PBA Settlement

Old Mutual PLC 21 June 2004 Old Mutual plc Pilgrim Baxter & Associates confirms Settlement Agreements with the SEC and New York Attorney General Old Mutual plc today confirmed that its US asset management affiliate Pilgrim Baxter & Associates ('PBA') has reached agreements with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the New York State Attorney General which settle all charges brought by these authorities against PBA in relation to market timing in the US Mutual Fund business. PBA neither admits nor denies any wrongdoing. PBA has accepted to pay $40 million disgorgements of past fees plus $50 million in penalties, all of which will be paid as restitution to shareholders of the PBHG Funds according to a plan to be developed by an independent consultant. In addition it will reduce fees to investors by approximately $10 million over the next five years. The agreements settle charges brought against PBA in November 2003 in relation to past trading activity in the PBHG Funds permitted by the former management of the firm. New leadership appointed at PBA in November has instituted significant reforms at the firm and worked with authorities to settle the charges. The full text of PBA's announcement is attached. Commenting on the settlement, Jim Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of Old Mutual plc, said: 'I am pleased that PBA has now reached a settlement with the regulators and am keen to put this matter behind us. Our strategy of maintaining a diversity of separate specialist affiliates has ensured that the affair has had no material impact outside PBA, which only accounts for 3.2 per cent of total US funds under management. 'Overall, US funds under management for the first quarter to 31 March 2004 rose by 3.9 per cent to $160 billion. Our US Asset Management business has grown steadily and is an important part of our international growth. We can now move on and continue to develop our activities in this market.' - ends - 21 June 2004 Enquiries Old Mutual plc - London James Poole +44 (0) 7768 991096 Miranda Bellord +44 (0) 7002 7133 College Hill & Associates (UK) Tony Friend +44 (0) 20 7457 2020 Old Mutual plc - South Africa Nad Pillay +27 82 553 7980 Julie Saxton: +27 72 553 7366 Pilgrim Baxter & Associates Confirms Settlement Agreements with the SEC and New York Attorney General Wayne, PA, June 21, 2004 -- Pilgrim Baxter & Associates, investment advisor to the PBHG Funds, today confirmed that the firm has reached agreements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the New York State Attorney General to settle charges related to past trading activity in the PBHG Funds. 'These agreements serve to protect shareholder value and reach a resolution in the best interests of the shareholders of the PBHG Funds,' said chief executive officer David J. Bullock. 'Together with the significant reforms we have already made to the company's policies and practices, the provisions of these settlements bring long-term benefits to our fund shareholders. We can now focus on the future of the firm and our core mission of managing money and serving investors.' The settlement agreements address past trading activity in the PBHG Funds, which led to the appointment of new leadership at Pilgrim Baxter in November 2003. Under the terms of the settlements, the Company has agreed to the following provisions: • payment of $40 million in disgorgement and $50 million in civil penalties, all of which will be paid as restitution to fund shareholders according to a plan to be developed by an independent consultant; and • reduction of approximately $10 million in mutual fund management fees over the next five years. In addition to the settlement terms, Pilgrim Baxter, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees of the PBHG Funds, has instituted in recent months the following significant reforms, all of which provide additional protections to benefit fund shareholders: • to deter market timers, 2% redemption fees are being applied as outlined in the prospectus effective June 1 for PBHG Funds shares sold within 10 days of purchase, with all fees paid directly into the affected funds; • prospectuses for the PBHG Funds have been amended to include detailed disclosure of the firm's stringent anti-market timing protocols and practices to combat market timing; • an enhanced Code of Ethics governing all employees at Pilgrim Baxter has been adopted to prohibit investments by employees that could create conflicts of interest with fund shareholders, including mandatory minimum holding periods for investments in PBHG Funds; • the capacity of Pilgrim Baxter's legal and compliance staff has been expanded to ensure that sufficient resources are dedicated to oversight of employee investments and overall compliance monitoring; • a new uniform policy on the disclosure of fund holdings has been adopted, with full portfolio holdings for the PBHG Funds made publicly available on the PBHG Funds website 15 days after each quarter-end; and • an independent audit of the company's internal controls and procedures has been conducted to ensure the adequacy of the firm's key practices and procedures. 'We thank our shareholders and clients for their patience and support as we have worked to implement these reforms over the last six months. Pilgrim Baxter's highest priority will remain to safeguard the interests of our investors,' said Mr. Bullock. 'We welcome the opportunity to earn the confidence of investors by providing best-in-class investment offerings and outstanding service. Everyone at Pilgrim Baxter is dedicated to that task.' About Pilgrim Baxter & Associates, Ltd. Founded in 1982, Pilgrim Baxter & Associates provides high-quality, actively managed investment products through a range of growth-oriented and core equity institutional strategies and through the PBHG Funds, a family of 18 mutual funds. The firm managed a total of $5.2 billion as of March 31, 2004, not including the funds sub-advised by affiliated firms within Old Mutual Asset Management, the US asset management group of Pilgrim Baxter's corporate parent, London-based Old Mutual plc. More information on the PBHG Funds is available by phone at (800) 433-0051 or through the company's Web site at www.pbhgfunds.com. Media contact: Tucker Hewes, Hewes Communications, Inc., (212) 207-9451, tucker@hewescomm.com # # # This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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