Filed by Marshall & Ilsley Corporation |
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933 |
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12 |
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended |
Subject Company: Marshall & Ilsley Corporation |
(Commission File No. 001-33488) |
On January 4, 2011, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation posted the following to its intranet site. We have included web addresses for BMO Financial Group and Harris Bank herein as inactive textual references only; the information on those websites is not part of this document. |
MiNet Top Story |
BMO Financial Group's focus is Customers and |
Community |
The strong bank that will result from merging Harris, BMO Financial Group's personal and commercial bank in the U.S., and M&I will be committed to the success of our customers and the communities we serve.
Like M&I, BMO Financial Group has a strong customer focus, tradition of community banking, and commitment to the community. Our communities can be assured we will continue to be a strong and active presence in our markets.
The transaction announced in mid-December not only provides significant banking scale, an expanded reach, and a larger customer base, it provides a platform for growth for our company.
This is positive news because in every important dimension values, business mix, customer focus, vision and culture there is consistency between our companies. The way in which we do business is highly complementary. This is true also of our branch locations, which have little overlap. See a map here. [See final page].
Here's an overview of BMO's business:
Overview of BMO Financial Group
BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO) serves 11 million personal, commercial, corporate and institutional customers in North America and internationally. Its three operating groups Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal in Canada and Harris in the United States; Private Client Group; and BMO Capital Markets share one vision: to be the bank that defines great customer experience.
Personal & Commercial
Private Client Group (PCG)
BMO Capital Markets
To learn more about BMO Financial Group [http:www.bmo.com/home] and Harris [https://www4.harrisbank.com/secure], visit their websites.
SIDEBAR
History of BMO Financial Group
BMO Financial Group, Canada's first bank, opened for business in 1817. It provided Canada's first widely-recognized and circulated currency, and has played a major and continuing role in the development of the country. Today, it is one of Canada's preeminent financial institutions and a significant presence in United States and world markets.
BMO and Harris merged in 1984, but the Harris story started long before in 1882, when Norman Wait Harris, a 35-year-old life insurance executive, moved to Chicago and opened N.W. Harris and Company. The firm started off selling municipal bonds to fund the building of roads, schools, waterworks, and other such necessities, and became a leading investment bank. Learn more about BMO and Harris' history [http://www2.bmo.com/bmo/files/htmlpopup/4/1/history.html].
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE BANK OF MONTREAL/MARSHALL & ILSLEY CORPORATION TRANSACTION
Bank of Montreal and Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (M&I) will be filing a proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents concerning the merger with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). WE URGE INVESTORS TO READ
THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE MERGER OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Investors will be able to obtain these documents free of charge at the SECs Web site (www.sec.gov). In addition, documents filed with the SEC by Bank of Montreal will be available free of charge by contacting Investor Relations at (414) 765-7727. Documents filed with the SEC by M&I will be available free of charge by contacting Investor Relations at (414) 765 -7727.
The directors, executive officers, and certain other members of management and employees of M&I may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in favor of the merger from the shareholders of M&I. Information about the directors and executive officers of M&I is included in the proxy statement for its 2010 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2010. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus and the other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available.