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Deals & People June 8, 2009
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Unveils Institutional Consultancy
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney launched Graystone Consulting to provide investment consulting advice to institutional investors and the upper-tier private wealth market.
Reported by Fred Schneyer
A news release said Graystone is made up of 30 institutional teams led by one or more institutional consulting directors who average more than 20 years of professional investment experience. Each team also includes managers and technical analysts, reporting specialists, client-service professionals, and support staff.
Graystone teams also draw upon the manager due-diligence efforts of one of nearly 60 analysts.
Current institutional clients include corporate retirement plans, foundations and endowments, health care organizations, state and local governments, and Taft-Hartley plans. Graystone also offers consulting services to wealthy families and family offices, the announcement said.
The news release said Graystone is an outgrowth of Citi Institutional Consulting, which was formed in 2006. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney was officially formed last week through a deal between Morgan Stanley and Citi.
“Based on the expertise within our teams and our unsurpassed research capabilities, we are confident Graystone Consulting will continue the legacy of Citi Institutional Consulting and grow into an even more powerful presence in the investment consulting community,” said James Tracy, director of the Consulting Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, in the release. “We are especially well-prepared to deliver the advice clients need as the markets continue to recover.”