News Releases

Corporate cardholders will be able to use selfies and fingerprint scans to verify their identify when making online purchases

- The average amount Canadians have taken out of their RRSPs is $15,908

- The top reasons for making a withdrawal include to buy a home, pay off debt, and pay for living expenses

- Rather than withdrawing money from your RRSP, consider building a contingency fund in a TFSA or savings account for future needs

Financial Results Highlights:

First Quarter 2016 Compared with First Quarter 2015:

- Net income of $1,068 million, up 7%; adjusted net income(1) of $1,178 million, up 13%

- EPS(2) of $1.58, up 8%; adjusted EPS(1, 2) of $1.75, up 14%

- ROE of 10.9%, compared with 11.8%; adjusted ROE(1) of 12.1%, compared with 12.3%

- Provisions for credit losses of $183 million, compared with $163 million

- Basel III Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 10.1%

- Industry leaders from 28 countries and six continents to attend one of the largest metals and mining investor conferences in the world

- Company presentations accessible via Webcast

- Research analysts available for comment

- Fifty-nine per cent of Canadians miss or will miss employment income from their working life in retirement

- Sixty-seven per cent think that running out of money is the biggest challenge in retirement

- Fifty-five per cent have a positive outlook when thinking about their retirement years

Four new additions are structured to provide investors with access to key sectors and global markets

- Leanne Portuza and Hussein Weid named winners of the BMO Junior Reporter Contest; will act as BMO's official Junior Reporters throughout NBA All-Star 2016

- New ETFs are structured to help manage market highs and lows

- Both are currency hedged, offering Canadians more choice in how they invest

- With these additions, BMO AM's low volatility lineup now stands at six listings

- One fifth of Canadian couples currently don't share any of their finances, with maintaining a sense of independence cited as a top reason

- Half of Canadians have lied to their partner about their finances at some point; those in more serious relationships are less inclined to keep things hidden

- The BMO(R) PlanShare feature offers Canadian couples the ability to save on banking fees and choose a level of privacy that works for them

- More than half of Canadians have a TFSA, with an average of $17,133 in their accounts

- Less than a quarter of Canadians consider themselves to be 'very knowledgeable' about TFSAs

- One-in-ten TFSA holders contributed more than their limit in 2015

- Smart beta, fixed income and currency exposure continue to be key trends in the industry

- BMO's ETF business led the Canadian ETF industry in net new assets for the fifth consecutive year

- Canadian ETF industry assets are expected to reach $250 billion in AUM by 2021

- Sixty-one per cent will be making a contribution before the February 29th deadline, down three per cent from last year

- For those who have already contributed, the average amount is $3,984 (up from $3,738 last year); for those planning to contribute, the average amount is $3,327 (up from $2,892)

- Knowledge gap: just 41 per cent are very familiar with the program

Longer lifespans, paired with drop in birth rates, create drag on global productivity growth - emerging markets buck trend

Writing a story on retirement or investing? Need some background, a quote or a different perspective?

Call the BMO Media Hotline at 1-866-298-8385 or e-mail Jessica Bonin at jessica.bonin@bmo.com to arrange an interview

- Canadians are optimistic their investment portfolios will increase, despite perceived market volatility

- Canadian investors remain cautious about their investments, consistent with previous years

- Moderate global economic growth, supportive monetary and fiscal policy and reasonable equity valuations to support good opportunities in equities in 2016

- With the launch of SmartFolio, BMO now has one of the most extensive suites of investing services available to Canadians

- The new offering provides a digital and hands-off approach that is aligned to individual investment objectives for those who have as little as $5,000 to invest

- Service created with simplicity, intuitiveness and transparency as guiding design principles

- Other resolutions include: become healthier, spend more time with friends or family and improve their financial situation

- Fifty-four per cent will donate to health/medical causes this year and 48 per cent to anti-poverty charities

- Fifty-eight per cent do not have a strategy in place for donating to charity

- One third of parents with children aged 18-34 are willing to have a less comfortable retirement to support their children

- Forty-two percent are concerned their adult children have or will have financial problems caused by debt

- Forty percent said they received financial support when they were young adults themselves

Survey reveals shopping trends and Canadians' plans to avoid a Holiday Hangover in 2015

-- Only 12 per cent expect to incur debt this holiday season

-- Two-thirds say they prefer to shop using their credit card to earn rewards points

- Over 80 percent of respondents expect the U.S. economy either to improve or stay the same in 2016

- More than 70 percent of respondents expect to see business growth in 2016; only two percent believe their business will shrink

- One third of parents with children aged 18-34 would save less for retirement than planned to support their children

- Forty-one per cent are concerned their adult children have or will have financial problems caused by debt

- Half said their own parents provided them with little or no financial support when they were young adults themselves

- Acquisition is aligned with BMO's strategy, builds on BMO's core strength in commercial banking and is accretive to earnings

Financial Results Highlights:

Fourth Quarter 2015 Compared with Fourth Quarter 2014:

- Net income of $1,214 million, up 13%; adjusted net income(1) of $1,264 million, up 14%

- EPS(2) of $1.83, up 17%; adjusted EPS(1,2) of $1.90, up 17%

- ROE of 12.9%, compared with 13.1%; adjusted ROE(1) of 13.5%, compared with 13.7%

- Provisions for credit losses of $128 million, compared with $170 million

- Basel III Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 10.7%

- Dividend increased by $0.02 from the preceding quarter to $0.84

Fiscal 2015 Compared with Fiscal 2014:

- Net income of $4,405 million, up 2%; adjusted net income(1) of $4,681 million, up 5%

- EPS(2) of $6.57, up 2%; adjusted EPS(1,2) of $7.00, up 6%

- ROE of 12.5%, compared with 14.0%; adjusted ROE1 of 13.3%, compared with 14.4%

- Book value per share of $56.31, up 17%

- Provisions for credit losses of $612 million, compared with $561 million

- Dividend increased by $0.04 or 5%

- Food to be donated to United Way Toronto and York Region member agencies

- During the event, BMO Capital Markets will be collecting cash donations and food for United Way

- Job creation, wage growth could support consumer spending

- Higher birth rates may give U.S. infant/pre-school toy sales a bump

- Retail toy sales predicted to rise 5 per cent this year

- Board games, interactive figures, outdoor toys, and construction sets predicted to be the big movers

BMO Recognized for Excellence in Helping Clients With Foreign Exchange Needs

- Travel Remains Top Spend: Spending expected to be flat year over year; travel accounts for the largest spend, followed by gifts and entertainment

- Change of Shopping Scenery: Malls continue to be the most popular place to shop, but nearly half of Canadians plan to shop online this season

- A Rewarding Spend: More Canadians plan to use rewards for gift buying and travel

- We're Here to Help: BMO offers tips for Canadians to help maximize their holiday spend, including choosing a credit card that rewards you

- The average holiday donation expected to be $167

- We're here to help: BMO's partnership with ChangeIt provides a secure and easy way to make charitable donations

- Ten percent care for both their children and older relatives while 17 percent expect to care for the two generations in the future

- Those in the "Sandwich Generation" have only reached a third of their retirement savings goal

- Nearly all view retirement as a top priority; however, 30 percent have not thought about what their retirement will look like and 43 percent do not know when they will retire

While confident in their knowledge, one-quarter are uncomfortable discussing personal finance with their kids, while another quarter lack the resources to have 'the talk'

Nine new ETFs include three innovative global corporate bond ETFs with maturity bands to help investors with precise positioning in an uncertain interest rate environment

Recognitions Include Group Award for Equity ETFs in Canada

- Both small-and micro-businesses have seen significant growth in revenues

- Statistics Canada data reveal that small businesses continue to create jobs faster than larger companies

- Majority of business owners currently operate under a business plan and engage in networking activities to stay connected

- BMO Bank of Montreal and BMO Nesbitt Burns Main Branches, as well as BMO Private Banking, Commercial and Corporate Finance operations, to be relocated to Nova Centre Office Tower

- BMO Regional Headquarters and support services also moving to Nova Centre Office Tower, to be branded as BMO Tower

- Women needed an average of $201,729 to start their businesses

- Women business owners face challenges when getting started, including supporting their families until business is profitable

- BMO Economics says the retail sector is growing at a moderately strong rate

- Two thirds of New Canadians have retirement savings

- On average, they plan to retire at age 63 and feel they need $660,000 for retirement

- In addition to supporting themselves, more than half of younger New Canadians say it is expected that they will support their parents in their retirement

- Nearly half of investors say REITs will outperform the S&P 500 by 3 per cent or more

- More than half of investors see residential sector as top performer among REITs over next 12 months

- Graduating student artists from across Canada will display their award-winning work at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at the University of Toronto

- Media are invited to an exclusive launch event on Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

- Eighty percent of homeowners intend to make cosmetic changes to their homes

- Almost half of homeowners intend to make their homes more energy-efficient

- More than half of homeowners expect to pay for home renovations with savings

Major third-floor gallery will carry BMO name

- Micro businesses (10 employees or less) spent an average of $121,542, while small businesses with 11-49 employees spent $345,000

- Three quarters of Canadian small business owners are currently turning a profit; two thirds are confident in their ability to manage finances and expenses

- Thirty-six per cent of Canadians say debt makes them feel nervous and insecure

- Forty-seven per cent of Canadians believe that the high level of debt in Canada has been influenced by rising real estate values

- Low interest rates have persuaded 35 per cent of Canadians to pay down their mortgage

- Fifty-nine percent of Americans plan to fund long-term care needs with their own savings

- More than half would prefer to receive long-term care in their own home instead of in a facility

- Thirty-six percent have not discussed any financial issues around potential long-term care with loved ones

- Nearly half of respondents see greatest enrollment growth in online or blended education

- Thirty-eight per cent say curriculum products like language comprehension will be among the most adopted education technology products over next five years

- BMO Perks: customers receive personalized offers for cashback or bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles

- No coupons required - conveniently linked to the customer's BMO MasterCard

- Popular merchants in the program include Shell, Rexall, National Car Rental, Staples & Toys R Us

- Canadian ETF industry stands at $84 billion in AUM, up more than 10 per cent over year-end 2014

- BMO MSCI EAFE Index ETF has led Canadian ETFs in most net inflows to date in 2015

- Trading efficiencies and concentration concerns around ETFs are two key factors impacting the industry

- Annual initiative has raised C$16.3 million to date, supporting more than 3,000 students

- Program donates day's worth of trading commissions from Canada, the United States and Europe

- Leading institutional investors and real estate CEOs and CFOs from across North America to attend

- Event to feature panel discussions on key issues including "The Future of REITs" and "Retail in an Online World"

- Keynote addresses from high profile industry leaders as well as "Freakonomics" co-author Steven Levitt