Overview
- The bank will open more than 130 locations in California and about 15 in Arizona over the next five years as part of a roughly 150-branch U.S. expansion.
- The 2026 rollout includes three sites in Greater Los Angeles, two in the San Francisco Bay Area and two in San Diego, with Arizona growth focused on Phoenix and Tucson.
- The additions would lift BMO’s California footprint by more than 50% from its current base of over 220 locations, with some reports pegging the increase at nearly 60%.
- The push follows BMO’s October move to sell 138 branches to First Citizens Bank to refocus resources on higher-growth markets in the U.S. West.
- BMO says the new centres will offer advice-led, face-to-face service across banking and wealth, with several hundred jobs expected over the buildout.