SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- ING Funds today announced that its Global Real Estate (IGLAX) received five stars from Morningstar in the Specialty - Real Estate category as of 3/31/07. The ING Global Real Estate Fund received five stars for Overall (25 out of 297 funds), 3 Years (13 out of 239 funds) and 5 Years (9 out of 158 funds) - making it one of the highest rated real estate funds currently available to investors.
The Fund - part of a suite of real estate products designed for mutual fund investors - is managed by ING Clarion Real Estate Securities, one of the leading managers of global real estate securities portfolios in the world with $22 billion under management. ING Clarion is the real estate securities management arm of ING Real Estate, the world's largest real estate investment firm with offices around the world. The fund's goal is to provide investors with high total return by investing at least 80% of its assets in equity securities in the real estate industry. Please note that past performance is no guarantee of future results.
ING Clarion has been exclusively managing portfolios of real estate securities on behalf of institutional and individual investors since 1984. With offices in Philadelphia, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, ING Clarion utilizes a network of global real estate research and management professionals located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific to enhance investment decisions.
The ING Global Real Estate Fund is managed by a three person team of portfolio managers including the firm's Chief Investment Officer. Collectively they bring over 50 years of real estate investment management experience, including evaluating the potential of public companies outside the U.S.
"Real estate investment trusts (REITs) have unique characteristics that may make them attractive to both income-seeking investors as well as those looking for growth," said Shaun Mathews, Head of ING Funds. " A global approach to real estate stock investing - one that allows for both domestic and international real estate stocks - opens a significantly wider breadth of real estate opportunities, including countries like Australia, France, Japan, Netherlands, Hong Kong and Singapore," said Mathews. "ING Clarion's world- wide team works diligently with the extended resources of ING Real Estate's extensive global team to find undervalued real estate stocks that have contributed to the fund's strong performance," said Ritson Ferguson, ING Clarion's CIO.
About ING
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 120,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand. In the U.S., the ING family of companies offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients which include life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 15 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit http://www.ing.com/ . Ranking Criteria
For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating(TM) based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted-average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. Morningstar Rating is for the A share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics. Morningstar differentiates local waived A shares by adding "LW" to the fund's name, ticker, and share class. Performance measures that are load-adjusted, such as the Morningstar rating, are calculated without the effects of the front load.
Principal Risk Factor(s): International investing does pose special risks including currency fluctuation, economic and political risks not found in investments that are solely domestic. Equities may offer the potential for greater long-term growth but they generally have higher volatility. Stocks of small- and mid-sized companies may entail greater price volatility and less liquidity than investing in stocks of larger companies. Time to time, the stock market may not favor the dividend paying securities instead it could favor value-oriented or may not favor equities at all. Risks of foreign investing are generally intensified for investments in emerging markets. The value of convertible securities may fall when interest rates rise and tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than convertible securities with shorter maturities. The Fund could lose money because of the inability to sell convertible securities, securities of small- and mid-sized companies and some foreign. Engaging in securities lending could have a leveraging effect, which may intensify the market risk, credit risk and other risks. Risks of the Fund are similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as changes in real estate values and property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, supply and demand, and the management skill and credit worthiness of the issuer. REITs may also be affected by tax and regulatory requirements, differences in accounting standards.
For more complete information, or to obtain a prospectus on any ING Fund, please contact your investment professional or ING Funds Distributor, LLC at 800-992-0180 for a prospectus. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. Consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this information and other information about the funds. Check with your Investment Professional to determine which funds are available for sale within their firm. Not all funds are available for sale at all firms.
ING
CONTACT: Tracey Gordon of ING Investment Management, +1-212-309-1791, tracey.gordon@inginvestment.com Web site: http://www.ing.com/
