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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 12, 2012) - The BMO Investment Centre of BMO Mutual Funds has been recognized for exceptional customer service with the Mutual Funds Service Award by DALBAR, Inc., the world's premier financial services strategy and operations research firm. BMO Mutual Funds has now won this award for six straight years.

"This acknowledgement from DALBAR is especially important to us given the volatile market environment this past year," said Ross Kappele, Executive Vice President & Head of Retail Distribution, BMO Asset Management Inc. "We're dedicated to helping all of our clients establish and achieve their financial goals, and this award is a validation of BMO's ongoing commitment to be the bank that defines a great customer experience."

The BMO Investment Centre, which provides expert fund advice and assists clients in building mutual fund portfolios, ranked highest among mutual fund companies for its English- and French-language services in DALBAR's Performance Evaluation of Mutual Funds Service, Annual Rankings and Trending Report.

"Congratulations go out to the team at the BMO Investment Centre and those at BMO who are responsible for ensuring that their clients are being well-served. They have demonstrated time and again that their business model places superior customer service on a very high pedestal," said Michelle Slute, Director Client Relations & Communications at DALBAR. "Their clients have been in very good hands for a long time, showing that they have not lost sight of the importance of placing the customer first."

DALBAR Measurement

These awards are given to the firms placing first in DALBAR's year-end rankings, which are based on evaluations made over the calendar year measuring a company's quality of performance in product and procedural knowledge, professionalism, level of accommodation and their ability to expand and deepen relationships with clients.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly-diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $477 billion as at October 31, 2011, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.

About DALBAR, Inc.

As the world's premier financial services strategy and operations research firm, DALBAR, Inc. helps leading enterprises develop, build, and operate strong businesses that deliver sustained shareholder value growth. DALBAR's proprietary business design techniques, combined with its specialized industry knowledge and behavioural research expertise, enable companies to anticipate changes in customer priorities and the competitive environment, and then design their businesses and improve operations to seize opportunities created by those changes. The firm serves clients in the Americas and Europe.