Cerulli Research Study Identifies IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group as Industry's Fastest Growing Separate Account Consultant.

BOSTON -- MDP winning streak spurs 176% growth in separate account assets under management 

Following a year in which IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group ("Advisors Group") won separate account mandates at Linsco Private Ledger (LPL), UBS, and a number of other firms, research from Cerulli Associates reveals that the firm is the fastest growing among the industry's top 35 separate account consultants. Key in the Advisors Group's growth has been the introduction of multiple-discipline accounts at each of these firms.

According to findings presented in the 2004 Cerulli Quantitative Update: Managed Accounts, the Advisors Group posted a 176% increase in assets under management as of September 30, 2004, vaulting the firm into the industry's top 20 consultant programs with a total of $5.8 billion under management as of September 30, 2004.

"This kind of growth illustrates the true value of our Multiple discipline. Multiples solutions.(SM)approach in today's marketplace," says John T. Hailer, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Advisors Group. "With a line-up of 12 specialized, affiliated money managers to draw from, our organization is uniquely positioned to help firms develop a wide array of separate account solutions. In addition, our experience in bringing together the right investment talent for multi-manager, multi-discipline investments makes us an ideal product development partner."

While the Advisors Group brings a wide selection of stand-alone investment strategies to separate account platforms, the firm has won a reputation for its expertise in the development and execution of multiple-discipline portfolios. These accounts combine a selection of complementary investment strategies in a single, diversified portfolio and have garnered much industry attention as firms look to provide individual investors with a disciplined, risk-based asset allocation solution most readily associated with institutional clients.

Success punctuated with SMA Player of the Year nomination

In a related announcement, Advisors Group Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager Curt Overway has been nominated for Institutional Investor News's 2004 Separately Managed Account Player of the Year award. Citing the firm's success in the MDP arena, Institutional Investor News's Fund Marketing Alert writes, "Industry officials have marveled over the tremendous amount of success in 2004 that IXIS has had with its multi-disciplined portfolios."

About Cerulli Associates

Cerulli Associates is a Boston-based research and consulting firm that specializes exclusively in the financial services industry. The organization is recognized throughout the industry as a leading source of guidance, information, and data for the markets that it covers. Cerulli Quantitative Update: Managed Accounts is a report that provides extensive updates of key managed account industry metrics, including business practice data such as sales, operations, sponsor relationships, and industry economics.

About IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group

IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group is part of IXIS Asset Management Group, a $455 billion (as of 9/30/04) global investment management firm that ranks among the top 25 money managers in the world. IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group connects financial advisors and their clients to a broad line-up of specialized money managers through separate accounts (including multi-discipline accounts) and mutual funds, as well as subadvised and institutional investments. IXIS Asset Management Advisors, L.P. is a registered investment advisor that provides overlay management services for separate accounts and other investments.

Other firms affiliated with IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group include Active Investment Advisors(1); AEW Capital Management; Capital Growth Management; Caspian Capital Management; Hansberger Global Investors; Harris Alternatives; Harris Associates; Loomis, Sayles & Company; Reich & Tang Asset Management; Snyder Capital Management; Vaughan Nelson Investment Management; and Westpeak Global Advisors.

IXIS Asset Management Advisors Group includes IXIS Asset Management Distributors, L.P. (member NASD), a broker-dealer that serves as distributor of the CDC Nvest Funds and Loomis Sayles Funds, as well as IXIS Asset Management Advisors, L.P., a registered investment advisor.

(1) A division of IXIS Asset Management Advisors, L.P.