Industry Expert Builds New Tax-Free Muni Strategy for Performance Trust Investment Advisors, LLC

CHICAGO, July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Performance Trust Investment Advisors, LLC (PTIA), an affiliate of Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC, has tapped veteran municipal bond portfolio manager J. Thomas Futrell to head an elite municipal bond investment strategy for PTIA. With this new capability, PTIA will serve individual and institutional investors by employing investment strategies that will capitalize on opportunities in the municipal bond market.

Futrell, who developed a wealth of experience in municipal bond research and portfolio management during more than two decades with Chicago-based Nuveen Investments, will build a team of investment professionals to offer investors products that invest in tax-exempt municipal bonds. Municipal bonds are generally attractive to investors for their tax advantages, high yields and historically low default rates.  

"Tom is a great addition to our team because he is an expert in municipal bond analysis and investing, as he has proven during his career. We are excited about the opportunity for our clients from an absolute return perspective relative to other fixed-income asset classes," said Peter Cook, PTIA Chief Investment Officer. "Municipal bonds fit our investment philosophy in markets that have experienced distress, mispricing, and inefficiencies."

Futrell brings to PTIA a track record of success. While at Nuveen, Futrell headed an 18-member municipal research team, and managed the All-American Municipal Bond Fund, a $350 million open-end investment grade municipal bond fund during the time he managed it. Futrell also served as Chief Investment Officer of Claymore Securities, Inc., a diversified asset management company that had approximately $16 billion under management and supervision at the time of his departure in 2010. Futrell will call on his management and recruiting experience as he builds an expert investment advisory team.  

"I was initially attracted to PTIA by its goal of exploiting anomalies in markets, and the municipal bond market provides many ways to accomplish that. Furthermore, given our size, we can be very selective in our investments, so we can focus on managing clients' assets, rather than amassing them," said Futrell. "We believe the timing is right for this initiative, and we are eager to offer our clients this exciting new strategy."  

About Performance Trust Investment Advisors, LLC

Performance Trust Investment Advisors is an SEC-registered investment advisor that specializes in fixed income, bank equity and real estate investment strategies. As part of the Performance Trust Companies (founded in 1994), PTIA began managing outside capital in 2008 and has grown rapidly, managing assets of pension, endowment, family office, fund of funds and individual clients. Based in Chicago, the firm manages funds and separately managed accounts tailored to the liquidity needs of its clients. For more information, go to www.PTIA.com.

SOURCE Performance Trust Investment Advisors, LLC