SOURCE: AdvisorShares

February 18, 2010 08:00 ET

AdvisorShares Announces Partnership With Peritus Asset Management

Peritus Asset Management Signs Exclusive Agreement to Develop All Future ETFs With AdvisorShares

BETHESDA, MD--(Marketwire - February 18, 2010) - AdvisorShares Investments, LLC, a developer and distributor of actively managed ETFs, announced today a partnership with Peritus Asset Management, LLC, Santa Barbara, CA, a value-based, active credit investment manager, to create a new actively-managed ETF, anticipated to be a high yield bond-focused ETF. The new ETF would join AdvisorShares' growing stable of innovative actively managed ETFs. In addition, in an exclusive arrangement, Peritus agreed to develop all future ETFs with AdvisorShares.

"Peritus has an outstanding track record managing high yield investments," said Noah Hamman, CEO and founder of AdvisorShares. "AdvisorShares believes an important advantage of actively managed ETFs is to enable more investors to benefit from particularly skillful advisors such as Peritus."

Tim Gramatovich, chief investment officer of Peritus Asset Management, said, "At Peritus, we take a value-based contrarian approach to the credit markets, foregoing relative value and new issue participation in favor of absolute returns. We look for structural and technical inefficiencies within secondary credit markets that create tremendous investment opportunities."

"We believe AdvisorShares will help us create distinctive, actively managed products that will introduce new investors to our value-based approach," he added.

To request more information on AdvisorShares, or to speak with Noah Hamman, please contact Katrine Winther-Olesen at 973.400.1341 or katrine@jcpublicrelations.com.

About AdvisorShares

AdvisorShares is a turnkey platform for investment managers seeking to offer their investment strategy in an actively managed ETF. AdvisorShares works with best-of-breed money managers to combine their money management expertise with the benefits the ETF structure provides. AdvisorShares provides sales, marketing and educational support to help financial advisors use AdvisorShares ETFs to help them achieve their clients' investment goals and objectives. AdvisorShares is a leader in actively managed ETFs and is dedicated to investor education. Fund.com (OTCBB: FNDM) is the majority owner of AdvisorShares Investments, LLC. Visit our website at www.advisorshares.com to learn more about us.

About Peritus Asset Management, LLC

Peritus Asset Management is an employee-owned, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, with approximately $492 million dollars in assets under management. Founders Tim Gramatovich and Ron Heller began their partnership in 1995. Peritus is a value based, active credit investment manager providing services to institutions and qualified retail investors.