The Bank of Montreal will cut about 1,000 support jobs as part of a restructuring to improve efficiency and boost profits, the bank announced late Wednesday.
The bank said most of the job cuts will take place in fiscal 2007, which ends Oct. 31. BMO has about 35,000 employees.
"We owe it to our customers, our employees and our shareholders to have lean, efficient support functions, simplified processes, fewer layers and to eliminate duplication across our enterprise," CEO Tony Comper said in a release. Comper steps down as CEO in March.
BMO said the jobs being eliminated are mainly in "non-customer-facing areas of the company across all support functions and business groups."
RDI, the CBC's French-language all-news television network, said most of the cuts are in the Toronto area. A BMO spokesperson told CBC News that some cuts will take place in the U.S. at the bank's Harris Bank subsidiary in Chicago. Some cuts are also planned for Montreal.
News of the cuts comes two months after the bank reported a record $2.7 billion annual profit. But the final quarter of the year fell short of analysts' expectations.
A company statement said Wednesday's job cuts — and their cost savings — are "important to achieving the 2007 financial targets" that were outlined in November.
BMO said it will take a restructuring charge of $135 million when it releases its first quarter results on March 1. Most of that is for severance costs.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
Latest Business Headlines
- Bankia asks Spain for €19B
- The board of directors of Spain's troubled bank, Bankia, has asked the Spanish government for €19 billion ($24.5 billion Cdn) in financial support. more »
- EI reforms aim to boost employment, Flaherty says
- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty defended his government's proposals to change employment insurance, saying the aim is to remove "disincentives to employment." more »
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Ottawa moves to limit foreign investment reviews
- The federal government is raising to $1 billion the amount of foreign money that can go into a Canadian company before the investment is reviewed. The review has been used in the past to block foreign takeovers of MDA and Potash Corp. more »
Lang & O'Leary Exchange
Markets
| Index | Last Trade | Change |
|---|---|---|
| TSX COMPOSITE | 11576.47 | 10.4 |
| DOW | 12454.83 | -74.92 |
| NASDAQ | 2837.53 | -1.85 |
| SP 500 | 1317.82 | -2.86 |
| NYSE COMPOSITE | 7534.32 | -18.01 |
| AMEX | 2227.37 | 1.45 |
| TSX-VENTURE | 1309.27 | 26.8 |
The data on this site is informational only and may be delayed; it is not intended as trading or investment advice and you should not rely on it as such.
Business Features
- Accused in blast that killed Alberta mom handled her funds
- Remains found in bag on Cape Breton river ID'd
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Quebec students, government to resume talks
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- Lip-dub marriage proposal an internet hit
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Calgary Marathon winner breaks 21-year-old record
