BMO Bank of Montreal Appoints New Vice-President for New Brunswick & Prince
Edward Island District

BMO continues to make money make sense for customers by bringing clarity to financial decisions

SAINT JOHN, Dec. 15 /CNW/ - BMO Bank of Montreal today announced the appointment of Christine Cooper as Vice-President for New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island .

Ms. Cooper will assume leadership of a team of 350 professionals who serve customers through BMO's network of 27 branches in the two provinces.

Ms. Cooper has more than 18 years experience in financial services, occupying management positions in finance, commercial banking and risk management prior to her most recent position as Senior Relationship Manager, Corporate Finance, at BMO Bank of Montreal . She holds an MBA in Financial Services from Dalhousie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.

"Throughout her career, Ms. Cooper has demonstrated a commitment to customer service while leading her teams to superior performance," said Steve Murphy , Senior Vice-President, Atlantic Provinces Division, BMO Bank of Montreal . "She will ensure that our employees offer BMO customers a superior banking experience and personalized financial solutions during each branch visit or conversation."

"My commercial team and I look forward to helping local entrepreneurs accomplish their business objectives while contributing to the economic growth of both provinces," said Christine Cooper . "In addition, BMO also recently announced that it was making $1 billion available in financing for small businesses across the country."

BMO has been very successful at growing market share in small business lending and is now the second leading lender in Atlantic Canada , with a market share of 25.7 per cent.

Ms. Cooper added that BMO is focused on helping its personal banking customers make sense of financial matters, by providing clarity surrounding financial choices and decisions. She encourages customers to save money through initiatives such as BMO SmartSteps, which has 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 Ms. Cooper .

BMO is an active corporate citizen and has ten long-term commitments for a total of $1.8 million in support of leading education and health institutions in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island .

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