Investing with Catholic values? Knights of Columbus group to offer guidance

Dec 20, 2014 / 14:58 pm

The Knights of Columbus fraternal organization aims to extend its Catholic values and financial expertise into a new subsidiary that will provide investment guidance to Catholic institutions.

"The Catholic community has traditionally been served by investment managers with a broad, rather than Catholic, focus," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said Dec. 19. "We believe a Catholic firm committed to Catholic values can offer a more compelling solution for Catholic entities."

The New Haven, Conn.-based organization has announced a new subsidiary named Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, which is currently being registered as a financial advisor.

The subsidiary is intended to provide a suite of fixed-income and equity investment strategies designed for Catholic institutional investors, the organization said. Investments will be managed according to guidelines from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Anthony Minopoli, the Knights of Columbus' chief investment officer, noted that the Knights of Columbus presently manage $22 billion in insurance and pension assets.

"We believe these investment capabilities will translate beautifully to the faith-based market," Minopoli said.

The Catholic fraternal organization has 1.8 million members around the world. Members and their families are eligible for coverage under the organization's insurance program.

The fraternal organization highlighted its 39-year consecutive top rating of A++ from A.M. Best, a leading credit ratings agency for the insurance industry.

It was also listed as a World's Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute, a research center on best practices in corporate ethics and governance.