10.25.2006 - 04:26pm ET

(CSRwire) PORTLAND, Maine-- IW Financial, a leading provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research, consulting and portfolio management solutions for the financial services industry, has incorporated the firm's proprietary social and environmental research into its Workstation platform. Several clients, including RPF Equity Advisors, an institutional equity manager; Centurion Investment Partners, a Memphis-based investment advisory firm; and American Values Investment, a regionally focused separate account management firm, have signed on to use the new service.

"It's great to have our own research in the hands of clients," said Mark Bateman, director of research at IW Financial. "We have long had the industry's most values neutral analytic platform. By using our own research staff, we can ensure values neutral and unbiased research while also maintaining the flexibility to expand and respond to client needs for new products and areas of coverage."

Incorporating IW Financial's proprietary research into the Workstation also enables the delivery of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data on a single unified platform. IW Financial will combine its own in-house research with governance data from The Corporate Library (TCL) to allow users to simultaneously screen and rate companies based on all three sets of issues. As with all IW Financial products, the specific criteria to be used in the analytical process are defined by the user.

"Investment firms, plan sponsors, and other fiduciaries are increasingly seeking to evaluate environmental, social and governance factors," said. Sam Pierce, chief executive officer of IW Financial "In the past, organizations generally had to use more than one screening tool to accomplish this. With our proprietary research and data from TCL, we are making it possible for them to evaluate these factors simultaneously, and in an integrated fashion."

IW Financial provides both research and technology to help clients build and manage ESG portfolios based on user-defined criteria investment criteria. The firm's clients encompass asset management firms, private banks, proxy solicitation firms, faith-based investment firms, educational institutions, and financial planning organizations.

Solutions include the IWF Workstation, a Web-based tool that utilizes the firm's patented technology to streamline the research process and produce customized evaluations of investments and investment opportunities; IWF Advisor, designed to enhance advisors' ability to quickly and easily identify the investment opportunities that meet their clients' guidelines, mission, and values; and IWF Consulting, which develops customized ESG solutions for asset managers and the managed accounts industry.

About IW Financial

IW Financial is a leading provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research, consulting and portfolio management solutions for asset management firms, managed accounts sponsors, institutional investors, plan sponsors, and investment advisors. With its unique combination of investment industry expertise, unbiased research, and technology solutions, IW Financial helps industry professionals capitalize on growing investor demand by incorporating ESG factors into investment platforms, products, and portfolios, adding value to the money management process while strengthening client relationships.

IW Financial is based in Portland, Maine. For more information, visit www.iwfinancial.com.

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