BMO Financial Group Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2018 Results (2)

Canadian P&CReported fourth quarter net income of $675 million and adjusted net income of $676 million both increased $51 million or 8% from the prior year. Adjusted net income excludes the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Results reflect revenue growth and lower provision for credit losses, partially offset by higher expenses.

During the quarter, we continued to enhance our digital capabilities as we launched Business Xpress, a small business lending platform that speeds up the loan approval process by 95% for small business loans. The platform uses data analytics technology and best-in-class automatic adjudication strategies providing a faster and more convenient way for Canada's small businesses to obtain capital.

U.S. P&CReported net income of $372 million increased $102 million or 37% and adjusted net income of $383 million increased $102 million or 36% from the prior year. Adjusted net income excludes the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.

Reported net income of US$285 million increased US$71 million or 33% and adjusted net income of US$294 million increased US$71 million or 31% from the prior year, due to good revenue growth and lower taxes from the benefit of U.S. tax reform and a favourable U.S. tax item, partially offset by higher expenses and higher provisions for credit losses.

During the quarter, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released its annual deposit market share report and we improved our market share and maintained our ranking of second place in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets, and fourth place within our core footprint, which includes Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Minnesota.

BMO Wealth ManagementReported net income of $219 million increased $44 million or 25% and adjusted net income of $229 million increased $40 million or 21% from the prior year. Adjusted net income excludes the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Traditional wealth reported net income of $192 million was unchanged and adjusted net income of $202 million decreased $4 million or 2% from the prior year, as business growth and lower taxes were more than offset by a legal provision and higher expenses. Insurance net income of $27 million was below trend but increased $44 million from the prior year, primarily due to less elevated reinsurance claims in the current year, with this partially offset by unfavourable market movements in the current quarter relative to favourable market movements in the prior year.

BMO Global Asset Management was named the Best Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Research Team in the Investment Week Sustainable & ESG Investment Awards 2018. This award recognizes our longstanding commitment and leadership in responsible investing, and our belief that prudent management of ESG issues can have an important impact on the creation of long-term investor value.

BMO Capital MarketsReported net income of $298 million decreased $18 million or 6%, and adjusted net income of $309 million decreased $7 million or 2% from a year ago, as higher Investment and Corporate Banking revenue and lower taxes were more than offset by higher expenses and lower Trading Products revenue. Adjusted net income excludes acquisition integration costs and the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.

On September 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of KGS-Alpha Capital Markets (KGS-Alpha), a U.S. fixed income broker-dealer specializing in U.S. mortgage and asset-backed securities in the institutional investor market.

Corporate ServicesReported net income for the quarter was $131 million, compared with a net loss of $158 million in the prior year. Corporate Services adjusted net loss for the quarter was $68 million, compared with an adjusted net loss of $102 million in the prior year. Adjusted results increased mainly due to higher revenue excluding the teb adjustment and lower expenses. The adjusted results exclude a benefit of $203 million after-tax from the remeasurement of an employee benefit liability in the current period, a restructuring charge in the prior year, and acquisition integration costs in both periods.

Adjusted results in this Operating Segment Overview section are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.

CapitalBMO's Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) Ratio was 11.3% at October 31, 2018. The CET1 Ratio decreased from 11.4% at the end of the third quarter, as retained earnings growth, net of share repurchases, was more than offset by higher risk-weighted assets, including an acquisition.

Provision for Credit LossesThe total provision for credit losses was $175 million, a decrease of $27 million from the prior year. The provision for credit losses on impaired loans of $177 million decreased $25 million from $202 million in the prior year, primarily due to lower provisions in the P&C businesses and higher net recoveries in BMO Capital Markets and Corporate Services. There was a $2 million net recovery of credit losses on performing loans in the current quarter.

Caution
The foregoing sections contain forward-looking statements. Please see the Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.

Regulatory FilingsOur continuous disclosure materials, including our interim filings, annual Management's Discussion and Analysis and audited annual consolidated financial statements, Annual Information Form and Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Circular are available on our website at www.bmo.com/investorrelations [http://www.bmo.com/investorrelations], on the Canadian Securities Administrators' website at www.sedar.com [http://www.sedar.com/] and on the EDGAR section of the SEC's website at www.sec.gov [http://www.sec.gov/].

Bank of Montreal uses a unified branding approach that links all of the organization's member companies. Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries, is known as BMO Financial Group. As such, in this document, the names BMO and BMO Financial Group mean Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries.

Financial Review

The Financial Review commentary is as of December 4, 2018. The material that precedes this section comprises part of this Financial Review. The Financial Review should be read in conjunction with the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements for the period ended October 31, 2018, included in this document, as well as the audited annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2018, and the MD&A for fiscal 2018.

The 2018 Annual MD&A includes a comprehensive discussion of our businesses, strategies and objectives, and can be accessed on our website at www.bmo.com/investorrelations [http://www.bmo.com/investorrelations]. Readers are also encouraged to visit the site to view other quarterly financial information.

Bank of Montreal's management, under the supervision of the CEO and CFO, has evaluated the effectiveness, as of October 31, 2018, of Bank of Montreal's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian Securities Administrators) and has concluded that such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended October 31, 2018, which materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Because of inherent limitations, disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance and may not prevent or detect misstatements.

As in prior quarters, Bank of Montreal's Audit and Conduct Review Committee reviewed this document and Bank of Montreal's Board of Directors approved the document prior to its release.

Financial Highlights

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