2008-05-27 23:52:17 -

- Ascensus, the nation's largest independent administrator and recordkeeper for plans in the micro to large segments of the market, announced today that Tom Fleck joined its growing Institutional Relationship Management Team as Director.

Fleck will serve as a central point of contact for partners, managing the various day-to-day activities of each relationship, and will play an integral role

in carrying out major sales initiatives for the company. In particular, he will focus on growing Ascensus' sole proprietor/small business owner retirement plan business. While Ascensus already sells more than 2000 of these plans annually, the company sees opportunities for expansion as more business owners turn to Ascensus' proven Individual(k)(TM) platform to take advantage of new benefits stemming from the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

"This is an exciting time to join Ascensus. The company is experiencing strong growth and has a lot going on in terms of product development--the focus on Individual(k) plans being just one example," said Fleck. "What really attracted me to the position, however, is Ascensus' focus on high quality service and doing what's right for the client. In an industry where it is all about building relationships, that's what matters most."

Prior to joining Ascensus, Fleck spent over 20 years working for retirement services providers. Most recently, Fleck operated as a partner in a daily in-house third party administrator (TPA) firm, where he headed sales and marketing and worked with fee-based advisory firms to accelerate the growth of retirement plan clients and assets. From 1996 to 2004, Fleck served in various marketing and relationship management roles for Fidelity Investments Registered Investment Advisor Group. As vice president and TPA market manager, he helped build their multi-mutual fund custody platform for retirement plans, created strategic business plans for the TPA and Trust Custody markets, and oversaw the TPA Advisor Council.

"At Ascensus we take the role of relationship management a step further than simply making sure our partners' needs are being met. We are focused on creating an environment where the lines of communications are not just open but actively used; where partners can count on us to prepare for and respond to regulatory changes, and where we can align efforts to capitalize on business opportunities," said Kathleen Endres, Senior Vice President, Mid Market Services at Ascensus. "Tom's impressive industry accomplishments and success in managing client relationships are in sync with what we strive to achieve and make him a great fit for the team."

About Ascensus

With more than 30 years of industry experience, Ascensus provides high-quality solutions for every segment of the retirement marketplace. As the nation's largest independent administrator and recordkeeper for small- and mid-sized retirement plans, Ascensus services over 26,000 defined contribution plans and nearly 1.5 million employees, with more than $33 billion in assets under administration. The company's programs are built upon a comprehensive investment platform and are tailored to support the needs of institutional retirement plan providers, financial advisors and their clients. Core offerings encompass every component of a sophisticated retirement infrastructure, including administration, recordkeeping, ERISA consulting, compliance and sales support, trust and custody services, training and documentation. For more information, visit www.ascensus.com.

Ascensus
Kathleen Endres, Senior Vice President,
Mid Market Services, 215-648-6807