Loans and Acceptances

RNS Number:0921T
Bank of Montreal
25 October 2000


Bank of Montreal Provides Details of its Media and Communications Asset
Portfolios

TORONTO, October 25, 2000 - Bank of Montreal today announced that loans and
acceptances to the media and communications sector as at September 30, 2000,
totaled $2.9 billion, representing 2.0 per cent of the bank's total loan
portfolio. Net impaired loans to the sector were $14 million.

Consistent with its strong track record in credit risk management, Bank of
Montreal's media and communications loans are well diversified by industry
sub-sector and borrower. A key component of its Investment Banking Group's
strategy is to target emerging media and communications companies, largely in
the North American midmarket sector.

In addition to loans and acceptances, the bank had investment securities to the
sector of $716 million and trading securities of $198 million as at September
30, 2000. Included in the trading securities portfolio were high-yield bonds of
$26 million. The bank's total high-yield bond portfolio was $43 million.

Details of Bank of Montreal's media and communications portfolios are summarized
in the table below.

Bank of Montreal is a highly diversified financial services institution.
Subsidiaries of the bank include BMO Nesbitt Burns, one of Canada's largest
full-service investment firms and Chicago-based Harris Bank, a major U.S.
mid-west financial institution.


                  Media & Communications Loans and Acceptances
                    As at September 30, 2000 (In CDN$ millions)


Industry Sub-sectors
 Cable Operators                     765
 Regulated Telecoms                  534
 Other Telecoms                      321
Total Cable & Telecom              1,620
 Other Communications                498
Total Communications               2,118
Other Sub-Sectors 1                  517
Total "Non-investment Grade"2      2,635
Total "Investment Grade"2            978
Sub-Total                          3,613
Less: Securitized loans             (733)
("Investment Grade")
Total                              2,880 3
Media & Communications as %
of Total Loans and B/A's             2.0%


1. Comprises advertising and media accounts in the Service Industries
sub-sector, as well as accounts related to publishing, newspapers and
periodicals included in the Manufacturing Industries sub-sector.

2. The bank classifies assets in these portfolios using its own internal risk
ratings. However, Rating Agencies do not rate all assets in these portfolios.
Accordingly, the classifications shown above reflect the approximate equivalents
between the bank's internal risk ratings and the "Investment/Non-Investment
Grade" designations of rating agencies.

3. In addition to loans and acceptances, the bank had investment securities of
$716 million, $516 million of which were considered "Investment Grade", and
trading securities of $198 million.


Contact:
Media Relations Contacts:              Investor Relations Contacts:
Joe Barbera  [phone]            Susan Payne [phone]
Ronald Monet [phone]            Lynn Inglis [phone]

Internet: http://www.bmo.com