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Harris Private Bank names Naperville Banking Relationship Manager

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, February 22, 2005 –Harris Private Bank is pleased to announce that Lee Spadoni is named Private Banker for the Naperville market.

Ms. Spadoni specializes in providing customized banking and lending solutions to affluent personal and business clients as part of an overall wealth management strategy. For more than a century, the Harris organization has built its reputation on trust, experience and the highest level of personal service.

"Harris Private Bank's specialized team of experts can manage every aspect of a client's financial situation, from financial planning to trust administration and investment management to business and personal succession planning," said Ron Tuite, Managing Director-Southwest Region, Harris Private Bank. "Lee has more than 18 years of experience providing that highly personalized service to clients and we are pleased to have her on our team."

Ms. Spadoni received her bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Illinois and is a Certified Financial Planner^TM. She and her family reside in Naperville, where she serves on the Board of Directors of the Naperville Heritage Society, is a member of the Noon Rotary, the Junior Women's Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Financial Planning Association.

About Harris Private Bank
Harris Private Bank offers customized wealth management services to high net worth clients and is part of Harris, an integrated financial service organization that provides more than 1.5 million personal, business, corporate and institutional clients with banking, lending, investing, financial planning, trust administration, portfolio management, family office and wealth transfer services. Harris is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO). For more information, please visit www.harrisbank.com.

Harris is a trademark used by various financial service providers in the BMO Financial Group, a marketing name used by Bank of Montreal. Banking products and services are provided by Harris N.A. and The Harris Bank N.A. Members FDIC. Insurance and annuities are offered through Harris Bancorp Insurance Services, Inc (HBIS). Securities are provided by Harris Nesbitt Corp (HNC), a registered broker dealer, member NYSE, FINRA and SIPC and Harrisdirect LLC, a registered broker dealer, member FINRA and SIPC. HBIS, HNC and Harrisdirect are wholly owned subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp. Products offered by HBIS, HNC and Harrisdirect are Not Insured by the FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by Any Bank or Bank Affiliate, May Lose Value. The purchase of insurance or an annuity is not a condition on any bank loan or service. Financial planning and investment advisory services are provided by Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, Inc., an SEC registered investment advisor. Family office services are provided by Harris myCFO, Inc. Investment advisory services are also offered by Harris myCFO Investment Advisory Services LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harris myCFO, Inc. Not all products and services are offered in every state and/or location.

Current News Releases

Harris Nesbitt Hires Erik van Nispen to Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group

NEW YORK, February 17, 2005 – Harris Nesbitt, the U.S. investment and corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE: BMO), announced today it has hired industry veteran Erik van Nispen to focus on serving clients in the financial services sector.

Mr. van Nispen, a 19-year investment banker, becomes Managing Director, Financial Institutions, Harris Nesbitt. Based in New York, he will be responsible for establishing and adding to the firm's financial services investment banking business.

"The financial services sector is an important area of focus for Harris Nesbitt as we continue to serve the needs of a growing base of middle market clients," said Dominic Petito, Deputy Head of U.S. Client Coverage, Harris Nesbitt. "We have a particular strength in serving the middle market and Erik's significant industry experience will be invaluable for our clients who are looking to benefit from strategic advice."

Harris Nesbitt has a longstanding history of serving the financial services sector through its Canadian parent BMO Financial Group. The firm also operates a substantial lending business to U.S. middle market clients in the financial services sector. "Our focus is to leverage from our existing expertise by now offering advisory and investment banking services to financial institutions," said Mr. Petito.

Mr. Petito added that Harris Nesbitt will continue to grow its Financial Institutions Group. Over the last year, Harris Nesbitt has embarked on a broad expansion strategy, hiring key individuals to other areas of its investment banking business. Recent senior appointments announced by the firm include Jim Love (Healthcare), Jeff Hamilton (Energy & Power), Geoff Belsher (M&A), Robert Barnett and Steven Steinberg (Commercial & Industrial) and Carlos Conde (Equity Capital Markets).

Mr. van Nispen joins Harris Nesbitt from Milestone Merchant Partners, where he served as a Managing Director. Previously, he was the Head of the North American Financial Institutions Group for ABN AMRO Inc. where he specialized in advising banks, specialty finance and insurance companies. Prior to that, Mr. van Nispen served as Managing Director at Sandler O'Neill & Partners and Ryan, Beck & Co. He also spent almost a decade at Merrill Lynch & Co. where he was responsible for new business origination and transaction execution for financial institutions in the middle Atlantic and Midwest regions. Mr. van Nispen earned a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and an MBA from Duke University Graduate School of Business.

About Harris Nesbitt
Harris Nesbitt is an investment and corporate bank offering clients access to a full range of products and services including investment and corporate banking, treasury services, market risk management, institutional investing and research. Harris Nesbitt is part of Harris, an integrated financial services organization providing more than 1.5 million personal, business, corporate and institutional clients with banking, lending, investing and financial management solutions. Harris Nesbitt is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO). For more information, please visit www.harrisnesbitt.com.

Current News Releases

Harris Nesbitt expands Equity Research department with hiring of Financial Institutions Analyst Team

NEW YORK, February 17, 2005 - Harris Nesbitt, the U.S. investment and corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE: BMO), announced today the hiring of a team of equity research analysts to cover Financial Institutions.

Joining the firm are analysts Lana Chan, Peter Winter, David Chiaverini and research associate Randolf Saint-Leger. All four are based in New York and the team will cover regional banks and specialty finance companies.

The expansion into Financial Institutions by Harris Nesbitt Equity Research represents a continued broadening of its coverage universe. "The financial services sector represents a significant component of the market and, we believe, an important opportunity for our institutional clients," said Jack Blackstock, Director of Research, Harris Nesbitt. "Lana, Peter and David have significant experience and their success working as a team will give our clients the immediate benefit of their shared and coordinated insights," he added.

Ms. Chan and Mr. Winter have worked together for the past seven years, first at CIBC World Markets and more recently at Advest, Inc., a subsidiary of AXA Financial, where they were Directors and Senior Analysts. While at CIBC, Ms. Chan was part of a research team recognized by Institutional Investor as runners-up for coverage of regional banks from 1994 to 1996. Ms. Chan earned a Bachelor of Science from New York University's Stern School of Business.

Mr. Winter was ranked fifth out of 72 analysts by the Wall Street Journal in its 2001 "Best on the Street Analysts Survey" for earnings accuracy among analysts covering banks and savings and loans. Prior experience includes equity research positions at Natwest Markets and PaineWebber, Inc. Mr. Winter earned a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University.

Mr. Chiaverini covered banks and specialty finance for Advest. Previously, he had been a Research Associate at CIBC World Markets. Prior to that, Mr. Chiaverini was an Investment Banking Analyst at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, focusing on the Financial Technology sector. Mr. Chiaverini earned a Bachelor of Science from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

In addition to Financial Services, Harris Nesbitt Equity Research covers more than 235 companies in sectors that include Business Services, Consumer & Leisure, Food & Agribusiness, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment and Technology & Telecommunications. A complete list of the firm's equity analyst team and the coverage universe can be viewed at: http://corporate.bmo.com/research/equities/default.asp?hnnav=1.

Current News Releases



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