10 PIMCO Portfolio Managers Receive 17 Lipper Awards in 14 Bond Categories; PIMCO's Emerging Markets Bond Fund has Best 5-Year Record of any Bond Fund


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 21, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- PIMCO, one of the world's premiere fixed-income fund-management companies, has been honored with a total of 17 "Performance Achievement" certificates from Lipper, the mutual-fund information and analysis service.

These award-winning funds, overseen by 10 PIMCO portfolio managers, represent 14 different bond categories. The institutional share classes of each of the funds were honored for number-one rankings, based on returns, in their categories over a period of one, five or ten years for the period ending Dec. 31, 2002.

"Lipper's latest rankings show we are successfully using our bench strength to find the best investments for our clients across the entire fixed-income field," said William S. Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the asset-management company. "It's a high compliment to the diverse talents amongst our portfolio-management group."

PIMCO's Emerging Markets Bond Fund, managed by Mohamed El-Erian, turned in the best five-year record of any bond fund, according to Lipper (five-year period No. 1 of 2,295 funds in the All Fixed-Income Funds Category; one-year period No. 161 of 3,603). Last year, this fund received a Lipper Award for the number-one performing fixed-income fund for a one-year period (No. 1 of 3,386 in the All Fixed-Income Funds Category for 2001). The fund's institutional class shares returned an annualized 13.10 percent for the five-year period ending Dec. 31, 2002 (one year 12.86 percent; and 11.66 percent since inception on 7/31/97).

The other funds receiving awards, and the managers of those funds (and the one, five and 10 year ranking, as applicable), were:


 Best One-Year Record by Category:
 
 PIMCO European Convertible Fund 
 Convertible Securities Funds Category
 (1 year No. 1 of 71)
 Yuri Garbuzov, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Low Duration Fund III
 Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Category
 (1 year No. 1 of 122; 5 yr. No. 5 of 91)
  Bill Gross, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO New York Municipal Bond Fund 
 New York Municipal Debt Funds Category
 (1 year No. 1 of 100)
 Mark McCray, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Real Return Asset Fund 
 Intermediate U.S. Treasury Funds Category
 (1 year No. 1 of 21)
 John Brynjolfsson, portfolio manager

 Best Five-Year Record by Category:

 PIMCO GNMA Fund
 GNMA Funds Category
 (5 year No. 1 of 41; 1 year No. 12 of 65)
 Scott Simon, portfolio manager 

 PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund
 General U.S. Government Funds Category
 (5 year No. 1 of 123; 1 year No. 2 of 155; 10 year No. 1 of 50)
 Jim Keller, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Moderate Duration Fund
 Short Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Fund Category
 (5 year No. 1 of 66; 1 year No. 6 of 134)
 Bill Gross, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Real Return Fund
 Intermediate U.S. Treasury Funds Category
 (5 year No. 1 of 13; 1 year No. 2 of 21)
 John Brynjolfsson, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Total Return Fund 
 Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Funds Category
 (5 year No. 1 of 196; 1 year No. 28 of 380; 10 year No. 1 of 71)
 Bill Gross, portfolio manager

 PIMCO Total Return Mortgage Fund
 U.S. Mortgage Funds Category
 (5 year No. 1 of 57; 1 year No. 6 of 73)
 Scott Simon, portfolio manager
 
 Best 10-Year Record by Category:
 
 PIMCO Foreign Bond Fund
 International Income Funds Category
 (10 year No. 1 of 7; 5 year No. 2 of 36; 1 year No. 32 of 45)
 Sudi Mariappa, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO High Yield Fund
 High Current Yield Funds Category
 (10 year No. 1 of 53; 5 year No. 13 of 188; 1 year No. 181 of 378)
 Ray Kennedy, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Long-Term U.S. Government Fund
 General U.S. Government Funds Category
 (10 year No. 1 of 50; 5 year No. 1 of 123; 1 year No. 2 of 155)
 Jim Keller, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Low Duration Fund
 Short Investment Grade Debt Funds Category
 (10 year No. 1 of 33; 5 year No. 13 of 188; 1 year No. 3 of 122)
  Bill Gross, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Short-Term Fund
 Ultra-Short Obligations Funds Category
 (10 year No. 1 of 10; 5 year No. 5 of 25; 1 year No. 14 of 47)
 Paul McCulley, portfolio manager
 
 PIMCO Total Return Fund
 Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Funds Category
 (10 year No. 1 of 71; 5 year No. 1 of 196; 1 year No. 28 of 380)
  Bill Gross, portfolio manager

Founded in 1971 and based in Newport Beach, California, PIMCO has more than $304 billion in fixed-income assets under management in the United States and an additional $100 billion in insurance-based assets under management in Europe. The company is majority owned by Munich-based Allianz Group, a leading global insurance company with nearly $1 trillion in assets and represented in 70 countries around the globe.

Lipper, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reuters, is a leading global provider of mutual fund information and analysis to fund companies, financial intermediaries, and media organizations. Lipper clients manage more than 95 percent of U.S. fund assets. The firm, founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York, tracks 125,000 funds worldwide through its offices in major financial capitals in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance data quoted represents past performance and the investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that the shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Returns shown are net of fees and expenses and include reinvestment of dividends, income, and capital gains, if any. The Funds typically offer different share classes, which are subject to different fees and expenses (which may affect performance), have different minimum investment requirements, and are entitled to different services.

Contact PIMCO Advisors Distributors at 800-927-4648 for a prospectus that contains more complete information on management fees and other expenses. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money. Distributed by PIMCO Advisors Distributors LLC, 840 Newport Center Drive, Suite 300, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.



            

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