LaCrosse Global Fund Services Launches as Independent Hedge Fund Service Provider and Administrator



    Cargill and Black River Asset Management LLC, an alternative
    investment company and wholly owned subsidiary of Cargill, announced
    today the launch of LaCrosse Global Fund Services as an independently
    run hedge fund service provider and administrator based in New York,
    with 150 employees and offices in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas,
    Istanbul, London, Minneapolis, Moscow, Sao Paulo and Singapore.

    The new company is a spinout of the existing middle- and
    back-office services that have supported Black River Asset Management
    and prior to that, Cargill's proprietary capital markets trading
    activities for 20 years. LaCrosse Global Fund Services will continue
    to serve funds managed by Black River Asset Management, and the new
    company will open with more than $6 billion of assets under
    administration encompassing 34 individual strategies traded by
    portfolio managers located in 11 countries.

    As an independent subsidiary with its own board, LaCrosse Global
    Fund Services plans to use its global presence to provide these same
    operations, middle-office and fund administration services to third
    parties, focusing on complex funds that require capabilities in
    equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodities, emerging
    markets and related derivatives. Additional services will include
    facilitation of custodian and prime broker settlement, OTC derivatives
    processing, cash and collateral management, administration of onshore
    and offshore feeders and independent valuation of hedge fund
    portfolios.

    LaCrosse Global Fund Services will operate as an independent firm
    offering services to third parties beginning Jan. 1, 2007, and is
    already in discussions with prospective clients. "We believe the time
    is right for these services," says Robert Lumpkins, LaCrosse board
    member and former vice chairman and chief financial officer of
    Cargill. "Our experience supporting international trading across asset
    classes, coupled with our reputation for disciplined financial
    management and controls, promise to make this a powerful offering for
    the international alternative investment community and the investors
    it serves."

    New management team

    Stuart Feffer and Christopher Kundro have joined LaCrosse Global
    Fund Services as co-chief executive officers to lead the new
    independent company. They both served as consultants to Cargill for
    the launch of Black River Asset Management in 2003. In that capacity,
    they helped design and implement Black River's middle- and back-office
    operations and administration, which contributed to a successful
    launch and strong growth in assets under management.

    "The rapid growth in complex fund structures and multi-asset class
    strategies has clearly led to a need to support a higher level of
    services," said Co-CEO Christopher Kundro. "This is especially true in
    the middle-office and valuations areas, where the offerings of many
    fund administrators are limited. Fund managers can truly benefit from
    one-stop shopping for operational and administrative support."

    "LaCrosse Global Fund Services' product and service offerings will
    fill a critical gap in the industry," added Co-CEO Stuart Feffer. "For
    the first time, the most demanding and complex fund managers will have
    a viable and cost-effective alternative to supporting their own
    infrastructure. We will be able to support them whatever they trade,
    wherever they trade it, whenever markets are open."

    Kundro and Feffer have worked together for more than 10 years,
    most recently at BearingPoint and Capco and are 20-year veterans of
    the financial services industry. They are well known in the
    alternative investment community for their work in setting up hedge
    fund platforms and for their expertise in operational risk and
    valuation issues in hedge funds. Among their other accomplishments,
    they were co-authors of a series of studies on operational risk in
    hedge funds that have been recognized by international regulators, the
    academic community and the alternative investment industry as having
    raised the market's consciousness on the issue. In addition, they have
    advised a number of fund managers on the selection of fund
    administration providers and the establishment of sound operational
    and valuation practices. For further information regarding LaCrosse
    Global Fund Services or its services, contact Stuart Feffer or
    Christopher Kundro at 212-588-7232.

    About LaCrosse Global Fund Services

    LaCrosse Global Fund Services is a hedge fund administrator that
    operates as an independently run subsidiary of Black River and
    Cargill. LaCrosse Global Fund Services is a provider of operations,
    middle-office and administration services to hedge funds. LaCrosse
    Global Fund Services has approximately 150 employees in 10 global
    office locations.

    About Cargill

    Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and
    risk management products and services. With 149,000 employees in 63
    countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and
    experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For
    more information, visit http://www.cargill.com.

    About Black River Asset Management

    Black River Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of
    Cargill, is an independently run global asset management company with
    11 offices in 10 countries and more than 20 years of worldwide
    investment experience.