Virtus has had a business relationship with Harris since 2006 when Virtus became the investment adviser, distributor and administrator of the Harris Insight(R) Funds and retained Harris Investment Management Inc., a subsidiary of Harris Bankcorp, as sub-advisor to 15 of the Insight Funds and several Virtus Mutual Funds. Harris Investment Management is Virtus' largest subadviser and manages more than $5.8 billion in mutual fund assets for Virtus. In April 2008 the Virtus Insight Value Equity fund, which is subadvised by Harris Investment Management, was recognized by Lipper as the best fund in the Multi-Cap Value fund classification for the three-year period ending December 31, 2007. "In Harris we see a stable investor with a clear interest in the continued growth and success of Virtus," said George R. Aylward, president of Virtus. "This investment strengthens the strategic partnership between Virtus and Harris, which is a well-respected financial services company with a strong balance sheet.