DerivActiv Signs Multi-year Contract to Provide FAS 157 Services on Alternative Investments for the Minneapolis Jewish Federation

    MINNEAPOLIS, MN, December 07, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- DerivActiv, LLC, a leading provider of FAS 157 fair value measurements for hedge funds and other alternative investments, has been recently selected to provide FAS 157 services to the Minneapolis Jewish Federation for their investment portfolios.

Because of events that have affected the entire Jewish community, fiduciaries have been put on notice that there is a probability that audited investment values may not be correct and this is especially the case for hard-to-value alternative investments. In addition, AICPA guidelines suggest that many funds revisit their policies, practices and pricing methodologies. Fiduciaries have begun to realize that their stakeholders are holding them to a higher standard and are seeking outside expertise to help meet these expectations.

"Non-profit organizations are highly sensitive to changes in the economy and the repercussions to their investment portfolios. With the push for increased transparency of complex financial instruments like private equity funds, organizations like the Minneapolis Jewish Federation have turned to us to provide them the peace-of-mind when they need to send a report to their board of directors," said Johan Rosenberg, president of DerivActiv.

FAS 157 is the Financial Accounting Standards Statement No. 157 Fair Value Measurement; an accounting disclosure and valuation requirement implemented in 2008 by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). At its heart, FAS 157 redefines the "fair value" accounting of financial instruments as, ". . . the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date."

Karen Hoppe, Director, Finance & Administration, of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation stated it this way:

"Knowing that there have been some things that have happened recently that could negatively impact investments, we hired DerivActiv to give us peace-of-mind on an annual basis. The organization wants toknow that the values have been verified by an independent process."

DerivActiv, in partnership with Axiom Valuation Services, provides expertise in FAS 157 Alternative Investments valuations and covers a wide variety of financial instruments, including Derivatives, Private Equity Funds, Hedge Funds, Side Pocket Transactions, Mortgage-Backed Securities, Asset-Backed Securities Pass-Throughs, Mezzanine Debt, Convertibles, Distressed Securities, Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMO), Auction Rate Securities, Cash and Synthetic CDO & CDO² Tranches, Credit Linked Notes Structured Investment Vehicles, Exotic OTC Options, Complex, and Illiquid Securities.

"DerivActiv has shown its expertise in evaluating some of the more exotic financial investments that are contained in our portfolio and provided that information in simple to understand language. I'd recommend their services to anyone that may have similar concerns as we did," stated Hoppe.

For more information visit www.derivactiv.com or e-mail [email protected]

About DerivActiv
DerivActiv, LLC is a leading provider of web-based derivative valuation and other financial monitoring services, serving financial institutions, corporations, non-profits, and municipalities. DerivActiv provides daily valuations of financial products, including equity, currency and fixed income securities, derivatives as well as a number of alternative investments. DerivActiv is used for FAS 133, 161,157 and GASB 53 compliance in financial statements, board and finance committee reports, and as an internal risk management tool. For more information call 1-866-200-9012, or visit the company's website at www.DerivActiv.com.

About Minneapolis Jewish Federation
The Minneapolis Jewish Federation has sought to connect people and build community by meeting the needs of Jews in Minneapolis and around the world. With a focus on Financial Resource Development, Overseas Outreach, Community Development and Leadership Engagement and Development, the Federation is able to serve as a central resource where people come together to repair the world. The organization manages more than $15 million in funds. www.jewishminneapolis.org

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