BMO Capital Markets Continues to Grow its U.S. Public Finance BusinessLargest bank qualified municipal Bond dealer in Illinois strengthened with four new investment banking hires
CHICAGO,       April 7, 2009 – BMO Capital Markets, the investment and       corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), announces       the hiring of four new Public Infrastructure bankers.
 Jeff Holt, Neil           Pritz, Eric Zampol and Christopher Cochran have joined the Fixed Income           Group covering Public Sector and Infrastructure. Holt         and Pritz join as a Managing Directors and Zampol and Cochran as Vice                 Presidents. Cochran's focus will be supporting the expansion                 of our firm's       capabilities in the health care sector.
“Public infrastructure will be one of the major accelerants to the North     American economy. With the addition of seasoned and specialized investment bankers     such as Neil, Eric and Chris we are well on our way of becoming one of North     America's leading public finance teams. We can help state and municipal     governments manage new debt offerings, refinancing and restructurings to get     their much needed infrastructure projects done now and get people back to work,” said     James Kubik, Managing Director, U.S. Public Finance. 
Jeff Holt has almost           30 years of experience in investment banking, the majority of which           has been focused on working with large                 maritime ports, transportation       infrastructure clients and Class 1 railroads structuring over $24 billion       in debt obligations, derivatives and other securities. Jeff's previous       experience includes positions at Goldman Sachs & Company, PaineWebber,       First Boston and Morgan Stanley. He is a member of the Transportation Research       Board and graduated       cum laude from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Finance.
Neil Pritz was previously           a Managing Director with Banc of America Securities in Chicago where           he developed the firm's public finance practice in the         Upper Midwest. Neil has also held leadership positions at Mesirow Financial           and Banc One Capital Markets. Neil has more than 20 years originating           and managing         new issue debt offerings, refinancings and restructurings for state and           local governments, private and public educational institutions and           other tax-exempt         borrowers. He holds a BA in Humanities from Evergreen State College,           and an MA and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
 Eric Zampol has           over six years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and infrastructure           finance working in Goldman Sachs' San Francisco office.         Eric focuses on large transportation and infrastructure clients and has           completed over $20 billion in debt underwritings and derivatives in           addition to being actively         involved in several significant corporate acquisitions and public concessions.         He graduated with honors from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Economics. 
Previously, Christopher           Cochran was a Vice President with RBC Capital Markets in the Chicago           Public Finance office offering bond, derivative           and credit           facility financings. He earned a BBA with a concentration in Finance           and Business Economics           from University of Notre Dame. 
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About BMO Capital Markets Fixed Income Group 
BMO Capital Markets Fixed Income Group is a full service broker/dealer 	      committed to continuing to expand our capabilities in the municipal bond 	      marketplace. The firm specializes in debt securities, including municipal 	      bonds, U.S. Treasury debt, agencies, and mortgage-backed securities. We 	      provide services, strategies and products specifically targeted to financial       institutions, investment managers, issuers, and high net worth individuals. 
About BMO Capital Markets
BMO Capital Markets is a leading full-service North American financial         services provider, with over 2,400 employees operating in 14 North American         offices and 26 worldwide, offering corporate, institutional and government         clients access to a complete range of investment and corporate banking         products and services. BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial         Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), one of the largest diversified financial services         providers in North America with US$361 billion total assets and 37,000         employees as at January 31, 2009.