Investing Trends

Minneapolis -

MINNEAPOLIS -- Collins, whose strong growth has enabled it to become one of the world’s leading reinsurance brokers, has formed a new subsidiary – Collins Capital Advisors LLC – with plans to assist firms in the insurance and reinsurance industry with investment banking advice and capital markets expertise, Collins President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Denzer announced today.

Gregory G. Clapp, a veteran of insurance practices at Wall Street investment banking firms, has been named managing director and head of Collins Capital Advisors, which will be based in New York City.

“Collins Capital Advisors is being established to offer traditional investment banking services in such areas as private equity, debt, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic financial advice,” Mr. Denzer said. “It also will focus on developing and delivering capital market solutions, which could include securitizations, cat bonds or other insurance-linked securities.

“We’re proud that Greg Clapp, with his exceptional expertise and track record, has joined Collins to lead this operation,” Mr. Denzer added.

Mr. Clapp has been a senior investment banker serving the insurance industry for the last 14 years. Prior to joining Collins, he was a managing director at Fox-Pitt, Kelton, where he led the insurance investment banking practice and served on the management committee. Prior to that position, he held a similar position at Sandler, O’Neill & Partners. He was also a managing director in the insurance practice at J.P. Morgan Chase.

“I’m pleased and excited to join Collins,” Mr. Clapp said. “The model we are developing to offer knowledgeable, independent financial advice is clearly what the market wants, and what I hope to contribute.

“The extensive insights of Collins’ professionals, combined with our new financial advisory services, will offer a powerful new advantage to companies in the marketplace,” he added.

Mr. Clapp began his career with Chase Manhattan Bank in 1983 and worked in leveraged finance and debt restructuring before joining Chase’s insurance banking practice in 1993. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and also studied at the London School of Economics.

Collins, established in 1987, serves clients in the property-casualty, life, and accident & health insurance markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, it has offices across the United States as well as in London and in Bermuda. It has recorded a compound annual growth rate of 23 percent since 1995.

The privately-held company provides reinsurance brokerage services, risk transfer advice and analytical services to insurers, reinsurers, managing general agents and others in the insurance marketplace. Those services include catastrophe modeling, actuarial analysis, dynamic reinsurance modeling and financial consulting. Additional information is available at the company’s website, .

NORCROSS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wells Real Estate Funds Inc. today announced the launch of the Wells
Timberland Real Estate Investment Trust, the first public, nontraded
REIT investing in timberland.

“This new expansion of our product family fits
with our focus on offering the individual investor the opportunity to
invest in quality real estate,” said Leo
Wells, founder and president of Wells Real Estate Funds. “Professionally
managed timberland is a potentially attractive type of commercial real
estate – but historically, it has been almost
entirely for institutional investors. We’re
helping to change that.”

Wells Timberland REIT will seek to generate revenue and income through
the sale of timber harvesting rights, as well as leasing land-use rights
and, in some cases, the eventual sale of land for higher and better use.

Jess Jarratt, a veteran forester and finance executive, has joined Wells
as chief timberland officer and president of Wells Timberland Investment
Management Organization.

“Timberland is a distinct asset class, and as
with our other REITs, we’ll seek to build a
diverse portfolio for our investors – in this
case, by geography, age and timber type,”
Jarratt said. “Another attractive feature
about timber is that it’s an ecologically
sound, renewable resource – after harvesting,
you can plant again and literally grow new resources.”

Jarratt most recently was managing director, structured real estate, for
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. His previous positions include timberland
investment officer with John Hancock. He holds a B.S. in Forestry from
Texas A&M and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of North Texas.

Wells Timberland REIT is designed to offer portfolio diversification,
current income through the payment of distributions, and potential
capital appreciation upon the ultimate sale of assets. Over its
lifetime, the fund will acquire and invest largely in geographically
diverse timberland properties in U.S. timber-producing regions,
including the Appalachian, Great Lakes, Northeast, Northwest and
Southeast regions. The Timberland REIT also may invest in timber-growing
regions internationally.

The fund will be offered to investors through financial professionals.

Wells Real Estate Funds is a national real estate investment company
based in suburban Atlanta. Since its founding in 1984, Wells has
invested more than $9 billion in real estate for more than 200,000
investors. Wells funds include REITs, mutual funds and other commercial
real estate investment vehicles. For more information, see

For more information, visit Wells online at .

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including discussions regarding
Wells’ use of proceeds and certain other
factors that may affect future earnings or financial results. Such
statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual
results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the
forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to
differ materially include changes in general economic conditions,
changes in real estate conditions, construction delays, increases in
interest rates, lease-up risks, lack of availability of financing, and
lack of availability of capital proceeds. This is neither an offer nor a
solicitation to purchase securities. For SEC filings: .