BMO Capital Markets Bolsters Commitment to the Global Mining Industry With Hiring of Four Equity Research Analysts

Toronto, Canada (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Expanded Research Platform Strengthens BMO's Long-Term Focus on
Metals and Mining

BMO Capital Markets, the investment and corporate banking arm of
BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO), has significantly expanded its
research coverage of global metals and mining companies with the
hiring of four equity analysts to be based in Toronto, Canada and
London, England.

The appointments, which signify BMO Capital Markets' continued and
longstanding commitment to the metals and mining industry, creates
one of the world's largest mining research teams, with a total of 23
research professionals.

Senior analysts Tony Robson and David Haughton, formerly of Global
Mining Research in Australia, have moved to Toronto to join BMO
Capital Markets' industry leading mining research team. Mr. Robson
brings outstanding experience in covering global senior metals
stocks and Mr. Haughton's expertise has centered on covering the
global gold sector.

In addition, BMO Capital Markets is adding two mining analysts in
London, England, who will be joining the firm in September to cover
diamonds and mining exploration companies.

All four of the new analysts will share their coverage
responsibilities with BMO's highly regarded current team of mining
analysts : Andrea Cheung, Heather Douglas, John Hayes, Craig Miller,
Jay Turner and Nawojka Wachowiak.

"This is a major acquisition of intellectual talent," said Yvan
Bourdeau, Chief Executive Officer, BMO Capital Markets. "Our ability
to attract individuals of this calibre is a strong testament to the
reputation of BMO Capital Markets as a leader in global mining
research. We are committed to building our capabilities beyond what
we already offer. It is our goal to continue to solidify our
position in the resources sector and to widen the gap between BMO
Capital Markets and our worldwide competitors."

"With the addition of the new team members, BMO Capital Markets
will now be working toward establishing active research coverage of
more than 150 mining companies domiciled on six continents. This
will allow us to continue to provide our clients access to high
quality research coverage in this growing and dynamic sector," said
Mike Miller, Co-Head of Equity Products and Director of Investment
Research, BMO Capital Markets.

Mr. Robson and Mr. Haughton are founding partners of Global Mining
Research, a well respected independent provider of international
mining research. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the firm was
launched in 2003 and became a successful and internationally
recognized business providing unique and world-class mining research
for institutional investors. Global Mining Research analyzed more
than 75 major Australian, North American, South African, UK,
European, Asian and Russian listed precious metal and mining
companies with a combined total market capitalization of
US$800-billion.

With 20 years of industry experience, Mr. Robson is a highly
regarded analyst whose work includes research on an array of
international large cap diversified nickel and aluminum companies.
He was named the No. 2 analyst in the Reuters Asia-Pacific 2002
survey by mining companies for base metals and diversified
resources. Prior to establishing Global Mining Research, Mr . Robson
was a senior mining analyst with BNP Paribas and Prudential
Securities. He has a Master of Mineral Economics from Macquarie
University in Australia and a Master of Science in Geology from the
University of Sydney.

Mr. Haughton has more than 10 years of experience researching
global mining companies as a senior equity analyst and a further
seven years of experience as a financial analyst in the resources
sector. Mr. Haughton was previously rated as one of the top three
sector analysts by investors and companies in various Australian
surveys. Prior to Global Mining Research, Mr. Haughton was a global
mining analyst with BNP Paribas and Prudential Securities. He has a
Master of Business Administration from the University of Queensland
in Australia and a Master of Applied Science in Geology from the
Queensland University of Technology.

About BMO Capital Markets' Metals & Mining Group

BMO Capital Markets has been focused on the Metals & Mining
industry for almost 100 years. As a member of BMO Financial Group,
(TSX, NYSE: BMO), the firm is able to leverage the financial
strength and capabilities of one of North America's leading
financial services organizations. With 10 dedicated Metals & Mining
equity research analysts, BMO Capital Markets will provide clients
with access to outstanding analysis in base metals, precious metals,
coal and uranium, among other sub-sectors. BMO Capital Markets has
offices in 26 locations globally including London, Melbourne,
Beijing, Munich, Lugano, Zurich, Toronto, New York and Chicago. For
more information, visit: www.bmocm.com.

ots Originaltext: BMO Capital Markets
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information: Kim Hanson, Toronto, kim.hanson@bmo.com,
+1-(416)-867-3996; Jacques Vaillancourt, London, England / Melbourne,
Australia, jacques.vaillancourt@bmo.com, +44-(0)207-246-5406; Ronald
Monet, Montreal, ronald.monet@bmo.com, +1-(514)-877-1101; Laurie
Grant, Vancouver, laurie.grant@bmo.com, +1-(604)-665-7596; Kevin
Windorf, New York, kevin.windorf@bmo.com, +1-(212)-885-4111/