Discount broker's asset-management wing plans new real-estate fund family. Charles Schwab's asset management arm has acquired Global Real Analytics (GRA), a San Francisco-based real-estate analytics and commercial real-estate index product provider. Schwab says it use GRA's expertise to develop amdn manage a new family of real-estate funds.

GRA is best known for its National Real Estate Index, which analyzes commercial real estate trends in urban markets. It uses a model-based strategy to judge the worth of real estate securities, much as Schwab uses the model-based Schwab Equity Ratings to select its stocks.

RE funds

"With approximately $2 trillion invested worldwide, commercial real-estate securities represent an important sector for investors," says Evelyn Dilsaver, president and CEO of Charles Schwab Investment Management. "[GRA] is a well-established firm with a solid track record. The capabilities they bring will provide Schwab with a unique advantage in delivering powerful real estate research, insights and investment choices to our clients."

GRA's former COO James Sempere says he and his colleagues "are immensely excited to be joining Charles Schwab Investment Management and look forward to helping CSIM develop best-in-class real estate investment products." Sempere now heads real-estate investment and research at Charles Schwab Investment Management.

As a part of Schwab, the GRA team will develop and manage a new suite of real-estate investment products that will be added to Schwab's existing stable of index, fixed-income and actively-managed equity funds.

San Francisco-based Charles Schwab Investment Management managed $188 billion at the end of 2006. -FWR

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