News Releases

Harris Nesbitt, the U.S.-based investment banking arm of BMO Financial Group, has hired six asset backed securities (ABS) professionals based in Dallas.  The new team joins an existing 29-person Securitization Group based in Chicago.

“With the addition of this team, the Securitization Group of Harris Nesbitt is positioned to become the premier provider of highly structured securitization expertise within the middle market consistent with our investment banking strategy in the United States,” said Ellen Costello, Head of Securitization and Credit Investment Management and Vice-Chair, BMO Nesbitt Burns.

Specifically, the team will expand the group’s product capabilities by adding private and public ABS term financings to Harris Nesbitt's current offering of asset-backed commercial paper financings, asset-backed medium term note financings, and transactional credit enhancements.

Led by Tom Gervais, who joins Harris Nesbitt as Managing Director and Head of Term Asset Backed Securities, the six professionals will report to Jeff Phillips, Executive Managing Director and Head of the U.S. Securitization Group in Chicago. Also currently reporting to Mr. Phillips, Pete Walsh and Dave Kucera, Managing Directors and Co-Heads of Origination and Structuring in Chicago, will now be able to provide existing and prospective clients with added securitization capabilities.

“Our new team further strengthens our ability to service a growing client base across the U.S. and allows us to expand our structured securitization capabilities across a broad array of asset types and investor markets,” said Mr. Phillips.

About Harris Nesbitt

Harris Nesbitt, a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), is a leading U.S.-based financial services provider offering clients access to a broad range of financial products, including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, merger and acquisition advisory services, merchant banking, securitization, cash management services, research, institutional sales and trading.

About BMO Financial Group

BMO Financial Group – founded in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, Canada’s first bank – is one of the largest financial services providers in North America, offering a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.  BMO serves clients across Canada and in the United States through its Canadian retail arm, BMO Bank of Montreal; BMO Nesbitt Burns, one of Canada's largest full-service investment firms; Chicago-based Harris Bank, a major U.S. mid-west financial services organization; The Harris wealth management group, and Harris Nesbitt, which provides investment banking services across the U.S.

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