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Hennion and Walch, a small New Jersey fund firm, is introducing ETFs into 401k plans by wrapping them in mutual funds. Chief Investment Officer Kevin Mahn said the SmartGrowth ETF Lipper Optimal Conservative Index, SmartGrowth ETF Lipper Optimal Moderate Index and SmartGrowth ETF Lipper Optimal Growth Index funds have made their way into 401(k) plans administered by leading companies, including Fidelity Investments.

Cash-strapped banks are hoping the Federal Reserve will loosen restrictions keeping private-equity firms from giving them capital.

Adviser confidence in the economy and stock market declined in June, according to Rydex AdvisorBenchmarking. The Rydex Advisor Confidence Index fell 3.07%, to 96.93, from a month earlier, due to heightened concerns about rising energy costs, higher inflation and the subprime mortgage crisis.

Merk Investments Recruits Former St. Louis Fed Prez

Despite their tremendous growing popularity for their set-it-and-forget it convenience of automatically reallocating equity-to-fixed income ratios every year for 401(k) investors, target-date mutual funds may not be the best option for defined contribution plans.

Back in 2005, the chances that Amvescap, now Invesco, would make a 360-degree turnaround seemed virtually impossible, but with a little bit of time and the addition of Martin Flanagan as chief executive officer, the unlikely actually occurred.

Mutual fund companies and other financial services firms continue to battle one another for wealth management talent even though companies are forced to pay hefty salaries that crimp profits.

At first glance, Forward Management LLC of San Francisco looks like a typical investment management boutique, presiding over a current family of 16 niche mutual funds.

The head of JPMorgan Funds has handed responsibility for the company’s growing registered investment adviser business to a lieutenant.

For professionals on Wall Street, the June jobs number confirmed what many already knew: The financial services segment of the U.S. economy lost jobs last month. Some observers say the pace of jobs lost on Wall Street could exceed all other previous downturns faced by banks and brokerages since World War II.

ING Group NV of the Netherlands has completed its $900 million purchase of CitiStreet LLC from Citigroup Inc. and State Street Corp.

Citigroup’s head of hedge fund services, Steve Bowman, has decided to leave the firm, according to a memo from Citi’s James Forese, co-CEO of markets & banking. There is no indication yet of Bowman’s future endeavors.

Statistics gathered in September 2007 by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) show that state and local government spends more on employee benefit programs than the private-sector.

On Wednesday morning, hedge fund fugitive Samuel Israel III surrendered himself to law enforcement officials in Southwick, Mass. Israel has been on the run since June 9, when he was set to report to prison in Ayres, Mass. His car was found that day on a Westchester County, N.Y., bridge with the words “suicide is painless” written on the hood.

After completing his service as chief information office on June 30, Corey Booth parted ways with the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to pursue a new career with Boston Consulting Group in New York.

This week, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission decided that effective Aug. 1, mutual fund advertisements will no longer need to be pre-approved.

Back in 2005, the chances that Amvescap, now Invesco, would make a 360-degree turnaround seemed virtually impossible, but with a little bit of time and the addition of Martin Flanagan as chief executive officer, the unlikely actually occurred, Institutional Investor reports.

A study conducted in 2007 by Merrill Lynch and consulting firm Capgemini Group found that the rich are getting richer worldwide, The Hamilton Spectator reports. Last year, people worth more than $1 million increased 6% to around 10.1 million.

Bowne & Co. recently acquired Capital Systems for $13 million.

As high school and college seniors graduate, many are faced with the financial predicament to spend versus save. Despite some college programs, like St. Johns University, which offers computers to its incoming freshmen, high school graduates have many expensive needs for college, leading many to spend their graduation money, the Poughkeepsie Journal reports.