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COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT TRUSTS

 

 

 

 

What is a CIT?

Collective investment trusts (“CITs”) are pooled investment vehicles established and maintained by banks or trust companies specifically designed for and only available to eligible institutional investors, such as qualified retirement and government plans.

BNY CITs are primarily regulated by federal and/or state banking authorities and many are also subject to the fiduciary standards in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”).

Clients appreciate that CIT Trustees are subject to ERISA fiduciary standards with respect to ERISA plan assets invested in CITs.

CITs are in some ways similar to traditional mutual funds, but typically have lower fund expenses thus making them an attractive investment option for qualified retirement plans.

CIT Advantages

Pricing & Flexibility
 

CITs generally have lower fees and can offer multiple unit classes with different fees that commensurate with the level of services provided.

Transparency
 

Select CITs offer transparency by complying with Department of Labor (“DOL”) requirements regarding expenses, performance, and other characteristics, providing increased comfort to investors.

Fast Growing Segment
 

CITs represent the fastest growing segment in the retirement plan market. * Many CITs trade on the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) Platform.

Specialized Eligibility
 

CITs differ from mutual funds in that investors must meet certain eligibility requirements to participate in a CIT.  Mutual funds are generally open to all retail investors.

* Cerulli Associates, The Cerulli Report - US Defined Contribution Distribution 2024.

BNY CIT Offerings

 

BNY offers multiple CIT options across asset classes and affiliated and unaffiliated investment managers.

  • Active Equity
  • Global Asset Allocation
  • Global Multi-Asset/Multi-Strategy
  • Global Real Return
  • Active Fixed Income
  • Systematic Fixed Income
  • Liability Driven Investment (LDI)
  • High Yield
  • Equity Index
  • Fixed Income Index
  • Target Date
  • Stable Value
  • Alternatives
  • TIPS
  • REIT
  • Commodities

Over $203B in Assets Under Management Across 182 CITs **

As of June 30, 2025

  • Wealth Management: Specialized Strategies (1)
  • Walter Scott: Active Equity Strategies (2)
  • Asset Servicing: Cross Client Strategies (4)
  • BNY Advisors: Customized Global Strategies (6)
  • Insight Investment, Ltd: Active & Systematic Fixed Income (17)
  • Newton Investment Management: Active Equity & Multi Asset Solutions (32)
  • Mellon Investments Corporation: Equity/Fixed Income Index & Cash Management Strategies (120)

** The total assets under management and number of CITs include all such CITs maintained by BNY, as trustee, where (i) the assets of the CITs are for accounts where BNY provides services in its fiduciary capacity or (ii) the CITs consist solely of assets of qualified retirement plans exempt from federal income taxation.

BNY CITs are created under a trust agreement where BNY serves as Trustee

Oversight 

BNY has a rigorous governance structure and policies in place to fulfill its fiduciary duties as Trustee of the CITs.

Custody & Valuation 

CITs are custodied at and unitized by BNY Asset Servicing with daily net asset values (“NAVs”) and other reporting provided to clients, as needed.

Transparency 

Each CIT Fund has a detailed disclosure document (Schedule A & Disclosure Document) and is audited by an independent auditor with annual financial statements distributed to each participant in the Fund.

The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York state chartered banking institution ("BNY"), is the discretionary trustee for its bank-maintained collective investment trusts ("Funds") established under the applicable Funds' Declaration of Trust, as amended from time to time ("Trust"). BNY is responsible for the management of the Funds, including the custody of Fund assets. Please refer to the Schedule A & Disclosure Document ("Schedule A") for the Funds (and for each other fund that such Funds invest in, if applicable) for important additional information.

For select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A, employees of Mellon Investments Corporation ("MIC") manage the assets of the Fund in their capacity as dual officers of BNY and MIC.

BNY has appointed Insight North America, LLC ("INA") to act as the discretionary sub-advisor to select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A. INA is operated by Insight Investment Management Limited and is associated with other global investment managers that also (individually and collectively) use the corporate brand Insight Investment and may be referred to as "Insight" or "Insight Investment". INA is permitted to delegate some or all of its discretionary authority to Insight branded affiliates and non-discretionary (back or middle office) services to Insight branded affiliates or third-party service providers.

BNY has appointed Newton Investment Management North America, LLC ("NIMNA") to act as the discretionary sub-advisor to select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A. NIMNA entered into a sub-sub-investment advisory agreement with its affiliate Newton Investment Management Limited ("NIM"), to enable NIM to provide certain advisory services to NIMNA for the benefit of the Funds, including, but not limited to, portfolio management services.

BNY has appointed NIM to act as the discretionary sub-advisor to select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A. NIM has entered into a sub-sub-investment advisory agreement with its affiliate NIMNA, to enable NIMNA to provide certain advisory services to NIM for the benefit of the Funds, including, but not limited to, portfolio management services.

For select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A, employees of BNY Mellon Advisors, Inc. ("BNY Advisors") manage the assets of the Fund in their capacity as dual officers of BNY and BNY Advisors.

BNY has appointed Walter Scott & Partners Limited ("Walter Scott") to act as the discretionary sub-advisor to select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A.

BNY has appointed CenterSquare Investment Management LLC ("CSIM") to act as discretionary sub-advisor to select Funds as detailed in the applicable Schedule A. CSIM is not affiliated with BNY.

BNY has appointed NISA Investment Advisors, LLC ("NISA") to act as the discretionary sub-advisor to the Fund as detailed in the applicable Schedule A. NISA is not affiliated with BNY.

For select Fund(s) as detailed in the applicable Schedule A, employees of BNY Mellon, National Association ("BNY Mellon N.A.") will manage the assets of the Fund in their capacity as dual officers of BNY and BNY Mellon N.A.

BNY, MIC, INA, NIMNA, NIM, BNY Advisors, Walter Scott, and BNY Mellon N.A. are subsidiaries of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.

BNY, as trustee of the Funds, has appointed one or more marketing agents to assist in marketing the Funds, including BNY Mellon Securities Corporation ("BNYSC"), a registered broker-dealer, FINRA member and affiliate of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. BNYSC in its capacity as a marketing agent does not offer any fiduciary services to Fund investors or prospective clients. Personnel of certain other BNY affiliates may also act as officers of BNY to offer the Funds. The Funds and the Funds' Units of Participation ("Units") are exempt from registration under federal and state securities laws.

Units of the Fund(s) are not traded on public, or any other markets and Units are generally only transferable as detailed in the Trust and the Schedule A for the applicable Funds. Because the Funds are not mutual funds, they are governed by different regulations, restrictions and disclosure requirements that apply to mutual funds. For example, the Funds are subject to banking, securities and tax regulations which, among other things, limit participation to certain eligible Qualified Participants where BNY or an affiliate is a trustee, investment manager, custodian or directed agent. Units of the Funds may only be sold to eligible Qualified Participants, as detailed in the applicable Trust, that have executed a trust, custody, agency, participation or investment management agreement with BNY that, among other things, subjects Qualified Participants to the terms and conditions of the applicable Trust.

Fees and expenses are only one of several factors that participants and beneficiaries should consider when making investment decisions. The cumulative effect of fees and expenses can substantially reduce the growth of a participant's account. Participants can visit the Department of Labor's Employee Benefit Security Administration's website at www.dol.gov/ebsa for an example demonstrating the long- term effect of fees and expenses. Any decision to invest in the Funds should be made only after reviewing the Trust, Schedule A for the applicable Funds, and any other applicable documents relating to such Funds. Additionally, eligible participants in the Funds should conduct such reviews and investigations as they deem necessary in order to make an independent determination of the suitability and consequences of such investment.

All collective investment funds presented are not deposits of, and are not insured or guaranteed by, any bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") or any other government agency and may lose value. All investments involve risk including loss of principal. Certain investments involve greater or unique risks that should be considered along with the objectives, fees, and expenses before investing. No investment strategy or risk management technique can guarantee returns or eliminate risk in any market environment. Past performance is not indicative of future returns and there is no guarantee that losses will not occur in the future.

Please note that this presentation does not comply with all of the disclosure requirements for an Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 section 404(c) plan, nor does it contain all of the disclosures required by Rule 404(a)(5) as described in the Department of Labor regulations under section 404(c). Plan sponsors intending to comply with those regulations will need to provide the plan participants with additional information.

This material has been provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular investment product, strategy, investment manager or account arrangement, and should not serve as a primary basis for investment decisions. Prospective investors should consult a legal, tax or financial professional in order to determine whether any investment product, strategy or service is appropriate for their particular circumstances. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission from BNY. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but the information has not been independently verified and is not guaranteed. BNY makes no representation as to the completeness of such information and has no obligation to revise or update any statements made herein for any reason.

BNY Investments is the brand name for the investment management business of BNY and its investment firm affiliates worldwide. BNY is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and may also be used as a generic term to reference the Corporation as a whole or its various subsidiaries generally. 

For Eligible Institutional Investors Only - Not for distribution to the General Public

NOT FDIC INSURED   |   NO BANK GUARANTEE   |   MAY LOSE VALUE

PROD-679061-2025-01-29