SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 6, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Wilshire Associates, a global leader in investment technology, investment consulting and investment management, and CanadianMgrSearch (CMS), a Toronto area firm that delivers investment manager databases to clients via an internet-based product, today announced an alliance which will allow the firms to cross sell certain of their products and services and to share databases.
"This alliance provides our firm with an opportunity to further penetrate the Canadian market by having CMS introduce Wilshire Compass(sm), our PC-based fund management and consulting tool to its Canadian clients and prospects while also supplementing our current databases with information on Canadian-based money managers," said Julia Bonafede, senior managing director and head of Wilshire Consulting, the business unit which markets Wilshire Compass and provides consulting services to some of the nation's largest pension plans. "Wilshire Compass, which combines Wilshire's comprehensive databases with sophisticated investment technology developed at Wilshire during the past 34 years, currently includes proprietary information on more than 1,000 money management firms and 5,000 separate account investment management products. In excess of 90 percent of the institutional investment managers are represented in Compass."
"Adding the extensive databases maintained by Wilshire Compass will move CanadianMgrSearch into the forefront by providing Canadian plan sponsors, institutional consultants, money managers, insurance companies and high net worth clients and their advisors with the global investment manager information they need to make informed investment decisions," commented Bruce Friesen, the president of CanadianMgrSearch. "By enabling those of our clients who need the deep analytics provided by Wilshire to move to the Compass platform, we also will bring to the Canadian market the combination of the best in global databases and analytical platforms," he noted.
CanadianMgrSearch currently tracks nearly 175 money management firms with 900 investment management products comprising approximately 85 percent of all Canadian managers accepting new business, according to Friesen. "CMS's database brings together information on the styles, objectives and achievements of a wide range of top managers of segregated and pooled funds who seek Canadian clients," he said. "Our firm provides thorough profiles of the people, products and companies who drive the investment management industry for Canada, and ensures that clients can readily match their goals to those Investment Managers best able to achieve them."
Charles Stunkard, the managing director who leads the Wilshire Compass business, noted that, "Compass is unique in that it provides users with the tools necessary to address all aspects of a disciplined investment process in one complete system, including the ability to formulate investment policy and implement strategies while also monitoring and evaluating asset class and total fund performance and risk. With Wilshire Compass, clients also can develop asset allocation and rebalancing recommendations, select and evaluate investment managers and analyze and optimize manager teams," he stated. "All Compass analytics can be tailored to fit the user's individual investment process. Our clients are supported by experienced investment professionals who provide user training and consultative support at a level not available with any other investment technology product."
About Wilshire Associates
Wilshire Associates is a leading global investment technology, investment consulting and investment management firm with four business units, including: Wilshire Consulting, Wilshire Analytics, Wilshire Funds Management and Wilshire Private Markets. Wilshire Consulting provides customized investment solutions to public and corporate defined benefit and defined contribution pension funds, endowments, foundations, healthcare, and insurance companies. Currently, Wilshire Consulting has approximately $500 billion in plan assets under advisement.
The firm was founded in 1972, revolutionizing the industry by pioneering the application of investment analytics and research to investment management for the institutional marketplace. Wilshire also is credited with helping to develop the field of quantitative investment analysis that uses mathematical tools to analyze market risks. All other business units evolved from Wilshire's strong analytics foundation. Wilshire developed the index now known as the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index(sm), the first asset/liability models for pension funds, the first U.S. equity style metrics work and many other "firsts" as the firm grew to more than 300 employees serving the investment needs of institutional and high net worth clients around the world.
Based in Santa Monica, CA, Wilshire provides services to clients in more than 20 countries representing in excess of 600 organizations with assets totaling more than US $12.5 trillion. With eight offices on four continents, Wilshire Associates and its affiliates are dedicated to providing clients with the highest quality counsel, products and services. Wilshire Compass(sm) is a registered service mark of Wilshire Associates Incorporated, Santa Monica, California. Please visit www.wilshire.com for more information.
About CanadianMgrSearch
CanadianMgrSearch is focused on bringing investment information to Canadian clients through its database platform. In addition CanadianMgrSearch through its Property and Casualty Investment Monitor Division provides monitoring information to P&C Insurance companies. Through its affiliate Global Investment Solutions, CanadianMgrSearch provides investment consulting services to Insurance Companies, HNW Advisors, and Family Offices.
CanadianMgrSearch offers an Internet-based access to a suite of tools which allow the user to effectively and efficiently search through thousands of products to seek out those managers on whom they wish to review the policies, procedures, products and people. This web-enabled system for Plan Sponsors, Insurance companies and other subscribers offers access to an extensive database on Investment Managers, their Product Offerings and their Performance Track Records.
The firm was founded in 1999 by Bruce Friesen bringing together the latest in Internet technology and marrying it with the FACTS Canadian Investment Manager Directory which it purchased. CMS is the Canadian leader in Investment Manager information continuing to augment its tools set and data to ensure the Canadian clientele have access to the best in Global Investment Manager information.
Based in Oakville, Ontario, CMS provides services to over 125 organizations with assets totaling more than $1.0 trillion. The database includes over CDN$4.3 trillion total assets, over 900 product profiles and over 2000 personnel profiles.
More information is available at www.canadianmgrsearch.com.