Prophet motive.(Catholic Financial Services Corp. retools marketing plan)

Catholic Financial hires consultant to jump start funds

Three mutual funds established to embody Catholic beliefs have had a difficult time attracting the faithful.

As a result, Catholic Financial Services Corp., Milwaukee, has hired Precision Marketing Partners, a Menomonee Falls financial consulting firm, to study whether the funds should be marketed differently or whether the investment styles of the funds should be altered.

The study should be competed by fall, said Al Lorge, president of Catholic Financial Services and chief financial officer of Catholic Knights Insurance Society, Milwaukee.

The three equity funds--Catholic Equity Income, Catholic Large Cap Growth and Catholic Disciplined Capital Appreciation -- were launched in April 1999 by Catholic Financial Services.

Since their launch, the funds combined have attracted just $11 million in new assets. The goal for the funds was a combined $90 million in assets, or $30 million for each fund, during the first three years, Lorge said.

The investment …