Media Summaries

When Internet and media research is conducted by investigators at Check Fund Manager, we are looking for specific adverse items that, in our experience, would cause our clients to reconsider their investment. We also focus on using media articles to confirm employment and directorship positions, as well as to reveal affiliations not provided in the manager's biography. Yet, when no adverse items are found, the report's Internet & Media detail section may include three to five items of general interest.

Below is a comprehensive list of the type of media articles that our researchers look for. Each are categorized by importance to our clients (Red being detrimental information, Yellow being newsworthy, but not necessarily negative, information, and Green comprising general interest or personal information).

Evaluation of Media Items

Red – Detrimental Information

** Information that could be considered a red flag by clients

Investors withdrawing money from fund
Negative fund performance
Freezing of investor redemptions
Lawsuits details
Arrest reports
Moody's ratings – downgrades
Court dockets
Misrepresentation
Loss of employment (firing, laid off)
Notice of Regulatory Actions (SEC Wells Notice issued, FSA investigation)
Major changes at fund: cutting jobs, closing offices

Yellow – Interesting Information

** Newsworthy information regarding the manager or company – also references to current and past employment and board memberships

Launching of funds – left prior company to form fund
Opening of new offices or remodeling
Real-estate purchases (high dollar amount, notable property)
Name change of business
Major changes to assets under management (AUM)
Quoted with reference to position (employment verification)
Launch of new funds – expansion
Sits on board of charities or other entities

Green – Non-Detrimental Information

** Personal information uncovered on the subject that is not considered newsworthy or detrimental

Presence on Forbes List of wealthy individuals or top hedge funds
Fund performance – gains
Shareholders in other entities
Accolades – named top manager and/or fund
New hires and departures
Partnership with other funds
Founding of charitable organizations
Wedding announcements
Funds acquiring new assets
Notable entities investing in fund (endowments, retirement systems)
Interviews by manager on market
Speaker at conferences
Participation in road races, regattas, etc.
Awards dinners
Ongoing investment projects
Author of published books/articles
Information on spouse's occupation
University alumni
Campaign donations
SEC filings
Society profiles and attendance at events
Wikipedia, Zoominfo, Linkedin profiles
Sports played in college

How is information gathered and summarized within the Media Search?

All red items are always included and summarized.

All yellow items (including employment references) are typically included and summarized, unless excessive amounts are found. In this case, the most important yellow articles will be summarized, with an emphasis on more recent articles.

Three to five green items will be included in the media research section and summarized if no other media items (red or yellow) are found.

Internet vs. Media Research

Media articles are generally more structured than Internet pages. Media research is documented by date, time, and publication name. Professional practices for most publications dictate fact-checking standards. Internet publications have no such documentation or quality controls. Search capabilities for proximity of terms, phrases, and phrase exclusions that are common with media searches are not as advanced with Internet searches. Moreover, entering a search phrase in an Internet search engine one day may return a different set of results when entered the next day or through a different search engine. Relatively speaking, more adverse information is found from litigation research we perform than Internet or media research.