Mutual funds

The Securities and Exchange Commission has named Andrew Bowden as Deputy Director of the agency’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE).

BlackRock’s (BLK) iShares—the largest exchange-traded fund issuer in the world—will add another arrow to its quiver on Thursday when it launches a new ETF that will track an index of 20 of the world’s riskiest markets.

Neuberger Berman Group has launched the Neuberger Berman Risk Balanced Commodity Strategy Fund (NRBAX, NRBCX, NRBIX), an active, diversified commodity investment strategy that includes exposure across 25-30 commodities across six industry sectors.

Fund administrator Gemini Fund Services has new leadership in place, new headquarters in New York, and is making strides in the alternative mutual fund and exchange-traded fund arenas.

Investment data provider MoneyMate has hired Jason Schwarz as senior vice president of North American Sales, responsible for expanding upon the existing client base within North America.

Theresa Hamacher was named to her current position as president of NICSA (the National Investment Company Service Association) in March 2008.

State Street Global Advisors has appointed Greg Ehret to a newly created position as global chief operating officer.

U.S. exchange-traded fund assets totaled $1.2 trillion as of August 31 – up 16.6% year-to-date, according to State Street Global Advisors’ ETF Snapshot.

The Triex Tactical Long/Short Fund, a separate series of the Northern Lights Fund Trust, is shutting down on September 27.

Deutsche Bank today unveiled its growth strategy for the next three years and beyond for its U.S. mutual funds unit and other businesses.

ProShares this week got some good news from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which dismissed, in its entirety, the class action lawsuit filed against the firm in 2009.

The departure of Chief Executive Officer Mark Fetting from embattled money manager Legg Mason has the firm reshuffling its top management in the face of a looming face-off with hedge fund manager Nelson Peltz of Trian Fund Management.

The Financial Services Authority has fined BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited £9,533,100 (US$15.2 million) for failing to adequately protect its clients’ money market deposits and for failing to have controls in place to protect its money market deposits.

Touchstone Investments, a Cincinnati-based mutual fund company, completed its acquisition of 16 mutual funds from Fifth Third Asset Management.

Federated Investors has added $4.4 billion in assets by acquiring four Fifth Third money market funds and merging them into four existing Federated money market funds.

Herb Morgan has a good barometer to tell how hot the market for exchange-traded funds is getting.

Herb Morgan has a good barometer to tell how hot the market for exchange-traded funds is getting.

Federated Investors has added $4.4 billion in assets from four Fifth Third money market funds into four existing Federated money market funds.

BlackRock is cutting fees for its large exchange-traded funds next quarter in response to pricing pressure from the Vanguard Group, Bloomberg reports.

Dimensional Fund Advisor has made its way onto Paychex’s Open Fund Select and Advisor Select platforms. Paychex provides of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing services, including 401(k) plan recordkeeping, for small- to medium-sized businesses.