ST. HELENS, BMO is closing its St. Helens branch at 465 S. Columbia River Highway on Oct. 31, according to a Port of Columbia County staff report that says the Port was “recently notified” of the closure by the bank.
The branch opened as Bank of the West and took the BMO name after BMO Financial Group bought Bank of the West in 2023. BMO’s branch page still lists weekday lobby hours of 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., with drive-up service and an ATM, and carries no closure notice. The Tribune learned of the closure from the Port’s Oct. 14 commission packet.
The closure cost the Port its local depository. Most of the Port’s banking is electronic, Executive Finance Manager Guy Glenn Jr. wrote in the report, but it needs a branch in the county for cash deposits and other in-person services. Staff evaluated local options and recommended INROADS Credit Union, which is headquartered in St. Helens. The commission’s Oct. 14 agenda included Resolution 2026-25 designating INROADS as an additional depository; the Port keeps its main business accounts with BMO.
BMO customers in St. Helens will have to bank online, by phone, or at another branch after Oct. 31.