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Morgan Stanley Trust, N.A. John Sabino, President. Risk Management and the New Business Process. Presentation to FIRMA Conference 2006. Disclaimer. Morgan Stanley Trust.
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Morgan Stanley Trust, N.A. John Sabino, President Risk Management and the New Business Process Presentation to FIRMA Conference 2006
Disclaimer Morgan Stanley Trust • The information contained in presentation represents generic industry information and does not express the views of Morgan Stanley or Morgan Stanley Trust • Morgan Stanley does not give legal or tax advice
Presentation to FIRMA Conference The Dream Morgan Stanley Trust • 100% clean business • All newly created trust agreements drafted by competent legal counsel • Funded with cash • Mother Theresa as the beneficiary
Presentation to FIRMA Conference The Reality Morgan Stanley Trust • Taking business from successor trustees • Incomplete facts • Funded with esoteric assets or large capital gain positions • Client is fee sensitive • A spend-thrift is the beneficiary
Presentation to FIRMA Conference The Framework Morgan Stanley Trust • Look at the process end-to-end. Many parts of the organization should be involved in the design and implementation of new business not just the sales organization • Have a clear definition of what you are and what your organization is good at • Be honest • Don’t try to be all things to all people • Watch for incremental creep in capabilities • Settling an estate in Florida vs. Louisiana • Custodial services for an individual as opposed to an institution • Don’t be afraid to say no
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Setting Sales Goals Morgan Stanley Trust • Don’t set product specific goals that are too granular • E.g, IRA, CRT, Foundation • Never run sales contests • Let the client’s requirements drive the process • Sales credit is not given until the account is open and funded
Presentation to FIRMA Conference New Business Review Morgan Stanley Trust • Define the rules up front and have a formal training program for sales staff • New business review must be a separate function reporting to a different place in the organization than sales • Exceptions to normal review process should require hard copy sign off by senior level people • OFAC/Patriot Act checking – do early in the process
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Put in place the proper sales incentives Morgan Stanley Trust • A formula-based incentive structure works best since rules are clearly defined and expectations can be easily set • Have a subjective component to incentive compensation driven by the quality of the business • Consider 360° feedback as a component of sales performance • Subtract off assets and revenue from sales people for business that leaves within two years
Presentation to FIRMA Conference The basics Morgan Stanley Trust • Make sure the client or beneficiaries have the power to remove or appoint • Ask for a list of all the assets • Ask for documentation of all prior trustee changes (e.g., removals, resignations, declinations, appointments) • Properly disclose all your fees and practices in writing • Make sure you are qualified to serve in the designated state in that capacity • Set client expectations up front
Presentation to FIRMA Conference The role of trust administration Morgan Stanley Trust • Involve in the process up front • Meet the client before the business comes in to see if expectations can be met
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Do’s Morgan Stanley Trust • Put the proper incentives in place for all parties • Involve trust administration early • Encourage everyone in the organization to ask if anything seems not quite-right • Look at prior transaction history if possible • Know your co-trustee • Have your investment team involved up front • Have a tracking mechanism in place to gather all the assets and make sure they are invested in a timely manner
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Don’ts Morgan Stanley Trust • Don’t commit to a specific level of distribution up front • Don’t take on undue risk just to hit a sales target • Don’t promise investment performance • Don’t practice law or draft documents • Don’t commit sins of omission
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Red Flags Morgan Stanley Trust • Frequent change in trustee • Rapidly depleting principal/frequent distributions • Concentrated positions • Siblings that don’t speak • An offshore nexus • Illiquidity • Missing pages of statements or documents • Individual trustee who doesn’t have complete information on all the assets
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Mitigation of risks Morgan Stanley Trust • Accounting of prior trustees’ actions • Environmental assessment of real assets • Hold harmless agreements • Consider special trustees for special situations • Develop a detailed diversification plan in writing for concentrated positions • Seek investment waivers from co-trustees where appropriate • Get letters of direction where appropriate • Only accept investment direction from sophisticated clients (e.g. accredited investors)
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Successor Trustee Appointments Morgan Stanley Trust • Client appoints you under will • Understand all the funding assets • Proper disclosure to all beneficiaries including fees and potential conflicts
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Pay Special Attention Morgan Stanley Trust • Reporting requirements on custodial accounts • Reporting requirements on ‘institutional’ accounts • Sub-accounting capabilities • Special needs trusts
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Tough Calls Morgan Stanley Trust • What will you charge for holding a concentrated position? • Serving as trustee for senior executives in your organization or other interested or related parties • Saying yes because the client has a big relationship somewhere in your overall organization
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Other Best Practices Morgan Stanley Trust • Perform post-mortems on accounts that haven’t gone as expected and see what you can learn • Review your litigation or threatened litigation to look for patterns • Get a copy of the tax return – best way to see all the assets • Continually learn from your peers and from trade periodicals • Keep up with changes in regulation • Periodic audit of the sales/new business review process • Client surveys on how the new account/acceptance process worked
Presentation to FIRMA Conference Board Discussions Morgan Stanley Trust • What discussion would you rather have with your board or boss? • - You missed your sales target • or • - You missed a ticking time bomb