NICSA

NICSA

Type	501(c)3 nonprofit
Industry	Investment management
Founded	Boston, Massachusetts (1962)
Services	Educational and networking programs
Website	nicsa.org

NICSA (the National Investment Company Service Association) is a nonprofit trade association providing independent education and networking forums to professionals in the global investment management community.

Organization Overview

NICSA's focus is on the back office operations of the fund industry, namely shareholder service, fund accounting, investment operations and sales support. Many of its programs work to help the industry develop and codify best practices for complying with new laws and regulations.

Membership in NICSA is open to mutual funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, to the managers of those funds and to service providers to those funds and their managers. Members include mutual fund management companies, custodian banks, third-party transfer agents, audit firms, law firms, technology providers and consultants to the fund industry.

Activities

NICSA organizes in-person conferences, featuring prominent industry executives, and webinars on topics of current interest. These events are planned by committees composed of volunteers from the industry.

Many of these committees also review best practices for the industry, particularly with regard to regulatory compliance. NICSA’s Transfer Agent Committee maintains the NICSA Transfer Agent Compliance Guide -- a compendium of regulatory requirements and best practices for transfer agents, which keep shareholder records and provide customer service for mutual funds.

The organization's blog, NICSA News, provides regular updates on issues of current interest in the investment industry. NICSA is also co-sponsor of a text on mutual funds, The Fund Industry: How Your Money is Managed, which explains how funds are marketed, regulated and invested.

NICSA sponsors the Robert L. Gould Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the mutual fund industry. The most recent winners of the award were Laurence D. Fink, John F. Cogan, Jr., John J. Brennan, Robert Reynolds and Robert C. Pozen. NICSA also sponsors a scholarship program for the children of associates of its member firms.

History

NICSA was founded in 1962 as an informal forum for operations and shareholder service professionals in the mutual fund industry. Richard L. Casey of State Street Bank & Trust Company in Boston was its founder and first president. Edward D. Windsor of Fidelity Fund (now Fidelity Investments) served as its first secretary, while John R. Vaughn, Jr. of Old Colony Trust Company (now part of the Columbia Management family of funds) was its first Treasurer.

External links

• NICSA website
• NICSA News: blog on investment industry issues
• The Fund Industry: How Your Money is Managed