News Releases

Harris Hosts Women in Business Event
Harris and Local Business Owners Lead Discussion on 'Weathering A Recession'

CHICAGO, June 12, 2008 - Yesterday evening, Harris hosted 70 women business owners and professionals from the South suburbs of Chicago at a Harris Women in Business event in Tinley Park, IL, one in a series of Harris Women in Business events taking place this month.. The panel, featuring Harris experts and local business owners, discussed tips and strategies to help individuals and businesses weather a recession.

"These are difficult times for many, and providing a forum for women business owners and professionals to come together and discuss key strategies and findings is crucial," said Kathryn Vander Zanden, Managing Director, Harris Private Bank. "From talking about what a recession is and how it affects you, to asking what strategies you and your business put in place in the last year, the panel and roundtable discussions last night were both informative and beneficial."

Vander Za nden discussed how a recession can affect people differently depending on their stage in life, and listed some best practices for those with concerns:

• Protect yourself. During tough economic times, the threat of fraud and identity theft often increases. It is critical to be vigilant about protecting your identity. Shred documents, check your credit report and watch your account activity.
• Live within your means. In your personal and business life, find out where variable costs can be reduced or eliminated.
• Establish and maintain emergency funds. A minimum of six months of living expenses should be kept in a safe and relatively liquid instrument like a savings account, money market account, or short-term CD.
• Meet with your investment advisor and review your asset allocations. Don't make short-term changes to a long term strategy. Keep your outlook long-term and stay the course if your objectives haven't changed.
• Reassess risk tolerance. Be sure that your investment portfolio is in-line with your risk tolerance.

Harris has long recognized the tremendous growth opportunity that women owned businesses present. Harris developed its Women in Business initiative to focus on education, providing tools, resources and networking opportunities and ensuring capital is more accessible to women in business. To become involved with Harris' Women in Business initiative, contact South District Regional Presidents Jeanna Bridges, (708) 335-2229, or Mary Kozar, (815) 485-7560.

Harris has been helping its customers and the communities it serves for over 125 years and has more than 230 full-service locations and more than 600 ATMs in Illinois and Indiana.

About Harris:
Harris is an integrate d financial service organization providing more than 1 million personal, business and corporate clients with banking, lending, investing and wealth management solutions. The organization is a member of the BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), which also provides corporate and investment banking services in the U.S. under the BMO Capital Markets name. For more information, please visit www.bmocm.com or www.harrisbank.com.

Harris^® is a trade name used by various financial service subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp. Banking products and services are provided by Harris N.A., The Harris Bank, N.A. and their bank affiliates. Members FDIC. Brokerage products are offered through Harris Investor Services, Inc. (HIS), a registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, and SEC registered investment adviser. Insurance and annuities are offered through Harris Bancorp Insurance Services, Inc. (HBIS). Securities are provided by BMO Capital Markets Corp. (BMOCM), a registered broker dealer and member NYSE, FINRA and SIPC. HIS, HBIS and BMOCM are affiliated companies and are wholly owned subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp. Products offered by HIS, HBIS and BMOCM are Not Insured by the FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by Any Bank or Bank Affiliate, May Lose Value. The purchase of insurance or an annuity is not a condition to any bank loan or service. Financial planning and investment advisory services are provided by Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, Inc., an SEC registered investment adviser. Family Office Services are provided by Harris myCFO, Inc. Investment advisory services are offered by Harris myCFO Investment Advisory Services LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser and wholly-owned subsid iary of Harris myCFO, Inc. Not all products and services are offered in every state and/or location.