Portfolio

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department extended its $3 trillion temporary guarantee program for money market mutual funds through Sept. 19 to provide continued reassurance for investors.

Guaranteed living benefits are driving sales of variable annuities, Milliman found, with 96% of those sold in 2008 including GLBs, up from 87% that had GLBs in 2004.

AllianceBernstein announced Tuesday that it eliminated 237 positions in the first quarter, ending with a staff of 4,760, down from 4,997 at the beginning of the year. Thirty-one of the positions eliminated were held by investment professionals, including analysts, portfolio manager, chief investment officers, research directors and traders.

Exchange-traded funds continued to grow in popularity, despite last year's poor market performance, as investors continue to look for ways to cut management fees.

CVC Capital Partners of Britain is in exclusive talks with Barclays to purchase its iShares exchange-traded fund unit for more than $4 billion.

Young adults between the ages of 23 and 28 are more worried about being “financially fit” than “physically fit,” Charles Schwab found in a survey of 1,252 people conducted in January.

More than 100 funds that had closed to new investors have reopened since the beginning of 2007, but advisers warn that investors shouldn’t be so quick to jump in, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Putnam Investments has hired Benjamin H. Lewis as managing director of defined contribution sales and relationship management. A 23-year veteran of the 401(k) industry who began his career at Fidelity in 1986, Lewis most recently was senior vice president for Fidelity Employer Services Co.

Sullivan Named Head Of Fidelity Bond Group

PALM DESERT, Calif. - Andrew Donohue, director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Investment Management, said Monday that he doesn't think the SEC will push for changes to rule 12b-1 govering mutual fund fees this year.