Harris Completes
Purchase of Lakeland Community Bank
TORONTO, March 1, 2004 - Harris Bank and BMO Financial Group (NYSE,
TSE: BMO) announced today the completion of their acquisition of Lakeland
Community Bank. The acquisition was announced November 24, 2003.
"By integrating
Lakeland's capabilities with the full-service offering of Harris, we'll
be able to provide more convenience to more customers, and strengthen
our presence in the Lake County region," said Gerald S. O'Sullivan,
who will be President of the two locations, Harris Bank Round Lake and
Harris Bank Fox Lake.
The acquisition is
part of Harris Bank's continued expansion in the Chicagoland area, and
gives Harris a strong position in Round Lake and Fox Lake, two key communities
in the fast-growing Lake County region.
With US $30 billion
in assets, Harris Bank is one of the largest community banks networks
in Illinois, a nationally recognized provider of private client and personal
trust services and a premier Midwest mid-market corporate bank. Harris
is a member of BMO Financial Group, a highly diversified financial services
institution headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with average assets of US
$162 billion. Lakeland represents the 12th U.S. acquisition by BMO Financial
Group in just over three years.
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