Toronto-based SEI Investments Co. Canada has launched two new Canadian asset-allocation funds, SEI Canadian Focused Balanced Fund and SEI Canadian Focused Growth Fund. The funds will invest in Canadian equity and fixed-income securities while limiting foreign investment. In addition, the funds are designed to help manage risk by offering currency hedging against U.S.-dollar holdings. SEI Canadian Focused Balanced Fund has a mix of approximately 50% fixed-income and 50% equity securities, limits foreign investments to approximately 10% and provides currency hedging through an investment in SEI’s U.S. Large Company Fund. SEI Canadian Focused Growth Fund has a mix of approximately 20% fixed-income and 80% equity investments, limits foreign investments to approximately 20% and provides currency hedging through investments in SEI U.S. Large Company Equity Fund and SEI U.S. Small Company Equity Fund. For investors who wish to utilize currency hedging (U.S. dollars) without investing in the Canadian Focused funds, SEI is offering a currency-hedged share class in certain of its asset-class funds. This option is designed for financial advisors who wish to tailor asset allocation to meet specific client needs. Currency-hedged share classes are available in the following funds: U.S. Large Company Equity Fund, U.S. Small Company Equity Fund and U.S. High Yield Bond Fund. There are no sales charge or redemption fees for these funds. Trailing commissions are up to 1.5%. Management fees for SEI Canadian Focused Balanced Fund are 1.1% for F-class units; for SEI Canadian Focused Growth Fund, 1.2% for F-class units. Minimum investment is $5,000 and $500 subsequently.

B2B inks investment loan deals

Toronto-based B2B Trust, a subsidiary of Laurentian Bank of Canada, has signed agreements with Montreal-based Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Industrial Alliance Pacific Insurance and Financial Services Inc., for the distribution of segregated fund investment loans. B2B Trust will offer its investment loan program to Canadian investors for the purpose of investing in Industrial Alliance’s and Industrial Alliance Pacific’s segregated funds, which are offered through licensed financial advisors and insurance agents. Through the new program, B2B Trust is able to provide greater options and flexibility to managing general agencies and insurance agents with products tailored to the insurance industry, such as loans for investment in segregated funds, says B2B Trust. The firm supplies investment and RRSP loan programs to advisors and agents in the mutual fund and insurance sectors, as well as through dealers and MGAs.

Name, investment objective changes

Desjardins Alternative Investments Fund has changed its name to Desjardins Completion Investments Fund, and its new investment objective is to provide both income and long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily, either directly or by investing in units of other mutual funds, in fixed-income securities and income-oriented equity securities of issuers located throughout the world. The fund aims to provide investors with improved diversification by focusing on asset classes that complement a portfolio made up of traditional asset classes. In addition, Desjardins Northwest Specialty Global High Yield Bond Fund and Desjardins Enhanced Alternative Investments Fund will merge into Desjardins Alternative Investments Fund; Desjardins Northwest Specialty Equity Fund will merge into Desjardins Canadian Small Cap Equity Fund; Desjardins Fidelity True North Fund and Desjardins Canadian Equity Fund will merge together; the continuing fund will be called Desjardins Canadian Equity Growth Fund. The mergers are subject to regulatory approval and are expected to be complete on May 7.

Fund mergers at Dynamic

Toronto-based Goodman & Co. Investment Counsel Ltd., manager of Dynamic Funds and the diversiFunds, have announced the mergers of the remaining diversiFunds with Dynamic mutual funds. At special meetings held last month, unitholders approved the merger of diversiTrust Energy Income Fund into Dynamic Energy Income Fund, and the merger of diversiTrust Income+ Fund into Dynamic Strategic Yield Fund. Earlier in March, Goodman & Co. announced that the other remaining diversiFunds, which are closed-end investment trusts, would also be voluntarily delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange. These include diversiGlobal Dividend Value Fund, diversiTrust Income Fund, diversiTrust Stable Income Fund and diversiYield Income Fund. The delisting of the units has occurred in preparation for the following mergers, which occurred on March 26: diversiGlobal Dividend Value Fund will merge into Dynamic Global Dividend Value Fund; and the three remaining funds — diversiTrust Income Fund, diversiTrust Stable Income Fund and diversiYield Income Fund — will merge into Dynamic Strategic Yield Fund.