The Bank of Montreal is not only Canada's first bank: it has also occupied a prominent place in the pantheon of Canadian nation building. Whom Fortune Favours examines the trajectory of this extraordinary organization across the span of two centuries. The historian Laurence Mussio applies an analytical lens to a financial institution whose strategies fundamentally shaped, and were shaped by, the evolution of a country and a continent. The Bank of Montreal (BMO) represents an extremely rare institution, one that has both endured and adapted to fundamental change. The depth and breadth of the Bank's history offer a unique opportunity to analyze a singular organization over ten generations. As an institution, BMO played a critical part in the destiny of its home city and in the emergence of Canada on an international scene. Crucial to the development of Canadian and North American financial systems, BMO shaped the political economy of banking. Over the last half century, the institution's response to successive economic, technological, demographic, and regulatory shifts illustrates how Canadian and North American finance has adapted to the challenges before it. At its heart, Whom Fortune Favours presents a multifaceted story about the making of contemporary finance. This epic chronicle is the result of a massive research effort incorporating thousands of never-before-released internal documents. Mussio's accessible narrative will appeal to both scholars and executives who seek to understand the origins, development, and present-day implications of one of North America's great institutions.

Laurence B. Mussio est historien et conseiller stratégique, spécialiste de la finance, de la technologie et des affaires publiques. Il est l'un des cofondateurs de Long Run Initiative (LRI), un projet d'envergure mondiale sur l'application de l'éclairage du passé aux défis du présent. Il vit à Toronto.

Laurence B. Mussio's profile page

"Extensively researched and well written, Whom Fortune Favours is a serious work of history." Andrew Smith, University of Liverpool

"Laurence Mussio has produced a book that will stand the test of time. An honest and instructive examination of the strategies and leadership that have propelled the Bank of Montreal for two hundred years, Whom Fortune Favours will serve as an inspirational and cautionary guide for the bank and other Canadian financial institutions throughout the next century." Duncan McDowall, Queen's University and author of Quick to the Frontier: Canada's Royal Bank

"A ripping yarn that spans 10 generations of underexplored Canadian history. It is clear from the narrative that the book is based on thousands of hours of research and troves of documents and letters from the times when clear, succinct writing was valued. ... for anyone with a strong appreciation of North American economic history, this book will be a blue-chip addition to any library." Policy Magazine

"Whom Fortune Favours is the definitive history of one of North America's most resilient and long-lasting banks. The fast-paced and extremely readable narrative, along with the sensitive and sure-footed analysis of the material, will attract the educated, generally interested reader, banking executives, and academics alike. The book deserves a wide readership." Canadian Historical Review