M&I Institutional Trust Services Named #1 Best-in-Class Provider for Third Consecutive Year

M&I Ranks First in Total Best-in-Class Awards


MILWAUKEE, Wis., Dec. 29  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the third year in a row, M&I Institutional Trust Services (M&I) has been ranked the #1 Best-in-Class Provider, based on the results of the 2009 Defined Contribution Survey conducted by PLANSPONSOR magazine. M&I received 79 Best-in-Class awards from a field of 115 possible categories, outpacing the next highest ranked competitor by 36 awards. In 62 of those categories M&I ranked #1 overall.

M&I also received the highest overall ranking for participant and plan sponsor services in the micro, small, and mid-market market segments (companies with retirement plan assets ranging from less than $5 million to over $200 million) based on the results of the national client survey.

This is the eighth year that M&I has received Best-in-Class awards from PLANSPONSOR magazine.

"We are once again honored to receive this recognition," said James D. (Jamie) Cahn, managing director of M&I Institutional Trust Services. "No one can deny that the markets have been extremely challenging throughout the past year. Despite these factors, M&I continues to maintain strong client relationships and, for the eighth consecutive year, has achieved top ratings for client satisfaction."

"The feedback we continue to receive from this survey is the most valuable tool we have as we look for ways to further enhance our client partnerships, focusing on the needs and wants of our clients and their participants," added Cahn.

  To quote some of the direct client feedback from the survey ...
  --  All of our contacts at M&I are professional and consistently
      meet/exceed our expectations. Their service level is outstanding.
  --  M&I sets the standard for the highest level of customer service. They
      make us feel as if we are their only client.
  --  The record keeping services and access to recordkeeper and client
      services are exceptional. We could not ask for a better plan sponsor.
  --  The overall level of communication is what makes M&I different from
      the provider we used to have. The frequency (of communication) is
      constant and valued.




"For a decade or more, PLANSPONSOR's annual Defined Contribution Survey has been the most authoritative survey in the industry," said Charles (Charlie) Ruffel, founder and director of Asset International, the parent company of PLANSPONSOR magazine. "Year after year, this survey reaffirms M&I's ability to consistently outperform its peers in terms of service quality. To be repeatedly ranked #1 across so many categories is truly unprecedented."

"Consistent with M&I's culture, we view our client relationships as true partnerships," said Todd Perala, senior vice president and director of relationship management, M&I Institutional Trust Services. "The direct client feedback provided in the survey reflects their recognition of our commitment to provide a service level that exceeds the traditional vendor-client relationship."

For more information on M&I's 2009 Defined Contribution Survey results, please visit http://www.plansponsor.com/ and for M&I's 2002-2008 results, see http://www.mitrust.com/.

About the November 2009 PLANSPONSOR Survey

The results of the Defined Contribution Survey were announced in the November issue of PLANSPONSOR magazine. The survey polled 5,635 clients of 48 defined contribution plan providers. Best-in-Class awards are awarded to plan providers that score in the top quartile of a specific category. There were 23 Rating Categories with 13 Participant Services categories: Communications Materials, Education Program, Statement Clarity, Enrollment Assistance, Asset Allocation Focus, Statement Accuracy, Reporting Timeliness, Turnaround Time - Loans, Internet Services, Call Center, Range of Investments, Retiree Services, and Participant Service Fees; and 10 Sponsor Services categories: Internet Services, Form 5500 Accuracy, Reporting, Compliance, Fee Fairness, Fee Disclosure, Account Representative Knowledge, Responsiveness, Regulation Updates, and Staff Consistency. Market Size definitions:  Micro ($50-200 million), and Large (>$200 million - $1 billion), and Mega (>$1 billion).

About M&I Institutional Trust Services

M&I Institutional Trust Services offers services through Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company N.A.,  which is an affiliate of Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (NYSE:MI), a diversified financial services corporation headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., with $58.5 billion in assets. M&I Institutional Trust Services provides a comprehensive range of retirement plan, trust, custodial, and related services to corporate, institutional, individual, and Taft-Hartley clients nationwide. M&I has offices in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. With more than $90 billion in assets under administration, M&I Institutional Trust Services provides recordkeeping services to more than 550,000 participants and over 1,520 retirement plans. M&I provides investment management, equipment leasing, mortgage banking, asset-based lending, financial planning, and insurance services from offices throughout the country and on the Internet (http://www.mitrust.com/ or http://www.micorp.com/).

M&I Institutional Trust Services offers products and services through various affiliates of Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, including Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company N.A., M&I Investment Management Corp., M&I Financial Advisors, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC, maintaining its principal offices at 111 E. Kilbourn Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202), North Star Trust Company and Taplin, Canida & Habacht, LLC. ©2009 Marshall & Ilsley Corporation

Investment products are: Not FDIC Insured | No Bank Guarantee | May Lose Value 

DATASOURCE: Marshall & Ilsley Corporation



CONTACT:  Sara Schmitz, Public relations manager of Marshall & Ilsley

Corporation, [phone]



Web Site:  http://www.micorp.com/ 

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