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Regulators may be more open to selling failed banks to nontraditional owners — or maybe there are just fewer buyers.

Blackstone Advisory Services Vice Chairman Byron R. Wien, who has made annual predictions for U.S. markets and the economy at the start of the year for the past quarter century, believes there will be a number of welcome surprises in 2010—not least of which will be GDP growth surpassing forecasts of 5%.

John Hancock Financial Services has named James R. Boyle president, in charge of all phases of the company’s businesses, including life insurance, long-term care insurance, variable annuities, 401(k) plans, fixed products and mutual funds, the John Hancock financial network and investment management services.

Hedge fund investors are more concerned with transparency and liquidity than they are with performance, SEI and Greenwich Associates said in a survey report, titled “The Era of the Investors” New Rules of Institutional Hedge Fund Investing.”

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is considering a bill that would require mutual funds, pension plans and other large institutional investors to publicly reveal how they vote their proxies, to impose proper corporate governance on otherwise passive investors who, seemingly, don't vote in the fiduciary interest of their end investors.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup said that a 2007 e-mail that a Charles Schwab managing director wrote could prove to be a “mea culpa smoking gun” since the executive says Schwab should tell investors it misrepresented risks in the short-term bond fund.

Charles Schwab has begun offering investors six professionally managed portfolios that have access to 24 exchange-traded funds, each portfolio with an investment minimum of $100,000. The Schwab Managed Portfolios will invest in up to 19 core sub-asset classes and offer diversification across all the major equity and fixed income asset classes, including TIPs, real estate and commodities.

Earnings seasons continue as worries rise over interest rates and some say now is the time to hedge. Commentary from Asset Dedication, JPMorgan Funds, Bank of New York Mellon and Research Affiliates.

Sun Life Financial is readying a national marketing campaign to raise its profile, and to underscore the effort, has just signed a multi-year agreement with the Miami Dolphins to rename the team’s Miami Gardens, Fla., stadium the Sun Life Stadium.

Lord, Abbett has reduced the net expense ratios on two of its international funds by 31 and 23 basis points, bringing the Class A charges both the $949 million Lord, Abbett International Core Equity Fund and the $325 million Lord, Abbett International Dividend Fund to 1.12%. The two funds are now lower than the averages in both their Morningstar and Lipper peer groups.

In 2009, 425 mutual funds were either closed or merged out of existence, up nearly three-fold from the 145 funds that ceased to exist in 2008, according to Lipper.

Some of these trusts are goal-based and some are dollar-based.

BofA will spend up to $20 million over the next three months on its “help2retire” campaign.

Evercore also launched a new website Monday.

More than 20% of hedge funds have been shut down in the past two years, as 1,500 funds were liquidated.

As it waits for the fee income that will come once interest rates rise, Bank of New York Mellon will continue to try and control costs and focus on expanding its asset management and asset servicing businesses overseas, the firm said during an earnings call last Wednesday.

Petrone, Rowley Take Key FRC Research, Sales Posts

BOSTON-Mutual fund companies must stay on top of their compliance programs, particularly because Congress is likely to pass new financial regulations, executives warn.

Petrone, Rowley Take Key FRC Research, Sales Posts

BOSTON-Mutual fund companies must stay on top of their compliance programs, particularly because Congress is likely to pass new financial regulations, executives warn.