News Releases

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 6, 2014) - BMO Financial Group (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) has published its 2013 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report and Public Accountability Statement (PAS).

The report outlines the environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues that matter most to our business and our stakeholders and includes the Public Accountability Statements for Bank of Montreal and Bank of Montreal Mortgage Corporation as required under the Canadian Bank Act.

Click here to download the report.

In 2013 BMO achieved success on a number of important fronts:

• We introduced multi-year goals and initiatives for each business group with respect to the representation of persons with disabilities, Aboriginal persons, minorities and women in the workforce.
• BMO helped raise approximately $1.8 billion of equity and debt in the capital markets for entities active in renewable energy across North America
• BMO provided more than US$536 million in community development loans to support economic development, community service and quality affordable housing for low- to moderate-income families in the United States
• We contributed more than $56 million in donations to non-profit organizations across North America
• BMO has maintained its carbon neutral status since 2010

"As one of the largest financial institutions in North America, we have the responsibility to make a positive difference in the lives of our customers and our communities," said Simon Fish, General Counsel and Chair, BMO Sustainability Council. "The choices we make as a corporation affect the lives of our shareholders, customers, employees and communities. We are committed to working with all of our stakeholders - to listen, discuss and develop an understanding of the issues that are important to them - and then to act on this understanding to enhance our business practices as needed. This collaborative approach gives us a competitive edge and helps us achieve our vision to be the bank that defines great customer experience."

BMO has earned a position on several key sustainability indices such as: Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, Jantzi Social Index, and FTSE4Good Series Index.

BMO is also included on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, Maclean's/Sustainalytics list of the Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada and Corporate Knights Magazine's Best 50 Corporate Citizens.

These honours signal to us that we are making important positive change on a global level while being clear about our intentions through transparency.

BMO's Corporate Responsibility Report, a companion piece to the ESG Report/PAS is available on our website at: www.bmo.com/corporateresponsibility.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817, BMO Financial Group (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) is a highly diversified financial services provider based in North America. With total assets of $593 billion and approximately 45,500 employees as at January 31, 2014, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers.

Feedback or questions regarding this report can be directed to sustainability@bmo.com.