution of the Merger Agreement and the consummation of the Merger, (2) the use of reasonable best efforts to obtain governmental and regulatory approvals, (3) the facilitation of PrivateBancorp’s stockholders’ consideration of, and voting upon, the adoption of the Merger Agreement and certain related matters, (4) the recommendation by the board of directors of PrivateBancorp in favor

of the adoption by its stockholders of the Merger Agreement and certain related matters and (5) non-solicitation obligations relating to alternative business combination transactions.

The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 The Merger Agreement and the above description of the Merger Agreement have been included to provide investors with information regarding the terms of the Merger Agreement. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about PrivateBancorp, CIBC or their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement were made only for purposes of that agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the parties in connection with negotiating the terms of the Merger Agreement, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made by each party to the other for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between them that differ from those applicable to investors. In addition, certain representations and warranties may be subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from those generally applicable to investors and may have been used for the purpose of allocating risk between the parties rather than establishing matters as facts. Information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in public disclosures by PrivateBancorp or CIBC. Investors should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any description thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition PrivateBancorp, CIBC or any of their respective subsidiaries, affiliates or businesses. The Merger Agreement should not be read alone, but should instead be read in conjunction with the other information regarding the parties that is or will be contained in, or incorporated by reference into, the documents that PrivateBancorp and CIBC file with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this communication may be deemed to be forward-looking statements under certain securities laws, including the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and any applicable Canadian securities legislation.  These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the operations, business lines, financial condition, risk management, priorities, targets, ongoing objectives, strategies of PrivateBancorp and CIBC and the regulatory environment in which they operate and outlook for calendar year 2016 and subsequent periods. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “target”, “objective” and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will”, “should”, “would” and “could”. By their nature, these statements require us to make assumptions, including the economic assumptions set out in the reports of PrivateBancorp and CIBC filed with the SEC, and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, affect our operations, performance and results, and could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. These factors include: credit, market, liquidity, strategic, insurance, operational, reputation and legal, regulatory and environmental risk; the effectiveness and adequacy of our risk management and valuation models and processes; legislative or regulatory developments in the jurisdictions where we operate, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations issued and to be issued thereunder, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Common Reporting Standard, and regulatory reforms in the

United Kingdom and Europe, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's global standards for capital and liquidity reform and those relating to the payments system in Canada; amendments to, and interpretations of, risk-based capital guidelines and reporting instructions, and interest rate and liquidity regulatory guidance; the resolution of legal and regulatory proceedings and related matters; the effect of changes to accounting standards, rules and interpretations; changes in our estimates of reserves and allowances; changes in tax laws; changes to our credit ratings; political conditions and developments; the possible effect on our business of international conflicts and the war on terror; natural disasters, public health emergencies, disruptions to public infrastructure and other catastrophic events; reliance on third parties to provide components of our business infrastructure; potential disruptions to our information technology systems and services; increasing cyber security risks which may include theft of assets, unauthorized access to sensitive information, or operational disruption; social media risk; losses incurred as a result of internal or external fraud; anti-money laundering; the accuracy and completeness of information provided to us concerning clients and counterparties; the failure of third parties to comply with their obligations to us and our affiliates or associates; intensifying competition from established competitors and new entrants in the financial services industry including through internet and mobile banking; technological change; global capital market activity; changes in monetary and economic policy; currency value and interest rate fluctuations, including as a result of market and oil price volatility; general business and economic conditions worldwide, as well as in Canada, the U.S. and other countries where we and CIBC have operations; our success in developing and introducing new products and services, expanding existing distribution channels, developing new distribution channels and realizing increased revenue from these channels; changes in client spending and saving habits; our ability to attract and retain key employees and executives; our ability to successfully execute our strategies and complete and integrate acquisitions and joint ventures; and our ability to anticipate and manage the risks associated with these factors. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of our forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Additional information about these factors can be found in the reports filed by PrivateBancorp and CIBC with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this communication represent the views of management only as of the date hereof and are presented for the purpose of assisting our shareholders and financial analysts in understanding our financial position, objectives and priorities and anticipated financial performance as at and for the periods ended on the dates presented, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that is contained in this communication or in other communications except as required by law.

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed transaction, CIBC will file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form F-4 that will include a Proxy Statement of PrivateBancorp and a Prospectus of CIBC, as well as other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. The proposed transaction involving CIBC and PrivateBancorp will be submitted to PrivateBancorp’s stockholders for their consideration. This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. STOCKHOLDERS OF PRIVATEBANCORP ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE TRANSACTION WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders will be able to obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about CIBC and PrivateBancorp, without charge, at the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and the

filings with the SEC that will be incorporated by reference in the proxy statement/prospectus can also be obtained, without charge, by directing a request to CIBC, Commerce Court, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5L 1A2, Attention: Investor Relations, 416 304-8726; or to PrivateBancorp, Investor Relations, 120 S. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60603, 312 564-2000.

Participants in the Solicitation

CIBC, PrivateBancorp, their respective directors and executive officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding CIBC’s directors and executive officers is available in its Annual Report on Form 40-F for the year ended October 31, 2015, which was filed with the SEC on December 3, 2015, and its management proxy circular and notice of annual and special meeting of shareholders for its 2016 annual and special meeting of shareholders, which was furnished to the SEC under cover of a Form 6-K filed with the SEC on March 2, 2016. Information regarding PrivateBancorp’s directors and executive officers is available in PrivateBancorp’s proxy statement for its 2016 annual meeting filed on Schedule 14A, which was filed with SEC on April 8, 2016. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials filed with the SEC. Free copies of this document may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph.

Item 9.01. — Financial Statements and Exhibits

    (d)     Exhibits. The following exhibits are being filed herewith:

Exhibit No.	Description
2.1	Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 29, 2016, by and among Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, PrivateBancorp, Inc. and CIBC Holdco Inc.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: July 6, 2016	PRIVATEBANCORP, INC.
	By: /s/ Kevin M. Killips
	Name: Kevin M. Killips
	Title: Chief Financial Officer

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description
2.1	Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of June 29, 2016, by and among Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, PrivateBancorp, Inc. and CIBC Holdco Inc.