Consulting Firm Pays $2.75 Million for Hedge Fund Recommendation
According to money management letter (April 9, 2007 issue), Rocaton Investment Advisors paid $2.75 million to the San Diego County Employees Retirement Association "for recommending Amaranth Advisors." The article also goes on to say that no information is forthcoming about whether Rocaton did anything wrong and whether this money is covered by professional liability insurance.
The reason for citing this article is not to put any one particular firm in the spotlight but rather to suggest that pension fiduciaries check with their appropriate counsel and do sufficient homework internally to make sure that everything that should be done is being done. This includes, but is not limited to, seeking answers to the following questions:
1. How much experience does a particular consultant and/or financial advisor under consideration have with respect to examining hedge funds or fund of funds?
2. Does the consultant and/or financial advisor have an adequate understanding of the hedge fund or fund of funds' use of leverage through short-selling and/or use of derivatives, if relevant? What is their systematic process for examination of leverage? How do they define leverage and does that comport with industry norms?
3. Has the consultant and/or financial advisor identified (and explained to plan sponsors) possible risk factors associated with a given hedge fund or fund of funds? Sector concentration, management style, specific ownership structure of the limited liability company or partnership, availability of risk analytics, stop loss triggers, primary and secondary plans for liquidation, valuation policy, redemption restrictions and use of side pockets are JUST the beginning.
We'll talk much more about the issue of investment risk review in coming days. Why? Plan sponsors are still on the hook for monitoring their monitors. It's simply not as easy as passing along a hot potato regarding due diligence to someone else.
P.S. There is a rumor that another pension consultant has offered recompense in conjunction with this hedge fund case. If true, could this be a trend in going after consultants and/or financial advisors in the event of losses?
