MANAGEMENT BRIEFS

Barra Global Investment Technology may be shopping soon for a new chief financial officer due to the upcoming retirement of Ron Lanstein.

Two insurance companies--the Equitable of Iowa Companies and Central Life of Iowa--have purchased Princeton Financial Systems' Pam for Securities and Pam for Mortgages portfolio and accounting systems. The PC-based Pam will handle accounting functions relating to the management of Equitable's $5.7 billion in assets and Central Life's $2 billion in assets.

Steve Edkins has joined DST Clarke & Tilley as its new product development director. Prior to joining Clarke & Tilley, Edkins was with Premier Systems, the U.K.-based software development company he founded. Edkins will run Clarke & Tilley's product strategy and development division, based in London.

"The Games People Play," was the title of a forum sponsored by Pershing, the execution and clearing division of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City Sept. 23. One discussion at the forum allowed buy-side traders, portfolio managers, brokers and vendors to voice their opinions about paperless trading--the million dollar question--when would it be a reality? On the panel: Nat Belknap, senior information officer at Thomson Advisory Group L.P., Robin Friedman, vice president at The Boston Company and Seth Merrin, president and CEO of Merrin Financial Inc.

Advent Software has invited current users and potential customers to a conference it is sponsoring at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Oct. 18. According to the lucky recipients, the invitations are headed with the phrase, "Advent Opens Windows." Looks like Advent is finally unveiling the Microsoft Windows-based version of its PC-based Professional Portfolio management and accounting system.

Thomson Financial's Asset Backed Securities Group now delivers MBS disclosure data from sister company Thomson's Bond Buyer via a new high-speed transmission link. The T-1 point-to-point communications link can also be used to deliver ABSG's Trepp Pricing service and CMO data. The vendor claims the link is capable of delivering 100 megabytes of data in 20 minutes.

C.J Lawrence Inc. has merged with Deutsche Bank Capital Corp. and Deutsche Bank Government Securities Inc. to form Deutsche Bank Securities Corp. N.Y. The new unit will act as the investment arm of Deustche Bank Group of Germany. James Moltz, former C.J. Lawrence chief executive officer, is to head up the new unit.

Rumors were flying department: Last week brought buzzing regarding an acquisition of Princeton Financial Services Inc. by Thomson Financial. "It's the first I've heard of it," a Princeton spokesperson says.