BMO Harris Bank Announces over $4 Million in Donations to Neighborhood Programs in Wisconsin in 2017 to Mark BMO's Bicentennial

• To celebrate its bicentennial, BMO invites everyone to go to www.bmo200.com to make wishes for a better tomorrow, a number of which will be fulfilled over the course of the year to continue the bank's legacy of giving back to the communities in which it does business.

MILWAUKEE, May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - BMO Harris Bank today announced that it is donating over $4 million to neighborhood programs throughout Wisconsin in 2017 to mark BMO's 200^th year in business, including over $2.8 million in the Milwaukee area.   Almost 200 community organizations in the Milwaukee area have or will receive donations from BMO Harris Bank in 2017, including:

• The United Way of Greater Milwaukee, which supports programming to increase healthy birth outcomes and reduce the city's high infant mortality rate
• United Performing Arts Fund, which includes support for arts education outreach
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, which provides programming support to help ensure that students graduate high school and have the proper study skills, attendance and mentorship to attend and succeed in college

Furthermore, to celebrate its bicentennial, BMO invites people to go to www.bmo200.com to make wishes for a better tomorrow.  BMO will be fulfilling a number of the wishes, both big and small, across categories that include Green, Togetherness, Legacy and Community.  To see one story on how BMO is helping a local small business, click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr_Yh5nDqYQ

"Milwaukee is such an important market for us, and we're very pleased to mark our bicentennial with the wishes we are granting and the donations we are announcing," said David Casper, President and CEO, BMO Harris Bank. "The bank's history in Milwaukee dates back 170 years, to the founding of M&I Bank in 1847.  We have always been committed to giving back to the communities in which they serve, and we are proud to carry on that tradition."

BMO Harris Bank also supports the community through:

• Sponsorship of the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and BMO's role as the Official Bank of the Milwaukee Bucks
• The long-term partnership with Summerfest for the BMO Harris Pavilion
• Plans for a new branch in the Sherman Park community, with construction to be completed in the Fall of 2017. Ground-breaking for the new branch is taking place at 4:30 pm today, May 18^th
• Plans for the building of a new 25 story office tower in downtown Milwaukee – the BMO Harris Financial Center – with construction to begin later this year

BMO's History in Milwaukee

In 1847, Samuel Marshall established Samuel Marshall Exchange Brokers on Water Street in Milwaukee.  Joined by Charles Ilsley two years later, Marshall & Ilsley Bank served customers and its communities until 2011 when BMO Financial Group acquired M&I and brought it together with Harris Bank to become BMO Harris Bank – continuing a proud tradition of customer service and community commitment.

About BMO Harris Bank

BMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through nearly 600 branches and almost 1,400 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local market knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. For more information about BMO Harris Bank, go to the company fact sheet. Banking products and services are subject to bank and credit approval. BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with approximately 1,500 branches, and CDN $692 billion in assets (as of January 31, 2017).

SOURCE BMO Harris Bank