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Risk Management: Investment in the PLUS Fund involves risk and you could lose money investing in the PLUS Fund. ICMA-RC seeks to reduce risk through investment strategies primarily focuses on controlling liquidity, credit, and reinvestment risks. Credit risk is managed through issuer exposure limits, analysis of the financial strength of each issuer and, in the case of certain Separate Account GICs and Synthetic GICs, by setting guidelines the fixed income managers must follow with respect to the quality of the underlying fixed income assets supporting the contract. In addition, ICMA-RC periodically reviews the fixed income assets and capabilities of the fixed income managers who manage the underlying fixed income assets for the Separate Account GICs and Synthetic GICs. In particular, Synthetic GICs give ICMA-RC the flexibility to make changes to the underlying fixed income assets, as necessary.
The PLUS Fund normally invests no more than 20% of its assets in contracts of any single GIC or Separate Account GIC issuer, although certain circumstances, such as the timing of contract maturities, may cause the PLU Fund to exceed these limits temporarily. To seek to offset reinvestment risk, i.e., the risk that a substantial amount of the value of the contracts will mature at a time of relatively low interest rates, the PLUS Fund's portfolio is structured to hold investments containing a variety of staggered maturity dates and payout configurations.
ICMA-RC conducts in-depth credit analysis of financial institutions to compile a list of eligible issuers from which to purchase stable value investment contracts. Criteria considered include such factors as issuer asset quality, both present and potential; capital adequacy; product mix; profitability; and competence of senior management. ICMA-RC also takes into consideration ratings such as the "claims paying ability" available through the major independent rating services, e.g., Moody's Investor Services, Inc. ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's ("S&P"), and Fitch Investors ("Fitch").
Initial and ongoing due diligence is also conducted on third-party managers of assets that back certain Separate Account GICs or Synthetic GICs. ICMA-RC takes into consideration factors such as the investment management firm's organization and asset management expertise; product focus; investment management process and investment professionals; processes and procedures for risk management, compliance and controls; client servicing and flexibility for customization; and management fees.
Investment Risks: There are different types of risks (including liquidity,
credit and reinvestment risks) and features of ownership associated
with stable value investment contracts. Generally, stable value
investment contracts are not assignable or transferable without the
permission of the issuer. For that reason, these contracts often include
non-standard negotiated terms and do not trade in a secondary market.
Additional risks associated with investing in the PLUS Fund include, but are not limited to, failure of the insurance company issuers of GICs, Synthetic GICs, or wrapper contracts to meet their obligations to the PLUS Fund or the similar failure of issuers of BICs; failure of ICMA-RC to meet its objectives or obligations, as investment adviser for the PLUS Fund; default of the underlying securities that are held in the fixed income portfolios that back Synthetic GICs; failure of the underlying fixed income managers of the Synthetic GIC portfolio to meet their investment objectives or their obligations to the PLUS Fund; loss of value or failure to redeem shares or allow withdrawals on a timely basis by one or more of the pooled investment vehicles in which the PLUS Fund invests, which include money market or other mutual funds, stable value funds, or other commingled investment funds.
The fixed income managers who manage the underlying portfolios of a Synthetic GIC may use derivative instruments as part of their investment strategy. Generally, a derivative is a financial contract whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate, or index, among other things, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options, futures, forward currency contacts, options on futures contracts, and swap agreements. There is no assurance that the use of any derivatives strategy will succeed. Also, investing, in derivative instruments involves additional risks and costs, such as inaccurate market predictions, which may result in losses instead of gains, so the benefits of the transaction might be diminished and a fund may incur substantial losses. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments.
There is no guarantee that a PLUS Fund investor will not lose money. A loss of value could occur in the event of a default on investments held by the PLUS Fund. Except for underlying fixed income assets that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, investments held by the PLUS Fund are not guaranteed by ICMA-RC, the FDIC, the U.S. Government, or any other entity.
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