Six BMO bankers leave after probe into misconduct allegations

FILE PHOTO: A Bank of Montreal (BMO) logo is seen outside of a branch in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) – Bank of Montreal said on Thursday six bankers have left the company following an internal probe on allegations of misconduct.

“An employee escalated a complaint that alleged completely unacceptable behaviour. We take matters of misconduct very seriously,” a BMO spokesperson said.

The employee was subject to homophobic slurs and targeted both in person and virtually on Teams chats, the Globe and Mail, which first reported the story, said citing unidentified sources.

All six employees worked in the bank’s metals and mining division, the Globe reported, adding that four of the six were terminated and two resigned.

BMO did not comment on the nature of the allegations, if any employees were fired or the division where they worked.

“All employees attest to and are expected to meet our standard of respect, inclusivity and professionalism,” BMO said in a statement. “Breaches of this standard are not tolerated and are subject to disciplinary actions up to and including termination of employment.”

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)