M&I relocates HQ in Sarasota

SARASOTA — M&I Corp. relocated its Florida regional headquarters to One Sarasota Tower, the iconic blue high-rise at U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue downtown.

M&I previously scattered its Florida offices between Sarasota, Tampa and Orlando. The move allows the company to consolidate into one facility to improve internal communications and efficiency, according to an M&I press release.

Sarasota was chosen because of its central location for M&I's banking footprint, which stretches from Orlando to Marco Island. “The decision of (M&I) to relocate its Florida headquarters here is a vote of confidence in this community,” Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce President Steve Queior said in the release.

M&I is owned by Montreal-based BMO Financial Group, which bought the Milwaukee-based bank in December 2010 for $4.1 billion. BMO is a North American financial organization with 1,600 branches and about $180 billion in deposits.