BMO Financial Group announced the opening of a new commercial banking office in Los Angeles, California. The team will be focused on providing businesses in Southern California with access to BMO's full array of industry expertise, financial solutions and capabilities, complemented by the local market knowledge provided by team leader Tom Jennings and his team.

"While we've been operating in Southern California for years, this will represent our first commercial banking office in Los Angeles," said Ray Whitacre, U.S. Head, Diversified Industries, BMO Harris Bank. "Many of the companies headquartered in California have a significant presence in Canada, and we can offer them cross-border expertise that our competitors cannot match."

"The opening of a new commercial banking office in Los Angeles is another sign that we're delivering on our North American commercial banking strategy," said David Casper, U.S. CEO, BMO Financial Group. "We've been serving the needs of business customers for over 200 years, and with Tom Jennings at the helm, we have an exceptionally strong, local leader who will help us grow our business and serve business customers throughout the state.

BMO already has close to 20 commercial bankers in nearby Irvine, the majority focused on franchisees, as well as commercial real estate, dealership finance, asset-based lending and food & consumer. Furthermore, BMO has a media finance group that's focused on leveraging BMO's leading cross-border capabilities to service the media and entertainment space.

"I'm an entrepreneur at heart, and I look forward to building the BMO brand here in Southern California," added Jennings, who brings over 16 years of experience in corporate banking, capital markets, mid-market banking and private banking to the role.