News Releases

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

CHICAGO, June 25, 2008 - Yesterday evening, Harris hosted over 60 women business owners and professionals from the West suburbs of Chicago at a Harris Women in Business event in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, one in a series of Harris Women in Business events taking place this month. The panel, featuring Harris experts and local businesswomen, discussed tips and strategies to help individuals and business owners weather a recession.

"Weakness in the economy will affect people in many different ways," said Keynote Speaker, Todd Barre, Senior Investme nt Strategist, Harris Private Bank. "Providing a forum to come together and discuss key strategies to 'weather a recession' is extremely valuable."

Barre offered the following suggestions to business owners and investors as they prepare their own strategies to weather a recession.

• Business owners; know your customer. Some individuals and families will not be affected by the downturn, while others may be dramatically affected. Now is the time to really get to know your customers and recognize that they have different and unique needs, which may require some flexibility in your firm's strategy. In the end, you will better understand your customers' needs, in good times and bad, and have developed deeper relationships.
• Investors; k now what you own. Many people can rattle off the list of mutual funds they own, but do they really understand the manager's strategies? Do they invest in large-caps? Small-caps? Any international exposure? It's important to dig into what your funds are doing, understand their strategies and consider your options.
  • You need to diversify.It's not enough to be in several different funds. If all of the funds (for example) invest in large-cap stocks, you are likely to have duplication of effort, and will be taking concentrated risks in certain sectors and even specific stocks. It's important to expand your investment menu to include a healthy assortment of asset classes that will perform differently even in bear markets.
  • Assess your tolerance for risk. Everybody has a high tolerance for risk when the market's going up, but the true test is when the market is going down. It is a good idea to ask yourself if you are taking unnecessary risks in your portfolio. Assess the potential short-term downside of your portf olio, and whether those risks are acceptable in meeting your longer-term lifestyle and financial goals.

Harris has long recognized the tremendous growth opportunity that women owned businesses present. Harris developed its Women in Business initiative to focus on education, provide tools, resources and networking opportunities, and ensure capital is more accessible to women in business.

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

About Harris:
Harris is an integrated 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 subsid iaries 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 subsidiary of Harris myCFO, Inc. Not all products and services are offered in every state and/or location.