2014 Global Custodian Hedge Fund Administration Survey Scores Increased Rankings for Conifer

Bucking The Trend of Declining Industry Scores for Single Strategy Managers is stalwart Conifer Financial Services

Conifer Financial Services LLC (Conifer), a leading provider of fund administration and middle office services to the asset management industry, achieved record client scores for the second year in a row in the 2014 Global Custodian Hedge Fund Administration Survey. While industry scores overall fell in 7 out of 8 rated categories, Conifer bucked that trend achieving consistently higher scores, ranking “Very Good” in every category.

Now in its 19th year, the Global Custodian survey scored 30 fund administrators based on over 1,100 client responses. In addition to Conifer’s scores increasing from the 2013 survey in nearly every one of the survey’s quantitative groups, the number of clients participating increased by 80%, demonstrating the broad support and integrity of the scores. Global Custodian is the leading industry survey for Fund Administrators.

“We’re especially pleased to see such strong ratings coming from our clients at a time when we were integrating the merger of the Conifer Group with Vastardis Capital Services forming Conifer Financial Services,” said Jack McDonald, President & CEO of Conifer Financial Services. “In particular, to see our Relationship Management score increase to be ranked 3rd in the industry during a transition speaks volumes about the care our staff provides Conifer’s clients.” McDonald added, “The investment in technology and people we are making now will only augment our positive ratings in the future. ”

Having completed the first phase of integrating Conifer and Vastardis Capital to form a fund administrator with over $100 billion in assets under administration, the new Conifer Financial Services now has over 200 clients and more than 200 staff in six offices in the US, Canada, Singapore, the British Virgin Islands. Going forward, the firm will be focused on continuing the level of client service reflected in the survey results, while combining and enhancing its technology offerings to complement its existing iCon® portfolio reporting tool for single-manager strategies, and its Envisor™ reporting tool for multi-manager strategies and private equity funds.

Accompanying the survey’s numerical results were comments from Conifer’s respondents, many of which highlighted the firm’s premier client services. One fund manager referred to Conifer as a “real outperformer” while another remarked that Conifer has the “willingness and ability to assist in any way possible”.

Added McDonald, “While seeing our survey results consistently improve is always encouraging, hearing actual client feedback is what motivates us every day to come to work and exceed client expectations.”

 About Conifer Financial Services LLC

Conifer Financial Services is a leading independent asset services firm offering front-to-back capabilities across all asset classes to hedge funds, private equity and venture capital managers, pensions, endowments, foundations, family offices, RIAs and traditional asset managers. Services include Fund Administration, Middle and Back Office services, Trade Execution services, and Prime Brokerage. Conifer Financial Services has over 200 clients worldwide representing more than $100 billion of combined assets under administration (AUA). Headquartered in San Francisco and with offices in New York, Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, and Nova Scotia, Conifer has been in business since 1989. For more information, please visit www.conifer.com.

About Global Custodian –

GlobalCustodian.com is the website of Global Custodian, the leading magazine covering the international securities services business. The magazine, with a circulation of 20,000 investment professionals around the world, is defined by high-quality editorial and a series of annual surveys that have become benchmarks for the industry.

Founded in 1989, the original focus of the magazine was on securities processing operations. Its editorial scope has since expanded to include fund administration, securities lending and financing, prime brokerage and the infrastructure of the global securities industry. The editorial content of the magazine is now also supported by industry-standard surveys that address how the performance of custodian banks, fund administrators, prime brokers and tri-party securities financing providers compare with each other and within individual markets. www.globalcustodian.com