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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
10.09.2007 - 11:59pm ET
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AIG VALIC Expands Socially Responsible Investment Fund
A Market Leader Becomes First to Introduce a Global Social Awareness Fund
(CSRwire) HOUSTON, TX - October 9, 2007 – AIG VALIC, a leader in retirement plan
services for both non-profit and for-profit education, healthcare and
government organizations, today announced that it has broadened the
investment mandate of the VALIC Company I Social Awareness Fund available
within its Portfolio Director ® fixed and variable annuity to
include socially responsible equity opportunities located around the
world.
The newly named "Global Social Awareness Fund" is the first global
investment offering of its kind available in a variable annuity. It
provides VALIC clients with the opportunity to acquire worldwide exposure
to equities while aligning their investment decisions with personal values
and beliefs. It is one of four socially responsible funds VALIC offers in
its variable annuity products.
"We have a longstanding commitment to provide our plan sponsors and their
participants with access to an outstanding selection of socially
responsible investment options," said Bruce R. Abrams, President and CEO
of VALIC and the VALIC Retirement Services Company. "AIG VALIC clients who
want to participate in both the U.S. and foreign equity markets - while
aligning their social beliefs with their investments - now have the
opportunity to do so through this unique fund option."
The Global Social Awareness Fund, as well as its domestic counterpart, the
Socially Responsible Fund, are subadvised by AIG Investments. With more
than $700 billion in assets under management and professional staff in 44
offices around the world, AIG Investments has been managing socially
responsible investments since 1989. It currently manages more than $3
billion in socially responsible investment strategies across geographies
and asset classes.
“AIG Investments believes that, as an investor, we must actively manage
the risks and opportunities related to environmental, social and ethical
trends," said Win J. Neuger, CEO of AIG Investments. "We look to achieve
superior investment returns through this alignment of interests among
ourselves, our clients and the world around us."
VALIC's newly expanded global fund will invest in the stocks of primarily
large capitalization companies located in developed markets worldwide that
meet social criteria established by the fund. This criteria includes
screening out investment in companies that substantially engage in the
manufacture or marketing of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, civilian firearms,
military weapons or nuclear power. It will also avoid companies that have
poor records concerning employee safety, environmental performance and
labor relations. The fund's primary investment goal is long-term capital
appreciation. Its performance benchmark is the Morgan Stanley Capital
International (MSCI) World Index.
AIG VALIC
AIG VALIC is one of the leading retirement plan service providers in the
United States. For more than half a century, it has specialized in
providing retirement programs and related investment, recordkeeping and
administrative services to employers and employees of for-profit and
not-for-profit elementary and secondary education institutions, hospitals
and healthcare organizations, higher education institutions and
governmental entities. AIG VALIC serves 28,000 client groups and more than
two million participants. AIG VALIC is the marketing name for the group of
companies comprising VALIC Financial Advisors, Inc.; VALIC Retirement
Services Company; and The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (VALIC);
each of which is a subsidiary of American International Group, Inc.
American International Group, Inc. (AIG), world leaders in insurance and
financial services, is the leading international insurance organization
with operations in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions. AIG
companies serve commercial, institutional and individual customers through
the most extensive worldwide property-casualty and life insurance networks
of any insurer. In addition, AIG companies are leading providers of
retirement services, financial services and asset management around the
world. AIG's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as
well as the stock exchanges in Paris, Switzerland and Tokyo.
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