ING Investment Management (INGIM) is pleased to announce that ING Clarion Real Estate Securities (ING Clarion) - a specialist manager of equity real estate securities, has won the Property category of the 2009 S&P Fund Awards for the third year in a row.

ING Clarion is one of the largest and most experienced portfolio management teams in the world, with one of the longest track records managing global real estate securities. INGIM appointed US-based ING Clarion in 2005 to manage the investment strategy of the ING Global Property Securities Fund (ING GPS Fund).

The ING GPS Fund has maintained a solid performance track record, relative to its peers, throughout the global financial crisis and is also one of the few global property securities capabilities in the Australian market to have a five star rating from S&P in this asset class. Not surprisingly INGIM has continued to see inflows in excess of $600 million from Australian investors for its global property securities offering so far this year.

Martin Donnelly, Deputy CEO, ING Investment Management said: “We are delighted to receive this award which acknowledges the quality of our global property capability in this market.”

“Bringing the ING Clarion Real Estate Securities expertise into the Australian market has been a rewarding experience for INGIM and our clients. This is an example of how our strategy to source best of breed capabilities from around the globe can produce successful results,” Mr Donnelly said.

The ING GPS fund provides investors with access to a global portfolio of between 80-100 listed property securities and focuses on Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) listed on stock exchanges around the world including the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Asia and the United States.

According to S&P, the ING real estate securities team continues to be one of the largest, most experienced and highly regarded investment teams in S&P’s rated peer group. ING continues to produce impressive results over all time periods; both relative to its benchmark and peer funds; and the fund is supported by a competitive fee structure.

According to Standard & Poor’s, the methodology for the 2009 S&P Australian Fund Awards is based on a qualitative assessment of specific investment management capabilities within a sector, rather than being based on past performance of individual funds.

Finalists of the Property category for the 2009 S&P Fund Awards included AMP Capital Investors, Cohen & Steers (Zurich Investment Management Limited), Invesco Australia Ltd and MLC Investments Limited.