HOUSTON, TX, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BMO Capital Markets, the investment and corporate banking arm of BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO), has hired Peter Boukouzis to focus on M A opportunities in the energy sector. Mr. Boukouzis joins as a Director. He will be based in Houston, Texas, where BMO Capital Markets has a leading team of 13 investment and corporate bankers dedicated to the U.S. energy sector. Mr. Boukouzis will report to Scott Humphrey, Head of U.S. Mergers Acquisitions, BMO Capital Markets. "Given the continued consolidation within the energy industry, we are pleased to have someone of Pete's experience and caliber join our team," said Mr. Humphrey. "Pete's appointment reinforces BMO's reputation as a leading full-service investment and corporate bank and our commitment to providing energy clients with the best advice that will help them grow in an increasingly competitive market, as well as keep them abreast of the evolving M A market," Mr. Humphrey added. Mr. Boukouzis spent nearly eight years at Rothschild Inc. focusing on M A transactions in the oil and gas industry. He started his investment banking career in the global oil and gas group at UBS. He has worked on M A assignments in the upstream, services, midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry and has executed both public and private company transactions. Prior to that, he worked seven years in the oil industry as an engineer. Mr. Boukouzis earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. About the BMO Capital Markets North American Energy Group BMO Capital Markets has more than 40 years of experience working with the energy industry - nearly half a century of helping ambitious companies power their growth. The North American Energy Group, which totals 25 investment and corporate banking professionals in Houston and Calgary, offers M A advisory services, customer lending, debt capital, equity products, risk management, commodity and interest-rate derivatives, foreign exchange hedging and treasury management services. For more information visit, http://www.bmocm.com/industry/us/energy About BMO Capital Markets BMO Capital Markets is a leading full-service North American financial services provider, with over 2,400 employees operating in 14 North American offices and 26 worldwide, offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a complete range of investment and corporate banking products and services. BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO), one of the largest diversified financial services providers in North America with US$385 billion total assets and 37,000 employees as at July 31, 2009. DATASOURCE: BMO Bank of Montreal CONTACT: Media Contacts: Kim Hanson, Toronto, , (416) 867-3996; Holly Holt, New York, , (212) 885-4153; Internet: http://www.bmocm.com/

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