BMO Financial Group Reports Net Income of $4.3 Billion for Fiscal 2014 | Be Korea-savvy

BMO Financial Group Reports Net Income of $4.3 Billion for Fiscal 2014


For fiscal 2014, BMO Financial Group reported net income of $4,333 million or $6.41 per share on a reported basis and net income of $4,453 million or $6.59 per share on an adjusted basis. (image: wikimedia)

For fiscal 2014, BMO Financial Group reported net income of $4,333 million or $6.41 per share on a reported basis and net income of $4,453 million or $6.59 per share on an adjusted basis. (image: wikimedia)

press-release-notification

TORONTO, ONTARIO, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – BMO Financial Group (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) and Bank of Montreal -

 

Financial Results Highlights:

 

Fiscal 2014 Compared with Fiscal 2013:

 

–  Net income of $4,333 million, up 3%; adjusted net income(1) of $4,453

    million, up 5 %

–  EPS(2) of $6.41, up 4%; adjusted EPS(1,2) of $6.59, up 6%

–  ROE of 14.0%, compared with 14.9%; adjusted ROE(1) of 14.4%, compared

    with 15.0%

–  Provisions for credit losses of $561 million, compared with $587

    million; adjusted provisions for credit losses(1) of $561 million,

    compared with $357 million

–  Basel III Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 10.1%

 

Fourth Quarter 2014 Compared with Fourth Quarter 2013:

 

–  Net income of $1,070 million, essentially unchanged; adjusted net

    income(1) of $1,111 million, up 2%

–  EPS(2) of $1.56, down 3%; adjusted EPS(1,2) of $1.63, up 1%

–  ROE of 13.1%, compared with 14.8%; adjusted ROE(1) of 13.7%, compared

    with 15.0%

–  Provisions for credit losses of $170 million, compared with $189

    million; adjusted provisions for credit losses(1) of $170 million,

    compared with $140 million

–  Dividend increased by $0.02 or 3% to $0.80

 

For fiscal 2014, BMO Financial Group reported net income of $4,333 million or $6.41 per share on a reported basis and net income of $4,453 million or $6.59 per share on an adjusted basis. For the fourth quarter ended October 31, 2014, net income was $1,070 million and EPS was $1.56. Adjusted net income was $1,111 million and adjusted EPS was $1.63.

 

“BMO’s fourth quarter results conclude a year in which the bank delivered $4.5 billion in adjusted net income with adjusted earnings per share up 6% from last year,” said Bill Downe, Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. “This performance reflects a well-executed customer-focused strategy and the momentum we have demonstrated over a number of consecutive quarters.

 

“Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking had a strong year with over $2 billion in earnings and operating leverage of 2%. Our largest business continued to deliver good balance sheet growth and improved efficiency.

 

“U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking finished the year with good momentum and balance sheet growth, demonstrating improved revenue and earnings trends in the second half of the year. In the fourth quarter, adjusted pre-provision pre-tax earnings were up 5% year over year and adjusted operating leverage was 1.3%.

 

“Wealth Management posted another good year with adjusted net income over $800 million, benefiting from significant asset growth and our leading market positions. BMO’s expanded global asset management business continues to innovate its distinguished product offering.

 

“Capital Markets generated over $1 billion in earnings with a strong ROE of 19% and good progress on our U.S. strategy.

 

“Credit performance was good with higher provisions largely reflecting lower recoveries compared to last year.

 

“BMO’s Common Equity Tier 1 ratio ended the year strong at 10.1%.

 

“Looking ahead, we have an advantaged business mix, geographic diversification and a workforce with a deeply engrained commitment to customers, all of which provide attractive opportunities for growth. BMO’s brand promise is a clear, concise expression of what we expect of ourselves and the commitment to deliver what our customers expect of us,” concluded Mr. Downe. “On behalf of our more than 46,000 employees, I want to thank our customers for their loyalty.”

 

Concurrent with the release of results, BMO announced a first quarter 2015 dividend of $0.80 per common share, up $0.02 per share or 3% from the preceding quarter and up $0.04 per share or 5% from a year ago, equivalent to an annual dividend of $3.20 per common share.

 

BMO’s 2014 audited annual consolidated financial statements and accompanying management’s discussion & analysis (MD&A) are available online at www.bmo.com/investorrelations along with the supplementary financial information report.

 

(1)  Results and measures in this document are presented on a GAAP basis.  

     They are also presented on an adjusted basis that excludes the impact 

     of certain items. Adjusted results and measures are non-GAAP and are  

     detailed in the Adjusted Net Income section, and (for all reported    

     periods) in the Non-GAAP Measures section, where such non-GAAP measures

     and their closest GAAP counterparts are disclosed.                    

(2)  All Earnings per Share (EPS) measures in this document refer to diluted

     EPS unless specified otherwise. EPS is calculated using net income    

     after deductions for net income attributable to non-controlling       

     interest in subsidiaries and preferred share dividends.               

Note: All ratios and percentage changes in this document are based on      

unrounded numbers.                                                          

 

Total Bank Overview

 

Net income was $1,070 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, down $4 million from the prior year. 

 

Adjusted net income was $1,111 million, up $23 million or 2%, driven by good results in Canadian P&C, U.S. P&C and Wealth Management. Prior year results included a $121 million after-tax security gain in Wealth Management. BMO Capital Markets results were lower than the prior year.

 

The Basel III Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio remains strong at 10.1%.

 

Operating Segment Overview

 

Canadian P&C

 

Net income was $524 million, up $66 million or 14% from a year ago. Adjusted net income was $526 million, up $65 million or 14% from the prior year, driven by higher revenue and lower provisions for credit losses, partially offset by higher expenses. Revenue was up $107 million or 7% year-over-year driven by higher balance and fee volumes across most products. Year-over-year loan growth was 5% and deposit growth was 9%. Expenses increased $47 million or 6% as a result of continued investment in the business and higher variable compensation consistent with annual business growth.

 

In personal banking, good year-over-year loan and deposit growth continued at 4% and 10%, respectively. We are focused on helping our customers with their financial needs, in the channel of their choice. Our Summer Everyday Banking campaign was a success with a 10% increase in chequing account openings from last year’s strong levels, with 80% of new chequing accounts opened belonging to new to BMO customers. Mobile transactions continue to grow, nearly doubling for the year.

 

In commercial banking, strong loan and deposit growth continued at 8% and 7% respectively. During the quarter, we ran a successful pilot for our new BMO DepositEdge product which enables businesses to remotely deposit cheques into their accounts securely. This product was launched in November. Our Fall Small Business Campaign is underway, and is focused on offering our BMO Biz Starter for Small Business package, which meets both the business and personal banking needs of our small business customers. From the early results from this campaign we have been successful in attracting new customers to the bank. We remain second in Canadian business banking loan market share for small and medium-sized loans.

 

U.S. P&C (all amounts in US$)

 

Net income of $152 million and adjusted net income of $163 million both increased $54 million from the fourth quarter a year ago, with improved positive operating leverage of 2.1% or 1.3% on an adjusted basis. Increased net income was driven by lower provisions for credit losses and higher revenue partly offset by increased expenses.

 

Current loans and acceptances grew year over year and on a sequential basis by 9% and 2%, respectively. The growth in average current loans and acceptances was led by continued strong double-digit growth in the core commercial and industrial (C&I) loan portfolio. The core C&I portfolio increased by $4.8 billion or 21% from a year ago to $28.5 billion.

 

During the quarter, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released their annual deposit market share results. In the Chicago area we maintained our strong second place ranking, with deposit market share of 12.1%. In Wisconsin we also held the second place ranking with an even higher deposit market share of 13.6%. We maintained our number four market share ranking within our primary footprint of Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, and Minnesota.

 

Wealth Management

 

Net income was $226 million. Adjusted net income was $253 million compared to $318 million a year ago. The prior year included a $121 million after-tax security gain. On a basis that excludes the security gain, adjusted net income increased $56 million or 28%. On this basis, adjusted net income in traditional wealth of $136 million increased $8 million or 6% with good organic growth as well as growth from the acquired F&C business, offset by higher than run-rate expenses including the settlement of a legal matter. Adjusted net income in insurance was $117 million, up $48 million or 68% from a year ago. The increase in insurance was primarily due to the impact of beneficial changes in actuarial reserves. There was continued growth in both the underlying creditor and life insurance business.

 

Assets under management and administration grew by $242 billion or 44% from a year ago to $794 billion, with the acquired F&C business contributing $150 billion to the increase. Excluding F&C, assets under management and administration grew by 17%, driven by market appreciation, the stronger U.S. dollar and growth in new client assets.

 

In September, World Finance Magazine named BMO Harris Private Banking “Best Private Bank – Canada, 2014.” This is the fourth consecutive year receiving this honour. The World Finance Banking Awards 2014 recognized BMO Harris Private Banking for strong performance, an in-depth understanding of the needs of clients, exceptional client service and strong community activities and outreach programs that support the local and regional community.

 

BMO Capital Markets

 

Net income of $191 million decreased $26 million or 12% from a year ago as higher revenue was more than offset by higher expenses and lower loan recoveries. Revenue increased 2% year over year with solid growth from Investment and Corporate Banking, partly offset by lower revenues in Trading Products, including the introduction of a funding valuation adjustment which reduced revenue by $39 million. 

 

In the quarter, we were recognized for several different industry awards which reflect our continued focus on meeting our core clients’ needs. We were selected as a 2014 Greenwich Quality Leader in Canadian Fixed Income Research, Canadian Mergers & Acquisitions and Canadian Equity Capital Markets, as well as a Greenwich Share Leader in Canadian Fixed Income, Canadian Investment Banking Market Penetration, and Canadian Large Corporate Cash Management Market Penetration. In addition, for the fourth consecutive year, we were named the 2014 award winner for Best Bank in Canadian Dollar Foreign Exchange by FX Week.

 

BMO Capital Markets participated in 331 new global issues in the quarter, comprised of 129 corporate debt deals, 129 government debt deals and 73 equity transactions, raising $791 billion.

 

Corporate Services

 

Corporate Services reported and adjusted net loss for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $39 million, compared with a reported net loss of $14 million and an adjusted net loss of $22 million a year ago. The decline was due to lower recoveries primarily on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio, partially offset by above trend revenue.

 

Adjusted Net Income

 

Adjusted net income was $1,111 million, for the fourth quarter of 2014, up $23 million or 2% from a year ago. Adjusted EPS were $1.63, up $0.01 or 1% from a year ago.

 

Management has designated certain amounts as adjusting items and has adjusted GAAP results so that we can discuss and present financial results without the effects of adjusting items to facilitate understanding of business performance and related trends. The items excluded from fourth quarter 2014 results in the determination of adjusted results were the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets of $42 million ($32 million after tax) and acquisition integration costs of $11 million ($9 million after tax); or a total impact of $0.07 per share. Amounts excluded from adjusted results in prior years also included credit-related items in respect of the purchased performing loan portfolio, restructuring costs and run-off structured credit activities. Management assesses performance on a GAAP basis and on an adjusted basis and considers both to be useful in the assessment of underlying business performance. Presenting results on both bases provides readers with a better understanding of how management assesses results. Adjusted results and measures are non-GAAP and, together with items excluded in determining adjusted results, are disclosed in more detail in the Non-GAAP Measures section, along with comments on the uses and limitations of such measures. The impact of adjusting items for comparative periods is summarized in the Non-GAAP Measures section.

 

Adjusted results in these Total Bank Overview and Operating Segment Overview sections are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.

 

Caution

 

The foregoing sections contain forward-looking statements. Please see the Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.

 

 

                              Financial Review                             

 

 

The Financial Review commentary is as of December 2, 2014. Unless otherwise indicated, all amounts are in Canadian dollars and have been derived from financial statements prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). References to GAAP mean IFRS. The Financial Review should be read in conjunction with the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements for the period ended October 31, 2014, included in this document, as well as the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2014, and Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) for fiscal 2014 . The material that precedes this section comprises part of this Financial Review.

 

The annual MD&A includes a comprehensive discussion of our businesses, strategies and objectives, and can be accessed on our website at www.bmo.com/investorrelations. Readers are also encouraged to visit the site to view other quarterly financial information.

 

Bank of Montreal’s Audit and Conduct Review Committee reviewed this document and Bank of Montreal’s Board of Directors approved the document prior to its release.

 

Regulatory Filings

 

Our continuous disclosure materials, including our interim filings, annual MD&A and audited consolidated financial statements, Annual Information Form and Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Circular are available on our website at www.bmo.com/investorrelations, on the Canadian Securities Administrators’ website at www.sedar.com and on the EDGAR section of the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

Bank of Montreal uses a unified branding approach that links all of the organization’s member companies. Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries, is known as BMO Financial Group. As such, in this document, the names BMO and BMO Financial Group mean Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Summary Data – Reported                                              Table 1

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

Summary Income Statement                                                   

Net interest income             2,178    2,107    2,117     8,461     8,677

Non-interest revenue            2,162    2,108    2,021     8,257     7,386

—————————————————————————-

Revenue                         4,340    4,215    4,138    16,718    16,063

—————————————————————————-

Specific provision for credit                                              

 losses                           170      130      189       561       597

Collective provision for                                                    

 (recovery of) credit losses        -        -        -         -       (10)

—————————————————————————-

Total provision for credit                                                  

 losses                           170      130      189       561       587

Non-interest expense            2,887    2,756    2,580    10,921    10,226

Provision for income taxes        213      203      295       903     1,055

—————————————————————————-

Net income                      1,070    1,126    1,074     4,333     4,195

—————————————————————————-

  Attributable to bank                                                      

   shareholders                 1,057    1,110    1,061     4,277     4,130

  Attributable to non-                                                     

   controlling interest in                                                  

   subsidiaries                    13       16       13        56        65

—————————————————————————-

Net income                      1,070    1,126    1,074     4,333     4,195

—————————————————————————-

Common Share Data ($ except                                                

 as noted)                                                                 

Earnings per share               1.56     1.67     1.60      6.41      6.17

Earnings per share growth (%)    (2.5)     0.6      1.9       3.9       1.1

Dividends declared per share     0.78     0.78     0.74      3.08      2.94

Book value per share            48.18    46.69    43.22     48.18     43.22

Closing share price             81.73    81.27    72.62     81.73     72.62

Total market value of common                                               

 shares ($ billions)             53.0     52.5     46.8      53.0      46.8

Dividend yield (%)                3.8      3.8      4.1       3.8       4.0

—————————————————————————-

Financial Measures and Ratios                                               

 (%)                                                                       

Return on equity                 13.1     14.4     14.8      14.0      14.9

Net income growth                (0.4)     0.4      0.1       3.3       0.9

Revenue growth                    4.9      5.3      0.2       4.1       0.8

Non-interest expense growth      11.9      9.0     (3.7)      6.8       0.9

Efficiency ratio                 66.5     65.4     62.3      65.3      63.7

Efficiency ratio, excluding                                                

 PBCAE (1)                       62.2     58.2     59.7      59.9      60.8

Operating leverage               (7.0)    (3.7)     3.9      (2.7)     (0.1)

Net interest margin on                                                      

 average earning assets          1.60     1.58     1.69      1.60      1.79

Effective tax rate               16.6     15.3     21.6      17.2      20.1

Return on average assets         0.69     0.74     0.76      0.72      0.74

Provision for credit losses-                                               

 to-average loans and                                                      

 acceptances (annualized)        0.23     0.18     0.27      0.19      0.22

—————————————————————————-

Value Measures (% except as                                                

 noted)                                                                    

Average annual five-year                                                    

 total shareholder return        15.5     13.7     17.0      15.5      17.0

Average annual three-year                                                  

 total shareholder return        16.7     15.8     11.5      16.7      11.5

Twelve month total                                                         

 shareholder return              17.1     32.6     28.8      17.1      28.8

—————————————————————————-

Balance Sheet (as at $                                                     

millions, except as noted)                                                 

Assets                        588,659  586,832  537,044   588,659   537,044

Net loans and acceptances     303,038  295,441  279,294   303,038   279,294

Deposits                      393,088  399,223  368,369   393,088   368,369

Common shareholders’ equity    31,273   30,179   27,842    31,273    27,842

Cash and securities-to-total                                               

 assets ratio (%)                30.2     33.0     31.4      30.2      31.4

—————————————————————————-

Capital Ratios (%)                                                          

Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio       10.1      9.6      9.9      10.1       9.9

Tier 1 Capital Ratio             12.0     11.4     11.4      12.0      11.4

Total Capital Ratio              14.3     13.3     13.7      14.3      13.7

—————————————————————————-

Net Income by Operating Group                                              

  Canadian P&C                    524      526      458     2,014     1,812

  U.S. P&C                        168      159      102       648       581

—————————————————————————-

Personal and Commercial                                                    

 Banking                          692      685      560     2,662     2,393

Wealth Management                 226      190      311       785       830

BMO Capital Markets               191      306      217     1,079     1,044

Corporate Services, including                                               

 Technology and Operations                                                 

 (T&O)                            (39)     (55)     (14)     (193)      (72)

—————————————————————————-

BMO Financial Group net                                                    

 income                         1,070    1,126    1,074     4,333     4,195

============================================================================

(1)  This ratio is calculated excluding insurance policyholder benefits,   

     claims and acquisition expenses (PBCAE).                              

                                                                           

                                                                            

—————————————————————————-

Summary Data – Adjusted                                              Table 2

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted Summary Income                                                    

 Statement                                                                 

Net interest income             2,178    2,107    2,000     8,461     8,020

Non-interest revenue            2,162    2,108    2,010     8,257     7,352

—————————————————————————-

Revenue                         4,340    4,215    4,010    16,718    15,372

Provision for credit losses       170      130      140       561       357

Non-interest expense            2,834    2,708    2,485    10,761     9,755

Provision for income taxes        225      215      297       943     1,037

—————————————————————————-

Net income                      1,111    1,162    1,088     4,453     4,223

—————————————————————————-

  Attributable to bank                                                      

   shareholders                 1,098    1,146    1,075     4,397     4,158

  Attributable to non-                                                     

   controlling interest in                                                 

   subsidiaries                    13       16       13        56        65

—————————————————————————-

Net income                      1,111    1,162    1,088     4,453     4,223

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted Common Share Data                                                 

Earnings per share ($)           1.63     1.73     1.62      6.59      6.21

Earnings per share growth (%)     0.6      4.2     (1.2)      6.1       4.4

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted Financial Measures                                                

 and Ratios (%)                                                            

Return on equity                 13.7     14.9     15.0      14.4      15.0

Net income growth                 2.1      3.7     (2.5)      5.4       4.1

Revenue growth                    8.2      9.7      3.5       8.7       3.4

Non-interest expense growth      14.1     10.8      2.9      10.3       3.7

Efficiency ratio                 65.3     64.2     61.9      64.4      63.5

Efficiency ratio, excluding                                                 

 PBCAE (1)                       61.1     57.2     59.3      59.1      60.4

Operating leverage               (5.9)    (1.1)     0.6      (1.6)     (0.3)

Net interest margin on                                                     

 average earning assets          1.60     1.58     1.60      1.60      1.65

Effective tax rate               16.8     15.6     21.5      17.5      19.7

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted Net Income By                                                      

 Operating Group                                                           

  Canadian P&C                    526      528      461     2,022     1,822

  U.S. P&C                        180      171      114       696       631

—————————————————————————-

Personal and Commercial                                                    

 Banking                          706      699      575     2,718     2,453

Wealth Management                 253      212      318       848       857

BMO Capital Markets               191      306      217     1,080     1,046

Corporate Services, including                                              

 T&O                              (39)     (55)     (22)     (193)     (133)

—————————————————————————-

BMO Financial Group net                                                    

 income                         1,111    1,162    1,088     4,453     4,223

============================================================================

(1)  This ratio is calculated excluding insurance policyholder benefits,   

     claims and acquisition expenses (PBCAE).                               

                                                                           

The above results and statistics are presented on an adjusted basis. These 

are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the non-GAAP Measures

section.                                                                    

 

 

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

Bank of Montreal’s public communications often include written or oral forward-looking statements. Statements of this type are included in this document, and may be included in other filings with Canadian securities regulators or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or in other communications. All such statements are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and any applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements may involve, but are not limited to, comments with respect to our objectives and priorities for 2015 and beyond, our strategies or future actions, our targets, expectations for our financial condition or share price, and the results of or outlook for our operations or for the Canadian, U.S. and international economies.

 

By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that predictions, forecasts, conclusions or projections will not prove to be accurate, that our assumptions may not be correct and that actual results may differ materially from such predictions, forecasts, conclusions or projections. We caution readers of this document not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual future results, conditions, actions or events to differ materially from the targets, expectations, estimates or intentions expressed in the forward-looking statements.

 

The future outcomes that relate to forward-looking statements may be influenced by many factors, including but not limited to: general economic and market conditions in the countries in which we operate; weak, volatile or illiquid capital and/or credit markets; interest rate and currency value fluctuations; changes in monetary, fiscal or economic policy; the degree of competition in the geographic and business areas in which we operate; changes in laws or in supervisory expectations or requirements, including capital, interest rate and liquidity requirements and guidance; judicial or regulatory proceedings; the accuracy and completeness of the information we obtain with respect to our customers and counterparties; our ability to execute our strategic plans and to complete and integrate acquisitions, including obtaining regulatory approvals; critical accounting estimates and the effect of changes to accounting standards, rules and interpretations on these estimates; operational and infrastructure risks; changes to our credit ratings; general political conditions; global capital markets activities; the possible effects on our business of war or terrorist activities; disease or illness that affects local, national or international economies; natural disasters and disruptions to public infrastructure, such as transportation, communications, power or water supply; technological changes; and our ability to anticipate and effectively manage risks associated with all of the foregoing factors.

 

We caution that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all possible factors. Other factors and risks could adversely affect our results. For more information, please see the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management section on pages 77 to 105 of BMO’s 2014 Annual MD&A, which outlines in detail certain key factors and risks that may affect Bank of Montreal’s future results. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to Bank of Montreal, investors and others should carefully consider these factors and risks, as well as other uncertainties and potential events, and the inherent uncertainty of forward-looking statements. Bank of Montreal does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the organization or on its behalf, except as required by law. The forward-looking information contained in this document is presented for the purpose of assisting our shareholders in understanding our financial position as at and for the periods ended on the dates presented, as well as our strategic priorities and objectives, and may not be appropriate for other purposes.

 

Assumptions about the level of default and losses on default were material factors we considered when establishing our expectations regarding the future performance of the transactions into which our credit protection vehicle has entered. Among the key assumptions were that the level of default and losses on default would be consistent with historical experience. Material factors that were taken into account when establishing our expectations regarding the risk of future credit losses in our credit protection vehicle and risk of loss to Bank of Montreal included industry diversification in the portfolio, initial credit quality by portfolio, the first-loss protection incorporated into the structure and the hedges into which Bank of Montreal has entered.

 

Assumptions about the performance of the Canadian and U.S. economies, as well as overall market conditions and their combined effect on our business, are material factors we consider when determining our strategic priorities, objectives and expectations for our business. In determining our expectations for economic growth, both broadly and in the financial services sector, we primarily consider historical economic data provided by the Canadian and U.S. governments and their agencies. See the Economic Developments and Outlook section on page 30 of BMO’s 2014 Annual MD&A.

 

Foreign Exchange

 

The Canadian dollar equivalents of BMO’s U.S.-dollar-denominated net income, revenues, expenses, recovery of (provision for) credit losses and income taxes were increased relative to the third quarter of 2014 and the fourth quarter of 2013, due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar. The average Canadian/U.S. dollar exchange rate for the quarter, expressed in terms of the Canadian dollar cost of a U.S. dollar, increased by 7% from a year ago and increased by 3% from the third quarter. BMO may execute hedging transactions to mitigate the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on net income. Table 3 indicates the relevant average Canadian/U.S. dollar exchange rates and the impact of changes in the rates on our U.S. segment results.

 

This Foreign Exchange section contains forward-looking statements. Please see the Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Effects of Changes in Exchange Rates on BMO’s Reported and Adjusted  Table 3

Results                                                                    

—————————————————————————-

 

 

 

                                                                           

                                                       Q4-2014             

                                          ———————————-

(Canadian $ in millions, except as noted)       vs Q4-2013       vs Q3-2014

—————————————————————————-

Canadian/U.S. dollar exchange rate                                         

 (average)                                                                 

  Current period                                    1.1114           1.1114

  Prior period                                      1.0421           1.0807

                                                                           

Effects on reported results                                                

Increased net interest income                           44               19

Increased non-interest revenue                          31               14

—————————————————————————-

Increased revenues                                      75               33

Increased provision for credit losses                   (1)               –

Increased expenses                                     (64)             (28)

Increased income taxes                                  (1)              (1)

—————————————————————————-

Increased reported net income                            9                4

============================================================================

Effects on adjusted results                                                

Increased net interest income                           41               19

Increased non-interest revenue                          31               14

—————————————————————————-

Increased revenues                                      72               33

Increased provision for credit losses                   (1)               –

Increased expenses                                     (63)             (28)

Increased income taxes                                   -               (1)

—————————————————————————-

Increased adjusted net income                            8                4

============================================================================

Adjusted results in this section are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP Measures.

Please see the non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

Net Income

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

Net income was $1,070 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, down $4 million from the prior year. EPS were $1.56, down $0.04 or 3% from the prior year. Prior year results included a $121 million after-tax security gain.

 

Adjusted net income was $1,111 million, up $23 million or 2%. Adjusted EPS were $1.63, up $0.01 or 1%. Adjusted results and items excluded in determining adjusted results are disclosed in detail in the preceding Adjusted Net Income section and in the Non-GAAP Measures section, together with comments on the uses and limitations of such measures. 

 

On an adjusted basis, net income growth was driven by good results in Canadian P&C, U.S. P&C and Wealth Management. Canadian P&C results were up 14% from a year ago, driven by higher revenue from higher balance and fee volumes across most products and lower provisions for credit losses, partially offset by higher expenses. Wealth Management continued to deliver good adjusted results, with growth of $56 million or 28%, excluding the $121 million after-tax security gain in the prior year. BMO Capital Markets results decreased as higher revenue was more than offset by higher expenses and lower loan recoveries. U.S. P&C net income was up on a U.S. dollar basis due to lower provisions for credit losses and higher revenue, partly offset by increased expenses. Corporate Services adjusted results were lower due to lower recoveries primarily on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio and higher expenses, partially offset by above trend revenue.

 

Q4 2014 vs Q3 2014

 

Net income decreased $56 million or 5% and EPS decreased $0.11 or 7%. Adjusted net income decreased $51 million or 4% and adjusted EPS decreased $0.10 or 6%.

 

Net income was essentially unchanged in Canadian P&C due to higher expenses related to continued investment in the business and higher variable compensation consistent with annual business growth, partially offset by higher personal revenue. Adjusted net income increased in Wealth Management as higher insurance results were partially offset by lower results in traditional wealth as revenue growth was more than offset by higher than run-rate expenses, including costs related to the settlement of a legal matter. BMO Capital Markets results decreased from the previous quarter, which reflected strong results. U.S. P&C adjusted net income increased on a U.S. dollar basis mainly due to lower provisions for credit losses. Corporate Services adjusted results improved due to increased revenue from higher adjusted net interest income and hedge gains, partially offset by higher expenses and lower credit recoveries.

 

Revenue

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

Total revenue of $4,340 million increased $202 million or 5% from the fourth quarter a year ago. Adjusted revenue increased $330 million or 8% to $4,340 million. Excluding the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar, adjusted revenue increased by $258 million or 6%. Canadian P&C had good revenue growth due to strong balance and fee volume growth across most products. Wealth Management adjusted revenue increased, excluding the $191 million security gain in the prior year, due to the impact from the acquired F&C business, higher fee-based revenue from strong growth in client assets and higher insurance revenue. BMO Capital Markets revenue increased 2% year over year with solid growth from Investment and Corporate Banking, partly offset by lower revenues in Trading Products, in part due to the introduction of a funding valuation adjustment which reduced revenue by $39 million. U.S. P&C revenue increased on a U.S. dollar basis, due to strong commercial loan and deposit growth, partially offset by lower net interest margin. Corporate Services adjusted revenue improved primarily due to higher net interest income and credit-related revenue on the purchased performing loan portfolio.

 

Net interest income of $2,178 million increased $61 million or 3% from a year ago. Adjusted net interest income increased $178 million or 9% to $2,178 million, principally due to volume growth, the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar and revenue from the purchased performing loan portfolio. BMO’s overall net interest margin decreased on a reported basis by 9 basis points from a year ago to 1.60%. Adjusted net interest margin was unchanged at 1.60%. Average earning assets increased $43.8 billion or 9% to $540.0 billion, including a $13.6 billion increase as a result of the stronger U.S. dollar.

 

Non-interest revenue increased $141 million or 7% from a year ago to $2,162 million. Adjusted non-interest revenue increased $152 million or 8% to $2,162 million, with significant increases in mutual fund revenues and investment management and custodial fees as a result of the acquisition of F&C, and increases in all other types of non-interest revenue, with the exception of securities gains and other.

 

Q4 2014 vs Q3 2014

 

Total revenue and adjusted revenue increased $125 million or 3% from the third quarter. Excluding the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar, adjusted revenue increased by $92 million or 2%. Canadian P&C revenue increased due to higher personal revenue. Revenue in Wealth Management increased primarily due to higher insurance revenue as well as higher fee-based revenue from growth in client assets in traditional wealth. BMO Capital Markets revenue decreased from the strong revenue performance in both the Investment and Corporate Banking and Trading Products businesses in the third quarter. U.S. P&C had modestly lower revenue on a U.S. dollar basis, as the benefits from higher commercial loan and deposit growth, commercial lending fees, and mortgage banking revenue were more than offset by a reduction in net interest margin. Corporate Services adjusted revenue improved primarily due to higher adjusted net interest income, a lower group teb offset and hedge gains.

 

Reported and adjusted net interest income increased $71 million or 3%, due to higher net interest margin, volume growth and the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar. BMO’s overall reported and adjusted net interest margin increased 2 basis points compared to the third quarter. BMO’s overall reported and adjusted net interest margin (excluding trading) increased 3 basis points from the third quarter. Average earning assets increased $11.2 billion from the prior quarter, including a $6.0 billion increase as a result of the stronger U.S. dollar.

 

Reported and adjusted non-interest revenue increased $54 million or 3%, mainly due to significant increases in insurance income, partially offset by lower underwriting and advisory fees and trading revenues.

 

Net interest income and non-interest revenue are detailed in the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements.

 

Adjusted results in this Revenue section are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted Net Interest Margin on Average Earning Assets (teb)(i)      Table 4

—————————————————————————-

                                                                            

                                                          Fiscal-   Fiscal-

(In basis points)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

  Canadian P&C                    260      259      260       259       264

  U.S. P&C                        364      373      382       374       399

—————————————————————————-

Personal and Commercial                                                     

 Banking                          288      289      290       290       298

Wealth Management                 261      262      289       265       287

BMO Capital Markets                46       58       54        53        59

Corporate Services, including                                              

 T&O(ii)                           nm       nm       nm        nm        nm

—————————————————————————-

Total BMO adjusted net                                                     

 interest margin                  160      158      160       160       165

Total BMO adjusted net                                                     

 interest margin (excluding                                                

 trading)                         199      196      194       198       200

—————————————————————————-

Total BMO reported net                                                      

 interest margin                  160      158      169       160       179

Total BMO reported net                                                     

 interest margin (excluding                                                 

 trading)                         199      196      204       198       217

—————————————————————————

Total Canadian Retail                                                      

 (reported and adjusted)(iii)     258      257      260       258       263

============================================================================

(i)   Net interest margin is disclosed and computed with reference to      

      average earning assets, rather than total assets. This basis provides

      a more relevant measure of margins and changes in margins. Operating 

      group margins are stated on a taxable equivalent basis (teb) while   

      total BMO margin is stated on a GAAP basis.                           

(ii)  Corporate Services adjusted net interest income is negative in all   

      periods and its variability affects changes in net interest margin.  

(iii) Total Canadian retail margin represents the net interest margin of the

      combined Canadian businesses of Canadian P&C and Wealth Management.  

This table contains adjusted results and measures, which are Non-GAAP.     

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

nm – not meaningful                                                         

 

 

Provisions for Credit Losses

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

The total provision for credit losses (PCL) was $170 million, a decrease of $19 million from the prior year. Adjusted PCL increased by $30 million from the prior year, due to lower recoveries primarily on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio. There was no net change to the collective allowance in the quarter.

 

Canadian P&C provisions decreased by $33 million to $133 million due to lower provisions in the commercial portfolio. U.S. P&C provisions of $43 million decreased by $53 million due to lower new provisions in the consumer and commercial portfolios. BMO Capital Markets PCL recoveries of $7 million were lower by $10 million. Corporate Services adjusted provisions of $2 million increased by $108 million, due to lower recoveries primarily on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio and higher provisions on the purchased performing loan portfolio.

 

Q4 2014 vs Q3 2014

 

The reported and adjusted PCL increased by $40 million from the prior quarter mainly due to lower recoveries on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio and higher provisions on the purchased performing loan portfolio. There was no net change to the collective allowance in the quarter.

 

Canadian P&C provisions were consistent with the prior quarter. U.S. P&C provisions decreased by $9 million, largely due to lower new provisions. BMO Capital Markets PCL recoveries were $1 million higher than the prior quarter. Corporate Services adjusted recoveries decreased by $49 million mainly due to lower recoveries on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio and higher provisions on the purchased performing loan portfolio.

 

Adjusted results in this Provisions for Credit Losses section are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Provision for Credit Losses by Operating Group                       Table 5

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

                                                          Fiscal-   Fiscal-

(Canadian $ in millions)      Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

  Canadian P&C                    133      134      166       541       572

  U.S. P&C                         43       52       96       164       223

—————————————————————————-

Personal and Commercial                                                    

 Banking                          176      186      262       705       795

Wealth Management                  (1)      (3)       1        (3)        3

BMO Capital Markets                (7)      (6)     (17)      (18)      (36)

Corporate Services, including                                              

 T&O (1) (2)                        2      (47)    (106)     (123)     (405)

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted provision for credit                                              

 losses                           170      130      140       561       357

Purchased performing loans                                                 

 (1)                                -        -       49         -       240

Increase (decrease) in                                                      

 collective allowance               -        -        -         -       (10)

—————————————————————————-

Provision for credit losses       170      130      189       561       587

============================================================================

(1)  Effective Q1-2014, Corporate Services adjusted results include credit-

     related items in respect of the purchased performing loan portfolio.  

     Further details are provided in the Non-GAAP Measures section.        

(2)  Corporate Services results include purchased credit impaired loan     

     recoveries of $33 million in Q4-2014 ($20 million after tax); $57     

     million in Q3-2014 ($35 million after tax); $104 million in Q4-2013    

     ($64 million after tax); $252 million in fiscal 2014 ($155 million    

     after tax); and $410 million in fiscal 2013 ($253 million after tax). 

This table contains adjusted results and measures, which are Non-GAAP.     

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

                                                                           

                                                                           

—————————————————————————-

Changes to Provision for Credit Losses                               Table 6

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

New specific provisions           312      395      455     1,413     1,636

Reversals of previously                                                    

 established allowances           (50)     (83)     (64)     (228)     (267)

Recoveries of loans                                                        

 previously written-off           (92)    (182)    (202)     (624)     (772)

—————————————————————————-

Specific provision for credit                                              

 losses                           170      130      189       561       597

Increase (decrease) in                                                     

 collective allowance               -        -        -         -       (10)

—————————————————————————-

Provision for credit losses       170      130      189       561       587

—————————————————————————-

PCL as a % of average net                                                  

 loans and acceptances                                                     

 (annualized)                    0.23     0.18     0.27      0.19      0.22

============================================================================

 

 

Impaired Loans

 

Total gross impaired loans (GIL) were $2,048 million at the end of the current quarter, up from $1,975 million in the third quarter of 2014 and down from $2,544 million a year ago.

 

Factors contributing to the change in GIL are outlined in Table 7 below. Loans classified as impaired during the quarter totalled $534 million, up from $457 million in the third quarter of 2014 and down from $614 million a year ago.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Changes in Gross Impaired Loans (GIL) and Acceptances (1)            Table 7

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

GIL, beginning of period        1,975    2,325    2,650     2,544     2,976

Classified as impaired during                                              

 the period                       534      457      614     2,142     2,449

Transferred to not impaired                                                

 during the period               (128)    (142)    (164)     (668)     (728)

Net repayments                   (160)    (269)    (247)   (1,060)   (1,058)

Amounts written-off              (214)    (235)    (269)     (801)     (939)

Recoveries of loans and                                                    

 advances previously written-                                              

 off                                -        -        -         -         –

Disposals of loans                  -     (155)    (110)     (220)     (343)

Foreign exchange and other                                                 

 movements                         41       (6)      70       111       187

—————————————————————————-

GIL, end of period              2,048    1,975    2,544     2,048     2,544

—————————–        ——————-         ———–

                                                                           

                             ———————————————–

GIL as a % of gross loans and                                              

 acceptances                     0.67     0.67     0.91      0.67      0.91

============================================================================

(1)  GIL excludes purchased credit impaired loans.                         

 

 

Non-Interest Expense

 

Non-interest expense increased $307 million or 12% from the fourth quarter a year ago to $2,887 million. Adjusted non-interest expense increased $349 million or 14% to $2,834 million. Excluding the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar, adjusted non-interest expense increased by $286 million or 12%, primarily due to increased technology and support costs related to a changing business and regulatory environment, the impact of the F&C acquisition, higher employee-related expenses and costs related to the settlement of a legal matter. 

 

Non-interest expense increased $131 million or 5% relative to the third quarter. Adjusted non-interest expense increased $126 million or 5%. Excluding the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar, adjusted non-interest expense increased by $98 million or 4% primarily due to increased technology and support costs related to a changing business and regulatory environment, costs related to the settlement of a legal matter and higher marketing costs. 

 

Year-over-year operating leverage on a reported basis was negative 7.0% and adjusted operating leverage was negative 5.9%. Excluding the impact of the $191 million pre-tax security gain in the fourth quarter of 2013 and the impact of the stronger U.S. dollar, year-over-year adjusted operating leverage was positive 0.2%. The adjusted efficiency ratio of 65.3% for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased 340 basis points from a year ago primarily due to the impact of the security gain in Wealth Management in the prior year, and 110 basis points from the prior quarter due to lower revenue in BMO Capital Markets and the settlement of a legal matter in Wealth Management in the current year. The adjusted efficiency ratio excluding PBCAE(1 ) was 61.1%.

 

Non-interest expense is detailed in the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements. 

 

Adjusted results in this Non-Interest Expense section are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.

 

Income Taxes

 

The provision for income taxes of $213 million decreased $82 million from the fourth quarter of 2013 and increased $10 million from the third quarter of 2014. The effective tax rate for the quarter was 16.6%, compared with 21.6% a year ago and 15.3% in the third quarter of 2014.

 

The adjusted provision for income taxes of $225 million decreased $72 million from a year ago and increased $10 million from the third quarter of 2014. The adjusted effective tax rate was 16.8% in the current quarter, compared with 21.5% a year ago and 15.6% in the third quarter of 2014. The lower adjusted tax rate in the current quarter relative to the fourth quarter of 2013 was primarily due to a lower proportion of income from higher tax-rate jurisdictions. The higher adjusted tax rate in the current quarter relative to the third quarter of 2014 was primarily due to lower tax-exempt income.

 

Adjusted results in this Income Taxes section are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures. Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.

 

 

(1)  This ratio is calculated excluding insurance policyholder benefits,   

     claims and acquisition expenses (PBCAE).                              

 

 

Capital Management

 

Fourth Quarter 2014 Regulatory Capital Review

 

BMO’s Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) Ratio was 10.1% at October 31, 2014.

 

The CET1 Ratio increased by approximately 50 basis points from 9.6% at the end of the third quarter, 35 basis points of which was attributable to growth in CET1 capital and the remaining 15 basis points to a decrease in risk-weighted assets (RWA) from the previous quarter.

 

CET1 capital at October 31, 2014, was $22.4 billion, up $0.8 billion from the third quarter mainly due to retained earnings growth and accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) due to foreign exchange rate changes.

 

RWA of $222 billion at October 31, 2014, decreased by approximately $4 billion from the third quarter due primarily to changes in methodology, book quality including risk mitigation and lower market risk, partially offset by business growth and the impact of foreign exchange rate changes, which is largely hedged.

 

The bank’s Tier 1 and Total Capital Ratios were 12.0% and 14.3%, respectively, at October 31, 2014, compared with 11.4% and 13.3%, respectively, at July 31, 2014. These ratios increased from the prior quarter primarily due to the same factors that caused changes in the CET1 Ratio, described above. In addition, the increase in the Total Capital Ratio was partly attributable to the issuance of subordinated notes during the quarter, as described below.

 

BMO’s Assets-to-Capital Multiple (ACM) was 16.1 at October 31, 2014, down from 17.0 at July 31, 2014, primarily due to an increase in Total Capital during the quarter. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) has announced that the ACM will be discontinued in 2015 and will be replaced by the Basel III Leverage Ratio. OSFI has established a 3% minimum Basel III Leverage Ratio. Disclosure of the Basel III Leverage Ratio will commence in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. If the Basel III Leverage Ratio was in force at the end of Q4 2014, BMO would have a Leverage Ratio comfortably in excess of the 3% minimum requirement.

 

BMO’s investments in foreign operations are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars. The foreign exchange impact of U.S.-dollar-denominated RWA and U.S.-dollar-denominated capital deductions may result in variability in the bank’s capital ratios. BMO may enter into hedging arrangements to reduce the impact of foreign exchange movements on its capital ratios.

 

Pages 64 to 69 and pages 95 to 100 of BMO’s 2014 Annual MD&A provide disclosure on Enterprise-Wide Capital Management and Liquidity and Funding Risk, including regulatory requirements impacting capital and liquidity.

 

Other Capital Developments

 

On September 19, 2014, we completed our offering of Series H Medium-Term Notes, Tranche 1, our inaugural issuance of non-viability contingent capital (NVCC) subordinated notes. We issued the notes for aggregate proceeds of $1.0 billion.

 

During the quarter, BMO issued 2.7 million common shares through the Shareholder Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan (DRIP)and the exercise of stock options.

 

On December 2, 2014, BMO announced that the Board of Directors had declared a quarterly dividend on common shares of $0.80 per share, up $0.02 per share or 3% from the prior quarter and up $0.04 per share or 5% from a year ago. The dividend is payable on February 26, 2015 to shareholders of record on February 2, 2015.

 

On December 2, 2014, BMO announced its intention, subject to the approval of OSFI and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), to initiate a new normal course issuer bid (NCIB) for up to 15 million of its common shares, commencing on or about February 1, 2015, after the expiry of the current NCIB. Once approvals are obtained, the share repurchase program will permit BMO to purchase its common shares on the TSX for the purpose of cancellation. Maintaining a NCIB is part of BMO’s capital management strategy. The timing and amount of any purchases under the program are subject to regulatory approvals and to management discretion based on factors such as market conditions and capital adequacy.

 

On November 28, 2014, BMO announced its intention to redeem the $600 million of outstanding BMO Capital Trust Securities – Series D (BMO BOaTS – Series D) on December 31, 2014.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Qualifying Regulatory Capital and Risk-Weighted Assets (All-in (1))  Table 8

—————————————————————————-

                                                                            

(Canadian $ in millions)                  Q4-2014      Q3-2014      Q4-2013

————————————- ———— ———— ————

  Gross Common Equity (3)                  31,273       30,179       28,144

  Regulatory adjustments applied to                                        

   Common Equity                           (8,852)      (8,583)      (6,917)

————————————- ———— ———— ————

Common Equity Tier 1 Capital (CET1)        22,421       21,596       21,227

————————————- ———— ———— ————

  Additional Tier 1 Eligible Capital                                       

   (4)                                      4,539        4,542        3,781

  Regulatory adjustments applied to                                        

   Tier 1                                    (358)        (358)        (409)

————————————- ———— ———— ————

Additional Tier 1 Capital (AT1)             4,181        4,184        3,372

————————————- ———— ———— ————

Tier 1 Capital (T1 = CET1 + AT1)           26,602       25,780       24,599

————————————- ———— ———— ————

  Tier 2 Eligible Capital (5)               5,375        4,319        4,951

  Regulatory adjustments applied to                                        

   Tier 2                                     (50)         (50)         (50)

————————————- ———— ———— ————

Tier 2 Capital (T2)                         5,325        4,269        4,901

————————————- ———— ———— ————

Total Capital (TC = T1 + T2)               31,927       30,049       29,500

————————————- ———— ———— ————

                                                                            

Risk-weighted assets (6)                                                   

CET1 Capital risk-weighted assets         222,092      225,961      215,094

Tier 1 Capital risk-weighted assets       222,428      226,289           na

Total Capital risk-weighted assets        222,931      226,782           na

————————————- ———— ———— ————

                                                                            

Capital Ratios (%)                                                         

CET1 Ratio                                   10.1          9.6          9.9

Tier 1 Capital Ratio                         12.0         11.4         11.4

Total Capital Ratio                          14.3         13.3         13.7

============================================================================

(1)  “All-in” regulatory capital assumes that all Basel III regulatory     

     adjustments are applied effective January 1, 2013, and that the capital

     value of instruments which no longer qualify as regulatory capital    

     under Basel III rules will be phased out at a rate of 10% per year from

     January 1, 2013, and continuing to January 1, 2022.                   

(2)  Transitional regulatory capital assumes that all Basel III regulatory 

     capital adjustments are phased in from January 1, 2014, to January 1, 

     2018, and that the capital value of instruments that no longer qualify

     as regulatory capital under Basel III rules will be phased out at a   

     rate of 10% per year from January 1, 2013, and continuing to January 1,

     2022.                                                                  

(3)  Gross Common Equity includes issued qualifying common shares, retained

     earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income and eligible common  

     share capital issued by subsidiaries.                                  

(4)  Additional Tier 1 Eligible Capital includes directly and indirectly   

     issued qualifying Additional Tier 1 instruments and directly and      

     indirectly issued capital instruments, to the extent eligible, which   

     are subject to phase-out under Basel III.                             

(5)  Tier 2 Eligible Capital includes directly and indirectly issued       

     qualifying Tier 2 instruments and directly and indirectly issued      

     capital instruments, to the extent eligible, that are subject to phase-

     out under Basel III.                                                  

(6)  Due to the phased-in implementation of the Credit Valuation Adjustment

     (CVA) which commenced in Q1-2014, the scalars applied to the fully    

     implemented CVA charge for CET1, Tier 1 Capital and Total Capital were

     57%, 65% and 77% respectively, for Q3-2014, resulting in different RWA

     measures for each of the three tiers of regulatory capital. In Q1-2014

     and Q2-2014 the CVA scalar applied to all three tiers of capital was  

     57%.                                                                  

na – not applicable                                                        

 

 

Caution 

 

The foregoing Capital Management sections contain forward-looking statements. Please see the Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.

 

Eligible Dividends Designation

 

For the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any similar provincial and territorial legislation, BMO designates all dividends paid or deemed to be paid on both its common and preferred shares as “eligible dividends”, unless indicated otherwise.

 

Review of Operating Groups’ Performance

 

How BMO Reports Operating Group Results

 

The following sections review the financial results of each of our operating segments and operating groups for the fourth quarter of 2014. 

 

Periodically, certain business lines and units within the business lines are transferred between client and corporate support groups to more closely align BMO’s organizational structure with its strategic priorities. In addition, revenue and expense allocations are updated to more accurately align with current experience. Results for prior periods are restated to conform to the current presentation. 

 

Corporate Services results reflect certain items in respect of the purchased loan portfolio, including the recognition of a portion of the credit mark that is reflected in net interest income over the term of the purchased loans and provisions and recoveries of credit losses on the purchased portfolio. Amounts excluded from adjusted results in prior years included credit-related items in respect of the purchased performing loan portfolio, acquisition integration costs, restructuring costs and run-off structured credit activities.

 

Effective November 1, 2013, we adopted several new and amended accounting pronouncements issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which are outlined in Note 1 on page 128 of the audited annual consolidated financial statements in BMO’s 2014 Annual Report.

 

BMO analyzes revenue at the consolidated level based on GAAP revenue reflected in the consolidated financial statements rather than on a taxable equivalent basis (teb). Like many banks, we analyze revenue on a teb basis at the operating group level. This basis includes an adjustment that increases GAAP revenue and the GAAP provision for income taxes by an amount that would raise revenue on certain tax-exempt items to a level equivalent to amounts that would incur tax at the statutory rate. The offset to the group teb adjustments is reflected in Corporate Services revenue and income tax provisions. The teb adjustments for the fourth quarter of 2014 totalled $99 million, down from $154 million in the third quarter of 2014 and $89 million in the fourth quarter of 2013.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Personal and Commercial Banking (P&C)                                Table 9

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

Net interest income (teb)       1,861    1,835    1,743     7,260     6,853

Non-interest revenue              594      589      539     2,292     2,159

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue (teb)             2,455    2,424    2,282     9,552     9,012

Provision for credit losses       176      186      262       705       795

Non-interest expense            1,350    1,319    1,268     5,265     4,995

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes        929      919      752     3,582     3,222

Provision for income taxes                                                  

 (teb)                            237      234      192       920       829

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income               692      685      560     2,662     2,393

—————————————————————————-

  Amortization of                                                          

   acquisition-related                                                     

   intangible assets (1)           14       14       15        56        60

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted net income               706      699      575     2,718     2,453

============================================================================

                                                                           

Net income growth (%)            23.7      7.6     (2.0)     11.2       3.2

Revenue growth (%)                7.6      6.0      2.1       6.0       0.4

Non-interest expense growth                                                

 (%)                              6.5      4.2      2.0       5.4       0.8

Return on equity (%)             17.0     17.1     15.0      16.7      16.9

Adjusted return on equity (%)    17.4     17.5     15.4      17.0      17.3

Operating leverage (%) (teb)      1.1      1.8      0.1       0.6      (0.4)

Adjusted operating leverage                                                

 (%) (teb)                        0.8      1.5     (0.3)      0.3      (0.7)

Efficiency ratio (%) (teb)       55.0     54.4     55.6      55.1      55.4

Adjusted efficiency ratio (%)                                              

 (teb)                           54.2     53.7     54.6      54.3      54.5

Net interest margin on                                                     

 average earning assets (%)                                                

 (teb)                           2.88     2.89     2.90      2.90      2.98

Average earning assets        256,244  252,032  238,157   250,512   229,654

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                  253,688  249,501  236,682   248,178   227,500

Average deposits              195,847  189,852  179,274   189,903   174,557

============================================================================

(1)  Before tax amounts of: $18 million in Q4-2014; $19 million in Q3-2014;

     $22 million in Q4-2013; $76 million in fiscal 2014; and $87 million in

     fiscal 2013.                                                          

Adjusted results in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures.  

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

The Personal and Commercial Banking (P&C) operating group represents the sum of our two retail and business banking operating segments, Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking (Canadian P&C) and U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking (U.S. P&C). These operating segments are reviewed separately in the sections that follow.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking (Canadian P&C)             Table 10

—————————————————————————-

 

 

 

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

Net interest income             1,221    1,207    1,166     4,772     4,526

Non-interest revenue              452      453      400     1,723     1,580

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue                   1,673    1,660    1,566     6,495     6,106

Provision for credit losses       133      134      166       541       572

Non-interest expense              838      825      791     3,260     3,126

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes        702      701      609     2,694     2,408

Provision for income taxes        178      175      151       680       596

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income               524      526      458     2,014     1,812

—————————————————————————-

  Amortization of                                                          

   acquisition-related                                                      

   intangible assets (1)            2        2        3         8        10

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted net income               526      528      461     2,022     1,822

============================================================================

                                                                           

Personal revenue                1,104    1,081    1,031     4,271     4,032

Commercial revenue                569      579      535     2,224     2,074

Net income growth (%)            14.3      8.0      5.1      11.1       3.6

Revenue growth (%)                6.8      6.2      4.2       6.4       2.1

Non-interest expense growth                                                

 (%)                              6.1      4.1      1.7       4.3       2.7

Operating leverage (%)            0.7      2.1      2.5       2.1      (0.6)

Efficiency ratio (%)             50.1     49.7     50.5      50.2      51.2

Net interest margin on                                                     

 average earning assets (%)      2.60     2.59     2.60      2.59      2.64

Average earning assets        186,432  185,253  178,247   183,947   171,285

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                  190,955  189,616  182,523   188,330   175,079

Average deposits              128,536  125,702  118,015   124,930   113,912

============================================================================

(1)  Before tax amounts of: $2 million in Q4-2014; $3 million in Q3-2014; $3

     million in Q4-2013; $10 million in fiscal 2014; and $12 million in    

     fiscal 2013.                                                           

Adjusted results in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures.  

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

Canadian P&C net income of $524 million increased $66 million or 14% from a year ago. Revenue increased $107 million or 7% from the prior year due to strong balance and fee volume growth across most products. Net interest margin was 2.60%, consistent with the prior year. Operating leverage was 0.7% and our efficiency ratio was 50.1%, a 40 basis point improvement from the prior year. 

 

In the personal banking segment, revenue increased $73 million year over year due to the impact of higher balances and fee volumes. Total personal lending balances (excluding retail cards) increased 4% year over year. Personal deposit balances increased 10% mainly due to growth in term deposits. 

 

In the commercial banking segment, revenue increased $34 million due to the impact of higher balance and fee volumes. Commercial loan balances (excluding corporate cards) increased 8% year over year, while commercial deposit balances grew 7%.

 

Provisions for credit losses decreased $33 million or 20% due to lower provisions in the commercial portfolio. Non-interest expense increased $47 million or 6% mainly due to continued investment in the business and higher variable compensation consistent with annual business growth.

 

Average current loans and acceptances increased $8.4 billion or 5% from a year ago, and deposits increased $10.5 billion or 9%.

 

Q4 2014 vs Q3 2014

 

Net income decreased modestly by $2 million from the prior quarter due to higher expenses, partially offset by higher revenue. Revenue increased by $13 million or 1% due to higher personal revenue. Net interest margin increased 1 basis point.

 

Personal revenue increased $23 million mainly due to higher balance volumes and loan spread improvement. Commercial revenue decreased $10 million, as the prior quarter included a security gain.

 

Provisions for credit losses were consistent with the prior quarter. Non-interest expense increased $13 million or 2% mainly due to continued investment in the business and higher variable compensation consistent with annual business growth. 

 

Average current loans and acceptances increased $1.3 billion or 1% from the previous quarter, while deposits were $2.8 billion or 2% higher.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking (U.S. P&C)                     Table 11

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(US$ in millions, except as                               Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 noted)                       Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

Net interest income (teb)         576      581      554     2,275     2,274

Non-interest revenue              129      126      134       521       567

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue (teb)               705      707      688     2,796     2,841

Provision for credit losses        38       49       92       150       217

Non-interest expense              460      458      458     1,833     1,826

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes        207      200      138       813       798

Provision for income taxes                                                 

 (teb)                             55       53       40       221       228

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income               152      147       98       592       570

—————————————————————————-

  Amortization of                                                          

   acquisition-related                                                      

   intangible assets (1)           11       11       11        44        49

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted net income               163      158      109       636       619

============================================================================

                                                                           

Net income growth (%)            55.4      2.1    (28.7)      3.9         –

Adjusted net income growth                                                 

 (%)                             48.5      1.2    (28.2)      2.7      (2.2)

Revenue growth (%)                2.5      1.4     (7.1)     (1.6)     (4.9)

Non-interest expense growth                                                 

 (%)                              0.4      0.3     (2.7)      0.4      (4.4)

Adjusted non-interest expense                                              

 growth (%)                       1.2      1.0     (1.7)      1.1      (3.5)

Operating leverage (%) (teb)      2.1      1.1     (4.4)     (2.0)     (0.5)

Adjusted operating leverage                                                

 (%) (teb)                        1.3      0.4     (5.4)     (2.7)     (1.3)

Efficiency ratio (%) (teb)       65.3     64.7     66.7      65.6      64.3

Adjusted efficiency ratio (%)                                              

 (teb)                           63.2     62.6     64.1      63.4      61.7

Net interest margin on                                                     

 average earning assets (%)                                                

 (teb)                           3.64     3.73     3.82      3.74      3.99

Average earning assets         62,809   61,795   57,489    60,845    57,023

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                   56,442   55,415   51,969    54,706    51,356

Average deposits               60,559   59,361   58,780    59,403    59,257

============================================================================

                                                                           

(Canadian $ equivalent in                                                   

 millions)                                                                 

Net interest income (teb)         640      628      577     2,488     2,327

Non-interest revenue              142      136      139       569       579

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue (teb)               782      764      716     3,057     2,906

Provision for credit losses        43       52       96       164       223

Non-interest expense              512      494      477     2,005     1,869

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes        227      218      143       888       814

Provision for income taxes                                                  

 (teb)                             59       59       41       240       233

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income               168      159      102       648       581

Adjusted net income               180      171      114       696       631

Average earning assets         69,812   66,779   59,910    66,565    58,369

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                   62,733   59,885   54,159    59,848    52,421

Average deposits               67,311   64,150   61,259    64,973    60,645

============================================================================

(1)  Before tax amounts of: $15 million in Q4-2014; $15 million in Q3-2014;

     $18 million in Q4-2013; $61 million in fiscal 2014; and $74 million in

     fiscal 2013.                                                          

Adjusted results in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures.  

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013 (in U.S. $)

 

Net income of $152 million and adjusted net income of $163 million both increased $54 million from the fourth quarter a year ago.

 

Revenue of $705 million increased $17 million or 2.5% from the prior year due to strong commercial loan and deposit growth, partially offset by lower net interest margin. Net interest margin decreased by 18 basis points to 3.64%, primarily driven by a decline in loan spreads due to competitive pricing and changes in mix including loans growing faster than deposits.

 

Provisions for credit losses were $38 million, down $54 million due to lower new provisions in the consumer and commercial portfolios. Non-interest expense increased $2 million to $460 million. Adjusted non-interest expense increased $5 million or 1% to $445 million, primarily driven by higher employee-related costs. Operating leverage was 2.1% and adjusted operating leverage was 1.3%.

 

Average current loans and acceptances increased $4.5 billion or 9% year over year to $56.4 billion. The core C&I loan portfolio maintained strong double-digit growth, increasing $4.8 billion or 21% from a year ago to $28.5 billion. In addition, our indirect auto and commercial real estate portfolios reflected year over year growth of 8% and 18%, respectively. As expected, there were decreases in certain loan portfolios, including our mortgage and home equity loan portfolios. Average deposits of $60.6 billion increased $1.8 billion year over year. Growth in our commercial business and personal chequing balances of $3.9 billion or 13% was partially offset by a planned reduction in higher-cost time deposit balances, in addition to a transfer of certain customer balances to Wealth Management at the beginning of the current year.

 

Q4 2014 vs. Q3 2014 (in U.S. $)

 

Net income and adjusted net income increased $5 million or 3% from the prior quarter.

 

Revenue was relatively unchanged from the prior quarter as the benefits from higher commercial loan and deposit growth, commercial lending fees, and mortgage banking revenue were more than offset by a reduction in net interest margin. Net interest margin decreased by 9 basis points to 3.64% primarily driven by continued competitive pressure on loan spreads and portfolio mix.

 

Provisions for credit losses decreased by $11 million or 21%, largely due to lower new provisions. Non-interest expense and adjusted non-interest expense increased $2 million or 1%.

 

Average current loans and acceptances increased by $1 billion or 2% from the prior quarter, marking the 8th consecutive quarter of positive growth. The increase in the core C&I loan portfolio of $1.4 billion or 5% was partly offset by declines in our retail portfolio. Average deposits grew $1.2 billion or 2%, as growth in commercial and personal chequing balances of $1.6 billion or 6% was partially offset by planned declines in higher-cost time deposit balances.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Wealth Management                                                   Table 12

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-    Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014   Q4-2013     2014       2013

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

Net interest income               144      141       145      560        558

Non-interest revenue              956      847       895    3,273      2,890

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue                   1,100      988     1,040    3,833      3,448

Provision for (recovery of)                                                

 credit losses                     (1)      (3)        1       (3)         3

Non-interest expense              815      745       602    2,834      2,347

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes        286      246       437    1,002      1,098

Provision for income taxes         60       56       126      217        268

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income               226      190       311      785        830

—————————————————————————-

  Acquisition integration                                                   

   costs (1)                        9        7         -       16          -

  Amortization of                                                          

   acquisition-related                                                      

   intangible assets (2)           18       15         7       47         27

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted net income               253      212       318      848        857

============================================================================

                                                                           

Net income growth (%)           (27.5)   (11.8)     90.0     (5.4)      57.4

Adjusted net income growth                                                 

 (%)                            (20.8)    (4.4)     88.2     (1.0)      56.4

Revenue growth (%)                5.8     13.9      32.7     11.2       18.9

Non-interest expense growth                                                 

 (%)                             35.2     27.2       7.4     20.8        6.0

Adjusted non-interest expense                                              

 growth (%)                      31.7     24.1       7.1     19.1        5.7

Return on equity (%)             17.5     14.8      41.1     18.6       28.5

Adjusted return on equity (%)    19.5     16.6      42.0     20.1       29.4

Operating leverage (%)          (29.4)   (13.3)     25.3     (9.6)      12.9

Adjusted operating leverage                                                

 (%)                            (25.9)   (10.2)     25.6     (7.9)      13.2

Efficiency ratio (%)             74.1     75.5      57.9     73.9       68.1

Adjusted efficiency ratio (%)    71.0     72.5      57.1     71.8       67.0

Net interest margin on                                                     

 average earning assets (%)      2.61     2.62      2.89     2.65       2.87

Average earning assets         21,985   21,373    19,819   21,169     19,399

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                   13,250   12,971    12,291   12,897     11,909

Average deposits               25,217   24,458    24,362   24,912     23,337

—————————————————————————-

U.S. Select Financial Data                                                 

 (US$ in millions)                                                         

Total revenue                     181      185       359      720        886

Non-interest expense              196      157       147      658        585

Reported net income                (7)      24       136       53        199

Adjusted net income                (2)      29       141       73        220

Average earning assets          3,126    3,081     2,818    3,028      2,687

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                    2,707    2,687     2,571    2,629      2,510

Average deposits                6,092    5,708     4,911    5,834      4,947

============================================================================

(1)  Related to F&C; included in non-interest expense and consisted of the 

     following amounts before taxes: $11 million in Q4-2014; $9 million in 

     Q3-2014; and $20 million in fiscal 2014.                              

(2)  Before tax amounts of: $23 million in Q4-2014; $20 million in Q3-2014;

     $9 million in Q4-2013; $62 million in fiscal 2014; and $36 million in 

     fiscal 2013.                                                          

Adjusted results in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures.  

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

Net income was $226 million. Adjusted net income was $253 million compared to $318 million a year ago. The prior year included a $121 million after-tax security gain. On a basis that excludes the security gain, adjusted net income increased $56 million or 28%. On this basis, adjusted net income in traditional wealth of $136 million increased $8 million or 6% with good organic growth as well as growth from the acquired F&C business, offset by higher than run-rate expenses including $23 million (after tax) related to the settlement of a legal matter. Adjusted net income in insurance was $117 million, up $48 million or 68% from a year ago. The increase in insurance was primarily due to the $44 million (after tax) net beneficial impact of changes in the approach to calculating the ultimate reinvestment rate less the impact of annual actuarial assumption changes. There was continued growth in both the underlying creditor and life insurance businesses. F&C contributed approximately 8% to Wealth Management revenue, adjusted expenses and adjusted net income for the quarter.

 

Revenue was $1,100 million, up $60 million or 6% from a year ago. Revenue in traditional wealth of $920 million decreased $11 million or 1%. Revenue was up $180 million or 25% due to the impact from the acquired F&C business and higher fee-based revenue from strong growth in client assets, on a basis that excludes the security gain in the prior year. Insurance revenue was $180 million, up $71 million or 64% reflecting the net benefits from actuarial methodology and assumption changes. There was continued growth in both the underlying creditor and life insurance businesses. The stronger U.S. dollar increased revenue by $13 million.

 

Non-interest expense was $815 million, up $213 million or 35% from a year ago. Adjusted non-interest expense was $781 million, up $188 million or 32% mainly due to the impact of the F&C acquisition, higher revenue-based costs and the settlement of a legal matter. The stronger U.S. dollar increased adjusted expenses by $13 million.

 

Assets under management and administration grew by $242 billion or 44% from a year ago to $794 billion, with the acquired F&C business contributing $150 billion to the increase. Excluding F&C, assets under management and administration grew by 17%, driven by market appreciation, the stronger U.S. dollar and growth in new client assets.

 

Q4 2014 vs Q3 2014

 

Net income increased $36 million or 18% and adjusted net income increased $41 million or 18% from last quarter. Adjusted net income in traditional wealth decreased $28 million or 18% as revenue growth was more than offset by higher than run-rate expenses in part due to the settlement of a legal matter. Adjusted net income in insurance increased $69 million or 142% due to the factors mentioned above. There was continued growth in both the underlying creditor and life insurance businesses.

 

Revenue increased $112 million or 11% from last quarter. Revenue in traditional wealth increased $15 million or 2%, reflecting higher fee-based revenue from growth in client assets. Insurance revenue increased $97 million or 117% reflecting the factors mentioned above. The stronger U.S. dollar increased revenue by $6 million.

 

Non-interest expense increased $70 million or 9% from last quarter. Adjusted non-interest expense increased $65 million or 9% mainly due to higher than run-rate expenses including the settlement of a legal matter and marketing expenses. The stronger U.S. dollar increased adjusted expenses by $6 million.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

BMO Capital Markets                                                 Table 13

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

                                                                            

Net interest income (teb)         262      328      279     1,179     1,202

Non-interest revenue              549      658      518     2,545     2,190

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue (teb)               811      986      797     3,724     3,392

Provision for (recovery of)                                                

 credit losses                     (7)      (6)     (17)      (18)      (36)

Non-interest expense              574      589      526     2,353     2,084

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes        244      403      288     1,389     1,344

Provision for income taxes                                                 

 (teb)                             53       97       71       310       300

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income               191      306      217     1,079     1,044

—————————————————————————-

  Amortization of                                                          

   acquisition-related                                                     

   intangible assets (1)            -        -        -         1         2

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted net income               191      306      217     1,080     1,046

============================================================================

                                                                           

Trading Products revenue          469      596      482     2,254     2,125

Investment and Corporate                                                    

 Banking revenue                  342      390      315     1,470     1,267

Net income growth (%)           (11.9)    13.9    (29.3)      3.3       6.0

Revenue growth (%)                1.9     14.5    (10.9)      9.8       4.4

Non-interest expense growth                                                

 (%)                              9.0     12.8     (0.4)     12.9       5.0

Return on equity (%)             14.3     22.4     15.0      19.2      18.0

Operating leverage (%) (teb)     (7.1)     1.7    (10.5)     (3.1)     (0.6)

Efficiency ratio (%) (teb)       70.7     59.8     66.1      63.2      61.4

Net interest margin on                                                     

 average earning assets (%)                                                 

 (teb)                           0.46     0.58     0.54      0.53      0.59

Average earning assets        226,757  223,886  204,881   223,677   202,960

Average assets                264,717  258,916  240,268   260,962   247,609

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                   31,091   31,154   25,659    30,125    24,874

Average deposits              133,368  133,538  125,514   133,839   121,881

—————————————————————————-

U.S. Select Financial Data                                                 

 (US$ in millions)                                                         

Total revenue (teb)               263      284      278     1,190     1,069

Non-interest expense              216      231      210       900       834

Reported net income                37       45       60       233       216

Average earning assets         81,738   84,439   75,721    81,060    77,860

Average assets                 90,344   93,263   86,882    90,574    93,919

Average current loans and                                                  

 acceptances                    9,601   10,033    8,230     9,559     8,567

Average deposits               57,660   58,911   59,184    58,151    60,788

============================================================================

(1)  Before tax amounts of: $1 million in Q4-2014; $nil million in Q3-2014;

     $nil million in Q4-2013; $2 million in fiscal 2014; and $2 million in 

     fiscal 2013.                                                          

Adjusted results in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures.  

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

Net income of $191 million decreased $26 million or 12% from a year ago as higher revenue was more than offset by higher expenses and lower loan recoveries.

 

Revenue increased $14 million or 2% year over year. There were higher corporate banking revenue, higher equity underwriting fees as well as increased net securities gains in Investment and Corporate Banking. In Trading Products, improved equity and foreign exchange trading was more than offset by lower interest rate trading due to less favourable market conditions and lower client activity, as well as a charge from a funding valuation adjustment implemented in the quarter which reduced revenue by $39 million. The stronger U.S. dollar increased revenue by $18 million or 2%.

 

Recoveries of credit losses were lower by $10 million. Non-interest expense increased $48 million or 9% due to higher employee-related expenses and increased support costs, driven by a changing business and regulatory environment. The stronger U.S. dollar increased expense by $15 million or 3%.

 

Q4 2014 vs Q3 2014

 

Net income decreased $115 million or 37% from the previous quarter which reflected strong quarterly results.

 

Revenue decreased $175 million or 18% as the third quarter benefited from very strong revenue performance in both the Investment and Corporate Banking and Trading Products businesses. There were lower investment banking fees and trading revenues in both interest rate and equity trading due to less favourable market conditions and lower client activity, as well as the negative impact from the funding valuation adjustment.

 

Recoveries of credit losses were $1 million higher than the prior quarter. Non-interest expense decreased $15 million or 3% from the previous quarter due to lower employee-related expenses.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Corporate Services, Including Technology and Operations             Table 14

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

Net interest income before                                                 

 group teb offset                  10      (43)      39       (62)      408

Group teb offset                  (99)    (154)     (89)     (476)     (344)

—————————————————————————-

Net interest income (teb)         (89)    (197)     (50)     (538)       64

Non-interest revenue               63       14       69       147       147

—————————————————————————-

Total revenue (teb)               (26)    (183)      19      (391)      211

Provision for (recovery) of                                                

 credit losses                      2      (47)     (57)     (123)     (175)

Non-interest expense              148      103      184       469       800

—————————————————————————-

Loss before income taxes         (176)    (239)    (108)     (737)     (414)

Recovery of income taxes                                                    

 (teb)                           (137)    (184)     (94)     (544)     (342)

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income (loss)        (39)     (55)     (14)     (193)      (72)

============================================================================

Adjusted Results                                                           

Adjusted net interest income                                               

 before group teb offset           10      (43)     (78)      (62)     (249)

Group teb offset                  (99)    (154)     (89)     (476)     (344)

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted net interest income                                                

 (teb)                            (89)    (197)    (167)     (538)     (593)

Adjusted non-interest revenue      63       14       58       147       113

—————————————————————————-

Adjusted total revenue (teb)      (26)    (183)    (109)     (391)     (480)

Adjusted provision for                                                     

 (recovery) of credit losses        2      (47)    (106)     (123)     (405)

Adjusted non-interest expense     148      103      120       469       454

Adjusted net loss                 (39)     (55)     (22)     (193)     (133)

—————————————————————————-

Corporate Services Recovery                                                 

 of Credit Losses                                                          

Impaired real estate loans          2        8      (14)       21       (43)

Interest on impaired loans          3        5       12        26        48

Purchased credit impaired                                                  

 loans                            (33)     (57)    (104)     (252)     (410)

Purchased performing loans                                                 

 (1)                               30       (3)       -        82         –

—————————————————————————-

Provision for (recovery) of                                                

 credit losses, adjusted                                                    

 basis                              2      (47)    (106)     (123)     (405)

Increase (decrease) in                                                     

 collective allowance               -        -        -         -       (10)

Purchased performing loans                                                 

 (1)                                -        -       49         -       240

—————————————————————————-

Provision for (recovery) of                                                

 credit losses, reported                                                   

 basis                              2      (47)     (57)     (123)     (175)

—————————————————————————-

Average loans and acceptances     356      402      669       452       972

Period-end loans and                                                       

 acceptances                      306      359      526       306       526

—————————————————————————-

U.S. Select Financial Data                                                 

 (US$ in millions)                                                          

Total revenue (teb)               (79)     (63)      28      (183)      315

Recovery of credit losses         (23)     (26)     (95)     (120)     (256)

Non-interest expense               40       44      110       146       420

Provision for (recovery of)                                                

 income taxes (teb)               (44)     (29)      (7)     (103)       38

—————————————————————————-

Reported net income (loss)        (52)     (52)      20      (106)      113

Adjusted total revenue (teb)      (79)     (63)     (66)     (183)     (313)

Adjusted provision for                                                     

 (recovery) of credit losses        2      (44)    (102)     (117)     (398)

Adjusted non-interest expense      40       44       52       146       163

Adjusted net income (loss)        (66)     (39)       2      (105)      (28)

============================================================================

(1)  Effective Q1-2014, Corporate Services adjusted results include credit-

     related items in respect of the purchased performing loan portfolio.  

     Further details are provided in the Non-GAAP Measures section.        

Adjusted results in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP measures.  

Please see the Non-GAAP Measures section.                                  

 

 

Corporate Services

 

Corporate Services consists of Corporate Units and Technology and Operations (T&O). Corporate Units provide enterprise-wide expertise and governance support in a variety of areas, including strategic planning, risk management, finance, legal and compliance, marketing, communications and human resources. T&O manages, maintains and provides governance over information technology, operations services, real estate and sourcing for BMO Financial Group.

 

The costs of these Corporate Units and T&O services are largely transferred to the three client operating groups (P&C, Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets), and only relatively minor amounts are retained in Corporate Services results. As such, Corporate Services adjusted operating results largely reflect the impact of certain asset-liability management activities, the elimination of taxable equivalent adjustments, the results from certain impaired real estate secured assets and purchased loan accounting impacts. Corporate Services reported results in prior years reflected a number of items and activities that were excluded from BMO’s adjusted results to help assess BMO’s performance. These adjusting items were not reflective of core operating results. They are itemized in the Non-GAAP Measure section.

 

Financial Performance Review

 

Q4 2014 vs Q4 2013

 

Corporate Services reported and adjusted net loss for the fourth quarter was $39 million, compared with a reported net loss of $14 million and an adjusted net loss of $22 million a year ago. Adjusted results were lower due to lower recoveries primarily on the purchased credit impaired loan portfolio and higher expenses, partially offset by above trend revenue due to improved net interest income and purchased performing loan revenue.

 

Q4 2014 vs. Q3 2014

 

Corporate Services reported and adjusted net loss for the fourth quarter was $39 million, compared with a reported and adjusted net loss of $55 million in the third quarter of 2014. Results were above trend due to increased net interest income and hedge gains partially offset by higher technology and regulatory expenses and lower credit recoveries.

 

Non-GAAP Measures

 

Results and measures in this Financial Review are presented on a GAAP basis. They are also presented on an adjusted basis that excludes the impact of certain items as set out in Table 16 below. Management assesses performance on a reported basis and on an adjusted basis and considers both to be useful in assessing underlying ongoing business performance. Presenting results on both bases provides readers with a better understanding of how management assesses results. It also permits readers to assess the impact of certain specified items on results for the periods presented and to better assess results excluding those items if they consider the items to not be reflective of ongoing results. As such, the presentation may facilitate readers’ analysis of trends, as well as comparisons with our competitors. Adjusted results and measures are non-GAAP and as such do not have standardized meaning under GAAP. They are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies and should not be viewed in isolation from or as a substitute for GAAP results. 

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Non-GAAP Measures                                                   Table 15

—————————————————————————-

                                                                            

(Canadian $ in millions,                                  Fiscal-   Fiscal-

 except as noted)             Q4-2014  Q3-2014  Q4-2013      2014      2013

—————————————————————————-

Reported Results                                                           

Revenue                         4,340    4,215    4,138    16,718    16,063

Provision for credit losses      (170)    (130)    (189)     (561)     (587)

Non-interest expense           (2,887)  (2,756)  (2,580)  (10,921)  (10,226)

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes      1,283    1,329    1,369     5,236     5,250

Provision for income taxes       (213)    (203)    (295)     (903)   (1,055)

—————————————————————————-

Net Income                      1,070    1,126    1,074     4,333     4,195

EPS ($)                          1.56     1.67     1.60      6.41      6.17

============================================================================

Adjusting Items (Pre-tax) (1)                                              

Credit-related items on the                                                 

 purchased performing loan                                                 

 portfolio (see below (i))          -        -       49         -       406

Acquisition integration costs                                              

 (2)                              (11)      (9)     (60)      (20)     (251)

Amortization of acquisition-                                               

 related intangible assets                                                 

 (3)                              (42)     (39)     (31)     (140)     (125)

Decrease in the collective                                                 

 allowance for credit losses                                               

 (4)                                -        -        -         -         2

Run-off structured credit                                                  

 activities (5)                     -        -       26         -        40

Restructuring costs (6)             -        -        -         -       (82)

—————————————————————————-

Adjusting items included in                                                

 reported pre-tax income          (53)     (48)     (16)     (160)      (10)

============================================================================

Adjusting Items (After tax)                                                

 (1)                                                                        

Credit-related items on the                                                

 purchased performing loan                                                 

 portfolio (see below (i))          -        -       30         -       250

Acquisition integration costs                                              

 (2)                               (9)      (7)     (37)      (16)     (155)

Amortization of acquisition-                                               

 related intangible assets                                                  

 (3)                              (32)     (29)     (22)     (104)      (89)

Increase in the collective                                                 

 allowance for credit losses                                                

 (4)                                -        -       (5)        -        (9)

Run-off structured credit                                                  

 activities (5)                     -        -       20         -        34

Restructuring costs (6)             -        -        -         -       (59)

—————————————————————————-

Adjusting items included in                                                

 reported net income after                                                  

 tax                              (41)     (36)     (14)     (120)      (28)

Impact on EPS ($)               (0.07)   (0.06)   (0.02)    (0.18)    (0.04)

============================================================================

Adjusted Results                                                           

Revenue                         4,340    4,215    4,010    16,718    15,372

Provision for credit losses      (170)    (130)    (140)     (561)     (357)

Non-interest expense           (2,834)  (2,708)  (2,485)  (10,761)   (9,755)

—————————————————————————-

Income before income taxes      1,336    1,377    1,385     5,396     5,260

Provision for income taxes       (225)    (215)    (297)     (943)   (1,037)

—————————————————————————-

Net income                      1,111    1,162    1,088     4,453     4,223

EPS ($)                          1.63     1.73     1.62      6.59      6.21

============================================================================

(i)Credit-related items on                                                 

 the purchased performing                                                  

 loan portfolio are comprised                                              

 of the following amounts                                                  

 (7):                                                                       

Revenue (8)                         -        -       98         -       638

Provision for credit losses         -        -      (49)        -      (232)

—————————————————————————-

Increase in pre-tax income          -        -       49         -       406

Provision for income taxes          -        -      (19)        -      (156)

—————————————————————————-

Increase in reported net                                                   

 income after tax                   -        -       30         -       250

============================================================================

Adjusted results and measures in this table are non-GAAP amounts or non-GAAP

measures.                                                                  

                                                                           

(1)  Adjusting items in 2013 are included in Corporate Services with the   

     exception of the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets,

     which is charged to the operating groups. Acquisition integration costs

     in 2014 related to F&C are charged to Wealth Management.              

(2)  Acquisition integration costs are included in non-interest expense.   

(3)  These expenses were charged to the non-interest expense of the        

     operating groups. Before and after-tax amounts for each operating group

     are provided on pages 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.                          

(4)  In 2014, changes to the collective allowance include the impact of    

     changes in the purchased performing portfolio. In 2013, the impact of  

     the purchase performing portfolio on the collective allowance is      

     reflected in credit-related items.                                    

(5)  Primarily comprised of valuation changes associated with these        

     activities that are mainly included in trading revenue in non-interest

     revenue.                                                              

(6)  Restructuring charge to align our cost structure with the current and 

     future business environment as part of a broader effort to improve    

     productivity.                                                         

(7)  Effective the first quarter of 2014, Corporate Services adjusted      

     results include credit-related items in respect of the purchased       

     performing portfolio, including $44 million of revenue in Q4-2014 ($47

     million in Q3-2014 and $238 million in Fiscal-2014) and $30 million of

     specific provisions on purchased performing loans in Q4-2014          

     (recoveries of $3 million in Q3-2014 and specific provisions of $82   

     million in Fiscal-2014)                                               

(8)  Recognition in net interest income of a portion of the credit mark on 

     the purchased performing loan portfolio.                               

 

 

Risk Management

 

Market Risk

 

Trading, Underwriting and Non-Trading (Structural) Market Risk

 

Total Trading Value at Risk (VaR) declined over the period mainly due to reduced equity exposures. There was a partially offsetting decline in overall diversification. The available-for-sale (AFS) VaR declined as a result of position reductions in a number of portfolios and from the impact of parameter recalibrations. Total Trading Stressed VaR trended lower mainly due to lower overall exposures offset with partially reduced diversification, broadly reflecting changes in Trading VaR over the quarter.

 

There were no significant changes in our structural market risk management practices during the quarter. Structural economic value exposure to rising interest rates primarily reflects a lower market value for fixed-rate loans. Structural earnings exposure to falling interest rates primarily reflects the risk of prime-based loans repricing at lower rates. Economic value sensitivities increased primarily owing to growth in capital and reduced short term asset sensitivity. Earnings sensitivities remained largely unchanged over the quarter.

 

BMO’s market risk management practices and key measures are outlined on pages 91 to 95 of BMO’s 2014 annual MD&A.

 

 

—————————————————————————-

Total Trading Value at Risk (VaR) Summary ($ in millions)(i) (ii)   Table 16

—————————————————————————-

                                                                           

                                                            As at     As at

                      For the quarter ended October 31,  July 31,   October

                                     2014                    2014  31, 2013

                      ———————————- ——— ———

(Pre-tax Canadian      Quarter-                          Quarter-  Quarter-

 equivalent)                end Average    High     Low       end       end

——————————————————– ——— ———

Commodity VaR              (0.5)   (0.5)   (0.7)   (0.4)     (0.6)     (0.4)

Equity VaR                 (3.2)   (4.3)   (6.6)   (3.1)     (6.0)     (6.1)

Foreign exchange VaR       (0.5)   (0.6)   (1.3)   (0.1)     (0.2)     (0.5)

Interest rate VaR          (5.8)   (5.3)   (7.5)   (4.1)     (6.6)     (4.6)

Credit VaR                 (5.5)   (4.7)   (5.5)   (4.5)     (4.8)     (5.0)

Diversification             7.4     7.7      nm      nm       9.2       7.5

—————————————-                 ——— ———

Total Trading VaR          (8.1)   (7.7)   (9.0)   (6.5)     (9.0)     (9.1)

—————————————————————————-

Total AFS VaR              (7.9)   (8.6)   (9.3)   (7.7)     (9.5)    (10.1)

============================================================================

(i)     Total Trading VaR and AFS VaR above are subject to BMO Capital     

        Markets trading management framework.                              

(ii)    One-day measure using a 99% confidence interval. Losses are in     

        brackets and benefits are presented as positive numbers.           

nm – not meaningful                                                        

                                                                            

                                                                           

—————————————————————————-

Total Trading Stressed Value at Risk (SVaR) Summary                         

($ in millions)(i) (ii)                                             Table 17

—————————————————————————-

                                                            As at     As at

                      For the quarter ended October 31,  July 31,   October

                                     2014                    2014  31, 2013

                      ———————————- ——— ———

(Pre-tax Canadian      Quarter-                          Quarter-  Quarter-

 equivalent)                end Average    High     Low       end       end

——————————————————– ——— ———

Commodity SVaR             (3.2)   (2.8)   (4.3)   (1.9)     (3.3)     (4.7)

Equity SVaR               (14.0)   (8.7)  (14.0)   (6.1)    (13.4)     (9.8)

Foreign exchange SVaR      (0.7)   (1.5)   (4.6)   (0.2)     (0.2)     (0.8)

Interest rate SVaR        (11.2)  (13.1)  (21.4)  (10.1)    (14.2)     (9.5)

Credit SVaR               (13.6)  (13.5)  (17.5)  (12.6)    (13.0)    (11.0)

Diversification            20.6    22.6      nm      nm      25.6      19.9

—————————————-                 ——— ———

Total Trading SVaR        (22.1)  (17.0)  (22.1)  (12.2)    (18.5)    (15.9)

============================================================================

(i)     Stressed VaR is produced weekly.                                   

(ii)    One-day measure using a 99% confidence interval. Losses are in     

        brackets and benefits are presented as positive numbers.           

nm – not meaningful                                                        

                                                                           

                                                                            

—————————————————————————-

Structural Balance Sheet Earnings and Value Sensitivity to Changes         

in Interest Rates ($ in millions)(i) (ii)                           Table 18

—————————————————————————-

                                                  Earnings sensitivity over

                    Economic value sensitivity    the next 12 months (After

                            (Pre-tax)                       tax)           

                  —————————— —————————

(Canadian           October  July 31,   October   October July 31,  October

 equivalent)       31, 2014      2014  31, 2013  31, 2014     2014 31, 2013

———————————————— —————————

100 basis point                                                            

 increase            (715.1)   (629.8)   (503.1)     64.7     59.3     95.4

100 basis point                                                            

 decrease             405.2     340.7     340.1     (62.6)   (50.7)   (90.8)

                                                                            

200 basis point                                                            

 increase          (1,579.4) (1,404.6) (1,078.8)     85.8     77.9    158.1

200 basis point                                                            

 decrease             320.5     222.2     442.7     (68.1)   (54.9)  (113.7)

============================================================================

(i)     Losses are in brackets and benefits are presented as positive      

        numbers.                                                            

(ii)    For BMO’s Insurance businesses, a 100 basis point increase in      

        interest rates at October 31, 2014, results in an increase in      

        earnings after tax of $71 million and an increase in economic value

        before tax of $385 million ($68 million and $414 million,          

        respectively, at July 31, 2014; $81 million and $335 million,      

        respectively, at October 31, 2013). A 100 basis point decrease in  

        interest rates at October 31, 2014, results in a decrease in       

        earnings after tax of $63 million and a decrease in economic value 

        before tax of $414 million ($59 million and $489 million,          

        respectively, at July 31, 2014; $66 million and $399 million,      

        respectively, at October 31, 2013). These impacts are not reflected

        in the table above.                                                

 

 

Our liquidity and funding, collateral management, insurance risk, information and cybersecurity, real estate secured lending, derivative transactions, and management practices and key measures are outlined in the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management section on pages 77 to 105 of BMO’s 2014 annual MD&A.

 

INVESTOR AND MEDIA PRESENTATION

 

Investor Presentation Materials

 

Interested parties are invited to visit our website at www.bmo.com/investorrelations to review our 2014 annual MD&A and audited annual consolidated financial statements, this quarterly news release, presentation materials and supplementary financial information package online.

 

Quarterly Conference Call and Webcast Presentations

 

Interested parties are also invited to listen to our quarterly conference call on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. (EST). At that time, senior BMO executives will comment on results for the quarter and respond to questions from the investor community. The call may be accessed by telephone at 416-695-9753 (from within Toronto) or 1-888-789-0089 (toll-free outside Toronto). A replay of the conference call can be accessed until Monday, February 23, 2015, by calling 905-694-9451 (from within Toronto) or 1-800-408-3053 (toll-free outside Toronto) and entering passcode 6766952.

 

A live webcast of the call can be accessed on our website at www.bmo.com/investorrelations. A replay can also be accessed on the site.

 

 

Media Relations Contacts                                                   

Ralph Marranca, Toronto, ralph.marranca@bmo.com, 416-867-3996              

Ronald Monet, Montreal, ronald.monet@bmo.com, 514-877-1873                  

                                                                           

Investor Relations Contacts                                                

Sharon Haward-Laird, Head, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations,

sharon.hawardlaird@bmo.com, 416-867-6656                                   

Andrew Chin, Director, Investor Relations, andrew.chin@bmo.com, 416-867-7019

                                                                           

Chief Financial Officer                                                     

Tom Flynn, Chief Financial Officer, tom.flynn@bmo.com, 416-867-4689        

                                                                           

Corporate Secretary                                                         

Barbara Muir, Corporate Secretary, corp.secretary@bmo.com, 416-867-6423    

                                                                           

—————————————————————————-

                                                                            

Shareholder Dividend Reinvestment and  For other shareholder information,  

Share Purchase                         including the notice for our normal 

Plan (the Plan)                        course issuer bid, please contact   

Average market price as defined under  Bank of Montreal                    

the Plan                               Shareholder Services                

August 2014 $82.38 ($80.73(i))         Corporate Secretary’s Department    

September 2014  $82.91                 One First Canadian Place, 21st Floor

October 2014 $81.83                    Toronto, Ontario M5X 1A1            

(i)reflects 2% discount for dividend   Telephone: (416) 867-6785           

reinvestment.                          Fax: (416) 867-6793                 

                                       E-mail: corp.secretary@bmo.com      

For dividend information, change in                                        

shareholder address                    For further information on this     

or to advise of duplicate mailings,    report, please contact              

please contact                         Bank of Montreal                    

Computershare Trust Company of Canada  Investor Relations Department       

100 University Avenue, 9th Floor       P.O. Box 1, One First Canadian Place,

Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Y1               18th Floor                          

Telephone: 1-800-340-5021 (Canada and  Toronto, Ontario M5X 1A1            

the United States)                                                         

Telephone: (514) 982-7800              To review financial results online, 

(international)                        please visit our website at         

Fax: 1-888-453-0330 (Canada and the    www.bmo.com. To review regulatory   

United States)                         filings and disclosures online,     

Fax: (416) 263-9394 (international)    please visit our website at         

E-mail: service@computershare.com      www.bmo.com/investorrelations.      

—————————————————————————-

 

 

Our 2014 annual MD&A, audited annual consolidated financial statements and annual report on Form 40-F (filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) are available online at www.bmo.com/investorrelations and at www.sedar.com. Printed copies of the Bank’s complete 2014 audited financial statements are available free of charge upon request at 416-867-6785 or corp.secretary@bmo.com.

 

(R) Registered trademark of Bank of Montreal

 

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

 

Media Relations Contacts

Ralph Marranca, Toronto

ralph.marranca@bmo.com

416-867-3996

 

OR

 

Ronald Monet, Montreal

ronald.monet@bmo.com

514-877-1873

 

OR

 

Investor Relations Contacts

Sharon Haward-Laird

Head, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations

sharon.hawardlaird@bmo.com

416-867-6656

 

OR

 

Andrew Chin

Director, Investor Relations

andrew.chin@bmo.com

416-867-7019

 

OR

 

Chief Financial Officer

Tom Flynn

tom.flynn@bmo.com

416-867-4689

 

OR

 

Corporate Secretary

Barbara Muir

corp.secretary@bmo.com

416-867-6423

 

Source: BMO Financial Group via Marketwired

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