Portfolio

ETFMarketPro.com has just launched, containing detailed information on 600 of the nation’s largest exchange-traded funds and the advantages of ETF investing.

Having gone to great, and expensive, lengths to bail investors out of auction-rate securities, which have been severely hit by the credit crunch, some closed-end funds regret this decision in light of UBS’, Citigroup’s and Merrill Lynch’s plan to buy back $40 billion in auction-rate preferreds, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened a website originally created for internal purposes at the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations to fight anti-money laundering, for compliance officers at mutual funds.

Fidelity Investments is hoping to make it far easier for independent registered investment advisers to open new accounts, by equipping them with the ability to capture e-signatures on all necessary documents from new clients. DocuSign is providing the supporting software, which is encrypted so that only the intended parties can view documents and “e-sign” them by clicking on signature lines.

Curian Capital LLC of Denver, the separately managed account arm of Jackson National Life Insurance Co., is developing a managed account for investors who need their portfolio to produce regular income as they enter retirement.

FolioDynamix, a provider of unified managed accounts technology and services, has acquired SunGard Advisory Technologies, which provides investment management and wealth management platform solutions to financial services organizations nationwide, including brokerage firms, RIAs, asset management firms and banks.

When Fidelity Investments expanded FutureStage last year beyond New York to help young people in underserved public schools in Los Angeles, Boston, Houston and Chicago realize their potential through the performing arts, it had no idea how incredibly life-altering and ambitious FutureStage would become.

Citi has expanded its proprietary managed accounts connectivity hub with CitiConnect, specifically designed for separately managed accounts (SMAs). Developed by Citi's securities and fund services business, CitiConnect is the most comprehensive hub to date for straight-through processing of reconciliation, trading and allocations in the managed accounts industry.

Full Force: SEC Fills All Commissioner Positions

With consumers nervous about their financial health, banks such as Wells Fargo and Citizens Bank see this need as an opportunity. Wells Fargo is making licensed brokers available to customers to discuss risk, assets and investment strategies. The bank's goal is to reach customers who aren't high-net-worth, but still have a mix of products across a number of institutions: deposits, loans, retirement plans, mutual funds and education financing.