Investment Process: The Subadvisor utilizes a top-down and bottom-up approach in its investment decision-making process. The top-down element of the investment process incorporates an analysis of the important economic underpinnings of the market’s risk cycle. The investment team believes that monetary policy, as dictated by central bank actions, is a significant contributor to credit creation and an important driver of the inflection points in the market cycle.

The bottom-up component of the investment team’s investment process feeds into its macro analysis to help identify significant changes in financial market conditions, real economic developments and areas of credit excess. Credits are run through a multi-factor analysis of financial and non-financial risk characteristics seeking to gain a complete picture of the credit profile of an issuer prior to investment. This multi-factor analysis combined with in-depth fundamental analysis leads the investment team to select credits of companies with improving business prospects while avoiding those with excess leverage and subordination.

The Subadvisor may sell a security if it no longer believes that the security will contribute to meeting the investment objective of the Fund. In considering whether to sell a security, the Subadvisor may evaluate, among other things, the condition of the economy, meaningful changes in the issuer’s financial condition, changes in the condition and outlook.