BMO Harris Private Banking, the Canadian firm, has implemented new investment software systems created by Charles River Development, a front- and middle-office specialist firm, Charles River has announced.

The systems put in place are the Charles River Investment Management System (Charles River IMS), Charles River Anywhere (CRA) and the Charles River FIX Network. The project is designed to automate BMO Harris’s domestic and international equities, fixed income, and mutual fund portfolios on a single, consolidated platform that offers remote access via the web.

“Having our entire organization working with Charles River has created significant efficiencies between our portfolio managers, traders and compliance officers,” said Lara Arabian, director of strategic initiatives, BMO Harris Private Banking.

“Previously, we were dependent upon complex spreadsheets, and manual re-entry of orders and trades. Now, we can easily submit trades and orders, rebalance portfolios, and handle large policy trades - taking into consideration all client and firm compliance rules throughout the trading process. We also have the flexibility to meet increased client demands for transparency and sophisticated instruments, such as options and derivatives, which historically have been unique investments for us.”