Feri Rating & Research and n-tv are giving away the Feri Fund Awards for the first time

• Prizes for the best funds in eleven stock and bond categories
• Special prize for fund innovation
• New: qualitative evaluation criteria are observed

Bad Homburg, Germany, 20 September 2007 – This year, the Bad Homburg based rating agency Feri Rating & Research and the news broadcaster n-tv, based in Cologne, are awarding the Feri Fund Awards for the first time. The best fund in each of the eleven equity and bond categories as well as a special category will be presented with awards (see table p. 2). This special award is intended to reward distinguished innovative ideas in the in the field of funds. The television channel n-tv will cover the award ceremony.

“We consider the awards presented to the best funds in their respective peer groups to be the logical continuation of our successful rating activities”, explains Helmut Knepel, Executive Director of Feri Finance AG and Managing Director of Feri Rating & Research. “While previous Fund Awards were awarded based exclusively on quantitative assessment, now, for the first time, the upcoming Feri Fund Awards will consider qualitative criteria such as experience and training of fund managers and portfolio structure.” “The detailed fund assessments support investors in their decision-making process.”, adds Jochen Dietrich, Executive Editor of n-tv’s business magazines. “By including various fund categories, the awards also provide a good overview of the market.”

The evaluation of the funds for the special award  "Fund Innovations"  will be carried out by an independent panel of experts, whereas the assessment of the funds in the other 11 categories will be conducted according to a preset procedure made up of two levels. On the quantitative level, all the funds in a specific peer group will be assessed according to their Feri Ratings as well as their performance in the last twelve months. The best five funds will then be nominated for the fund award in their category. The second level comprises a qualitative assessment, which will  include details about the fund managers themselves and the implementation and organization of fund management. This information will be collected by means of a questionnaire and assessed according to a standardized criteria checklist. The overall assessment is determined by the weighed sum of all quantitative and qualitative evaluation components. The funds with the highest number of points will be nominated for the best funds in their corresponding category (see chart p. 2)  Minimum volume, as well as open access for private investors is a precondition for funds  participating in the Feri Fund Awards.

Currently, quantitative assessments of the funds according to their respective peer groups are being carried out and the nominees in each category are being determined. The nominees then undergo qualitative assessment  and the winners in each category of the Feri Fund Awards are announced at the grand award ceremony  on the 27th November at the Castle in Bad Homburg, Germany.

More information available at www.fonds-rating.de

Feri Fund Awards: Categories

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