SL&C 3/21/95 SB 131 INVESTMENTS BY FIDUCIARIES  SENATOR KELLY announced SB 131 to be up for consideration. VERNON SAYLES, Executive Vice President and Manager, Key Trust Co., said the bill addresses how they, as fiduciaries and trustees for customers, can provide better investment management services through using common trust funds and through the concept of mutual funds including proprietary mutual funds. The difference between a common fund and a mutual fund comes down to who is responsible for the regulatory authority over those funds and the regulations that are applied as a result of that, he explained. Common funds are typically administered and reviewed by state and federal banking regulatory authorities and mutual funds are primarily regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They both provide a pool of money to customers so they can better diversify their investments, take advantage of economies of size and scale, lower expense ratios, and provide better liquidity to the customer with their investment vehicles. Number 341 SUSAN LOCKE, Vice President and Senior Counsel, Key Management Services, answering Senator Kelly's inquiry about the definition of a fiduciary, explained that it is an individual or corporation who is charged with responsibility for discharging certain duties. The duties can be imposed under law or under specific agreements. The duties may involve to care for, to conserve, and to invest assets or to discharge a plan for fiduciary administration for different trust areas. The obligations of the fiduciary are very specific involving very high standards of care, management, honor, honesty, and integrity. SENATOR SALO asked her if she would characterize the legislation before them as increasing or decreasing risk to their investors. MR. SAYLES said this legislation didn't really affect risk. In theory, it should provide a better investment opportunity, and possibly reduced risk, for customers by offering a broader range of services. MS. LOCKE said she felt that the belief in the industry is that it would tend to lower risk. WILLIS KIRKPATRICK, Division of Banking, said he had no objections to SB 131. MR. SAYLES explained that in most cases they are looking at pooling money within the smaller customer accounts. The real purpose is to take advantage of the economies of size that would hopefully reduce risk. MR. KIRKPATRICK said he thought the trust customer would be helped in the case of a small trust company. It would provide the smaller funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 to be allowed as one of the products of the trust company. The limiting factor is that it specifics what those can be, but it would aid in the common trust business. This bill also allows the affiliates to do things with one another which can be very helpful in an area where the financial institution is quite small, but has an affiliate that has a better base, better services, and more products to offer the trust customer. Number 460 SENATOR TORGERSON moved to pass SB 131 from committee with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.