Council Formed to Promote Fiduciary Excellence

DALLAS, TX, October 5, 2007 -- The Investment Fiduciary Leadership Council ("IFLC") announced today that it has launched an initiative to promote fiduciary excellence within the corporate, public pension, and university endowment communities. IFLC's members include organizations that have earned certification under the Center for Fiduciary Excellence ("CEFEX").

IFLC was formed earlier this year in order to meet the growing need for better care of the financial assets of corporate retirement plan participants, public employees, and donors to endowments and charitable entities. Ronald E. Hagan, Chairman of the Board of the IFLC said, "Our members include corporate retirement plan sponsors, public pensions, investment advisors, and investment managers. Collectively referred to as Investment Fiduciaries. They believe that it is now time that retirement plan sponsors and trustee boards select providers that can prove their conformity to an independently developed fiduciary support standard. To this end, IFLC's purpose is to facilitate the adoption of the Global Fiduciary Standard of Excellence by fiduciary organizations and to publicly and independently identify the providers that conform to its practices."

"Most corporate retirement plan officials and trustees of public pensions and charitable trusts, lack the education and training needed to meet minimal fiduciary qualifications. As a result, the potential for a huge economic catastrophe in the U.S. and abroad is real. IFLC's members are committed to correcting this," said Tommy Thomasson, IFLC's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of InterServ, L.L.C.

Mike Swallow, IFLC Policy Board Member and Vice President of CBIZ Financial Solutions said, "We are excited to be associated with an organization whose sole mission is to promote better fiduciary standards and better retirements for plan participants."

"Oversight committees of public and corporate retirement plans and foundations are in the midst of significant turmoil in connection with their role as stewards of other people's money," Hagan said. "With the need to ensure that workers, investors, and donors have a system that will produce needed results, trustees are scrutinized for their activities more than ever before. Without a system of defined and objective practices that define how to function effectively, fiduciary committees are at a significant disadvantage. In their current state, most executives would find that their investment governance processes fail to meet the requirements."

IFLC has learned that the need for improved investment fiduciary governance and controls is a global issue. It penetrates international boundaries. Denys Pearce, IFLC Policy Board member and Managing Director of Plan B Trustees, Ltd. based in Perth, Australia said, "In order to avoid the coming crisis in pensions, conflicts of interest and sloppy governance need to be eradicated."

With the Global Fiduciary Standard of Excellence as it centerpiece, IFLC's mission includes:

• Advocacy: Serve as the international representative of certified Investment Fiduciaries before governments, regulatory bodies, and other organizations in promoting members' interests.
• Certification and Integrity: Promote the highest possible level of certification standards.
• Communications: Promote public awareness and confidence in the integrity, objectivity, competence, and professionalism of certified organizations and monitor their needs and views.
• Recruiting and Education: Encourage Investment Fiduciaries to seek certification and support the development of awareness of the Global Fiduciary Standard of Excellence among fiduciary organizations, the media, and governments.
• Standards and Performance: Provide input to CEFEX's registration committee on ways to further enhance its certification program; assist members in continually improving their professional conduct, performance and expertise; and monitor such performance to enforce current standards.

Members of IFLC provide a representative to its Policy Board on a rotating schedule. Roland|Criss was selected by IFLC to provide guidance on investment governance practices.

For more information on Roland|Criss, please visit www.rolandcriss.com.

For more information on CEFEX, please visit www.cefex.org.

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