SEI Achieves Record Institutional Sales Growth by Adding $7.2 Billion in New Institutional Assets in 2008

Volatile Global Markets Drive Organizations to Outsource

OAKS, Pa., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SEI (Nasdaq: SEIC) today announced the company achieved record institutional sales growth in 2008 receiving commitments for $7.2 billion in new global institutional assets from 35 new clients. The new assets are the most ever added in one year by the company's institutional business, which continues to see record client addition with over $14.2 billion in new institutional assets over the past 24 months. The growth strengthens SEI's global leadership in providing institutional investors with customized investment solutions that offer strategic advice, fiduciary management and risk governance.

During a period of extreme global market volatility, new clients have cited the ability of SEI's solutions to provide continual, real-time information and advice as major factors in the decision to outsource. Other factors included increased diversification, quality of advice, global research, and the benefits of delegating manager selection and replacement.

"Around the world, SEI's unique advice process and ability to accept fiduciary responsibility for manager selection has further enforced the value proposition of a more integrated approach to the management of institutional assets," said Edward Loughlin, Executive Vice President, SEI and head of SEI's Institutional Group. "Organizations increasingly want a strategic partner who is accountable while relieving burden and expense."

SEI's growth continues to be driven by defined benefit (DB) and contribution (DC) plans as well as healthcare organizations with balance sheet assets deciding to outsource investment management. Among SEI's new U.S. clients in those categories are Sasol North America, Palisades Medical Center, Baptist Health System Inc., Town of Natick Retirement Fund, Berks County Employees' Retirement Fund, Teleflex Incorporated, and Sensata Technologies. Additional new global clients include Bpf Meubel (Netherlands), Higgins Group PLC Pension & Life Assurance Scheme (UK), Futuregrowth Asset Management (South Africa), St. Lawrence Cement (Canada), Cree Nation Trust (Canada), CMSG East (Canada) and Ideal Roofing Inc. (Canada).

"Executives overseeing institutional asset pools need better control of the impact these assets are having on organizational finances and 2008 highlighted the difficulty in controlling this volatility," said Paul Klauder, Vice President, SEI's Institutional Group. "Outsourcing is a viable option for managing these pools because of the relief it provides in dealing with all of the ongoing complexities."

About SEI's Institutional Group

SEI's Global Institutional Group delivers integrated retirement, healthcare and nonprofit solutions to over 340 U.S. institutional clients and 500 global institutional clients in six different countries. SEI enables clients to meet financial objectives, reduce business risk, and fulfill their due diligence requirements through implemented strategies for the management of defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, endowments, foundations and other balance sheet assets. For more information, visit http://www.seic.com/institutions.

About SEI

SEI (Nasdaq: SEIC) is a leading global provider of outsourced asset management, investment processing and investment operations solutions. The company's innovative solutions help corporations, financial institutions, financial advisors, and affluent families create and manage wealth. As of December 31, 2008, through its subsidiaries and partnerships in which the company has a significant interest, SEI administers $380 billion in mutual fund and pooled assets and manages $134 billion in assets. SEI serves clients, conducts or is registered to conduct business and/or operations, from more than 20 offices in over a dozen countries. For more information, visit www.seic.com.

SOURCE SEI

Released February 2, 2009