Russell's Transition Management Services Earn Top Rankings in New Industry Survey. (Russell.com)

Russell's Transition Management Services Earn Top Rankings in New Industry Survey

TACOMA, Wash. — May 19, 2005 — Russell Investment Group has achieved a series of industry-leading rankings in the 2005 Transition Management Survey sponsored by Plan Sponsor magazine. In 12 possible categories, Russell received top ranking in four and achieved 11 "Best in Class" awards for Transition Services. Russell surpassed all other industry participants in cumulative results and number of first place rankings in the survey. Russell received number-one rankings for quality of operational support, review of alternative strategies, communication of execution progress and personnel providing advice.

"We have built our transition service on innovation and accountability with the ultimate goal of representing the client's interest," said Bob Werner, managing director, Russell Implementation Services. "It's gratifying that this industry survey would rate Russell as a leader across the full spectrum of transition services. Such recognition, along with the infrastructure that we have in place and the breadth of liquidity we can access, reaffirms our commitment to move this industry forward in professionalism and client service."

In 2004, Russell managed the transition of $220 billion in assets, a 19% increase from the previous year and continues to set the mark for delivering on T Standard-compliant investment performance of assets in transition. For more than a decade, Russell has been at the forefront of improving transition management practices and technique, encouraging the development of the T Standard as an objective performance measurement to aid clients in assessing a transition manager's performance.

Russell helps clients improve their net investment returns by providing robust implementation management to multi-manager portfolios. Transition management, commission management, policy implementation and agency currency execution are a few of the growing implementation services offered by Russell. For three decades, this Russell implementation services division has been researching the discovery and implementation of techniques designed to minimize the cost of strategic changes by Russell clients. This team of specialists handles implementation issues for clients worldwide that represent over $4 trillion in assets.

"Transition management is no longer an afterthought for institutional investors. In this market environment, transitions have become too important not to be subject to the same rigorous and consistent performance measurement expected in traditional investment management," said Werner. "Russell has developed and strongly advises the T Standard because clients deserve a uniform and transparent measure to evaluate portfolio performance at all stages of a transition."

Russell also recently received high ranking in an earlier transition management survey sponsored by Global Investor. Respondents who used multiple transition providers gave Russell top rankings for best overall service, best analysis, most accurate shortfall estimation and best reporting capabilities

About Russell
Russell Investment Group, a global leader in multi-manager investment services, provides investment products and services in more than 39 countries. Russell manages more than $133 billion in assets and advises clients worldwide representing more than $2.3 trillion. Founded in 1936, Russell is a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual and is headquartered in Tacoma, Wash., with additional offices in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Tokyo.

Russell Investment Group is a registered trade name of Frank Russell Company, a Washington, USA corporation, which operates through subsidiaries worldwide. Frank Russell Company is a subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.
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