BMO Financial Group Proxy Circular Now Available

TORONTO, March 12, 2018 /CNW/ -- BMO Financial Group (TSX: BMO) (NYSE: BMO) today announced that it has filed its 2018 Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Management Proxy Circular with applicable securities regulators and has mailed it to common shareholders of Bank of Montreal.  The document is available on the Bank's website at https://www.bmo.com/home/about/banking/investor-relations/annual-general-meeting, as well as on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

BMO's Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held at the BMO Institute for Learning, in Toronto, on Thursday, April 5, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. EDT.  The Management Proxy Circular contains key information for shareholders regarding the meeting and the items to be voted on, which are the election of directors, the appointment of auditors, and the advisory vote on the bank's approach to executive compensation, a detailed description of which is contained in the circular.

BMO performed well against its performance goals in 2017 with reported net income up 16% and adjusted net income up 10%.  The Bank's financial performance reflects good progress against our financial and strategic objectives and the benefits of our strong and diversified businesses.

BMO's business is anchored by fundamentals that don't change – stakeholders can count on the bank to always demonstrate principled behaviour that is guided by our values and allows us to do a better job running our business. 

Earlier this year, BMO was named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI).  The index measures gender equality across internal company statistics, employee policies, external community support and engagement, and gender-conscious product offerings.

The bank has also been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies.  BMO is one of only two companies in Canada and one of only four banks worldwide to have been named to the list, underscoring the bank's commitment to values-based leadership and ethical business practices.

About BMO Financial Group 
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider – the 8^th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $728 billion as of January 31, 2018, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

For Media Relations Enquiries: Paul Gammal, Toronto, [e-mail], [phone]; For Investor Relations Enquiries: Jill Homenuk, Toronto, [e-mail], [phone]; Christine Viau, Toronto, [e-mail], [phone]; Internet: www.bmo.com

SOURCE BMO Financial Group