ING REIM Takes No. 1 and 2 in Recent Surveys

ING REIM was ranked first again in the ‘Global Real Estate Fund Manager Survey 2010’ conducted by Feri Property Funds Research. ING REIM held on to its No. 1 ranking with EUR 64.4 billion in total global real estate assets under management at year-end 2009. AXA Real Estate Investment Management follows in second place with EUR 38.4 billion. ING REIM also boasts the most assets in North America with approximately EUR 31.3 billion, while AXA Real Estate Investment Managers has the largest European asset base. In Australasia, AMP Capital Investors Property manages approximately EUR 10.5 billion of real estate assets, while the top asset manager in Asia - Morgan Stanley Real Estate - controls approximately EUR 9.3 billion.

Taking part in the survey were 139 real estate fund managers accounting for a massive €950.4 billion in real estate assets under management.  Of the 83 managers who took part in both the 2009 and 2010 surveys, 53% reported a decline in their assets under management.

ING REIM second in Global Alternatives Survey
Meanwhile, in the most recent ‘Global Alternatives Survey’ by Towers Watson in conjunction with the Financial Times, ING REIM came in second behind Macquarie Group, the largest infrastructure manager of pension fund assets, which tops the ranking, with $51.6 billion  managed on behalf of pension funds globally (compared to US$ 33.4 for ING REIM).  JP Morgan Asset Management, and AEW Capital Management, LP, and Morgan Stanley followed ING REIM.

Alternative investments are on the rise according to the study. The survey included 224 investment manager entries (up from 206 in 2008) comprising: 60 in real estate, 60 in fund of hedge funds, 57 in private equity fund of funds, 22 in commodities and 25 in infrastructure.

Positive developments in alternative investing have further been shown by Russell Investments. In a survey on alternative investing (real estate, private equity and hedge funds) it shows institutional investors worldwide are diversifying their portfolios. The Russell survey of 119 organizations throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Australia showed that over the next two to three years, pension funds, endowments, foundations and insurance providers expect to increase their allocation to alternative investments by more than a third, to 19% of their total investment portfolios.