Following Madoff, and at the behest of investors, more U.S. hedge funds are hiring independent administrators to prove their operational strength
By Carolyn Sargent
It's rare for SAC Capital Advisors and Viking Global Investors not to be on the cutting edge of the hedge fund industry. But this spring, in at least one aspect of their businesses, they seem to be playing catch-up. The reason? Neither has an independent hedge fund administrator - and both are quietly talking about hiring one.
Administration, or the back-office work of reconciling trades and keeping records and books, is by no means sexy. But as the large fraud perpetuated by Bernie Madoff underscores, proper administration is necessary, and these days for investors that means an independent party to do the checking.
In the United States there is no industry convention with regard to hedge fund administration or any legal requirement for hedge funds to...