Boston Private Financial (BPFH) 10-K 2016 Q4 Annual report

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc.:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements (No. 333-168460, 333-167691, 333-167007, 333-116511, 333-128764, 333-134685, 333-134686, 333-159245, 333-113327, 333-74420, 333-74106, 333-199115 and 333-195664) on Form S-8; and (No. 333-171599, 333-171600, and 333-185896) on Form S-3 of Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. of our reports dated February 28, 2017, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, change in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2016, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, which reports appear in the December 31, 2016 annual report on Form 10‑K of Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc.

/s/  KPMG LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

February 28, 2017