Lockwood Advisors Launches MDA And Wrap Program

Lockwood Advisors Inc. of Malvern, Pa., has introduced a multi-disciplinary separate account (MDA) and a mutual fund wrap program for independent financial advisors.

Lockwood‚s Investment Advisory Services group will manage both offerings. A proprietary research model is used that provides asset allocation and fund or money manager recommendations. The model‚s investment strategies include current income, growth & income, conservative growth, moderate growth and growth.

Advisors who place their clients in either product can use Lockwood‚s Web-enabled platform to generate proposals and paperwork and to track the status and performance of the portfolios online.

Lockwood has retained Parametric Portfolio Associates to perform the overlay function for its MDA, called the Overlay Separate Account Portfolio. "Through this program, advisors can position their clients in a single account that is a fully diversified, separate account portfolio at a $250,000 minimum investment level," says Christopher W. Tomecek, Lockwood‚s president. "OSAP fills a critical niche for advisors with clients who need more customization than mutual funds afford, but who are not investing at the asset level required for standard separate account programs."

The initial investment for the mutual fund wrap program is $25,000.

Lockwood Advisors is a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Company Inc. More information is available at www.bankofny.com.

S&P Improves Database

Standard & Poor‚s has expanded its Compustat database with increased company coverage and information on 54,000 securities in 80 countries. In particular, the company has increased its coverage in the Asian and European economic markets. The database now includes an additional 1,300 companies in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. In Europe, it plans to expand the United Kingdom company coverage by year-end. Compustat already covers 96% of the total European market capitalization. For more information, visit www.standardandpoors.com.

Investors Capital Expands

Investors Capital Corp. has expanded its fixed-income department offerings to regional independent broker-dealers who do not have in-house bond trading capabilities.

The department was established in July to provide Investors Capital‚s brokers with access to fixed-income securities. The firm appointed Alan "Chip" Cobb to direct the management and execution of all fixed-income securities sent through its trading department. "Fixed-income securities represent an important and complementary offering within Investors Capital Corporation‚s broad, ever-growing portfolio of financial products. Our reps have had tremendous success selling our fixed-income offerings to their clients. Our brokers‚ success prompted us to expand our fixed-income desk services to other firms," says Ted Charles, CEO of Lynnfield, Mass.-based Investors Capital Holdings, which owns Investors Capital. For more information, visit www.investorscapital.com or call (800) 949-1422.

Income From Equipment Leases

ICON Capital Corp. and ICON Securities Corp. of New York have received approval for the offering of a new fund that will generate income from equipment leases.

ICON Capital manages publicly registered equipment leasing investment programs. ICON Securities Corp. is a dealer and manager that works with broker-dealers to market ICON‚s investment programs.

Through ICON Income Fund Ten, ICON expects to raise $150 million in investor equity and acquire an estimated $300 million of equipment subject to leases with large, creditworthy companies.

The minimum investment is $5,000 for individuals and $3,000 for IRAs and other qualified plans. Investors must have a net worth of at least $60,000 (exclusive of home, automobiles, etc.) and an annual income of $60,000, or a net worth of $225,000. For more information, visit www.iconcapital.com or www.iconsecurities.com, or call (860) 669-2385.

Schwab Launches Fund

The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving has launched Charitable Asset Management, a national donor-advised fund that gives independent advisors investment discretion over a donor‚s charitable assets.

Charitable Asset Management is available exclusively to advisors working with Schwab Institutional or U.S. Trust. It allows an advisor to actively manage charitable assets of $500,000 or more that a client has irrevocably contributed to an account with the Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving. For more information, visit www.schwabcharitable.org.