News Releases

EPA Names Harris as Top 50 Green Power Organization
Bank Recognized for Purchase of Renewable Energy in First Appearance on National List

CHIC AGO, August 10, 2010 –Harris has been named by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as number 42 on a list of 50 national green power partners using the most renewable electricity. Green power helps protect the environment by preventing the emission of greenhouse gases from conventional power sources.

Companies purchasing green power support the development of new renewable generation capacity. According to the U.S. EPA, Harris' green power purchase of more than 91 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of nearly 13,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of nearly 8,000 average American homes annually.

"The purchase of green power not only protects our planet -- it's a wise business decision," said Ellen Costello, president and CEO, Harris Financial Corp. "At Harris, we view our green power purchase as an investment in the future of our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve."

Harris and its parent company, BMO Financial Group, have committed to achieving enterprise-wide carbon neutrality with respect to energy and transportation use by the end of 2010. As part of the company's sustainability strategy, Clear Blue Skies^TM, employees are educated about environmental issues, while an internal website offers employees a forum to share tips for reducing one's carbon footprint at work and at home. The bank also operates a fleet of hybrid vehicles and utilizes web-enabled meeting technology, including Cisco's TelePresence, to reduce emissions associated with travel.

EPA's Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power purchase of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors. Other local organizations joining Harris on the EPA's list are the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, and Chicago Public Schools. Harris is one of seven ba nking and financial services companies to make the list.

EPA's Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 partner organizations to voluntarily purchase green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Overall, EPA's green power partners are using more than 17 billion kWh of green power annually, equivalent to the CO₂ emissions from electricity use of more than 1.5 million average American homes.

 

About Harris
Harris is an integrated financial service organization providing more than 1.2 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.

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 advisor. Insurance and annuities are offered through Harris Bancorp Insurance Services, Inc. (HBIS). Investment banking services are provided by BMO Capital Markets Corp. (BMOCMC) and BMO Capital Markets GKST, Inc. (GKST), a Municipal Bond Dealer and member FINRA and SIPC. Financial planning and investment advisory services are provided by Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, Inc. (HSBSB), an SEC registered investment advisor. Family Office Services are provided by Harris myCFO, Inc. Investment advisory services are offered by Harris myCFO Investment Advisory Services LLC (HmyCFO), a SEC-registered investment advisor and wholly-owned subsidiary of Harris myCFO, Inc. Stoker Ostler Wealth Advis ors (SOWA) is an SEC-registered investment advisor. Investment advisory services to institutional clients are provided by Harris Investment Management (HIM), an SEC-registered investment advisor. Products offered by HIS, HBIS, BMOCM, HSBSB, HmyCFO and HIM, affiliated companies and are wholly owned subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp.,: 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. Not all products and services are offered in every state and/or location.