12/11/2007

Ratings boost for Standard Life Investments

Leading fund manager, Standard Life Investments today celebrates its Dynamic Distribution and the UK Equity High Alpha funds achieving Standard & Poor's ‘A’ ratings. In addition, Standard Life Investments Higher Income Fund has been upgraded from an ‘A’ to a ‘AA’ rating. This means that 17 (or 74%) of the fund manager's 23 eligible and actively managed mutual funds are now rated ‘A’ or above by the ratings agency.

Jacqueline Kerr, Head of Mutual Fund Investments and manager of the Dynamic Distribution Fund, said:

"Given that only the top 20 per cent of funds in any particular sector receive ratings from Standard & Poor's, this is a significant achievement for our highly talented team at Standard Life Investments. External recognition of our mutual fund performance is growing in leaps and bounds and this, coupled with the line of prestigious awards we have won in 2007*, reflects the belief that investment professionals and ratings agencies have in our funds."

"Just last month we announced that the Dynamic Distribution Fund has broken through the £200m funds under management barrier. Investors have been attracted to the fund’s low risk approach and the fact that it offers access to our expertise across equities, bonds and property under such an actively and dynamically managed structure. In essence, the fund encapsulates all that is good about Standard Life Investments. Investing primarily in rated, top performing Standard Life Investments funds, it uses the knowledge and expertise of our investment professionals, all of whom adhere to our focus on change processes. All of these factors have aided the excellent performance the fund has enjoyed to date, having returned 14.69% versus a sector average of 7.89% since launch**."

"The UK Equity High Alpha Fund (formerly known as the Growth & Income Fund), managed by Edward Legget, has been a top decile performer over one, two and three years and top quartile over five and seven years**. Indeed, over both three and five years this fund has provided investors with additional returns of 30% over and above the sector average**. The Higher Income Fund comfortably shows top quartile performance over a number of years and has returned 73.44% over five years, outperforming the sector average of 48.44%**."

"Standard & Poor's recognition of the strength and performance of these funds is a welcome reward for the hard working and talented teams we have at Standard Life Investments."

* In August 2007 picked up two awards in the Citywire Team All Stars Awards 2007. SLI’s UK Equities Team was named 'Citywire Team All Stars Asset Group Winner - UK Equities' and 'Citywire Team All Stars Sector Winner - UK All Companies'

In July 2007, Standard Life Investments won the Investment Week Awards' top title - ‘Global Group of the Year’.

In May 2007, Standard Life Investments won the ‘Active UK Equity Manager of the Year’ title at the Pension & Investment Provider Awards (PIPA) 2007.

Standard Life Investments won the title of 'Investment Manager of the Year' and 'Specialist Manager of the Year (UK Equities)' at the UK Pensions Awards 2007.

Our UK Smaller Companies Fund scooped the 'Best Performing Smaller Companies Fund Award' at the PLC Awards 2007.

Standard Life Investments scooped two 'Best Overall Group Awards' at the Lipper Fund Awards 2007 in the 'Equity Large' and 'UK Equity Large' categories.

** Morningstar workstation as at 1st November, bid-bid, income unadjusted