HighMark Capital Management [profile] just won a mandate to run a freshly rebranded, $68.5-million mutual fund. Eric Rubin, president of American Independence Funds [profile], confirmed that on December 29 his New York City-based firm rebranded its two-star Short-Term Bond Fund [ISBSX] as the Strategic Income Fund and swapped in San Francisco-based HighMark as the sub-advisor, replacing New York City-based Fischer Francis Trees & Watts [profile].

MFWire.com could not immediately reach an FFTW spokesperson for comment on American Independence's move.

HighMark put out a release today on American Independence's move.

"We need to broaden the investment objectives of the old fun," Rubin told MFWire.com, noting that international securities, high-yield fixed income and more duration flexibility have been added to the fund's investment guidelines. "We were impressed by the HighMark performance numbers."

"Now people want a little more yield, a little more international," Rubin said.

Rubin added that this is American Independence's "first relationship with HighMark" or HighMark's parent, Union Bank of California.

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Company Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO--HighMark Capital Management, Inc., announced today that effective December 29, 2011, American Independence Financial Services, LLC, a New York-based investment manager of mutual funds and separate accounts, has selected HighMark to sub-advise The American Independence Strategic Income Fund.

“We are excited about this opportunity to have HighMark sub-advise our Strategic Income Fund, especially given the manager’s outstanding long-term track record in this fixed income investment space,” said John J. Pileggi, Managing Partner of American Independence. “American Independence prides itself on the quality of its investment management talent, and chooses sub-advisors that we believe meet that same standard of professionalism.”

“We are proud to be selected as the sub-advisor for the American Independence Strategic Income Fund,” said Kevin Rowell, Managing Director at HighMark Capital Management. “One of HighMark’s core strengths is in fixed income strategies. Overseen by an active management team with more than 30 years of experience, our fixed income funds seek competitive returns while aiming for lower volatility and better downside protection, which many investors are looking for in this current economic climate.”

“HighMark is committed to helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals by providing high-quality, competitive products and services,” added Rowell. “HighMark’s funds employ disciplined investment processes with the objective of delivering the opportunity for consistent long-term investment performance.”

About American Independence Financial Services, LLC

American Independence Financial Services, LLC (“AIFS”) is an investment advisory firm registered with the SEC providing professional, actively managed investment advisory services to 16 American Independence funds, including the NestEgg Target Date funds, as well as separately managed accounts, aggregating $1.4 billion in assets under management. The firm is comprised of industry leaders with over 25 years of average industry tenure. To learn more about American Independence, visit www.americanindependence.com or call 646-747-3477.

About HighMark Capital Management, Inc.

San Francisco-based HighMark Capital Management, Inc. (HCM), is a registered investment adviser, and a proud member of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (MUFG) (NYSE:MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations.

HCM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Bank, N.A. Union Bank, N.A. is wholly owned by UnionBanCal Corporation. UnionBanCal Corporation is wholly owned by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

HCM is also the adviser to the HighMark Funds, a nationally recognized fund company offering a wide range of mutual funds including fixed income funds, domestic and international equity funds, conservatively managed money market funds and asset allocation portfolios. For more information on HighMark Fund’s family of mutual funds and services, please visit www.highmarkfunds.com. HighMark Capital Management can be found on the Web at www.highmarkcapital.com.

HighMark Funds Distributors, Inc., an affiliate of BNY Mellon Distributors Inc., is the principal underwriter of the HighMark Funds. NO BANK GUARANTEE, NOT FDIC INSURED, MAY LOSE VALUE. There is no guarantee that the Funds will meet their stated objectives.

An investment in any Money Market Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although they seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Funds.

Investors should consider the Funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds’ prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-800-433-6884 or by visiting highmarkfunds.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. 

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