I was recently made aware of a company based in Toronto, that is spearheading the peer-to-peer lending business in Canada. Peer-to-Peer lending facilitates a lending system whereby people can borrow money directly from private investors who are both individuals and institutions, in a safe, structured and secure way. CommunityLend is the name of said company. CommunityLend offers borrowers an alternative to their banks and offers investors, albeit accredited ones, the opportunity to earn returns comparable to a number fixed income products. On the CommunityLend website, I found the following benefits outlined for Borrowers and Investors:

For Borrowers:

We create the opportunity to get lower interest rates on Loans, to be recognized for personal factors beyond just credit score, and to accept more flexible payment options, like early repayment without penalty.

For Lenders:

We create the opportunity to participate directly in the meeting of financial

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A press release by BlackRock Inc., dated January 22, 2010, states that trading of Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) represents “16 % of all equity volume in Canada.” In response to increasing money flows into these securities, there is increasing choice, including bank sponsored ETFs. News released by the Bank of Montreal (BMO) recently, highlights some of the benefits of ETFs over mutual funds as being “liquidity, risk control and cost effectiveness.” But wait, there are even more benefits, not the least of which is greater control over your portfolio and probably at a lower cost. Most ETFs are passively managed. However, some, similar to mutual funds are actively managed.

ishares exchange traded funds chart

How to use ETFs

1. Long term buy and hold strategy 2. Short

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Laura Parsons, Area Manager of Specialized Sales, BMO Bank of Montreal

Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Ms. Laura Parsons, Area Manager of Specialized Sales with BMO Bank of Montreal some questions regarding the Canadian Housing Market. The interview also included Ms. Parsons’ advice for first time home buyers. Given that BMO recently decreased their mortgage rates and introduced 3 new special offers the timing of this interview couldn’t have been more apropos. So, check it out, why don’t you?

Q: What should new homeowners be looking for in a mortgage: fixed or variable rates?

A: A mortgage is a personal investment and homebuyers should always look for a product that suits their future

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• Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ) reported strong results after Monday's close, helped by robust sales in China and improved margins on its service operations.  The firm also increased share repurchases to $12 billion and projected fiscal 2010 earnings of $4.25 to $4.35 a share on revenues of $118 billion to $119 billion, inline with its earnings' preannouncement two weeks earlier

• Analog Devices (NYSE:ADI) reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 36 cents a share, 10 cents above Zacks estimates, on revenues of $572 million, which beat projections of $523 million, but fell short of last year's $660.7 million. The firm expects fiscal first quarter results of 36 cents to 37 cents a share

• Heinz (NYSE:HNZ) reported fiscal second quarter earnings of 76 cents a share, beating estimates of 69 cents, on revenues of $2.67 billion, above estimates of $2.63 billion. Full-year guidance was raised to $2.72-$2.82 from earlier expectations of $2.60

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Bank of Montreal (BMO) is scheduled to report fourth quarter results on Nov 24. After posting 3 earnings surprises in a row, fourth quarter estimates are trending higher by a penny in the last week, rising to 90 cents.

Bank of Montreal, which provides personal, commercial and corporate banking services in North America, reported record revenues in the third quarter. The company saw strong growth in its personal and commercial banking segment. P&C Canada saw net income rise 13% compared with a year ago. Commercial banking saw revenue grow 17%.

Like other banks, Bank of Montreal also saw big gains from its trading segment, which saw net income rise 30% from the year ago period. Corporate banking also improved.

Weakness was still evident in the P&C U.S. segment where revenues fell 0.5% from a year ago. While there was improvement due to gains on the sale of mortgages,

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Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. announced today a three-year, senior secured, revolving credit facility with the Bank of Montreal (BMO). This new $150 million bank facility will be regulated via a semi-annual redetermination of its borrowing base, whose value will be allocated to MHR’s proved crude oil and natural gas reserves.

MHR, and its subsidiaries, is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company based in Houston, Texas. Focused on leveraging the expertise of its management team to create maximal value for its shareholders, MHR enjoys an annual ROI of approximately 37%. The price of shares jumped 11% in early trading this morning on news of the commitment of the new bank facility.

With an initial sum of $25M in borrowing based on the market value of its crude oil and natural gas assets, which may be realized through acquisition or discovery as time progresses, a commitment ceiling of

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Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

3Com Corp (COMS) 51job Inc (JOBS) Actions Semiconductor Co Ltd (ACTS) Aeropostale Inc (ARO) Companhia de Bebidas das Americas (ABV) American Italian Pasta Co (AIPC) American States Water Co (AWR) Amkor Technology Inc (AMKR) Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp (ANH) Asbury Automotive Group Inc (ABG) Ashland Inc (ASH) Associated British Foods Plc (ASBFY) AudioCodes Ltd (AUDC) Baidu Inc (BIDU) Banco Santander SA (STD) Bank of Montreal (BMO) Barnes & ...

Visa Inc. (...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 4, 2009 – Four free stock picks are being made available today on Zacks.com. The industry’s leading independent research firm highlights one Zacks #1 Rank Strong Buy or a Zacks #2 Rank Buy stock for each of the four main styles of investing: Aggressive Growth, Growth & Income, Momentum, and Value.

The four highlighted picks are: MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. (MWIV), Strayer Education, Inc. (STRA), Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Bunge Limited (BG).      Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Four daily picks are offered free at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5607

Zacks #1 Rank Stocks have nearly tripled the S&P 500 since 1988, producing an average annual return of +26%. Performance has been notable even during volatile and down times. For example, during the last bear market, 2000-2002, the market tumbled -37.6% – but Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained +43.8%.

Here is

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Bank of Montreal (...