Investment Products and Services Launches

Advantus Capital Management Inc. has changed its name to Securian Asset Management Inc., effective May 1.

According to Securian, the name change will help the St. Paul, Minnesota-based asset manager build a stronger brand in the institutional asset management market. The company remains the same legal entity, with no change in ownership or control.

“Brand recognition is important, and by rebranding to Securian Asset Management, we expect to gain greater market awareness for our institutional asset management capabilities,” says David Kuplic, Securian Asset Management’s president.

“Additionally, the timing of this change just makes sense. We are working more closely with Securian Financial than perhaps ever before, leveraging our collective expertise to build new, mutually beneficial capabilities in emerging growth opportunities like pension risk transfer. These new capabilities, along with our established areas of expertise, will serve as the base of our reinvigorated focus on external asset growth moving forward,” adds Kuplic.

Northern Trust to Provide Services for New Morningstar Funds

Northern Trust announced it has been selected to provide fund accounting, fund administration, transfer agency and global custody services for Morningstar Funds Trust, a new fund complex with nine subadvised mutual funds to be launched by Morningstar Investment Management LLC, a provider of discretionary investment management and advisory services.

“Northern Trust’s global technology platform and mutual fund expertise make it an excellent mutual fund service provider to support our new funds,” says Daniel Needham, president and chief investment officer of Morningstar Investment Management, the investment adviser to Morningstar Funds Trust. “Our strong relationship with Northern Trust allows us to focus on our active, multi-manager investment strategies while providing exceptional client service to our investors.”

“We are happy to build on our relationship with Morningstar Investment Management as they launch a new line of mutual funds,” says Dan Houlihan, head of Northern Trust Global Fund Services in North America. “Through technology innovation and talent development, Northern Trust aims to deliver a more automated, client-centered service model to the U.S. mutual fund market, and this appointment by a premier asset manager confirms our progress toward that goal.”