News Releases

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 30, 2012) - BMO Bank of Montreal invites customers and members of the community to celebrate the grand opening of its new full-service branch next to Oakville's Hopedale Mall at 1461 Rebecca Street on Sunday, April 1, 2012.

The new open-concept branch, fuelled by clean energy from Bullfrog Power, offers customers extended banking hours seven days a week and is designed to provide a great banking experience through a variety of financial services and conveniences, including:

• A free coin counter - a simple-to-use kiosk which counts your loose change;
• Services provided in 10 languages;
• Access to commercial account and deposit services;
• Two ATMs; and
• Barrier-free access.

"Oakville's economy continues to be supported by rapid residential development, not only of new homes in the northern part of town, but also rebuilding activity in its more mature southern neighbourhoods," said Robert Kavcic, Economist, BMO Capital Markets.

"With the spring home buying season underway, we encourage new and existing members of the community to come in and speak with our team about their home financing needs," said Melissa Ford, Branch Manager, BMO Bank of Montreal. "BMO offers a new 10-year mortgage with a maximum 25-year amortization, which is modeled after our award-winning 5-year maximum 25-year amortization mortgage."

Ms. Ford added that choosing a shorter amortization allows Canadians to build equity sooner and save on interest costs. For example, on a $400,000 mortgage at a 5 per cent interest rate, moving from a 30 year to a 25 year amortization can save upwards of $70,000 in interest over the life of the mortgage.

In celebration of the grand opening, customers who use BMO's new Coin Counter at the Hopedale Mall branch and deposit the funds into a new Premium Rate Savings Account before May 15 will receive a matched deposit from BMO of up to $25.

In addition, customers who open a new BMO Kids Discounted Banking Plan and deposit $25 before April 30 will receive another $25 from BMO to help kick-start their child's savings. For more information, please visit www.bmo.com/smartparentspromo.

BMO SmartSteps for Parents is part of BMO's ongoing commitment to Making Money Make Sense. Since 2009, BMO has introduced various tools to help Canadians stay on top of their personal finances, including BMO SmartSteps, BMO SmartSteps for Business, BMO SmartSteps for Students, BMO SmartSteps for Investing and BMO MoneyLogic.

BMO's new Hopedale Mall branch hours of operation are:

• 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Wednesday;
• 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday;
• 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday; and
• 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday.

Ms. Ford is joined by a team of 12 financial professionals including a financial planner and a BMO Nesbitt Burns advisor.

Grand Opening Details:

Who	Kevin Flynn, MPP (Oakville)
	Pam Damoff, Councillor, Ward 2, Town of Oakville
	Cathy Duddeck, Councillor, Ward 2, Town of Oakville
	Andrew Auerbach, Senior Vice President, BMO Bank of Montreal
	John MacAulay, District Vice President, BMO Bank of Montreal
	Clare Staley, Personal Banking Area Manager, BMO Bank of Montreal
	Melissa Ford, Branch Manager, BMO Bank of Montreal
What	Grand Opening Celebration - Hopedale Mall Branch
	•	Great giveaways and a raffle draw with the chance to win a $600 gift card to Great Wolf Lodge
	•	Formal celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony
	•	Family-fun activities including face painting, crafts, photo opportunities with BMO the Bear and a complimentary BBQ
When	Sunday, April 1, 2012, from 12:00 noon - 4:00 p.m.
	•	Speeches and ribbon-cutting will commence at 2:00 p.m.
Where	BMO Bank of Montreal - 1461 Rebecca Street, Oakville, ON, L6L 1Z8

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 $538 billion as at January 31, 2012, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.