(Recasts to lead with impact of vaccine rollout on recovery, adds TD CEO comment)
TORONTO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Canadian bank heads forecast a rosier growth outlook for 2021 and 2022 on Monday, counting on the rollout of coronavirus vaccines to help drive an economic recovery and release billions of dollars worth of pent-up consumer demand.
The approval of vaccines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 prompted the banks’ chief executives to strike a more optimistic tone at the RBC Capital Markets Canadian bank CEO conference.
“We may see a drastically better economic environment in the back half of 2021,” Bank of Montreal Chief Executive Darryl White said. “When we get through the next two to four months, and see the vaccine overtake the virus, then we’ll be in a period where loan growth, toward the back end of the year, can begin to be very substantial.”