[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31561-31563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11070]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM


Public Meeting: Proposal by Bank of Montreal and BMO Financial 
Corp. To Acquire BancWest Holding Inc. and Bank of the West, and for 
Bank of the West To Merge With and Into BMO Harris Bank National 
Association

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) and 
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: A virtual public meeting will be held regarding the proposals 
by Bank of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and BMO Financial Corp., 
Wilmington, Delaware, to acquire BancWest Holding Inc. and thereby 
indirectly acquire Bank of the West, both of San Francisco, California, 
pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act; and for Bank of the West, San 
Francisco, California, to merge with and into BMO Harris Bank National 
Association, Chicago, Illinois, pursuant to the Bank Merger Act. The 
purpose of the meeting is to collect information related to factors the 
Board and OCC consider when making determinations under the Bank 
Holding Company Act and the Bank Merger Act.

DATES: The meeting date is July 14, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Members of the public seeking to make oral 
comments during the virtual meeting must register by 12:00 p.m. EDT on 
June 23, 2022, to be placed on a list of registered commenters and 
receive specific instructions for participation. Members of the public 
seeking to watch the virtual meeting (but not provide oral comments) 
must register any time prior to 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 13, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    OCC: Jason Almonte, Director for Large Bank Licensing, Office of 
the Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 
20219, via email at [email protected], or via telephone at 
(917) 344-3405.
    Federal Reserve: Colette A. Fried, Assistant Vice President, 
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 230 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, 
Illinois 60604, via email at [email protected], or via 
telephone at 312-322-6846, or Lisa Smith, Lead Examiner--Mergers and 
Acquisitions, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 230 South LaSalle 
Street, Chicago, Illinois 60604, via email at [email protected], 
or via

[[Page 31562]]

telephone at (515) 241-1477. For users who have hearing or speech 
impairments, please call 711 from any telephone, anywhere in the United 
States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background and Public Meeting Notice

    On January 17, 2022, BMO Harris Bank National Association, Chicago, 
Illinois (BMO Harris Bank), applied to the OCC to merge Bank of the 
West, San Francisco, California with and into BMO Harris Bank pursuant 
to section 18(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 
1828(c)) (Bank Application). That same day, the Board received an 
application from Bank of Montreal, Montreal, Canada, and BMO Financial 
Corp., Wilmington, Delaware, to acquire BancWest Holding Inc., San 
Francisco, California, parent of Bank of the West, pursuant to the Bank 
Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) (Holding Company 
Application). The Board and OCC (agencies) hereby announce that a 
public meeting on the applications will be held, as described below.

II. Purpose and Procedures

    The public meeting will be held virtually. A virtual meeting will 
help protect the health and safety of all participants in light of the 
continuing occurrence of COVID-19 cases. The virtual format also will 
expand public access to the proceedings for both viewers and those who 
testify, and it will reduce travel and related costs associated with 
attending in-person proceedings.
    The purpose of the public meeting is to collect information 
relating to the factors that the agencies consider under the applicable 
statutes in acting on the applications. These factors include the 
effects of the proposal on the convenience and needs of the communities 
to be served by the combined organization; the insured depository 
institutions' performance under the Community Reinvestment Act; the 
impact of the proposal on competition in the relevant markets; the 
effects of the proposal on the stability of the U.S. banking or 
financial system; the financial and managerial resources and future 
prospects of the companies and banks involved in the proposal; and the 
effectiveness of the companies and banks in combatting money laundering 
activities. Witnesses may present oral testimony in support of the 
proposed transactions, in opposition to the proposed transactions, or 
without taking a position in support or opposition.
    Testimony at the public meeting will be presented virtually to a 
panel consisting of Presiding Officers and other panel members 
appointed by the Presiding Officers. The Presiding Officers will have 
the authority and discretion to ensure that the meeting proceeds in a 
fair and orderly manner. The rules for taking evidence in an 
administrative proceeding will not apply to the public meeting. In 
general, the role of the panel members will be to listen to the oral 
testimony. The panelists may ask questions of those who testify; 
however, the questions generally will be limited to seeking 
clarification of statements made. Panel members may question witnesses, 
but no cross-examination of witnesses will be permitted. The public 
meeting will be transcribed, and the transcript will be posted on the 
respective public websites of the Board and the OCC.\1\
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    \1\ Materials related to the applications are available on the 
Board's website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm and the OCC's 
website at https://occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/public-comment/business-combination-or-merger-applications-comments.html.
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Information for Persons Wishing To Testify

    All persons wishing to testify at the public meeting must submit a 
written request to testify no later than 12:00 p.m. EDT on June 23, 
2022, through the online registration website available at: https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm. The Board will provide the OCC with a copy 
of each request to testify.
    The online registration site will collect the following information 
from persons requesting to testify: (i) The name, city and state, 
telephone number, organization (if applicable), and email address of 
the person testifying; (ii) a brief statement of the nature of the 
expected testimony (including whether the testimony will support, 
oppose, or neither support nor oppose the proposed transactions); and 
(iii) the identification of any special needs, such as translation 
services, or disabilities requiring assistance. Translators or 
interpreters will be provided to the extent available if a need for 
such services is noted in the request to testify.
    Those wishing to submit a written version of their oral testimony 
may, but need not, file the written submission with the Presiding 
Officers via email to both [email protected] and to 
Large[email protected] before the meeting begins, or within three 
business days after the date of the meeting, and the subject line of 
the email should state ``PUBLIC MEETING.''
    Persons who wish to testify must be able to access the online 
meeting platform using a computer, tablet, smart phone, or similar 
mobile device and have a video camera on their computer or mobile 
device. Persons who have registered to testify will be contacted by 
agency staff prior to the meeting and provided with specific 
instructions on participation (e.g., how to connect to the online 
meeting), as well as an opportunity to attend a technical session on 
how to connect to audio and video for the meeting.

Information for Persons Watching or Listening to the Meeting Without 
Testifying

    Persons interested in watching the meeting (but not testifying) 
must register by submitting their name and email address through the 
online registration web page at https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm. 
Registrants will be provided information on accessing the online 
meeting platform.
    Persons who wish to listen to the meeting (but not watch it or 
testify) need not register online and may access audio of the meeting 
using a call-in number that will be available on July 13, 2022, on the 
registration web page at: https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm. Persons attending 
via telephone will only be able to listen to the meeting audio, and all 
phone lines will be placed on mute to minimize disruption. Persons 
listening to the public meeting via telephone will not be able to 
provide testimony and will not have the ability to view the speakers or 
any other information that may be shown on screen during the meeting.

Transcript of the Meeting

    The agencies anticipate that a transcript of the meeting will be 
posted on each agency's respective public website. An audio or video 
recording of the meeting will not be retained by the agencies. No 
presentation materials will be permitted to be used during the public 
meeting due to technical considerations associated with a virtual 
format.\2\
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    \2\ The agencies will review written materials submitted through 
the comment submission process and, as described below, written 
comments relating to the application will be posted to the agencies' 
respective public websites.

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[[Page 31563]]

Meeting Procedures

    The Presiding Officers will prepare a schedule for persons wishing 
to testify and establish the order of presentation. To ensure an 
opportunity for all interested commenters to present their views, the 
Presiding Officers may limit the time for providing oral comments and 
may establish other procedures related to the conduct of the public 
meeting as appropriate. For instance, each person may be permitted up 
to three minutes to testify. In order to verify the identity of persons 
scheduled to testify at the virtual public meeting, individuals who 
register to testify will be required to join a virtual waiting room in 
advance of the public meeting, where they must present a valid, 
government-issued photo identification using the video conference 
feature. Individuals who register to testify will be contacted by email 
to schedule their identity verification sessions. The Presiding 
Officers may extend the end time of the meeting beyond 7:00 p.m. EDT, 
if additional time is needed to accommodate demonstrated public 
interest.

Reasonable Accommodations

    Persons who wish to request reasonable accommodations should submit 
a request through the online registration website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm, or by calling Jason Bouleris, Program 
Analyst in the OCC's Community Affairs Division, at (202) 649-6382. 
Requests should be made no later than 12:00 p.m. EDT on June 23, 2022. 
Requests submitted after this time may not be possible to accommodate. 
Requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation 
needed and a way for agency staff to contact the requester if more 
information is needed regarding the request.

Extension of the Comment Period

    The Board is extending the comment period on the Holding Company 
Application, and the OCC is extending the comment period on the Bank 
Application, through 5:00 p.m. EDT on July 19, 2022.
    Written comments regarding the Holding Company Application may be 
submitted to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Colette A. Fried, 
Assistant Vice President, 230 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 
60604, or electronically to [email protected]; or the 
offices of the Board of Governors, Ann E. Misback, Secretary of the 
Board, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20551-
0001. In general, all written comments will be made available on the 
Board's website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm as submitted, and 
will not be edited to remove any confidential, contact, or other 
identifying information.
    Written comments on the Bank Application may be submitted to Jason 
Almonte, Director for Large Bank Licensing at Large[email protected] 
or at 340 Madison Avenue, Fifth Floor, New York, New York 10173. 
Written comments will be made available on OCC's website at https://www.occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/public-comment/business-combination-or-merger-applications-comments.html. In general, the OCC 
will publish each comment without change, including any business or 
personal information, name and address, email addresses, and phone 
numbers. Comments received, including attachments and other supporting 
material, are part of the public record and subject to public 
disclosure. Do not enclose any information in a comment or supporting 
material that is confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.

Privacy Note

    The Board will make the public record of the Holding Company 
Application, including all comments received, the written copy of a 
person's oral testimony at the public meeting (if a written copy is 
provided to the agencies), and the transcript of the public meeting, 
available on the Board's public website at: https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/bank-of-montreal-bank-of-the-west-application-materials.htm. The OCC will make the public record of the 
Bank Application, including all comments received, the written copy of 
a person's oral testimony at the public meeting (if a written copy is 
provided to the agencies), and the transcript of the public meeting, 
available on the OCC's public website at: https://occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/public-comment/business-combination-or-merger-applications-comments.html. Persons submitting comments and/or 
testimony are reminded to include only information that they wish to 
make available to the public.

Michael J. Hsu,
Acting Comptroller of the Currency.
    By order of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System.

Ann Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2022-11070 Filed 5-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P