A. General Description of Advisory Firm
Seix Investment Advisors Inc. was founded in July 1992 as a fixed income only boutique. On May 28, 2004,
Seix Investment Advisors Inc. was acquired by SunTrust Banks, Inc. (“STI”) through its institutional asset
management subsidiary, Trusco Capital Management (“Trusco”) and became Seix Advisors, the
predecessor of Seix Investment Advisors LLC. Effective March 31, 2008, Trusco was renamed and
reorganized into a money management holding company, RidgeWorth Capital Management, Inc.,
comprised of multiple and distinct SEC-registered investment advisory boutiques, including Seix
Investment Advisors LLC. On May 30, 2014, certain employees of RidgeWorth Capital Management, Inc.
and its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Seix Investment Advisors LLC, alongside affiliated investment
funds of Lightyear Capital LLC and outside investors, acquired RidgeWorth Capital Management, Inc. and
its name was changed to RidgeWorth Capital Management LLC (“RidgeWorth”). As part of the acquisition,
StableRiver Capital Management LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of RidgeWorth, was integrated into Seix
Investment Advisors LLC. On June 1, 2017, RidgeWorth was acquired by Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.
(“Virtus”) and changed its name to Virtus Fund Advisers, LLC (“VFA”). Seix Investment Advisors LLC was a
wholly owned subsidiary of VFA until January 1, 2018 when it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Virtus
Partners, Inc (“VPI”) as a result of an internal realignment. VPI is wholly owned by Virtus. Virtus, a publicly
traded firm, is singularly committed to the long-term success of individual and institutional investors,
offering asset management through its affiliated managers and select subadvisers (see www.virtus.com).
On July 1, 2022, Virtus reorganized its three fixed income subsidiaries (Newfleet Asset Management, LLC,
Seix Investment Advisors LLC and Stone Harbor Investment Partners, LLC) to operate as separate divisions
under a single legal entity named Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC (“VFIA”). VFIA is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Virtus and is an SEC registered investment adviser.
The three divisions of VFIA maintain their distinct investment process and philosophy, portfolio
management teams, investment culture and brand. They operate under the d/b/a names of:
Newfleet Asset Management (“Newfleet”)
Seix Investment Advisors (“Seix”)
Stone Harbor Investment Partners (“Stone Harbor”)
This brochure provides information about Seix. Two other brochures are available upon request which
provide information about Newfleet and Stone Harbor.
B. Description of Advisory Services
Seix provides discretionary “investment supervisory services” to high-net worth individuals and to
institutional clients such as pension and profit sharing plans, insurance companies, Taft-Hartley plans,
public funds, endowments and foundations, government sponsored funds, governmental entities,
educational and healthcare facilities and other corporate entities; wrap-fee programs (“Wrap” or “Wrap
Programs”); and the following investment supervisory services to the following types of commingled funds
(collectively, “Funds”):
1. Sub-adviser to investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as amended (“1940 Act”) (“mutual funds”);
2. Collateral manager of privately placed offshore funds investing in loan and debt instruments
(“CLO Funds”) and their Delaware co-issuers;
3. Sub-Investment Advisor to a Bermuda mutual fund named the Performa High Yield Fund Ltd.
(“Performa”);
4. Sub-adviser to the Virtus GF Select High Yield Fund, a sub-fund of Virtus
Global Funds plc, a public
limited company with variable capital incorporated in Ireland and authorized by the Central Bank
of Ireland as an Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) (“Virtus
GF SHY Fund”); and
5. Sub-adviser to the Virtus Seix Senior Loan ETF, a series of Virtus ETF Trust II, an exchange-traded
fund listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “ETF”).
The above-described individuals, institutions, Wrap Programs and various Funds are collectively referred
to as “Clients”.
Customized investment management services are based on Client-specific criteria such as:
1. organizational structure;
2. risk assessment;
3. liquidity and cash flow;
4. income needs;
5. other sources of funds to meet obligations;
6. general economic conditions; and
7. social and other preferences relating to the account’s investment guidelines.
Pursuant to written agreements, Seix may provide asset allocation solutions, investment consulting,
investment and investment policy monitoring, and advice relating to current and future investments,
along with periodic reports and in-person reviews. Clients retain discretion over all assets under
consulting arrangements, and are responsible for implementing or declining to implement any consulting
services or advice provided by Seix.
C. Availability of Customized Services for Individualized Clients
Each Client has its own set of investment guidelines that describe what types of investments may be
purchased for its account and what types of investments may not be purchased for its account. Clients
may impose restrictions on types of investments, such as socially responsible restrictions. Customized
investment management services are based on Client-specific criteria such as organizational structure,
risk assessment, liquidity and cash flow, other sources of funds to meet obligations and general economic
conditions.
D. Wrap Fee Programs
Seix acts as manager for several Wrap Programs. The Wrap accounts are managed in a similar fashion as
separately managed Client accounts with certain differences. Due to the smaller size of Wrap accounts
and regulatory restrictions, they are not eligible to participate in privately offered securities (Rule 144A
bonds) while most of the separately managed accounts are eligible. Further, Wrap accounts cannot
participate in the vast majority of newly issued bond offerings due to the underlying wrap sponsor being
in the underwriting syndicate for the newly issued bonds. The issuer weightings for Wrap accounts are
different because of their smaller size and their need for liquidity. The bonds in the Wrap accounts need
to be more liquid than the bonds in the separately managed accounts due to the smaller size of the bond
positions that are traded and the greater frequency in which the bond positions need to be traded. Seix
receives a portion of the Wrap fee for its services.
Seix may not be provided with sufficient information by the underlying wrap sponsor to perform an
assessment as to the suitability of Seix’s services for the client. Seix will rely on the wrap sponsor who,
within its fiduciary duty, must determine not only the suitability of Seix’s services for the client, but also
the suitability of the wrap program for the client.
E. Assets Under Management
Seix had a total of $12,441,429,195 of discretionary assets and no non-discretionary assets under
management as of December 31, 2023. VFIA as a whole had a total of $32,594,685,100 of discretionary
assets and $188,926,515 of non-discretionary assets under management as of December 31, 2023.