| Organisational Overview | ||||||
| Organisational Overview This section captures information that helps determine if some of the subsequent questions are required and also plays a role in benchmarking. Please make sure you provide accurate answers. This is also one of the more challenging sections as it may require gathering information from multiple sources. We suggest you collect all this information before progressing to other parts of the questionnaire. | ||||||
| 1. What were your organisation's total assets under management as of the most recent count (in millions)? (Estimating to the nearest hundred million as of December 31 2008 would be preferable - although the most recent available count would be sufficient. If your currency is not listed, please select 'other' and indicate your currency or convert to United States dollars.) | 920.4 | |||||
| Please select currency | United States dollar (USD) | |||||
| 1a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other currency here | No Answer | |||||
2. Please pick the one category and level of complexity that best describes your organisation (if your organisation is a pension fund, please also select your pension type). This information may be used to provide you with the best possible benchmarking. Complexity
| ||||||
| Socially responsible investment manager | Simple | |||||
| 2a. If 'Other' was selected, please specify the other category here | No answer | |||||
| 3. Please provide an approximation of your average asset mix for 2008 or your asset mix as of the most recent count (in percent):(+/- 5% is sufficient. The sum of all the fields must be 100%) | ||||||
Active | Passive | Active | Passive | |||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Governance, Policy and Strategy | ||||||
| Governance, Policy and StrategyQuestions 5 through 15 are about the governance and oversight of your organisation's responsible investment activities and the associated policies and strategy. This section will be scored separately from the six Principles."Policy" in this section may refer to one overall RI policy or multiple policies that address various elements of RI. | ||||||
| 5. Do you have a policy that makes specific reference to responsible investment (RI) or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues? | Yes | |||||
| 6. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following Principles does it address?(Please check all that apply.) | Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.,Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.,Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.,Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.,Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | |||||
| 7. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following asset classes does it apply to?(Please check all that apply.) | Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | |||||
| 8. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, when was your policy last reviewed? | Over 3 years ago, and planning to in 2009 | |||||
| 9. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, has it been disclosed publicly?(If answering yes, please indicate how this statement can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes: 'www.ccmfixedincome.com' | |||||
10. To what extent has your approach to responsible investment been translated into a plan of action as reflected in business planning, strategic planning, or similar internal management processes?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 11. Who within your organisation has responsibilities related to RI implementation?(Please check all that apply.) | Board of trustees or board of directors,Chief Executive Officer or Chief Investment Officer or equivalent,Other senior management | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | Sectors | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | Other (please specify): 'As an institutional fixed income manager we positively screen fixed income government securities for their focus on economic and community development (affordable housing, job creation and training, small business growth, workforce development, and environmental health and restoration.' | |||||
| 14. Please describe how your organisation assesses if there is a link between your RI activities and the performance (risk and return) of your investments: | We proactively seek to invest in market-rate fixed income securities that finance community and economic development initiatives. Based on our financial data going back to 1998, we believe that by applying a proactive, positive screen on these investments, one does not have to sacrifice returns. | |||||
| 15. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Governance, Policy, and Strategy here. | We match investors' financial goals and social mission. In the universe of asset classes devoted to community investing, fixed income presents relatively lower risk than private equity or venture capital. Our pioneering approach in pooled funds includes portfolio diversification, due diligence investment monitoring, as well as an increasing focus on green approaches to fixed income securities. | |||||
| Principle 1 | ||||||
Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.For the purposes of this questionnaire, integration is the consideration of ESG issues alongside traditional financial measures, based on the belief that ESG issues can affect the performance (risk and/or return) of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes and through time). Please note that the view that ESG issues can influence investment returns may be based either on
| ||||||
| 16. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle.This question and similar questions relating to each of the other Principles are being asked for three reasons. The first reason is to gather details regarding signatory implementation for inclusion in the PRI annual report on progress. The second reason is to capture activities not captured directly by questions in the Reporting and Assessment Tool. The third reason is to provide context and details to support verification calls. | Community Capital Management addresses ESG issues in its investment analysis and decision-making process by investing in sub-sectors of the bond market that finance community and economic development initiatives such as affordable housing, environmental sustainability, job creation program, and affordable healthcare. We believe that diversified portfolios of these high credit quality "community development" bonds can produce risk-adjusted returns that meet or exceed those generated by "core" bond indices with no community development impact when measured over a complete interest rate cycle. | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of internally managed assets | ||||||
| 17. For what percentage of your internal assets under active management do you integrate RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes (in percent)?(+/- 5% is sufficient.) | ||||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 95 | |||||
18. To what extent have you integrated RI/ESG issues into your internal active investment decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| ||||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | To a moderate extent | |||||
19. When forming investment views, to what extent does your organisation gather and analyse ESG information, including, where applicable, information obtained from engagement activities?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
20. To what extent do portfolio managers or others making investment decisions in your organisation apply the ESG information and analysis available to them when constructing and managing portfolios?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
21. To what extent do you have a process for improving the effectiveness of research and portfolio management processes with regards to ESG factors?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
22. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving internal investment staff competency to incorporate RI/ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of externally managed assets | ||||||
| 23. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q3 regarding the use of active external investment management. For what percentage of your external assets under management are RI/ESG issues integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers (in percent, +/- 5% is sufficient)? | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | ||||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | ||||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | ||||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | ||||||
| Private equity | ||||||
| Listed real estate or property | ||||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | ||||||
| Hedge funds | ||||||
| Infrastructure | ||||||
24. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q3 regarding the use of active external investment management. To what extent have RI/ESG issues been integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | No Answer | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | No Answer | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | No Answer | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | No Answer | |||||
| Private equity | No Answer | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | No Answer | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | No Answer | |||||
| Hedge funds | No Answer | |||||
| Infrastructure | No Answer | |||||
25. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q3 regarding the use of active external investment management. To what extent do you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to incorporate RI/ESG issues when searching for, selecting and retaining your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| No Answer | |||||
| Integration - final comments | ||||||
| 26. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 1 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 1 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Insights from the Global Green USA scoring system are part of our decision filter in regards to whether a bond for investment in multi-family homes is green. We filter for "smart growth", energy efficiency, resource conservation, health protection, requiring renewable/recycled materials, and potental for redevelopment priorities (brownfields) when relevant. Our portfolio includes investment in areas which are being revitalized by application of these factors. | |||||
| Principle 2 | ||||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | ||||||
| 27. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Community Capital Management incorporates an active ownership policy consistent with the Principles by first establishing long-term strategic asset allocation ranges, which may call for the inclusion of instruments from the following subsectors (among others): 1. Taxable municipal bonds 2. U.S. Agency Multi-Family Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) 3. Securitized pools of U.S. Government-guaranteed Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans 4. U.S. Agency single-family MBS (collateralized by loans with relatively low loan balances) Within this set of options, we apply filters for green practices and expected positive social impact. | |||||
| (Proxy) voting - applies only to listed equity (developed markets), listed equity (emerging markets) and listed real estate or property. | ||||||
| 28. Do you have a (proxy) voting policy?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your (proxy) voting policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | No Answer | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | No Answer | |||||
| Social | No Answer | |||||
| Governance | No Answer | |||||
| 30. Who decided how to vote on ballot items on behalf of your organisation in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| No Answer | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | No Answer | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | No Answer | |||||
| 34. Please indicate how many resolutions you could have voted on and how many resolutions you did vote on in 2008:(include abstentions as votes where votes against are not possible, use the last available one year period if information for 2008 is not available or too difficult to gather, approximate numbers are acceptable. If you are unable to provide the exact number please provide an approximation of the percentage by entering 10 in the 'Resolutions could have voted on' column and your estimate in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. So if you voted on about 70% of the possible resolutions you would enter 7 in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. If you are not sure, please enter a 1 in all four fields.) | ||||||
| Domestic | ||||||
| Foreign | ||||||
| 35. For the listed equities that you manage, do you provide (proxy) voting services for your clients if they request them? | No Answer | |||||
| 36. How does your securities lending program address voting? | No Answer | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | 0 | |||||
| As co-filer | 0 | |||||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2009 | 0 | |||||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2009 | 0 | |||||
| 38. Please explain why you did or did not file or co-file any shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues during 2008: | not applicable to our investment approach | |||||
| Engagement - general | ||||||
| 39. Who engaged with companies to seek ESG improvements in 2008?Please rank who engaged with companies according to their importance within your overall active ownership activities. You can only select Most, Second, Third and Fourth most important once each. Only the method you rank as 'Most important' will be scored for benchmarking purposes. If you wish to request that your other methods of engagement also be scored, please complete all the relevant sections and email the PRI at assessment@unpri.org when you submit your response. | ||||||
| Internal staff | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| External engagement service provider(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| 40. Do you have a written engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient.) | Not applicable | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 0 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| No Answer | |||||
44. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 45. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your engagements addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
46. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you set ESG engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate your engagement success?
| No Answer | |||||
| 47. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What percentage of engagements that ended in 2008 were deemed successful (in percent)?(Engagement success: a considerable part of objectives or milestones that were set when the engagement commenced were achieved.) | No Answer | |||||
48. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving staff competency to act as active owners and incorporate ESG issues into ownership practices?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 50. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external engagement service provider(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
51. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external engagement service provider(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external investment manager(s) | ||||||
52. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external investment manager(s)'s engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 53. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external investment manager(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)? (One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
54. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external investment manager(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| 55. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. Did you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to engage with companies on ESG issues on your behalf when searching for, selecting and retaining your investment managers? | No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - final comments | ||||||
| 56. What ESG issues were addressed in your or your service providers' engagement initiatives? (Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | No Answer | |||||
| 58. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 2 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 2 that have not been captured by the questions above. | This does not apply to our asset class of fixed income because we invest in community projects rather than companies. | |||||
| Principle 3 | ||||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | ||||||
| 59. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Community Capital Management is an institutional investment advisor that does not invest in the equity or debt instruments of corporations. However, we provide social impact reports to our clients on investments which we carry out. Owing to the fact that 95% percent of our investment capital is placed in community investment, we are squarely focused on the social issues which community investing seeks to ameliorate. In addition, we apply green criteria to the community projects in which we invest. | |||||
| 60. Who asked investee companies (or other investment entities) to provide information about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal staff | |||||
61. {ERR} To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) have a dialogue with investee companies (or other investment entities) regarding the production of standardized reporting about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?('Standardized' could also include systematic reporting in areas where standardized reporting has not yet emerged.)
| ||||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | To a moderate extent | |||||
| 62. What formats of reporting on ESG issue policies, practices or performance have been requested? Please check all that apply. | Global Framework for Climate Risk Disclosure,Other (please specify): 'Social Impact' | |||||
63. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) seek information from companies regarding their practices related to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to ESG issues in 2008?
| Not at all | |||||
| 64. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 3 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 3 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Community Capital Management is a fixed income investment manager and we do not invest in companies or corporate bonds. We do however seek the application of green criteria in community bonds in which we invest. As mentioned in our introductory remarks, social impact is at the core of our investment philosophy in communities through this strategy. | |||||
| Principle 4 | ||||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | ||||||
| 65. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Community Capital Management will seek to: include Principles-related requirements in requests for proposals (RFPs); support regulatory or policy developments that enable implementation of the Principles; support the development of tools for benchmarking ESG integration; align investment mandates, monitoring procedures, performance indicators and incentive structures accordingly. We are a member of Carbon.Fund.org, The Social Investment Forum, and a pioneer in helping municipalities create bond issues which include covenants which help them achieve a successful level of community investment. | |||||
| 66. Did you consider RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting service providers in 2008 when applicable? | ||||||
| Investment consultant | Not applicable | |||||
| Proxy voting service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| External overlay service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| Investment research provider | Not applicable | |||||
| 67. Have you included RI/ESG elements in the following? | ||||||
| Investment monitoring | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
68. To what extent did you encourage your eligible service providers to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?(Service providers include but are not limited to: external investment managers, investment consultants, proxy voting service providers, external engagement service providers, and investment research providers.)
| To a small extent | |||||
69. To what extent did you encourage your institutional clients to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
70. To what extent did you encourage peer organisations to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 71. Have you revisited any relationships with service providers in light of RI/ESG issue-related capabilities? | No | |||||
| 72. Does your broker evaluation process (which determines how you allocate commissions to brokers) include an ESG component and/or do you have a budget to pay for ESG broker research? | Not applicable | |||||
| 73A. What is your total investment research budget (including brokerage commissions intended to recognize research, in the same currency used in Q1) | 0 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 100 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| To a small extent | |||||
75. To what extent did you engage in dialogue, lobbying or initiatives pertaining to government policy and/or industry regulations (for example, stock exchanges or accounting standards) related to RI/ESG issues in 2008?
| Not at all | |||||
| 76. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 4 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 4 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Community Capital adheres to this Principle to the best of its abilities within the investment industry. Owing to the preferences of mission-based clients and others we also develop projects to achieve targeted results with respect to social issues related to community development, employment, sustainable economic development in blighted areas, and housing. | |||||
| Principle 5 | ||||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 77. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Community Capital Management will seek to: support/participate in networks and information platforms to share tools; collectively address relevant emerging issues; and, support appropriate collaborative initiatives. | |||||
78. To what extent did you collaborate with other investors to improve your effectiveness in implementing each of the following Principles?
| ||||||
| Principle 1 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 2 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a small extent | |||||
| 79. How did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Planning to log in in 2009 | |||||
| 80. Did you participate in any of the following RI/ESG issue-related collaborations and/or associations? For those not listed, please use the "other" field:(Please check all that apply.) | Carbon Disclosure Project,Other (please specify): 'Social Investment Forum',Other (please specify): 'Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility',Other (please specify): 'CarbonFund.org',Other (please specify): 'National Federation of Municipal Analysts' | |||||
81. Please indicate the three RI/ESG issue-related collaborative engagement initiatives and/or industry associations that you participated in most extensively and indicate how you did so:
| ||||||
| 1st Other specify from Q80 | To a moderate extent | Collaborate with institutional and retail investment professionals seeking to promote positive social change on behalf of their clients. | ||||
| 2nd Other specify from Q80 | To a small extent | Recently became Affiliate Member. | ||||
| 3rd Other specify from Q80 | To a small extent | We are a Carbon-free partner of CarbonFund.org | ||||
| 82. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 5 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 5 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Owing to our sustained success and market position as a leading fixed-income community investor, we are able to make a contribution to the argument for the viability and profitability of socially-responsible investing. | |||||
| Principle 6 | ||||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 83. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | Community Capital Management seeks to: communicate with beneficiaries about ESG issues and principles; determine the impact of the Principles; and, integrate ESG practices with investment practices. In terms of format, we publicly disclose information on our website, in newsletters, and in social impact reports. Information on our website features the range of impact in US states and municipalities, the level of monetary impact within specific communities, and the range of investment in human welfare. | |||||
84. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your approach to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a large extent: '' | |||||
| 85. How did you disclose your (proxy) voting record in 2008?(Please select all that apply. If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | No Answer | |||||
86. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| No Answer | |||||
| 87. Did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) RI/ESG activities, results and progress related to Principle 3, Principle 4 or Principle 5 in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | ||||||
| Principle 3 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries | |||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries | |||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to clients or beneficiaries | |||||
| 88. How would you like to publish your responses to this PRI Reporting and Assessment tool?(Please check all that apply.) | Please automatically publish our responses to the reporting and assessment tool in full on the PRI website | |||||
| 89. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 6 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 6 that have not been captured by the questions above. | Specific case studies which profile the positive economic, environmental, and social impact are available online or from the company upon request. Case studies include unique projects, e.g., one in the state of Ohio which combines the restoration of a brown field while engaging in economic development and training, as well as facilities for underprivileged youth. | |||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||
| 90. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | Becoming a PRI signatory has enabled our firm to raise our public profile. | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | Many of the firm's key employees have dedicated time to learning about the Prinicples, and developed communication materials designed to notify prospective investors of our commitment. | |||||
| 92. Did the financial market turmoil of 2008 cause you to change your approach to the consideration of ESG factors or active ownership? If it did, please explain how. | The market turmoil of 2008 caused prices of bonds from a number of domestic sectors to decline in value. Consequently, many "green" taxable municipal bonds were available for purchase at the highest relative yield levels witnessed in many years. As a result, the portfolio managers allocated client assets to several such issues. | |||||
| 93. What are the top three activities the PRI Secretariat could undertake to enhance and encourage further implementation of the PRI by current and prospective signatories? | ||||||
| 1. | Increase public awareness by scheduling regional educational forums throughout the United States. | |||||
| 2. | Provide investors with notice of searches being conducted by institutional asset owners seeking strategies managed by PRI signatory firms. | |||||
| 3. | Collaborate with mainstream media providers to ensure that adequate coverage is provided. | |||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Initiate dialog with new signatories (and their investment consultants) to facilitate exchange of information. | |||||
| 2. | Alert industry colleagues as new signatories are added, thus raising awareness and encouraging adoption by additional entities. | |||||
| 3. | Increase support to organizations (ICCR, SIF, CarbonFund.org, etc.) that promote incorporation of ESG factors. | |||||
| 95. What were your most significant achievements in 2008 in relation to your implementation of Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | The firm began to offer new clients the ability to designate that a portion of their investment be designated to bond issues that support environmental sustainability and "green" design features. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | The investment team continues to proactively identify bonds issued to support community development (primarily benefitting low-to-moderate income neighborhoods and families). | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | The portfolio management team directs investment banking vendors (i.e. "underwriters") to provide documentation demonstrating that bond proceeds are designated to support community development. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | The firm actively advertises its role as a signatory thus enhancing the likelihood that competing industry participants will emulate such a strategy. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | The firm's portfolio managers continues to increase its efforts in working directly with municipal issuers to collaborate on the origination of bonds that address poverty, resource scarcity, and environmental sustainability. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | Community Capital continues to provide existing and prospective clients with reports that quantify the positive impact of each individual investment. | |||||
| 96. What were your biggest barriers in 2008 with relation to your implementation of the Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | Community Capital Management is a fixed income manager so our incorporation of ESG issues requires a different criteria than a traditional equity manager. However, we have a wealth of experience as a pioneer in community investing which is an asset in terms of applying social issues and principles to investment for investors motivated by these concerns. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | We did not find this Principle to be a barrier as we incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies as non-corporate fixed income bond investor. Although we do not vote or engage with companies we are involved with communities and issuers as a trusted authority on bringing community-based bond issues to market. Engagement therefore takes on a different quality as it applies to this Principle. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | We did not find this Principle to be a barrier. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | We did not find this Principle to be a barrier. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | We would like to see more networks/groups in the fixed income arena that incorporate or seek to adopt a responsible investing investment approach. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | We did not find this Principle to be a barrier. | |||||
| 97. Please indicate which principle you find the most difficult to implement and the principle you find the least difficult to implement: | ||||||
| Most difficult | Principle 5 | |||||
| Least difficult | Principle 4 | |||||