BMO Harris Bank has hired two vice chairs, Eric Smith and Michael Morton, who will report directly to David Casper, U.S. CEO, BMO Financial Group.

“Commercial banking is a core strength at BMO, and we continue to execute on our strategy as we grow our business nation-wide,” said Casper. “By hiring Eric Smith and Michael Morton, we’re adding exceptional, experienced bankers with intimate knowledge of our markets. I’m very pleased that they will be part of our leadership team.”

Both Morton and Smith will be actively focused on business development, working with customers and all of BMO’s constituencies across the bank’s lines of business.

Smith has spent his entire career in Chicago. In his most recent role, Smith was regional president, Chicagoland, at a financial services institution, responsible for the growth and strategic alignment of the commercial, wealth, asset management and consumer businesses.

Morton’s most recent role was executive vice president and chief credit officer at a financial services institution, where he managed asset quality responsibility through multiple departments.