Howson Tattersall Investment Counsel Limited to manage Clarington Canadian Balanced Fund TORONTO, Feb. 20 /CNW/ - Saxon Financial Inc. today announced that its institutional investment management subsidiary, Howson Tattersall Investment Counsel Limited, will assume management of the Clarington Canadian Balanced Fund, effective March 31, 2006. Howson Tattersall, investment advisor to the highly regarded family of Saxon Mutual Funds, will employ the same value management style as the Saxon Balanced Fund, named Balanced Fund of the Year at the 2005 Canadian Investment Awards. "We are pleased to add the management of the Clarington Canadian Balanced Fund to our growing list of institutional mandates," said Allan Smith, President and CEO of Saxon Financial Inc. Howson Tattersall Investment Counsel manages more than $11 billion in assets for retail, private client and institutional investors. Howson Tattersall Investment Counsel Limited manages $9 billion in institutional assets, primarily for sub-advised mutual funds and pension plan clients. "We will manage the Clarington Canadian Balanced Fund according to our value-oriented, disciplined investment approach which we have consistently applied throughout our 20-year history to the benefit of our institutional and retail investors," added Smith. Howson Tattersall joins a select group of investment managers for ClaringtonFunds, as Clarington seeks to strengthen its funds' performance by enhancing its team of portfolio managers. "With an outstanding track record in the Canadian Balanced category, we believe Howson Tattersall is an ideal choice for this mandate." said David Scandiffio, President of ClaringtonFunds Inc. "We look forward to building a long-term relationship with Howson Tattersall and its highly regarded team of investment managers." Saxon Financial Inc. manages segregated funds, sub-advised mutual funds, endowments and pension funds in addition to the Saxon Mutual Funds. Saxon has investment expertise in Canadian, global, small cap, international and U.S. equities, as well as fixed income. "Our unique value investment approach has provided our clients with strong returns, excellent downside protection and a low correlation to related indexes and comparable investment mandates," noted Smith. Saxon's institutional assets under management have grown at a compounded annual rate of 30% over a 5-year period. Headquartered in Toronto, the firm recently expanded its institutional business by opening a Montreal office. "With a presence in Ontario and Quebec, our institutional business is well positioned to capture opportunities in the two provinces with the greatest concentration of pension assets" added Smith. About Saxon Financial (www.saxonfinancial.ca) Saxon Financial Inc. is one of Canada's most respected value-style investment management firms. The company has three principal lines of business: Saxon Funds Management Limited, which manages a family of high-performing, no-load, low-fee mutual funds; Howson Tattersall Investment Counsel Limited, an institutional asset investment management business; and Howson Tattersall Private Asset Management Inc., which provides private client asset management and counselling services. About ClaringtonFunds Inc. ClaringtonFunds Inc., which is wholly owned by Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc., offers a wide variety of mutual funds managed by leading Canadian and international portfolio managers. Based in Toronto, Clarington maintains regional offices in major Canadian centres. The company website is www.claringtonfunds.com.