BMO Bank of Montreal Appoints New Vice-President for Manitoba and
Northwestern Ontario

BMO is committed to making money make sense and providing clarity for customers making financial decisions

WINNIPEG , Dec. 15 /CNW/ - BMO Bank of Montreal today announced the appointment of Richard Jaques as Vice-President for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

Mr. Jaques will assume leadership of a team of more than 375 professionals who serve customers through BMO's network of 30 branches in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

Mr. Jaques holds an MBA in Financial Services from Dalhousie University and has more than 20 years experience with BMO, occupying various leadership and management positions prior to his most recent position as Vice-President, Windsor District.

"Throughout his career, Richard has demonstrated a commitment to customer service while leading his teams to superior performance," said Robert Hayes , Senior Vice-President, Prairies Division, BMO Bank of Montreal . "He will ensure that our employees strive to offer our customers an exceptional banking experience and personalized financial solutions during each branch visit or conversation."

"My commercial colleagues and I look forward to helping local entrepreneurs achieve their business objectives while contributing to this region's economic growth," said Mr. Jaques , noting that BMO provides financing to more than 4,700 small businesses in Manitoba.

BMO has been very successful at growing market share in small business lending and is now the second leading lender in Canada , with a market share of 20%. In addition, BMO recently announced that it was making available an additional $1 billion in financing for small businesses across the country.

Mr. Jaques added that BMO is focused on helping its personal banking customers make sense of financial matters by providing clarity surrounding financial choices and decisions, and helping them save money through initiatives such as BMO SmartSteps that have enabled more than 100,000 clients to save some $67 million through reduced fees, lower interest costs or having less money go towards taxes.

"It's essential that banks become more accountable in helping people save and manage their day-to-day finances, and we have made a commitment to act now," said Mr. Jaques .

BMO is an active corporate citizen, supporting numerous not-for-profit organizations and leading education and health institutions in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.

For further information: Ronald Monet, Montreal, [email protected], [phone]; Internet: www.bmo.com