Pragmatic visions
It all started with nine enterprising merchants who understood the importance of banking to business.
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What’s a “bee-mo”?
Ever wonder where the name “BMO” comes from? It’s the bank’s stock ticker symbol on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For decades, “bee-mo” was how investment industry insiders commonly referred to the bank. So it was the natural choice when considering a new name to join the companies and lines of business together – BMO Financial Group.
Post-War Boom
North America’s rapidly expanding post-war economy fuelled unprecedented increases in household income and wealth. Banks and financial institutions also experienced something of a consumer-finance revolution after 1945. People had more and more ability to spend, borrow, deposit, and invest. They also began to demand access to an expanding range of financial products and services.
The definitive history of one of North America's most enduring banks, Whom Fortune Favours: The Bank of Montreal and the Rise of North American Finance, Volume 1 & 2, by Laurence B. Mussio.
Visit the McGill Queen’s University Press site to order your copy.
A visually rich tribute to Canada’s first bank, A Vision Greater than Themselves: The Making of the Bank of Montreal, 1817-2017 by Laurence B. Mussio tells the compelling story of the bank from its origins to present day.
Visit the McGill Queen’s University Press site to order your copy.