The Markets January 9, 2007

Morningstar Unveils Fixed-Income Indexes

Morningstar, Inc. plans to come out with a family of fixed income indexes, which can be licensed to institutions for the creation of investment vehicles including such things as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and derivative securities.
Reported by

The investment research firm will launch the initial indexes, which will cover the core fixed income categories of US Treasury and corporate bonds, in the first quarter.

Eric Jacobson, a mutual fund analyst for the company for more than a decade, will head the development of the Morningstar Fixed Income Indexes.

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“While there are numerous fixed-income indexes available today, most of them are difficult to replicate in an investment vehicle because their holdings are so vast and many of their securities are illiquid,’ Jacobson said in the release. He also said non-institutional investors have a hard time getting performance data on most fixed-income indexes.

Credit Suisse will be the calculation agent for the Morningstar Fixed Income Indexes.

Deals & People January 8, 2007

M Benefit Solutions – Bank Strategies Expands Presence in the West

M Benefit Solutions - Bank Strategies has added Corrigan&Company to its lineup of Community Bank Advisor Firms.
Reported by
The addition of the Santa Barbara-based Corrigan & Company, formerly known as BenmarkWest, solidifies the presence M Benefits Solutions – Bank Strategies maintains in the Western United States, the company said. Corrigan & Company is led by Michael Corrigan, the company’s founder and chairman.

M Benefit Solutions – Bank Strategies, based in Portland, Oregon, is a division of M Benefit Solutions, a Member Firm of M Financial Group. It uses a network of adviser firms across the country that specialize in the bank owned life insurance (BOLI) market to assist banks in attracting, retaining and rewarding key executives and directors through the design, implementation and administration of benefit programs.

For more information, visit www.mben.com/bank.

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