Virtus Total Return Fund Announces Increase to Quarterly Distribution

HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtus Total Return Fund (NYSE: DCA) today announced that it will increase its distribution for the third quarter of 2013 by 20 percent to $0.06 per share from the prior quarterly distribution of $0.05 per share.

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The increased distribution represents an annualized distribution rate of 6.1 percent based on the closing market price of $3.94 on September 30, 2013 and reflects the income and gains generated by its investment strategy.

The third quarter distribution is payable on October 18, 2013, to shareholders of record on October 11, 2013 (ex-date October 9, 2013).

The Virtus Total Return Fund is a diversified closed-end fund with an objective of total return, consisting of both capital appreciation and current income, as determined by the fund's investment adviser, Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. The fund has been managed since December 9, 2011 by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. and Newfleet Asset Management, LLC, both affiliated managers of Virtus Investment Partners.

Distributions may represent earnings from net investment income, excess gains taxable as ordinary income or, if necessary, return of capital. Any portion of the fund's distributions that is a return of capital does not necessarily reflect the fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." The tax status of the fund's distributions is determined at the end of the taxable year.

For more information on the fund, contact shareholder services at (866) 270-7788, by email at closedendfunds@virtus.com, or through the closed end fund section on the web at www.virtus.com.

About Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.
Duff & Phelps Investment Management is a leader in investing in real estate investment trusts, infrastructure, and utility companies and in developing and managing focused investment strategies for specialized clients, including nuclear decommissioning trusts.  For more information about Duff & Phelps, visit www.dpimc.com.

About Newfleet Asset Management
Newfleet Asset Management provides comprehensive fixed income portfolio management in multiple strategies. Newfleet Multi-Sector Strategies, which manages assets in the Virtus Total Return Fund, leverages the knowledge and skill of a team of investment professionals with expertise in every sector of the bond market, including evolving, specialized, and out-of-favor sectors. The team employs active sector rotation and disciplined risk management to portfolio construction, avoiding interest rate bets and remaining duration neutral to each strategy's stated benchmark.

Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a distinctive partnership of boutique investment managers singularly committed to the long-term success of individual and institutional investors.  For more information visit www.virtus.com.

SOURCE Virtus Total Return Fund

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