Two Scout Funds Earn Lipper Awards in the Mid-Cap and Fixed Income Categories

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Scout Investments, Inc., announced today that the Scout Mid Cap Fund and Scout Core Plus Bond Fund – Institutional Class have earned Lipper Fund Awards.

The Scout Mid Cap Fund earned two awards for Best in Class. The Fund ranked first among Mid-Cap Core Funds for the three- and five-year periods ending Dec. 31, 2011, out of 265 and 225 funds respectively, based on consistent, risk-adjusted total returns.

The Scout Core Plus Bond Fund – Institutional Class also won for Best in Class, ranking first out of 493 Intermediate Investment-Grade Debt Funds for the three-year period ending Dec. 31, 2011, based on consistent, risk-adjusted total return.

“This recognition in two distinct asset classes illustrates the breadth of our portfolio management expertise,” said Andy Iseman, chief executive officer of Scout Investments. “It confirms that we have high-quality equity and fixed income investment solutions that complement our well-regarded Scout International Fund.”

Scout Mid Cap Fund lead portfolio manager Patrick Dunkerley, CFA, and co-portfolio managers Derek Smashey, CFA, and John Indellicate, CFA, have managed the Fund since its inception in October 2006. The Fund had $1.06 billion in assets as of Feb. 29.

“Our team has great passion for investing in the mid-cap space,” Dunkerley said. “It's an area of the market where we believe that stock-picking and a consistent portfolio management discipline have made a real difference in both up and down markets. We are very appreciative of this recognition.”

Scout Core Plus Bond Fund lead portfolio manager Mark Egan, CFA, is the managing director of Reams Asset Management, Scout Investments' fixed income division. He has managed the Fund since its inception in November 1996 and is assisted by co-portfolio managers Thomas Fink, CFA, Todd Thompson, CFA, and Stephen Vincent, CFA. The Fund had $410 million in assets as of Feb. 29.

“It's an honor to be recognized by Lipper,” Egan said. “We have been managing institutional client accounts for more than three decades utilizing a flexible, multi-sector total return approach to fixed income. Since we joined the Scout family in December 2010, we have been excited about the growing number of opportunities to tell our story to a broader audience, especially given that many advisors are searching for alternatives to their bond fund choices.”

Iseman added that “for both funds, market inefficiency and volatility have provided opportunity for our portfolio management teams to deliver strong results for investors through consistent, disciplined investment processes.”

The Lipper Fund Awards were presented in New York City on March 8^th and honor funds that have excelled relative to peers, demonstrating consistently strong risk-adjusted returns.

“Lipper congratulates the teams behind the Scout Core Plus Bond Fund (Institutional Class) and the Scout Mid Cap Fund for their commitment to excellence. The Lipper Awards recognize funds that not only receive our top rating, but that are the very best in their class,” said Jeff Tjornehoj, Head of Lipper Americas Research, Thomson Reuters.

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Average Annual Total Returns
As of Dec. 31, 2011																Since			Gross			Net
				1-Yr			3-Yr			5-Yr			10-Yr			Inception			Expense			Expense
Scout Core Plus Bond Fund
Institutional Class (SCPZX)				8.28%			17.23%			9.56%			7.67%			7.49%			0.50%1			0.40%1
Barclays Capital
U.S. Aggregate Bond Index				7.84%			6.77%			6.50%			5.78%			6.24%
Lipper Intermediate Investment
Grade Debt Funds Index				6.28%			9.68%			5.80%			5.36%			5.77%
Scout Mid Cap Fund (UMBMX)				0.32%			23.60%			8.36%			–			8.50%			1.04%			1.04%
Russell Midcap® Index				-1.55%			20.17%			1.41%			–			2.06%
Lipper Mid-Cap Core Funds Index				-5.65%			17.70%			1.28%			–			1.89%

The performance data quoted represents past performance and past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance information quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end, please call 800.996.2862.

All performance shown above reflects continuous reinvestment of dividends and interest. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Returns for periods greater than one year are compounded average annual rates of return.

Gross and net expense ratios are as of the most recent Prospectus dated 10/31/11.

The inception date of the Scout Mid Cap Fund was October 31, 2006. The inception date of the Scout Core Plus Bond Fund Institutional Class was November 25, 1996.

About Scout Investments

Scout Investments, Inc. headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., offers equity and fixed income investment management strategies for institutions and individual investors through separate accounts and mutual funds. Domestic large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap, international, international small/mid-cap, and global equity portfolios are offered through Scout Investments. Fixed income portfolios in core plus, core, intermediate, long duration, low duration and unconstrained are offered through Scout's fixed income division, Reams Asset Management. Scout is the investment subsidiary of UMB Financial Corporation UMBF. Additional information can be found at www.scoutinv.com

The performance returns for the Scout Core Plus Bond Fund Institutional Class reflects a fee waiver in effect. In absence of such waiver, the returns would be reduced.

(1) The Advisor has entered into an agreement to waive advisory fees and/or assume certain fund expenses through April 21, 2013 in order to limit the total annual fund operating expenses, excluding certain expenses, before taking into account any Rule 12b-1 fees, shareholder servicing fees or acquired fund fees and expenses to no more than 0.40%. If total annual fund operating expenses would fall below the expense limit, the Advisor may cause the Fund's expenses to remain at the expense limit while it is reimbursed for fees that it waived or expenses that it assumed during the previous three year period.

The performance information shown for the Scout Core Plus Bond Fund Institutional Class reflects the historical performance of the Frontegra Columbus Core Plus Fund Institutional Class (the "Predecessor Fund"). Effective as of the close of business on April 21, 2011 the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into the Fund. The Predecessor Fund and the Fund have similar investment objectives and Strategies. Performance shown for periods prior to April 21, 2011 was calculated using the fees and expenses of the Predecessor Fund.

A redemption fee of 2% will be imposed on redemptions or exchanges made within two months of purchase of shares in the Scout Mid Cap Fund. Please see the Prospectus for more information about the fee and which accounts it applies to.

The Scout Mid Cap Fund and Scout Core Plus Bond Fund may, at times, experience higher-than-average portfolio turnover which may generate significant taxable gains and increased trading expenses which in turn may lower the Fund's return.

You should consider the Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus, which contains this and other information about the Funds call 800.996.2862. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Risk considerations: The return of principal in a bond fund is not guaranteed. Bond funds have the same interest rate, inflation and credit risks that are associated with underlying bonds owned by the fund. Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities are subject to prepayment risk and the risk of default on the underlying mortgages or other assets. Credit default swaps and related instruments are derivatives used for hedging against a credit default and may involve greater risks than if the Fund invested in the referenced obligation directly. High yield securities involve greater risk than investment grade securities and tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions and credit risk. Mid-cap stocks may temporarily fall out of favor or perform poorly relative to other types of investments. While stocks of mid-cap companies may be slightly less volatile than those of small-cap companies, they still involve substantial risk. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) may be affected by economic conditions including credit risk, interest rate risk and other factors that affect property values, rents or occupancies of real estate. In considering this investment, please keep in mind that foreign investments present additional risks due to currency fluctuations, economic and political factors, government regulations, differences in accounting standards and other factors. Investments in emerging markets involve even greater risks.

The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management firms, sell-side firms, research analysts, and investor relations teams.

The Lipper Fund awards were calculated for periods over 36, 60, and 120 months. The highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value within each eligible classification determined the fund classification winner over three, five and ten years. Lipper ratings for Consistent Return identify funds that have provided relatively superior consistency and risk-adjusted returns when compared to a group of similar funds. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

The Scout Core Plus Bond Fund offers Class Y shares, and the ranking may be lower than those of the class shown.

The Russell Midcap® Index consists of the smallest 800 securities in the Russell 1000, as ranked by total market capitalization. This Index accurately captures the medium-sized universe of securities and represents approximately 34% of the Russell 1000 total market capitalization. The Lipper Mid-Cap Core Funds Index consists of Funds that, by portfolio practice, invests in companies with a market capitalization of less than $5 billion at the time of purchase.

The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index represents the securities of the U.S. dollar denominated investment grade bond market. The Lipper Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Funds Index is an unmanaged index consisting of mutual funds that invest primarily in investment-grade debt issues (rated in the top four grades) with dollar-weighted average maturities of five to ten years.

The Scout Funds are distributed by UMB Distribution Services, LLC, 803 W. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53233, an affiliate of UMB Financial Corporation.

Scout Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of UMB Financial Corp., serves as investment adviser to the Scout Funds.

"Scout" and the "Scout" design are registered service marks of UMB Financial Corporation.

NOT FDIC INSURED – MAY LOSE VALUE – NO BANK GUARANTEE