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When portfolios don’t deliver outcomes as expected, the number one question is “Why?” In this Risk Report, the answers are provided through an examination of more than 200 institutional equity portfolios, representing more than $200 billion assets. What was discovered may surprise you. From a portfolio’s exposure to uncompensated risks to the performance-hindering “cancellation effect,” there were six common drivers of unexpected portfolio results.

A solid governance structure is critical to any private trust company’s long-term success. Through a thoughtful review that includes useful diagrams and outlines, learn the common elements of the PTC structure; the Board role and responsibilities; the Board attributes, composition, selection process, and succession planning; and additional considerations for selecting PTC committee members.

Monitoring concentration in investment managers is an important component of portfolio risk management. While portfolio-level analysis on liquidity, beta, and volatility are frequently monitored, a minority of investment teams use active risk to size managers. By considering the return profile of a manager along with its size in the portfolio, active risk provides additional insight to risk management decisions, helps build better portfolios, and contributes to better governance.

The Corporate Transparency Act requires certain newly formed and existing corporate entities to identify and disclose information on their “beneficial owners” to FinCEN. This information includes identifying the beneficial owners by full legal name, date of birth, current residential or business address, among other data. FinCEN is now seeking preliminary input on various topics that will be covered under the forthcoming CTA regulations, which will guide FinCEN in its implementation of all aspects of the new rules.

Is the Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) market dimming? Not likely. Even as the SPAC market takes a breather from its hypersonic acceleration in early 2021, new funders are stepping into the picture. In this webcast, the presenters examined the SPAC environment, evolving deal structures, participants, and risks, as well as important federal regulation changes.

Third-party vendors can range from custodial companies, to IT services, to professional service firms. Whatever their contracted function, they have access to your physical premises and/or your network data. So how can you make sure that when you’re signing a contract with an outside vendor, you’re not exposing yourself and your clients to excessive risk? There are four best practices you should follow before signing the dotted line.

The Biden administration has unveiled a new $2 trillion infrastructure and economic recovery plan, the American Jobs Plan, which is designed to simultaneously revitalize the country’s infrastructure and combat climate change. The Plan will also give municipal investors an opportunity to focus on environmental or “green” project opportunities that range from investing in mass transportation to cleaner energy and water to climate-adaptive infrastructure.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an acceleration of adoption of cloud solutions and other remote access tools. However, hasty adoption of any new technology that is not combined with robust security frameworks, policies, and controls can leave businesses vulnerable. A formal vendor management process and having specific controls in place can mean the difference between a cloud solution being a huge advantage to agile solutions or leaving the business open to attacks and unauthorized access.

Uber rethought and deconstructed the traditional value chain in its industry to create a new technology-enabled business model centered on enlisting the capabilities, assets, or knowledge of others. It was the Uberization that pointed toward a new way of creating value and gaining scale, showing its potential for asset managers who are looking past their institutional blinders and carefully observing their environment and weighing alternative ways of doing business.

Organizations across the wealth management landscape face an array of technology risks that are growing more prominent in a post-COVID environment. While keeping an eye on the future and building resiliency, learn how to turn five tech risks—including the rise of disruptive technologies—into an opportunity that goes beyond adopting the right technology.