Special Program Root Tag

Despite a jump from 2008 lows, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 1500 companies saw little change in their pension plans funded status last year, a new study claims.

When bankers first started pushing for the concept of the financial supermarket 30 years ago, they lacked the regulatory permission and the technological know-how to succeed. Then, in the 1990s, the mutual fund industry followed suit with web-based, full-service fund supermarkets.

(First of two parts)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Banks expect hybrid annuities that include long-term-care riders to be the next hot product on brokerage platforms as soon as product providers ramp up their offerings in this area, said Scott Stathis, Kehrer-LIMRA’s chief operating officer and managing director, speaking at the company’s Annuity Product Management Roundtable here.

In their attempts to mend the “rattled” investor trust in the alternative space, funds-of-funds managers are planning to utilize transparency and examine their fee structures moving forward, a new study claims.

BALTIMORE—The uncertainty and confusion around the fiduciary standard has jolted the financial services industry leading hundreds to pack the rooms at FINRA’s annual conference in Baltimore.

The Internal Revenue Service has begun mailing out questionnaires to 401(k) plan sponsors to assess compliance with retirement plan regulations.

BOSTON -- Boom and busts in the financial markets are nothing new. However, the landscape emerging in the aftermath of the crisis of 2008 is far different from anything asset management executives have seen before. Be nimble, be quick and be ready to answer to discerning investors-institutional and retail.

NICSA Taps Woodall As New Chairman

BOSTON -- Money Management Executive Publisher Michael Stanton presented the 2010 Fund Operations Awards on May 20 at NICSA's General Membership Meeting at the Downtown Harvard Club here.

The volatility in the S&P 500 Index over the past few weeks serves as a reminder of the importance of reviewing portfolio holdings on a regular basis because, as we have just seen, the fundamentals are fluid. Closely monitoring equity holdings is key to ensuring a portfolio continues to meet an investor's goals and tolerance for risk.

BOSTON -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is about to get a lot bigger and tougher, once Congress approves significant funding increases in its financial reform legislation. The soon-to-be-bulked-up agency is also planning to restructure its resources to place heavy emphasis on inspections, examinations and prosecuting high-profile cases.

ICI: Senate Bill Still Needs Work

First Republic Bank is hiring in a bid to expand its wealth management operation.

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday unanimously approved amendments to its Rule 15c2-12 on disclosure that, like the ones proposed in July, will increase the quantity and timeliness of municipal issuers’ continuing disclosures.

Accounting standard-setters issued new rules Wednesday that could have profound effects, not just on how assets and liabilities get valued but on how banks do business.

BB&T Corp.'s mutual fund family has had a dramatic gain in assets over the past year, and the bank's asset management arm is laying the groundwork for more expansion.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed a new rule requiring self-regulatory organizations (SROs) to create a consolidated audit trail that would greatly improve regulators' ability to track trading information.

Growing up in Honduras, Maria Chrin heard the story of how her grandmother, a widow lacking financial savvy, lost a large amount of money because she could not figure out what to do with the stocks her husband owned in U.S. banks.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, concerned that some Build America Bonds are being sold to investors at prices that are too high, is urging municipal issuers to track the trading of their BABs through the Electronic Municipal Market Access system and to question underwriters about the pricing.