Products July 8, 2013

Northern Trust Enhances Performance Attribution Tools

July 8, 2013 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Northern Trust Corporation has launched an enhanced version of its performance attribution tools.
Reported by

The enhancement consists of the implementation of daily security-level detail for fixed income within its Investment Risk and Analytical Services (IRAS) product suite for investment managers and institutional investors.

Northern Trust is using a “Successive Pricing” model to provide a fixed income analysis tool, leveraging the company’s performance data. It is fully integrated with the company’s IRAS Fundamentals ad hoc analysis application and is intended for clients seeking to better understand the sources of return in their investment portfolios. By analyzing the relationship of a security to market factors such as interest rate and foreign exchange changes, the model is intended to account for performance on a variety of fixed income instruments including bank loans, swaps, options, repos, and futures.

Get more!  Sign up for PLANSPONSOR newsletters.

“Our new daily security-level attribution model allows Northern Trust to deliver a more granular breakdown of returns generated within fixed income portfolios,” said James Haran, senior product manager for IRAS at Northern Trust. “While we have been able to provide fixed income attribution for many years, this model enhances our ability to highlight individual market factors such as curve, carry, yield, duration, and maturity and the resulting impact on client portfolios.”

According to Haran, the model analyzes the securities within a portfolio and benchmark to determine the pricing impact resulting from changes in underlying markets, and is integrated with other performance and risk reporting, so clients can see absolute and relative returns along with risk metrics on their portfolios.

Deals and People July 8, 2013

Lockton Opens Milwaukee Office

July 8, 2013 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Insurance and employee benefits adviser Lockton has opened a new office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Reported by

John O’Connor and Bill Crowley have joined Lockton Companies as senior vice presidents in its new office.” John and Bill are two highly regarded benefits consulting professionals who will help our clients make intelligent business decisions as they face the ongoing challenges of health reform and rising benefits costs,” said Tom Schaffler, president of Lockton’s Chicago operations.

O’Connor was with Aon Hewitt and its predecessor consulting firm, Hewitt Associates, for more than 24 years. He has expertise in health and welfare plans, global human resources issues, pension and retirement programs, and strategic planning. At Lockton, O’Connor will be responsible for business development and client strategy. He holds an M.B.A. from University of Warwick (Coventry, England) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANSPONSOR NEWSDash daily newsletter.

Crowley has been a principal and client manager in Mercer’s Milwaukee office for the past six years. He has more than 20 years working as an employee benefits and human resources adviser. At Lockton, he will be responsible for business development and advising clients on benefits and compensation strategy, design, funding, and administration. Crowley received his bachelor’s degree from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago. He also studied at the Institut fur Europaische Studien in Vienna, Austria. Crowley holds a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation.

«