News Releases

Make M&I's Annual Holiday Display Part of Your Holiday Tradition 
Hunger Task Force to Benefit from New Charitable Donation

MILWAUKEE, December 1, 2011 – M&I, a part of BMO Financial Group, is pleased to announce this year’s Holiday Display, It’s Toy Time at the North Pole, will feature M&I’s collection of more than 150 life-sized costumed animals including lions, kangaroos, penguins, monkeys, bears, and much more. This year, the animals will be dressed as North Pole toy makers and will be seen crafting toys and wrapping presents. The display is free and open to the public.

In addition, for each visitor, M&I, now BMO Harris Bank, will contribute $5 to Hunger Task Force to help in their efforts to prevent hunger and malnutrition by providing food to people in need today and promoting social policies to achieve a hunger free community tomorrow.

“Visiting the Holiday Display has become a tradition for many families so we wanted to enhance the overall experience by letting those who attend know that their visit will directly help those in need of food and nutrition,” said Brad Chapin, Executive Vice President, Personal Banking, BMO Harris Bank.

"BMO has come up with such a nice way to help the community, reminding visitors to be thankful and in return helping those who ma y not be feeling as blessed this time of year," said Sherrie Tussler, Executive Director of Hunger Task Force.

The M&I Annual Holiday Display continues a 39-year tradition of bringing the sights and sounds of the holidays to M&I customers and the community. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, M&I employee volunteers transform M&I’s downtown lobby into the 1,300-square-foot display with more than 20 freshly cut evergreen trees, thousands of lights, and several feet of “snow.”

Display hours:
M&I’s Holiday Display, located in the lobby of the M&I location at 770 N. Water St., will be open from Nov. 28 through Jan. 2. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. On weekends, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day, the display will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Special Note: The lobby will be closed after 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Dec. 24; and at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 2.

Display history:
The M&I holiday collection of animals began in 1972, when 30 life-sized Steiff animals were discovered at the world’s largest toy store, FAO Schwartz in New York City. M&I’s collection of Steiff animals has steadily grown to more than 150. Steiff animals are collectors’ items originally made in Germany by Margarete Steiff, who hand-stitched the first tiny elephant and stuffed it with straw. Many of the figures are no longer being made. The world-renowned Steiff Company made the original teddy bear in 1903.

Over the past 39 years, M&I’s Holiday Displays have included a fishing tugboat, a Victorian park, an igloo at the North Pole, a Yukon train, an ice palace, a candy factory, and 1950s nostalgia featuring antique Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

About M&I, a part of BMO Financial Group:
Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $477 billio n as at July 31, 2011, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.