Colleges scramble as fund freezes

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — An investment fund that serves about 1,000 colleges and private schools partially froze withdrawals this week amid the credit crunch, forcing colleges to develop new plans to pay bills.

Wachovia Bank, trustee for the $9.3 billion Short Term Fund offered by Commonfund, said Monday it was terminating the fund and establishing a process to ensure the orderly liquidation and distribution of the fund's assets. Wachovia initially told investors Monday that they could only withdraw 10 percent of their money, but that figure was increased to 34 percent by Wednesday and 37 percent by Thursday.

Commonfund, a nonprofit based in Wilton, Conn., that advises colleges and schools on money management, also said Thursday it put a 30 percent limit on withdrawals from its Intermediate Term Fund after investors in the Short Term Fund tried to withdraw money from that fund, said Keith Luke, managing director of Commonfund.

About 200 colleges and universities have about $1 billion in the intermediate fund, which is used for long-term needs, such as equipment plant purchases, he said.

"We just didn't have the liquidity in the fund to do that," Luke said. "We will relax that as soon as market conditions permit."

Partially freezing the Short Term Fund as officials prepare for liquidation prevents a run on money and protects investors, said Laura Fay, a Wachovia spokeswoman.

"It was not something we took lightly," Fay said. "In this environment, we felt this was the best way to proceed."

Officials at University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, and Salt lake Community College said they have no money in the Short Term Fund account.

Some colleges are securing lines of credit because of the restriction on accessing money from the short-term account, according to Matthew Hamill, senior vice president of the National Association of College and University Business Officers. That means borrowing costs that effectively reduce their rate of return in the original investment, he said.

Hamill said he does not expect the issue to affect students and their families and noted that the crisis has eased somewhat with a greater percentage of cash allowed to be withdrawn.

"I think most institutions are feeling far more confident in the short run the fund will be there for what its needs are," Hamill said. "The remaining question on everyone's mind is exactly when the remaining balance in the account will be available."

The fund provides returns