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West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) - Oxford Funding Corp. has signed a letter of intent to acquire $40 million in new properties into its hedge fund, The Oxford Opportunistic Mortgage Fund, Ltd.
The assets are being acquired from ARCOA Capital Partners, LP, a Houston-based investment company. Larry Ramming, Managing Partner of ARCOA, stated, "We expect Oxford to manage and maximize these assets for us as the economy turns around. This should be a win-win for both our investors and Oxford’s shareholders."
Oxford plans to manage this portfolio of properties to maturity or sale. CEO Ron Redd said, "We expect this to be the first step in a series of profitable asset acquisitions over the next several months. We have demonstrated our ability to help Americans stay in their homes and protect equity values while making attractive returns for our company," Redd added. "This is a big step forward in our plan to build value for our shareholders by acquiring assets at attractive values and managing them to realize profits," he concluded.
Oxford Funding is an asset resolution company, engaging in the purchase and management of bulk mortgage loan portfolios in the United States. It buys loan portfolios secured by real estate on a wholesale basis at discounts to face value, and resells the assets on a retail basis with margins. The company acquires mortgage portfolios from banks, mortgage companies, and lenders; restructures and services the loans; and then re-packages the loans for resale. It also acquires performing, under-performing, and non-performing loans.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – According to a recent survey conducted by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), a poll of 1,300 sophisticated private investors showed that 15% believed that hedge funds offer the potential for strong returns in the current environment. However they are also concerned about their perceived lack of transparency (17%) and riskiness (17%).
Investors are also cautious about hedge funds because they believe that they are not regulated (14%), and are concerned about the reputation for high charges (12%). Some investors also find them confusing (11%) and believe they are only accessible to the wealthy (5%).
Although some sophisticated private investors are wary of hedge funds, 6% of those surveyed are already investing in hedge funds, 5% have invested in the past and 3% are planning to invest in the future. Interestingly, nearly half (46%) of investors believe they may possibly invest in hedge funds in the future whilst only 29% of investors surveyed would never invest in hedge funds.
"Many of these investors’ concerns over hedge funds are addressed through the listed hedge fund and fund of hedge funds sectors," Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) said, "The listed structure of closed ended hedge funds and fund of funds means investors have access to a much higher level of transparency. Shares in listed funds are available on the stock market just like any other share so they are available to those of modest means as well as the super wealthy."
"This is a real growth area of the industry with the hedge fund sector making up 65% of the assets raised this year in the investment company sector. However, it is still a young sector, so long-term performance records are not available for the majority. Investors need to do their homework to make sure they select the right fund for them in this diverse sector and if they are unsure they should take independent financial advice," she concluded.
Ian Plenderleith, Chairman of BH Macro, said, "Hedge funds who can maintain the necessary standards of investment expertise and risk management have demonstrated that they can deliver superior returns on a consistent basis. Listed hedge fund vehicles give a wider range of investors access to alternative investment strategies through an avenue they are familiar with. They get the benefit of the regulatory safeguards and disclosure obligations, and the secondary market liquidity that go with stock exchange listing."
Robin Bowie, Chairman of Dexion Capital, said: "When dislocation in financial markets reaches the present level, it provides an ideal environment for hedge funds, which are well-placed to make opportunistic investments where they recognise value and can hedge out the market risk. Some of those positions will be illiquid, which will be unsuitable for most managers of open-ended funds. Closed-ended funds employ ‘permanent capital’, raised on the stock exchange, which allow managers to blend liquid and illiquid assets and take advantage of the current mismatch in the markets. In essence, closed-ended funds bring liquidity to illiquid situations."
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Reuters – Shanghai has decided to let foreign investors, including private equity and venture capital funds, register legally as local equities investment firms as China’s financial hub moves to lure more overseas investment.
Foreign investors with a focus on Chinese equities can set up a Shanghai-registered entity with initial capital of 100 million yuan ($14.56 million) or more with the legal status of a local investment company and receive special tax treatment, according to a city government document dated Aug. 11 and obtained by Reuters on Friday.
Qualified foreign investors would include private equity funds, venture capital funds, buyout funds and hedge funds, it said.
Financial Times – Man Group has teamed up with an Abu Dhabi-owned investment company to make electricity from the gas produced as a byproduct of oil drilling, which is currently wasted in the form of flaring.
Abu Dhabi will inject the first $300m (£151m) into a new fund, which aims to raise $1.5bn, and will receive a small equity holding in the management company.
The launch of the MENA Associated Gas and Global Environment fund is the latest attempt by Europe’s biggest hedge fund manager to cash in on the boom in environmental investing.
Through MTM, a London subsidiary, it already runs a $600m fund capturing methane emissions from Chinese coal mines, and it is considering launching a Brazilian biofuel fund.
Peter Clarke, Man chief executive, said talks were already under way with countries in the Middle East, north Africa and Asia about working with their national oil companies. He said it already had many expressions of interest from sovereign wealth funds keen to put money in and had the potential to double its size to $3bn if it attracted enough money.
Bloomberg- J-Power shareholders defeated a proposal by U.K. hedge fund TCI for the company to double its dividend, ending a monthlong proxy battle and sending the stock to its biggest decline since February.
Shareholders of Electric Power Development Co., the official name of Japan’s largest power wholesaler, rejected all five proposals by the investment company including limiting cross- shareholdings and doubling the yearly dividend at the utility’s annual general meeting in Tokyo today. The investors approved the board’s proposal to raise the payout by 10 yen to 70 yen.
Today’s vote marks the end of a public spat between the utility and The Children’s Investment Fund Management (UK) LLP, as the utility’s largest shareholder is officially known. The verdict undermines efforts by an increasing number of foreign investors pushing Japanese companies to improve shareholder returns that are less than half of those in the U.S.
New York – June 17, 2008 – MadisonGrey Global Fund Services and HedgeOp Compliance today announced a co-marketing agreement that will combine MadisonGrey’s total fund administration, accounting, cash management, and investor relations services with the leading web-based compliance platform for hedge funds and funds of hedge funds. The alliance enables MadisonGrey to use the ComplianceTrak fund-level engine for clients, providing them with custom compliance reporting and monitoring as well as offering preferred pricing for the ComplianceTrak advisor-level portal.
“At MadisonGrey, our aim is to deliver seamless yet comprehensive fund administration services. The addition of ComplianceTrak will help our clients accelerate workflow and build and maintain a solid compliance infrastructure,” stated James C. Lanshe, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer for MadisonGrey.
“We are proud to partner with MadisonGrey to offer their hedge fund and fund of fund client’s access to ComplianceTrak, stated Bill Mulligan, CEO of HedgeOp Compliance. “Our complementary business lines employ cutting-edge technology and both firms share a common vision of service excellence.”
MadisonGrey is an SAS70 compliant alternative fund administrator with an unwavering dedication to providing a superior client experience. Focused on the distinct needs of domestic and offshore hedge funds and funds of hedge funds, the firm offers complete fund accounting, risk analysis, record keeping, and workflow processes with compliance and operational oversight services. For additional information please visit madisongrey.com.
About HedgeOp Compliance
HedgeOp Compliance, LLC focuses exclusively on helping hedge fund and fund of hedge fund managers meet their compliance and operational challenges. HedgeOp has developed a successful business based on its proactive approach to servicing clients and proven reputation. Clients range from start-up hedge funds to large firms with well-established track records. HedgeOp’s business lines include specialized compliance consulting services, our proprietary ComplianceTrak software, and due diligence research and reporting for fund of funds. For additional information please visit hedgeop.com.
