Regulation

"The closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned, but that won't happen to us, because it's always been a matter of trust." -- Billy Joel

WASHINGTON -- In a far departure from the self-congratulatory back-slapping that went on at last year's Investment Company Institute General Membership Meeting, the largest mutual fund industry gathering of 2004 featured a more humble tone from the top.

WASHINGTON -- Matt Fink didn't exactly go gentle into that good night during his last days at the helm.

WASHINGTON -- Fund firms will be required to sport a chief compliance officer come October, but many gathered here at the Investment Company Institute's General Membership Meeting had unanswered questions and not a lot of time to find solutions.

WASHINGTON -- Putting the interests of investors first and fostering investor loyalty were two of primary topics at the Investment Company Institute's annual General Membership Meeting here.

A group of independent directors has formed the Independent Directors Council to provide education and create a forum to discuss policy issues. The council, an offshoot of the Directors' Committee of the Investment Company Institute, will be housed in the ICI but has its own staff.

WASHINGTON -- The Investment Company Institute and its membership are at a crossroads, said Paul Roye, the Securities and Exchange Commission's director of the division of investment management before the ICI General Membership Meeting here Thursday.

State-sponsored 529 college savings plans are the latest investment vehicle to draw scrutiny from legislators, as Congress prepares for a series of hearings to examine their fees, broker commissions and tax efficiency.

Ask your average mutual fund investor what impact the scandal has had on them, and what do you think you will hear?

The National Association of Securities Dealers has formed a mutual fund task force to recommend ways to make fund costs and distribution agreements more transparent to investors. Members of the mutual fund and broker/dealer communities will sit on the task force, which is being formed as a result of talks between the NASD and the SEC.