CHICAGO, September 27, 2010 – BMO Capital Markets, the investment and corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), has enhanced the service it offers Midwestern clients by adding a new equity sales desk in Chicago.
The three-person equity sales team will be managed by Ward Buckingham, who is appointed Managing Director, BMO Capital Markets. Mr. Buckingham is a 21-year industry veteran with considerable institutional sales and trading experience at major U.S. investment banks. He will report to Alan Tannenbaum, Head of U.S. Equity Sales, BMO Capital Markets based in New York.
With more than 640 investment and corporate banking employees in Chicago, BMO Capital Markets employs more investment banking professionals in Chicago than any other financial institution.
“These new professionals will allow us to broaden services to our clients in Chicago and the Midwest,” said Mr. Tannenbaum, Head of U.S. Equity Sales, BMO Capital Markets. “We will continue to invest in our equity sales platform, which now includes sales desk in five U.S. cities including Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Houston and 11 worldwide.”
Chicago has been a recent hub of activity for BMO Capital Markets where the firm is currently one of the City's top investment banking employers. Earlier this year, BMO Capital Markets unveiled a new state-of-the-art, 16,000 square-foot trading floor in the heart of Chicago's financial district. It is located at 115 South LaSalle and houses 145 employees, who, collectively, make thousands of trades daily with daily trading volumes in excess of $40 billion.
BMO Capital Markets has been steadily attracting top talent to all areas of its business, especially in the United States. Since last year, BMO Capital Markets has hired more than 450 employees worldwide. More than 140 of those professionals are based in the United States. “We intend to grow our equity sales business further in Chicago and throughout the U.S.,” added Mr. Tannenbaum.
The new members of BMO's Chicago equity sales team are:
Ward Buckingham, Managing Director
Mr. Buckingham has substantial institutional equity experience in the Midwest. Most recently, he managed Midwest mid-market accounts for Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch. Prior to that, he spent almost 18 years with Lehman Brothers in Chicago, where he held various positions in equity sales and trading, including the last six years running the institutional equity office in the Midwest. Mr. Buckingham has an MBA from Pennsylvania State University and a BA in finance from Miami University.
Matthew Alcorn, Director
Matthew Alcorn comes to BMO Capital Markets from William Blair and Co.'s Chicago office, where he covered institutional equity accounts in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Cleveland. Before that he was with Lehman Brothers for nearly a decade, where he provided research coverage to institutional accounts across the Midwest. Mr. Alcorn has an MBA from University of Chicago and a BA from Kenyon College.
John Thornton, Associate
John Thornton has most recently worked on the BMO Capital Markets interest rate swap, foreign exchange and repo trading desks in Chicago. He has also held positions in BMO Capital Markets' investor and financial products groups. Mr. Thornton has an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal and a BBA in finance from Western Connecticut University.
About BMO Capital Markets
BMO Capital Markets is a leading, full-service North American financial services provider, with over 2,000 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$386 billion total assets and 38,000 employees as at July 31, 2010.
Media Contacts:
Kim Hanson, Toronto, kim.hanson@bmo.com, (416) 867-3996
Holly Holt, New York, holly.holt@bmo.com, (212) 885-4153
Patrick O'Herlihy, Chicago, patrick.o'herlihy@harrisbank.com, (312) 461-6970
Website: http://www.bmocm.com
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