By Narrative Science Wall Street is optimistic about Northern Trust, which is slated to report its second quarter results on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Analysts project a profit of 83 cents a share, a rise from 74 cents per share a year ago. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Markets
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
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Defined Contribution Assets Grow at Northern Trust
$78 Billion Propelled by Innovative DC Investment Solutions
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Defined Contribution Solutions at Northern Trust has grown rapidly in the last three years, more than doubling assets under management through an expanding array of multi-asset class structures, including target-date and global balanced funds, and providing integrated participant communications for corporate and public retirement plans.
Assets managed by Northern Trust for defined contribution (DC) plans rose to approximately $78 billion as of December 31, 2012, from $37 billion at the end of 2009. Northern Trust‘s target-date retirement solution, the Northern Trust Focus Funds™, recently exceeded $4 billion in assets with the addition of several large corporate DC plan clients.
“DC plans have grown in stature as the primary workplace retirement vehicle for most Americans, and the marketplace is responding to our comprehensive approach for both design and implementation of cost effective solutions that capture global market exposure,” said Jim Danaher, Managing Director, Defined Contribution Solutions at Northern Trust. “Our strategies consider the perspectives of plan sponsors and participants, with a global range of solutions that empowers participants to meet their retirement investment goals.”
Northern Trust offers a diversified array of strategies to support DC plan investment menus, including multi-asset solutions like the Focus Funds suite of target retirement date funds and the Global Balanced Fund, which allocates across stocks, bonds and real assets to achieve both growth and income investment objectives. Other strategies include core options in index equity, fixed income and multi-manager funds, as well as customized asset allocation solutions.
The Northern Trust Focus Funds have gained greater adoption by DC plan sponsors in recent years, as assets grew at an annualized rate of 136 percent from the end of 2009 through January 31, 2013, when the funds topped $4 billion in assets under management.
“The Focus Funds incorporate many of Northern Trust‘s strengths as a multi-capability asset manager: a core competency in strategic asset allocation, globally diversified investments and a cost-efficient structure,” said Susan Czochara, senior product manager of Northern Trust‘s DC Solutions Group. “And because innovation is nothing without participation in retirement plans, we also work with plan sponsors, their consultants and record-keepers to design effective communications programs that educate, engage and empower participants.”
The DC Solutions team also includes Lee Freitag, senior product manager and a 20-year financial services veteran, Ashish Gandhi, investment strategist,
From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/defined-contribution-assets-grow-at-northern-trust/
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
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Northern Trust Survey: Strengthening Economy Boosts Investment Manager Optimism
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Investment managers grew more optimistic about the U.S. economy in the first quarter of 2013, as positive expectations for housing, jobs and corporate profits outweighed concerns about the impact of across-the-board federal budget cuts that went into effect on March 1, according to a quarterly survey by Northern Trust.
A majority of the approximately 100 investment managers surveyed in mid-March expect the automatic budget cuts to remain in place through the end of the quarter and more than one in three (37 percent) believe Washington D.C.’s spending reductions will have a negative impact on U.S. equity markets. However, 56 percent said sequestration would have a neutral impact on markets, and the vast majority of investment managers – 96% – forecast that the economic effects will either be in line with or less severe than current economic forecasts of a 1 percent reduction or less in U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
Significantly, the survey found investment managers were increasingly optimistic about U.S. economic fundamentals:
“Investment managers appear to be looking past Washington’s budgetary gridlock and expect the economy to continue to improve,” said Chris Vella, Chief Investment Officer for Northern Trust Multi-Manager Investments. “The positive sentiment of the managers surveyed over the past few quarters gives perspective to the stock market‘s recent gains. Manager expectations for key economic indicators provides a basis of support for the highs reached by U.S. equity indexes.”
The first quarter survey found some reason for caution, as more managers saw the U.S.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
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Northern Trust Corporation to Webcast First Quarter 2013 Earnings Conference Call and Annual Meeting of Stockholders
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Northern Trust Corporation announced today that it will webcast its first quarter earnings conference call live on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. The call will be conducted at 9:00 a.m. CT, following the release that morning of Northern Trust‘s first quarter 2013 earnings press release. The webcast, related presentation materials, and the earnings press release will be accessible on Northern Trust‘s web site: www.northerntrust.com/financialreleases.
Northern Trust will also webcast its annual meeting of stockholders live on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. The meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. CT and the webcast will be accessible on Northern Trust‘s web site: www.northerntrust.com/presentations. For additional information on the annual meeting of stockholders, please refer to the 2013 Proxy Statement available here: www.northerntrust.com/proxy.
Replays of both webcasts will be available for approximately four weeks after the date of the event.
Participants will need Windows Media or Adobe Flash software, which may be downloaded free at Northern Trust‘s web site.
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (NAS: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, banking solutions and fiduciary services for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Northern Trust, a financial holding company based in Chicago, has offices in 18 U.S. states and 16 international locations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2012, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$4.8 trillion, and assets under investment management of US$758.9 billion. For more than 120 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader in combining exceptional service and expertise with innovative products and technology. For more information, visit www.northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.
Northern Trust Corporation
Investor Contact:
Bev Fleming, (312) 444-7811
Beverly_Fleming@ntrs.com
or
Media Contact:
Doug Holt, (312) 557-1571
Doug_Holt@ntrs.com
KEYWORDS: United States North America Illinois
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The article Northern Trust Corporation to Webcast First Quarter 2013 Earnings Conference Call and Annual Meeting of Stockholders originally …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
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Northern Trust Selects W. Brett Rees to Lead Wealth Management for Mid-Atlantic States
Rees also selected to oversee regional non-profit advisory business
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Northern Trust (NAS: NTRS) has appointed W. Brett Rees head of Wealth Management in the Mid-Atlantic Region. He will be based at Northern Trust‘s Washington D.C. office and will also oversee business in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. In addition, Rees will lead the company’s Foundation and Institutional Advisory services on the East Coast, which provides investment solutions to small and medium-sized foundations and non-profit organizations. He will report to Dave Blowers, Executive Vice President and head of the East Region for Northern Trust who is based in New York.
Rees, who has both military and family ties to northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., will lead a staff of approximately 30 financial services professionals, including portfolio managers, bankers, trust advisors and wealth strategists.
With over 22 years of experience in the financial services industry, Rees has spent 16 years at Northern Trust in roles dedicated to developing comprehensive, customized and innovative financial solutions. He most recently spent six years as National Sales Director for Wealth Management. Prior to joining Northern Trust, he held a variety of wealth management and commercial banking positions at Bank of America, Bank of Boston and Wachovia.
Rees succeeds Joanie Stringer, who is relocating to Miami to assume a senior wealth strategist role with a focus on business development.
Northern Trust is a premier wealth management firm that specializes in goals-based financial advice. We offer clients insightful perspectives and creative thinking, backed by innovative technology and a strong fiduciary ethos. Northern Trust is ranked among the top 10 U.S. wealth managers with $197.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2012, and more than 70 wealth management offices in the United States and abroad. The Financial Times Group has named Northern Trust Best Private Bank in the USA for four consecutive years. In 2012 Northern Trust was also was named Best Private Bank globally for Innovation and Best Private Bank for Socially Responsible Investing.
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (NAS: <a target=_blank class="tmf-ticker qsAdd …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
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More Wealthy Americans Turn to Alternative Investments to Reach Financial Goals
Northern Trust Study Finds Private Equity, Hedge Funds and REITs, Among Top Investment Choices for High-Net-Worth
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Affluent Americans are more likely to allocate assets to alternative investment strategies in asset classes such as private equity, real estate investment trusts and hedge funds today than they have been for several years. That’s especially true for half of high-net-worth investors who say they are better off today than they were five years ago. The findings come from Northern Trust’s recent Wealth in America survey, which provides insights into the financial attitudes of 1,700 wealthy Americans.
Thirty percent of high-net-worth investors, defined as those with $5 million or more in investable assets, say they are more inclined to consider alternative investments now than they were five years ago. Among these high-net-worth investors, private equity (35 percent), managed futures (32 percent), REITs (28 percent) are their top investment alternatives choices followed by hedge funds (23 percent) and venture capital (17 percent). More than a quarter (28 percent) say limited partnerships are their preferred legal structure for holding these investments.
“While not suitable for everyone, alternative investments can provide portfolio diversification as well as offer exposure to sources of return not available from traditional stocks and bonds,” said Katie Nixon, Northern Trust‘s Chief Investment Officer for Wealth Management. “Given our Goals Driven Investing approach, we believe every asset class has a unique role in a portfolio, including alternatives. While hedge funds can offer accredited investors diversification and other risk management benefits, private equity can enhance return through manager skill in addition to an illiquidity premium.”
This risk premium is of increased importance as the survey found that 63 percent of high-net-worth investors are likely to take calculated risks with their investments to grow their wealth and 52 percent say they will look for new investments to grow their wealth.
The survey also surveyed high-net-worth Americans on other investment topics and found that:
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
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Northern Trust Gives $15 Million to Charities in 2012;
Debuts Global Volunteer Program
Contributions as percentage of 2012 pre-tax profits exceed many corporations
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Northern Trust donated $15 million last year in corporate contributions, achieving its goal of giving back 1.5 percent of annual pre-tax profits, and employees volunteered nearly 200,000 hours in support of communities around the world.
The company’s 2012 charitable giving reached its highest total contribution amount since 2007. According to the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy‘s Giving in Numbers: 2012 Edition, Northern Trust‘s total giving as a percentage of pre-tax profits exceeded many Fortune 500 companies surveyed in 2011. The median level of corporate giving among surveyed companies was less than 1 percent of pre-tax profits.
Northern Trust‘s philanthropy is based on the premise that healthy schools and vibrant communities are good for business and prosperity, and represents Northern Trust‘s commitment to giving back to its communities. It is a key component of Northern Trust‘s corporate social responsibility strategy, which also includes diversity and inclusion, environmental awareness and socially responsible investing. Northern Trust has been recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability and MSCI ESG indices, both of which ranked Northern Trust in the 100th percentile for Corporate Philanthropy in 2012.
For the first time, Northern Trust offered two full days of paid time off to its more than 14,000 employees, empowering staff members to support charitable causes of their choice. Employees took advantage of the new policy by giving their time to a variety of causes, such as helping school children improve literacy skills, providing meals to the hungry and planting saplings in a public housing development.
“Northern Trust has always been an active supporter of the communities in which we live and work. Now, through the Northern Trust Community Partners program, we’re giving our employees time to get involved with causes personally important to them,” Northern Trust Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frederick H. Waddell said. “We’re proud to enable our workforce to contribute on an individual basis as well as through group projects organized at our offices around the world.”
Northern Trust‘s approach to philanthropy focuses on developing deep relationships with select nonprofits to help the organizations deliver the greatest impact. Northern Trust‘s support of nonprofits includes grants and value-added support such as human and intellectual capital, event sponsorships and donations in-kind.
In 2012 Northern Trust invested …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
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Northern Trust Announces Proposed Capital Actions
Federal Reserve Does Not Object to Capital Plan
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Northern Trust Corporation (NAS: NTRS) today announced that it received no objections from the Federal Reserve to the proposed capital actions contained in its 2013 Capital Plan.
Northern Trust‘s Capital Plan, which was approved by its Board of Directors prior to submission to the Federal Reserve, requested authority to increase its quarterly common stock dividend to $0.31 per share from $0.30 per share, effective in the second quarter of 2013. At its regular April meeting, Northern Trust‘s Board of Directors will consider formal approval of the planned dividend increase, which is expected to be payable July 1, 2013.
In addition, Northern Trust‘s Capital Plan provides for the repurchase of up to $400 million of its common stock through the open market or in privately negotiated transactions between April 2013 and March 2014. The timing of the common stock repurchases and the exact number of shares repurchased will depend on various factors, including Northern Trust‘s capital position, internal capital generation, market conditions, and other investment opportunities.
“Northern Trust continues to have a strong capital position, focused business model and conservative risk profile, and we are pleased that the Board will consider a dividend increase at its April 16, 2013 meeting,” Northern Trust Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frederick H. Waddell said. “We believe our Capital Plan, and the meaningful increase in capital distributions that it included, demonstrates the strength of Northern Trust‘s financial position.”
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (NAS: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, banking solutions and fiduciary services for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Northern Trust, a financial holding company based in Chicago, has offices in 18 U.S. states and 16 international locations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2012, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$4.8 trillion, and assets under investment management of US$758.9 billion. For more than 120 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader in combining exceptional service and expertise with innovative products and technology. For more information, visit www.northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.
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Northern Trust Enhances Operational Support for Central Counterparty Clearing of OTC Derivatives
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– To help clients comply with new regulations intended to manage risk in the financial derivatives markets, Northern Trust has enhanced its systems to provide operational support for central clearing of certain over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives.
New capabilities allow Northern Trust to electronically capture trade information on swaps, a widely used type of OTC derivative, and connect with external parties to route trades to electronic matching platforms, clearing firms and exchanges. The enhancements to Northern Trust‘s custody and middle-office platform will support compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act in the United States and the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR), which require investors to clear OTC derivatives through centralized exchanges, rather than on a bilateral basis.
“As the infrastructure for derivatives transactions moves toward central counterparty (CCP) clearing, we have developed processing efficiencies that allow us to electronically capture and confirm CCP trades, interface with the exchanges and clearing firms, and offer margin management,” said Judson Baker, Product Manager for Derivatives and Collateral Management at Northern Trust. “Our ability to provide these services saves our clients from having to make costly investments in systems and operational support needed to meet regulatory requirements.”
Available on a global basis to investment managers, institutional investors and other asset servicing clients, the new capabilities are integrated with Northern Trust‘s Investment Operations Outsourcing, global custody and collateral management systems to support all aspects of post-trade processing.
“The regulatory environment continues to evolve, bringing greater demand for derivatives services,” said Peter Cherecwich, Head of Global Fund Services at Northern Trust. “We are committed to investing in automation and increased product coverage to fully support derivatives processing, including margin management, in support of our back and middle office outsourcing clients.”
Northern Trust offers an active collateral management service for clients that trade futures and listed options, OTC and cleared swaps. Northern Trust provides this service for an array of derivative participants including asset managers, corporations, pension funds and family offices located around the globe. In addition, Northern Trust will continue to invest in operational capabilities in support of margin management to help clients optimize their pledged assets.
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (NAS: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, banking solutions and fiduciary services for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
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Northern Trust Develops Goals Driven Investing Approach
Approach Aligns Financial Assets to Life Goals
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Reflecting desires of wealthy individuals to focus more explicitly on meeting specific life goals, Northern Trust has introduced a purposeful, proprietary approach to goals-based investing. This method, which represents an evolution in the way assets are managed to achieve clients’ goals, aims to align specific assets to stated objectives.
Traditionally, investment advisors evaluate a client’s risk tolerance and time horizon and map them to an asset allocation model. While Northern Trust continues to provide these services, our approach focuses first on a thorough review of client goals, such as buying a second home or setting up a charitable foundation. Then we develop a distinct mix of investments appropriate for reaching each goal.
“We’re focused on helping our clients achieve their goals in life,” said Jana Schreuder, Northern Trust‘s President of Wealth Management. “We tailor a client’s investment program by matching assets with goals. This allows our clients to better understand how their investment strategies and wealth relate to their future needs and aspirations.”
Northern Trust‘s recent Wealth in America Survey, which provides insights into the financial attitudes of wealthy Americans, revealed some inconsistencies around goals. It found that:
Goals Driven Investing at Northern Trust involves collaboration between clients and their advisory teams around identifying and quantifying both life goals and financial assets, including real and human capital. Advisors use innovative and proprietary technology that takes multiple inputs about future goals, applies a set of dynamic discount rates to determine their present values, assigns those values against each client’s assets and constructs customized investment strategies aligned with each goal. The process gives clients a …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Tom Groenfeldt, Contributor Bridgewater Associates, one of the largest hedge funds in the world with $120 billion in assets, will soon use Northern Trust to shadow the fund administration work it outsourced to BNY Mellon in 2011.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
