News Releases

TORONTO, May 26, 2010 - BMO Financial Group (BMO), the leading major Canadian financial group in the area of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)*, today announced another significant expansion into the ETF market with the launch of eight new funds, bringing its product line to a total of 30 ETFs. The expansion once again reiterates BMO's commitment to being a leader in the growing Canadian ETF market and offering a full range of investment options to investors.

The following new BMO ETFs begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange today:

• BMO Equal Weight REITs Index ETF (ZRE)
• BMO Equal Weight US Banks Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZUB)
• BMO Equal Weight US Health Care Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZUH)
• BMO Junior Oil Index ETF (ZJO)
• BMO Junior Gas Index ETF (ZJN)
• BMO Long Federal Bond Index ETF (ZFL)
• BMO Real Return Bond Index ETF (ZRR)
• BMO Emerging Markets Bond Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZEF)

The new ETFs complement BMO's current line-up and include three fixed income funds, one of which provides exposure to emerging market bonds. Also highlighted is exposure to oil and gas in the small cap sector, as well as equal weight access to US health care and US banks.

"We are very excited about the most recent expansion in our ETF offering which reflects our ongoing commitment to providing Canadian investors greater access to global markets," said Rajiv Silgardo, CEO of BMO Asset Management Inc. "These latest additions further diversify our offering in a number of areas, including the health care and oil and gas sectors, allowing Canadian investors the opportunity to capitalize on the ongoing growth in key industries."

The new roll-out includes three currency-hedged ETFs, which provide investors in Canada access to growth in other countries while mitigating the risk of losses based on foreign exchange volatility. As the Canadian dollar gained against other currencies over the past year, currency volatility has increased significantly and may remain elevated in the coming years. BMO Equal Weight US Banks Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZUB), BMO Equal Weight US Health Care Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZUH) and BMO Emerging Markets Bond Hedged to CAD Index ETF (ZEF) are designed to address this issue by helping investors hedge their currency exposure.

"For those in need of cost-efficient hedging solutions, we have added to our currency-hedged ETFs to allow investors to access the growth and diversity of non-Canadian markets without the added volatility often attributed to currency," said Mr. Silgardo.

More information about BMO ETFs can be found at www.bmo.com/etfs.

* BMO ETFs are managed and administered by BMO Asset Management Inc. (formerly Jones Heward Investment Counsel Inc.), a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of Bank of Montreal.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with exchange-traded fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817, Bank of Montreal is a highly-diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $398 billion as at January 31, 2010, and more than 36,000 employees, Bank of Montreal provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.