New Funds

NVM Fund Group, is launching the Momentum Bond Fund, PMed by principals Timothy Ayles and George McCuen. Vendors to the fund include: U.S. Bank, custodian; Rafferty Capital Markets, distributor; Premier Fund Soutions, administrator; Mutual Shareholder Services, transfer agent; Cohen & Company, independent accounting firm; and the Law Offices of John H. Lively & Associates, legal counsel.

Eaton Vance is creating the Eaton Vance Floating-Rate NextShares fund, PMed by vice presidents Scott Page and Craig Russ. Service providers to the fund will include: Foreside Fund Services, distributor; and State Street, custodian and transfer agent. An independent accounting firm has not yet been named.

Elevation Research Partners is developing the Elevation U.S. Small Cap Value Fund, the Elevation U.S. Large Cap Value Fund, and the Elevation U.S. Large Cap Growth Fund, all PMed by Vito Sciaraffia. Vendors to the funds will include: Gemini Fund Services, transfer agent and administrator; Northern Lights Distributors, distributor; and Alston & Bird, legal counsel. A custodian and an independent accounting firm have not yet been named.

Value Line is developing the Value Line Core Bond Fund and the Value Line Tax Exempt Fund, the former PMed by Liane Rosenberg and Jeffrey Geffen and the latter PMed solely by Rosenberg. Vendors to the funds will include: State Street, service agent and custodian; EULAV Securities, distributor; and PricewaterhouseCoopers, independent accounting firm.

Northern Trust is developing the Northern Engage360 Fund, PMed by senior vice presidents Christopher Vella and Jessica Hart and subadvised by Ariel, Aristotle, Denver Investment Advisors, Earnest Partners, and Strategic Global Advisors. Vendors to the fund will include: Northern Trust, transfer agent and custodian; Northern Funds Distributors, distributor; and Drinker Biddle & Reath, legal counsel. An independent accounting firm has not yet been named.

SL Advisors is developing the American Energy Independence ETF, subadvised by Penserra Capital Management and PMed by Penserra's Anand Desai, Dustin Lewellyn, and Ernesto Tong. Vendors to the fund will include: U.S. Bancorp, custodian, transfer agent and administrator; Quasar Distributors, distributor; and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, legal counsel. An independent accounting firm has not yet been named.

ProShares is developing ProShares Decline of Bricks and Mortar Retail ETF and the ProShares Long Clicks/Short Bricks Retail ETF, both PMed by Michael Neches and Devin Sullivan. Vendors to the funds will include: JPMorgan Chase Bank, custodian; SEI, distributor; PricewaterhouseCoopers, independent accounting firm; and Ropes & Gray, legal counsel.

Franklin Templeton launched the Franklin Liberty Municipal Bond ETF and the Franklin Liberty Municipal Opportunities ETF, the former PMed by Nicholas Bucklin, James Conn, and Christopher Sperry and the latter PMed by Conn, Sperry, and Daniel Workman.

Harvest Volatility Management is developing the Harvest Edge Absolute Fund, the Harvest Edge Equity Fund, and the Harvest Edge Bond Fund, all PMed by CEO Richard Selvala Jr, president and chief risk officer Curtis Brockelman, and partners Michael Zigmont and Allan Kennedy. Dechert will provide legal counsel to the funds, but a custodian, transfer agent, and independent accounting firm have all not yet been named.

PMs

Last month Wasatch added Mike Valentine as a PM on the Wasatch Core Growth Fund. Also last month, Wasatch added Ken Korngeibel and Ryan Snow as PMs on the Wasatch Small Cap Growth Fund.

Last month Toews added Charles Collins, head of trading, as a PM to the Toewes Tactical Ocean Fund, the Toews Tactical Income Fund, the Toews Tactical Monument Fund, the Toews Tactical Opportunity Fund, the Toews Tactical Growth Allocation Fund, the Toews Unconstrained Income Fund, and the Toews Tactical Defensive Alpha Fund.

Last month Pimco added Pramol Dhawan as a PM on the Pimco Global Advantage Strategy Bond Fund.

Last month Muzinich added Clinton Comeaux and Bryan Petermann as PMs to the Muzinich Low Duration Fund and the Muzinich Credit Opportunities, U.S. High Yield Corporate Bond, and Low Duration funds.

Last month Seafarer Capital Partners added Inbok Song as a co-PM of the Seafarer Overseas Growth and Income Fund.

Foresters added Rajeev Sharma, director of fixed income, as PM to the First Investors Life Series Total Return Fund.

Share Classes

On Friday Federated launched R6 shares of the Federated Kaufmann Small Cap Fund.

On November 1 Federated will launch WS shares of the Federated Massachusetts Municipal Cash Trust.

On August 1 Franklin Templeton began offering R6 shares of the Franklin Federal Tax-Free Income Fund.

Class Z shares of the Dreyfus/The Boston Company Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund are not offered. And class T shares of Dreyfus' funds are also not offered.

Rebranding

On October 31 Goldman Sachs will rebrand the Goldman Sachs Dynamic U.S. Equity Fund as the Goldman Sachs Blue Chip Fund. The fund's investment strategy will also change, and its management fee will fall from 70 bps to 55 bps.

On October 30, Goldman will rebrand the Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund as the Goldman Sachs Alternative Premia Fund. The fund's investment strategy will also change.

On November 1, Catalyst will rebrand the Catalyst Intelligent Alternative Fund as the Catalyst Systematic Alpha Fund. Its investment strategy will also change.

On November 1, Dreyfus will rebrand the Dreyfus GNMA Fund as the Dreyfus U.S. Mortgage Fund. The fund's investment strategy will also change.

On October 31, Wasatch will rebrand the Wasatch Global Value Fund as the Wasatch Large Cap Value Fund.

On November 1, RBC will rebrand the RBC BlueBay Emerging Market Select Bond Fund and the RBC BlueBay Global High Yield Bond Fund as the RBC BlueBay Emerging Market Debt Fund and the RBC BlueBay High Yield Bond Fund, respectively.

Opening and Closing

On September 11, Victory will reopen the Victory RS Small Cap Growth Fund to new investors.

On December 1, BlackRock will close the BlackRock Select Treasury Strategies Institutional Fund, the BlackRock Treasury Strategies Institutional Fund, and the BlackRock Premier Government Institutional Fund to new investment.

On October 1, the Champlain Mid Cap Fund will close to new investors.

Fees

On October 2, Pimco will reduce the advisory fee on the Pimco Unconstrained Bond Portfolio, the Pimco Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund, and the Pimco Emerging Markets Full Spectrum Bond Fund by 5 bps.

Also on October 2, Pimco will increase the management fees for the Pimco All Asset Fund, the Pimco All Asset All Authority Fund, the Pimco Total Return Fund, and the Pimco Income Fund by 5 bps.

On Friday Aristotle Capital Boston lowered its management fee on the Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund to 75 bps, from 85 bps.

On Friday Frost reduced fees on its Growth Equity, Value Equity, Mid Cap Equity, Credit, Conservative Allocation, Moderate Allocation, and Aggressive Allocation funds.

On Thursday Franklin Templeton ended a fee waiver on the Franklin Growth Opportunities Fund, effectively raising the fund's management fee back up to 56 bps, from 48 bps.

Directors

On September 1, Prudential added Barry Evans (retired former president of Manulife Asset Management U.S.) and Laurie Hodrick (a Columbia Business School professor) to the board for the Prudential Funds.

Subadvisors

Last month USAA dropped Wellington and Winslow as subadvisors to the USAA Aggressive Growth Fund and added its own Craig Behnke, John Jares and John Toohey as PMs to the fund.

On Friday Westwood Management resigned as subadvisor to the Teton Westwood Intermediate Bond Fund, and Mark Freeman resigned as a PM to the fund. Wayne Plewniak, managing director and head of Gabelli Fixed Income, became PM of the fund.

On September 13, Columbia Threadneedle will add Manulife Asset Management as a subadvisor to the Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund, replacing Guggenheim.

Effective August 31, subadvisor Caerus Investors no longer manages any money within the Persimmon Long/Short Fund, and Caerus' Brian Agnew and Ward Davis are no longer PMs to the fund.

On Friday Howe and Rusling replaced Garcia Hamilton & Associates as a subadvisor to the Monteagle Quality Growth Fund, which is advised by Nashville Capital Corporation. Stefan Astheimer, Craig Cairns, Robert Prorok, Thomas Sauer, and Brett Winnefeld all were added as PMs to the fund.

Today Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited and Polunin Capital Partners Limited became subadvisors to the Old Westbury Small & Mid Cap Strategies Fund.

Liquidating

On September 18, Elkhorn will liquidate the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Consumer Discretionary Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Consumer Staples Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Energy Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Financials Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Health Care Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Industrials Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Information Technology Portfolio, the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Materials Portfolio, and the Elkhorn S&P MidCap Utilities Portfolio.

On October 2, Raffery Asset Management will liquidate the Direxion Daily Energy Bear 1X Shares, the Direxion Daily Financial Bear 1X Shares, the Direxion Daily Technology Bear 1X Shares, the Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 1X Shares, the Direxion Daily Consumer Staples Bear 1X Shares, the Direxion Daily Utilities Bear 1X Shares, the Direxion Daily MSCI European Financials Bear 1X Shares, and the Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bear 1X Shares.



Check our last Filings For Fundsters column (previously called Stork and Reaper) for more SEC filing updates. For the latest new hires and fund launches, explore our Follow The Fundsters and New Fund Fuss columns. If you have a fund filing, a mutual fund launch, a product change or a new hire that you would like to announce, please contact the MFWire team at editors@investmentwires.com. 

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