Hedge Fund Focus

RBC Hedge 250 Index Had Net Return of -0.18 Per Cent

lsico — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:12:17 +0000

RBC Hedge 250 Index had a net return of -0.18 per cent in January, and has averaged an annual net return of 3.97 per cent. The RBC Hedge 250 Index is comprised of 250 hedge funds and has become one of the more representative investable indexes of the hedge fund industry’s performance.

The full text of the press release is reprinted below, and can also be found here.

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RBC Hedge 250 Index(R) returned -0.18 per cent in January 2010

Year-to-date performance is -0.18 per cent

NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - RBC Capital Markets today reported that for the month of January 2010 the RBC Hedge 250 Index(R) had a net return of -0.18 per cent. This brings the year-to-date return of the Index to -0.18 per cent. These returns are estimated and will be finalized by the middle of next month. The return for December 2009 has been finalized at 0.73 per cent.

The RBC Hedge 250 Index is an investable benchmark of the performance of the hedge fund industry. The Index operates in accordance with a unique construction methodology. Comprised of approximately 250 actual hedge funds, the RBC Hedge 250 Index is positioned as the industry’s most diversified and representative investable index. The Universe on which the Index is based currently consists of 5,145 hedge funds (excludes funds of hedge funds) with aggregate assets under management of $992 billion.

Since its inception on July 1, 2005 through the end of December 2009, the RBC Hedge 250 Index has had an annualized net return of 3.97 per cent. In comparison, over the same period, other investable indices have averaged 0.90 per cent while non-investable indices have averaged 6.05 per cent, according to information reported by the sponsors of those indices.

For more information about the RBC Hedge 250 Index, including historical performance information, please visit www.rbchedge250.com.

About RBC’s Alternative Assets Group

For the past 10 years, RBC’s Alternative Assets Group has created structured products referencing portfolios of hedge funds. It holds investments in over 1,200 hedge funds. AAG is the oldest dedicated group in the industry and has developed a significant infrastructure and extensive experience in the areas of fund due diligence, risk analysis, transaction execution, and portfolio administration and valuation.

About RBC Capital Markets

RBC Capital Markets is the corporate and investment banking arm of RBC and is active globally in debt origination, sales and trading, foreign exchange, infrastructure finance, structured products, metals and mining, and energy. Its North American platform includes leading equity, underwriting, sales, trading and research businesses and a significant U.S. investment banking franchise. Bloomberg ranks the firm as one of the Top 20 investment banks globally.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns. Performance data for the RBC Hedge 250 Index(R) (the “Index”) is net of underlying manager fees and an Index Fee as set forth in the Index administration rules (the “Index Rules”), and gross of any product fees. The Index composition is based on the Index Rules which are subject to change at any time and from time to time subject to Index Committee approval. Index funds may be added or removed, and allocations among funds, sectors and strategies may be changed, based upon the criteria set forth in the Index Rules. Implementation of the Index Rules in certain circumstances may involve the exercise of discretion. Inclusion of a hedge fund, sector or strategy in the Index does not represent an endorsement by RBC as to the investment merits of the fund, sector or strategy. Statements as to diversification and representative nature reflect RBC Capital Markets’ opinion based on a comparison of the RBC Hedge 250 Index with other major investable hedge fund indices across a combination of factors, which include the number of hedge funds included in the index, the methodology used to weight strategies and funds, and the performance of the index versus the non-investable hedge fund indices. This material is not intended as investment advice, or as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security or other financial instrument. For further information on composition, fees and administration of the Index, see the Index Rules.

Certain statements in this Press Release constitute “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. RBC assumes no obligation to update these forward looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumption or changes in other factors affecting such forward looking statements.

SOURCE RBC

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LaCrosse Global Fund Services and RiskMetrics Group Partner to Offer Clients Further Access

lsico — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:16:24 +0000

The partnership between a leading hedge fund administrator and a leading provider of risk management and corporate governance services enables hedge fund clients to better represent their fund’s risk. RiskMetrics allows LaCrosse clients access to their applications at no charge.

The full text of the press release is reprinted below, and can also be found here.

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LaCrosse Global Fund Services Partners with RiskMetrics Group to Enhance Investor Risk Reporting: Hedge Funds Now Have a Trusted Data Provider for Risk Reporting

NEW YORK, Feb 11, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — LaCrosse Global Fund Services, a leading hedge fund administrator, today announced it is partnering with RiskMetrics Group, a leading provider of risk management and corporate governance services to the global financial community, to offer LaCrosse’s hedge fund clients access to RiskMetrics’ HedgePlatform Community. LaCrosse’s clients can now access at no cost RiskMetrics’ RiskManager(TM) Investor Reporting Application, allowing them to create custom monthly risk reports for their investors.

“The addition of RiskMetrics’ new tools furthers our ability to create an accurate representation of a hedge fund’s risk, including understanding and verifying representation of risk, communicating risk to investors, and staying current on the latest risk methodology,” said Mike Carpenter, managing director and head of Global Product Management for LaCrosse.

RiskMetrics’ HedgePlatform Community allows hedge funds and funds of hedge funds to provide holding-based risk transparency to investors without disclosing holding level details beyond RiskMetrics. In a secure environment, hedge funds have control over the level of granularity and statistics they wish to report to investors. Additionally, all risk results generated can be incorporated into the LaCrosseLink+ client workstation.

“Flexibility in reporting is key at a time when investors are demanding risk transparency,” said Brian Schmid, head of RiskMetrics Group’s Alternative Investments Business Strategy. “This partnership adds a critical component to the high quality suite of services that we provide to the alternative investment industry.”

To learn more about RiskMetric’s HedgePlatform community, visit: www.riskmetrics.com/hedgeplatform.

About LaCrosse Global Fund Services

LaCrosse Global Fund Services is a provider of operations, middle-office and administration services to managers of complex hedge funds globally. The firm operates in nine global office locations: Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Istanbul, London, Minneapolis, Moscow, New York, and Singapore. LaCrosse provides support for a wide range of strategies traded by global portfolio managers covering fixed income, distressed debt, structured credit, foreign exchange, equities, commodities and a full range of related derivatives. For more information, visit: www.lacrosseglobal.com.

About RiskMetrics Group

RiskMetrics Group (RISK 18.91, +0.04, +0.21%) is a leading provider of risk management and corporate governance products and services to financial market participants. By bringing transparency, expertise and access to the financial markets, RiskMetrics Group helps investors better understand and manage the risks inherent in their financial portfolios. Our solutions address a broad spectrum of risk across our clients’ financial assets. Headquartered in New York with 20 global offices, RiskMetrics Group serves some of the most prestigious institutions and corporations worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.riskmetrics.com.

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Mallon P.C. Announces Creation of Easy-to-Use NFA Self-Exam Checklists

lsico — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:50:42 +0000

Hedge Fund Law Firm creates NFA required self-examination checklists to assist all types of CFTC registered managers. The checklists can be downloaded online at http://www.hedgefundlawblog.com/

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 9, 2010 — In an effort to better serve firms registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), Mallon P.C. has developed a set of easy-to-use checklists to help investment managers follow proper National Futures Association (“NFA”) compliance procedures.

All NFA Member Firms must complete a self-examination of their compliance procedures on a yearly basis and Mallon P.C. aims to make the process more accessible and efficient to such firms. The checklists created by Mallon P.C. include a general checklist for all NFA Member Firms as well as specific checklists for the following CFTC registration categories: Commodity Pool Operators, Commodity Trading Advisors, Futures Commission Merchants, and Introducing Brokers. Mallon P.C. has also created a way for managers to make notes on potential compliance issues and to “attest” that they have completed the annual requirement. The goal of the checklists and supporting materials is to provide managers with an easy solution to keeping compliance orderly and up-to-date.

“Compliance has become an increasingly important area for investment managers. Many firms simply do not know what to do to remain in compliance because of hard to understand rules and regulations,” said Bart Mallon, Esq. of Mallon P.C. “We have aimed to create free, easy-to-use resources for NFA Member Firms to remain in compliance. I think this is especially important as the CFTC proposes new regulations requiring forex managers to register as CPOs, CTAs, and IBs.”

Mallon P.C. provides comprehensive support to hedge funds and investment managers throughout the United States. Mallon P.C. also provides legal, registration, and compliance support to futures and forex managers. If you have questions about registration (investment adviser, CPO, CTA) or questions regarding your firm’s compliance program, please contact Bart Mallon.

The contents of this press release may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Media Contact:
Bart Mallon, Esq.
(415) 868-5345
http://www.hedgefundlawblog.com/

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MFA AND CTHFA ALLIANCE UNIFIES FUND INDUSTRY

lsico — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:37:03 +0000

MFA aligns with Connecticut Hedge Fund Association (CTHFA) in order to broaden a mutual understanding of the market’s issues. Connecticut hosts one of the largest concentration of hedge fund firms in the country.

The full text of the press release is reprinted below, and can also be found here.

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MFA Announces Alliance With Connecticut Hedge Fund Association

WASHINGTON, DC – Managed Funds Association (MFA) President and Chief Executive Officer Richard H. Baker, today announced that MFA has formed an alliance with the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association (CTHFA), a regional hedge fund association representing 150 member firms with operations in Connecticut.

The new relationship allows MFA to broaden its educational efforts and continue unifying the industry voice in a region with a high concentration of hedge funds. CTHFA will gain a valuable understanding of industry positions and issues through its connection to MFA.

“We are pleased to begin an alliance with the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association,” said Richard H. Baker, MFA President and CEO. “With a large number of major hedge fund advisers headquartered in Connecticut, we look forward to sharing ideas and collaborating on key initiatives, including restoring investor confidence and fostering high standards of professional conduct and client services.”

Bruce McGuire, CTHFA President, said, “Connecticut is home to the second largest concentration of hedge fund firms in the U.S., as well as large endowment funds such as the Yale University Endowment. It is essential for the hedge fund industry to meet at both the regional and national levels to discuss and analyze the substantive issues that are impacting the markets and our investors. We are pleased to affiliate with MFA and look forward to aligning our initiatives and being a part of the unified industry voice. As part of this alignment, we have invited Brooke Harlow, Executive Vice President of the Managed Funds Association to join the CTHFA’s Board of Directors, ensuring a direct line of communication and active engagement with the large number of single manager hedge funds, commodity trading advisors, and fund of funds based in Connecticut.”

MFA previously announced that it was seeking to form alliances with regional hedge fund associations, and the Mid Atlantic Hedge Fund Association (MAHFA) was the first group to affiliate at the national level in October 2009.

About Managed Funds Association

MFA is the voice of the global alternative investment industry. Its members are professionals in hedge funds, funds of funds and managed futures funds, as well as industry service providers. Established in 1991, MFA is the primary source of information for policy makers and the media and the leading advocate for sound business practices and industry growth. MFA members include the vast majority of the largest hedge fund groups in the world who manage a substantial portion of the approximately $1.5 trillion invested in absolute return strategies. MFA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with an office in New York. For more information, please visit: www.managedfunds.org.

About Connecticut Hedge Fund Association

CTHFA is the voice of the Connecticut alternative investment industry. Its members are professionals in hedge funds, funds of funds and managed futures funds, as well as academics and service providers. Established in 2004, CTHFA has grown into the leading regional hedge fund association in the U.S. CTHFA is proud of its partnerships with leading business schools including those at The University of Connecticut, Fairfield University and Yale University. In 2009, CTHFA also added the Harvard Business School Club of CT as an “academic partner.” CTHFA and its partners produce an acclaimed symposium series and host the annual Global Alpha Forum conference in Greenwich. CTHFA is headquartered in Fairfield County, CT. For more information, please visit: www.cthedge.org

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HEDGE FUNDS ENTER THE WORLD OF POP CULTURE

nkim — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:26:58 +0000

Christopher Murray, owner, director, and writer of Hedge Fund Productions, provides audiences with monthly mini hedge fund clips on his website www.hedgefundproductions.com. These “webisodes” are based on four male slackers who arbitrarily decide to form a false hedge fund because they have nothing better to do. The allure of the hedge fund lifestyle is appealing to mainstream America, but the exclusive knowledge and skill the term once implied has been replaced by sub-par representation.

The plot begins when Claude Thornbush, the main character, gets fired from being a waiter and overhears two men in the bathroom discussing their success with hedge funds and the endless perks that come along with having one. (Expensive cars, a flight to space, and orgies, are only some examples to name a few.) Instantly intrigued with their lifestyle, Thornbush goes home that afternoon and makes a suggestion to his roommates about forming a hedge fund.

One of the most memorable and comical acts is in episode three when one of the roommates demands an explanation to what a hedge fund is and Thornbush impulsively responds by declaring, “You are the hedge fund”! It is no surprise that not only do his roommates not know what a hedge fund is, but Thornbush clearly has no idea as well.

Similar to Thornbush’s character, Murray blatantly confesses to his audiences on the website his unfamiliarity with hedge funds: “When I started writing, I didn’t want to know too much about hedge funds. I wanted to take the idea of one, of that now ubiquitous financial thing, and use the limited and peripheral knowledge I had of one to try and compose a comedy.” This statement exemplifies how far hedge funds have progressed into being part of pop culture. Like Murray, many people do not have much background on what a hedge fund is and yet they still want to be a part of it because of its glamour. People like the idea of having one, but what they do not seem to understand is the amount of money, effort, and time required to maintain one. Most importantly, they are not aware of the various potential risks that come with having a hedge fund.

Suffice it to say that although the clips contain crude language, mundane conversations, and underdeveloped acting skills, “Hedge Fund” webisodes are a basic representation of how hedge funds are slowly being cultivated into the mainstream world and how it is only a matter of time before everyone starts jumping on the bandwagon.

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Hedge Fund Productions Webisodes

ConvergEx Acquires Boutique Prime Brokerage Business

nkim — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:09:29 +0000

Acquisition of NorthPoint Trading Partners Adds Established Boutique Prime Brokerage Platform to ConvergEx’s Suite of Services

New York, November 23, 2009 - ConvergEx, a leading provider of investment and execution technology solutions to institutional clients worldwide, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NorthPoint Trading Partners, LLC. With this acquisition, ConvergEx will offer small and medium sized hedge funds access to a full range of top-tier introducing, also known as boutique, prime brokerage services through NorthPoint’s high-touch service model and established clearing and custody agreements. The deal is expected to close in the near term. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“ConvergEx has well-established execution and technology relationships with many of the world’s large hedge funds and we understand the nuances of what hedge fund managers need to succeed. This acquisition is a natural extension to those relationships and enables us to offer smaller hedge funds wide-ranging services and expertise embedded in the high-touch service model that is so important to them,” said Joseph M. Velli, chairman and chief executive officer of ConvergEx Group. “Additionally, as we integrate this new business line, NorthPoint’s clients will reap many benefits from leveraging ConvergEx’s state-of-the-art technologies and products.”

According to a recent TABB Group report, it is estimated that the number of funds in the small to mid-sized hedge fund segment exceeds the count in the larger hedge fund segment by 25 to 1 and that introducing or boutique prime brokerage firms garner approximately 10% of all new prime brokerage arrangements. NorthPoint is a premier provider of boutique prime services and is known for its top-of-the-line solutions, years of experience and seasoned industry veterans.

Douglas M. Nelson, chief executive officer of NorthPoint, and Michael L. DeJarnette, NorthPoint’s president, will continue in their respective roles at ConvergEx.

“NorthPoint offers services that are very much in high demand. In order to be competitive and thrive, start-up and mid-sized hedge funds need access to powerful and customized boutique prime brokerage services, and in the past they have had difficulty accessing these services through traditional prime brokerage arrangements,” said Mr. Nelson. “We are all thrilled to have joined the ConvergEx family. Together we believe we can offer the next generation of boutique prime brokerage services.”

NorthPoint will continue to be based out of Atlanta, Georgia, and all of its clearing and custody arrangements, products, partnerships and projects will continue uninterrupted. Almost immediately, NorthPoint clients can expect to see a broad range of additional products and services from ConvergEx that they can choose to employ, including a 24-hour global agency trading platform, an industry-leading commission management system and enhanced soft dollar services.

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About ConvergEx

BNY ConvergEx Group, LLC provides investment and execution technology solutions to institutional clients worldwide. The Company provides a full array of leading technologies and an integrated platform of performance-driven, global trading capabilities. BNY ConvergEx Group is comprised of the following businesses: BNY ConvergEx Execution Solutions LLC (member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC), LiquidPoint, LLC (member CBOE/SIPC); Eze Castle Transaction Services LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); Westminster Research Associates LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); G-Trade Services LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); Eze Castle Software LLC, and ConvergEx Research Solutions LLC, of which Jaywalk and Cogent Consulting are divisions. Additional information is available at www.bnyconvergex.com.

About NorthPoint Trading Partners LLC

NorthPoint Trading Partners, LLC (Member FINRA/NFA/SIPC) is a premier institutional brokerage and fund services company, dedicated to providing prime brokerage services to small and medium sized hedge funds. Through fully disclosed clearing relationships, clients receive the benefits of boutique firm service, combined with professional clearing and prime brokerage services, integrated portfolio and trading functionality, and a suite of pre-and post-trade analytics. Additional information is available at www.nptradingpartners.com.

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The full text of the press release is reprinted below, and can also be found here.

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GlobeOp Offers Hedge Funds Full Advent Geneva Hosting & Conversion Support

nkim — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:15:35 +0000

NEW YORK, LONDON – 04 NOVEMBER 2009 – GlobeOp has launched hosted services for Geneva, Advent’s award-winning portfolio management and fund accounting solution, offering hedge funds a scalable, proven outsourcing solution that can reduce both fund time to market and execution risks.

Customized hosted and full platform conversion services are available on a standalone basis or integrated within GlobeOp’s middle- and back-office, fund administration and managed services packages.

“GlobeOp is uniquely positioned to support hedge fund managers seeking a hosted Geneva solution as an alternative to building and maintaining their own IT infrastructure,” said Ron Tannenbaum, GlobeOp co-founder. “As one of Advent’s largest single customers, GlobeOp deploys significant in-house technical expertise to support one of the largest Geneva databases outside Advent. We produce more than 25,000 daily Geneva reports for our clients. In addition, GlobeOp has completed more than 200 conversions from a broad range of systems to Advent Geneva– including an $8 billion client.”

GlobeOp’s hosted Geneva services enable clients to outsource systems infrastructure, tasks and personnel requirements while reducing operational costs and risk. Data center facilities and hardware monitoring are provided within GlobeOp’s two active-active, SAS 70 Type ll-environment data centers. Hosted service packages can be customized to respond to a range of business requirements. GlobeOp offers a flexible service model that can include system conversions, hosting, security master maintenance, position valuations, reporting, on-site support, disaster recovery and reconciliation to fund administrators, prime brokers and counterparties.

GlobeOp’s experience converting hedge funds to Geneva creates a comprehensive hosted solution for leveraging Geneva benefits that include real-time investment portfolio views, customizable and flexible reporting tools, extensive investment coverage, and improved operational structure and cost management.

“Geneva is the gold standard for hedge fund and alternative investment accounting,” said Tom Zdon, vice president of Business Development at Advent. “This exciting new strategic relationship with GlobeOp increases the potential for firms of all sizes and strategies to leverage Geneva to improve their operations, reduce risk, and increase top line revenue. Geneva is ideally suited for delivery in a hosted environment, offering clients lower implementation risk, faster conversion times, and reduced need to manage technology and integration in-house.”

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Notes to Editors

About GlobeOp Financial Services

GlobeOp Financial Services (LSE:GO.) is a leading, independent financial technology specialist providing automated, integrated middle- and back-office, administration and risk reporting services to hedge funds and asset management firms-including banks, insurance companies, mutual & pension funds and proprietary traders. Clients trading a wide range of asset classes and derivatives outsource to GlobeOp to reduce technology investments and operational risks, and to focus resources on asset generation and portfolio management. Established in 2000, GlobeOp serves over 180 clients worldwide, representing $100 billion in assets under administration (AuA).With headquarters in London and New York, GlobeOp employs more than 1,500 people on three continents; offices are also located in Dublin, Ireland; George Town, Cayman Islands; Harrison and Yorktown Heights, NY and Hartford, CT, U.S.A.; and Mumbai (Bombay), India. Further information: www.globeop.com

About Geneva

Geneva, a global investment management and accounting platform, is a proven solution for asset managers, hedge funds, fund administrators, prime brokers, and mutual funds that require a high level of operational efficiency and easy access to real time data. Geneva offers comprehensive instrument coverage, full financial general ledger, and industry-standard integration tools to enable firms to manage complex investment vehicles, multiple investment strategies, and tiered fund structures. For more information on Geneva visit https://secure.advent.com/info/pr_geneva.

About Advent

Advent Software, Inc., a global firm, has provided trusted solutions to the world’s financial professionals since 1983. Firms in 60 countries rely on Advent technology to run their mission-critical operations. Advent’s quality software, data, services and tools enable financial professionals to improve service and communication to their clients, allowing them to grow their business while controlling costs. Advent is the only financial services software company to be awarded the Service Capability and Performance certification for being a world-class support and services organization. For more information on Advent products visit http://www.advent.com/about/resources/demos/pr.

Media Contacts

GlobeOp Financial Services

Natalie Shamshoum
Team 660, Metia
+44 20 3100 3655
natalie.shamshoum@metia.com

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MEREOR ABSOLUTE RETURN FUND SELECTS GLOBEOP FOR FUND ADMINISTRATION SERVICES

nkim — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:30:09 +0000

LONDON, NEW YORK, PARIS - 17 November 2009 - Mereor Absolute Return Fund, which focuses on merger and credit arbitrage strategies, has selected GlobeOp Financial Services (LSE: GO) as its full-service fund administration provider. The fund is advised by Mereor Investment Management and Advisory SAS (”Mereor”), a Paris-based investment management firm, and is scheduled to launch in January 2010.

Mereor founding partner, Georges Gedeon, commented: “In today’s highly volatile climate, transparency, independent portfolio valuation and timely reporting are of paramount concern to fund managers and their investors. With GlobeOp we can offer our investors advanced web-based performance reporting and investment information to supplement more traditional regular reporting channels. Mereor’s combination of merger arbitrage and credit strategies - which we believe represents a unique investment approach - requires stable middle- and back-office support for a broad product set, integrated daily reporting and future growth. GlobeOp’s recognized ability to understand the unique nuances of merger arbitrage and credit strategies was a determining factor in selecting them as our administrator.”

Mereor’s co-founding partner, Jean-Luc Biamonti, added that GlobeOp’s full service capabilities offer a significant advantage.”It is very important that our fund administrator is able to support us with an integrated middle-office, fund accounting and investor relations service. GlobeOp has shown a true understanding of our business model, our trading strategies and the scale and flexibility necessary to accommodate our growth. Their independence and operational strength is further supported by SAS 70 Type II certification. GlobeOp’s reporting capability and system openness is impressive and anticipates our investor needs.”

“As fund managers identify new investment opportunities in the evolving financial market, there is also a strengthened requirement for an integrated operational, risk and investor reporting infrastructure,” said Vernon Barback, GlobeOp president and chief operating officer. “We look forward to supporting Mereor with the flexible services and robust infrastructure its strategy and investors require.”

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Notes to Editors

About Mereor Investment Management and Advisory

Mereor Investment Management and Advisory SAS (”Mereor”) is a Paris-based asset management firm focused on merger arbitrage and credit strategies. Mereor’s founding partners are Georges Gedeon (a former asset manager at GLG Partners and an executive director in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs), Jean-Luc Biamonti (formerly a partner in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, who co-headed the France and Belgium region and then the European Consumer Retail group), and Philippe Gedeon (formerly head of Fixed Income and Structured Products distribution for the MENA region at Daiwa and then head of Equity Derivatives distribution for the MENA region at Citigroup).

About GlobeOp Financial Services

GlobeOp Financial Services (LSE:GO.) is a leading, independent financial technology specialist providing automated, integrated middle- and back-office, administration and risk reporting services to hedge funds and asset management firms-including banks, insurance companies, mutual & pension funds and proprietary traders. Clients trading a wide range of asset classes and derivatives outsource to GlobeOp to reduce technology investments and operational risks, and to focus resources on asset generation and portfolio management. Established in 2000, GlobeOp serves over 180 clients worldwide, representing $100 billion in assets under administration (AuA). With headquarters in London and New York, GlobeOp employs more than 1,500 people on three continents; offices are also located in Dublin, Ireland; George Town, Cayman Islands; Harrison and Yorktown Heights, NY and Hartford, CT, U.S.A.; and Mumbai (Bombay), India. Further information: www.globeop.com

Media Contacts

GlobeOp Financial Services

Sheryl Lee
Metia
+1 917 320 6462
Sheryl.lee@metia.com

Nick Bird
Metia
+44 20 3100 3738
Nick.Bird@metia.com

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ALPS Improves Client Reporting and Delivers Enhanced On-line Service to Customers with Netik Information Portal

nkim — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:53:38 +0000

LONDON, 9 November: Netik, the global financial data management and reporting vendor, is pleased to announce that ALPS Fund Services, Inc., a leading provider of asset servicing to the investment management industry, has successfully implemented Netik Information Portal to address their internal and external reporting needs. Since going live with Netik Information Portal, ALPS has seen a reduction in the time spent by internal users on their report production process and has also delivered an improved on-line service to it’s external customers.

ALPS conducted a review of other market offerings as well as considering building the infrastructure themselves before selecting Netik Information Portal and Netik InterView, Netik’s data warehouse platform. The Netik solution has given ALPS the capability to warehouse their clients’ portfolio data and provide to both internal users and customers externally, a flexible on-line web portal to access this information.

“It was important to give our customers access to the data on-line allowing them to create and customize their own reports. With Netik, we have been able to give them the ability to interact with data, rather than just receiving static reports, as well as the ability to take data in a useful format such as Microsoft Excel. Our internal departments also have secure access to exactly the same data source (i.e. Netik) which avoids them going directly into our accounting system,” commented Sean McLean, Senior Vice President of Fund Accounting, ALPS. “The Netik solution has proved very cost effective and has significantly increased our efficiency. Since implementing Netik, we have discovered that the amount of time our accountants spend dealing with requests for reports has been greatly reduced. We have also been able to create customized reports in Netik that saved hours of manual data consolidation from multiple static reports.”

Colin Close, President, Netik commented “Netik Information Portal delivers streamlined paper-based client reporting including high quality scheduled and ad hoc report packages and presentations. As well as these traditional client reporting needs, it uniquely offers multiple reporting channels and flexible access to reporting data through its client portal for on-line reporting, business intelligence and visualization of data. This includes extended distribution for B2B data exchange and remote client store. we are delighted to welcome ALPS to our global customer base and are pleased they are realizing the benefits from using Netik Information Portal to achieve improved internal efficiencies, savings and the ability to offer their customers a superior, enhanced service.”

For further information, please contact:

Paul Bowhay / Claudia Coleman
netik@cognitomedia.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7438 1100

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About Netik

Netik is a leading global provider to the Securities industry of financial data management and reporting services and products. Netik’s data management products, include Netik Global Securities Master, Netik GSM, a reference data managed service, Netik InterView a data warehouse for the storage of holistic financial data and Netik Information Portal to visualize and report on data. These Netik solutions sit at the heart of investment and securities operations at many of the world’s leading Asset Managers, Hedge funds, Wealth Managers, Private Banks, Prime Brokers, Fund Administrators, Custodians, Investment Operations Outsourcing providers and Investment Banks.

The Netik team has spent the past 25 years perfecting the art of financial data management and reporting bringing together market, reference, portfolio accounting, performance and risk data from disparate sources in a single version of the truth (SVOTT). The result is highly scalable and sophisticated securities data management and reporting solutions that have been designed to cater for all types of data across all securities applicable to traditional and alternative markets. Netik solutions are used by small financial institutions as well as by nine of the top 10 investment banks in the world.

For more information please visit www.netik.com.

About ALPS Fund Services, Inc.

ALPS Fund Services, Inc. is a Denver based provider of administration, compliance, creative services, fund accounting, legal, marketing, tax administration, transfer agency and shareholder service for open-end, closed-end, exchange-traded and alternative investment funds. Combined with ALPS Distributors, Inc., ALPS Fund Services currently services over $200 Billion in client assets.

About ALPS Holdings, Inc.

ALPS Holdings, Inc. is the parent company for ALPS Advisors, Inc., ALPS Distributors, Inc. and ALPS Fund Services, Inc. and is a Denver based company that provides a comprehensive suite of asset servicing, asset management and asset gathering solutions to the investment management industry.

For more information, visit www. ALPSinc.com.

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The Results are In: Extensive Buy-Side Industry Survey

nkim — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:42:34 +0000

New York (Nov. 3, 2009) Award winning blog and social network The Glass Hammer (www.theglasshammer.com) and Stone House Consulting, LLC have released a survey featuring surprising new insights into the buy-side industry.

Respondents to The Glass Hammer / Stone House Consulting survey represent more than 75 investment management firms with nearly $7 trillion in assets under management including US and non-US mutual funds, institutional separate accounts, hedge funds, private equity funds and SMA (‘wrap’) accounts.

The survey covers industry insiders’ views on topics such as risk aversion, fees, accountability, and more and in some cases, yielded surprising results. For example, survey respondents call overwhelmingly (89%) for shadow investment accounting by both hedge funds and mutual funds.

The survey was originally designed to lead the discussion of The Glass Hammer’s seminar “Women on the Buy-Side: Leaders of the Pack,” which brought together 100 top buy-side women from both the front and back office for an interactive, peer-to-peer discussion on the direction of the industry.

Founder and CEO Nicki Gilmour explained, “We soon saw the value in taking these same questions to a wider audience of both men and women in 75 leading firms, which has resulted in a solid working document for any senior professional to digest and consider going into 2010.”

She continued, “The most interesting piece to theglasshammer.com is that 80% of respondents think that managing the risk of losing good employees has been overlooked in the crisis, which may result in many senior players moving in the coming year.”

The survey’s report was produced by Holly H. Miller of Stone House Consulting, who noted the full results include more than 175 quotes from survey participants, elaborated on Gilmour’s point when she said, “The survey indicates that operational risk may be on the rise, despite all the increased attention. Not only have staff cutbacks increased operational risk within many buy-side firms, but increased staff turnover as the employment market improves will cause operational risk profiles to deteriorate further.”

Miller added, “And yet the detailed responses from survey participants include some harsh criticism of both investors and their investment consultants for not having a better understanding of risk overall and operational risk in particular.”

To read the executive summary, visit http://www.theglasshammer.com/news/2009/11/03/the-glass-hammer-stone-house-consulting-survey-of-buy-side-industry-trends/#more-3443.

The Glass Hammer is an award-winning blog and social network for women executives in financial services, law and business. For more information, contact Nicki Gilmour at 646-688-2318 or nicki@theglasshammer.com.

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