While investment considerations may vary widely among institutional investors in the management of operating balances, common to all is the need for operational simplicity.
Treasury Access at its core is an electronic concentration account from which treasury staff can transact to and from their local bank disbursement and collection accounts. Users need simply to set up standing instructions for wire transfers and ACH payments to fund payroll accounts, bond payments and other obligations. Likewise for institutions that receive large government transfer payments, whether research grants, student loan disbursements or other funds, Treasury Access is set up to apply these funds to your account simply and accurately.
For investors with endowment and other long term investments with Commonfund, Treasury Access makes it easy to fund new investments, rebalance among existing investments, settle capital calls and distributions from private capital and other programs, pay management fees or simply invest proceeds from redemptions in a range of short term programs.
What’s more, Treasury Access provides same-day liquidity which means investments in and withdrawals from your account prior to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time are effected that same day.
When you sign up for Treasury Access you have the option to select among the fund families and investment options that Commonfund has analyzed – adhering to a due diligence process and risk management framework that we conduct for sub-advisors in all of our investment programs. We only accept funds with proven investment processes, strong investment teams, established track records and strong capital resources. Of course, as with all investments please read accompanying prospectuses and offering memoranda with care before investing.
Treasury Access provides investors with multiple fund options spread across different fund families or providers. Options range from treasury-only funds to more diversified money funds to prime mutual funds. You determine the percentage allocation to each investment strategy/fund and Treasury Access automatically transfers funds according to the allocation you set. Plus, based on the allocations you prescribe, funds are automatically rebalanced as funds are received and payments are executed.
In addition to Treasury Access, for eligible institutions with very large operating reserves or cash balances, Commonfund also offers the option of separate account management through Commonfund investment programs. Please contact your Commonfund Relationship Officer for more information on separate account minimums and options.
With Treasury Access there are no on-line transaction or account maintenance fees. As well, there are no account minimums. The fees you pay are simply the underlying fund expenses which will typically range from 10 to 20 basis points plus a program fee based on average monthly balances. The program fee is based on a sliding scale of investment assets:
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First $5 million 8 basis points
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Next $45 million 5 basis points
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Above $50 million 2 basis points
In addition, Commonfund receives compensation from the investment advisers of the underlying funds through a revenue sharing agreement.
We recognize the importance of a secure operating platform and the need for mitigating investment risks to the greatest extent possible, and that is how Treasury Access has been designed. The platform is built upon state of the art technology, utilizing data encryption and enhanced login security to reduce the risk of unauthorized access.