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15 Oct 2009

Missing UK Hedge Fund Manager Sought

HedgeCo Archives - The London Metropolitan police are considering launching an investigation into the whereabouts of Nicholas Levene, who is being accused by investors of disappearing with their money.

The Guardian reports that at least £70 million ($114 million) is owed. Others say the hedge fund manager is not on the run, but in a hospital receiving care. His lawyers would neither confirm nor deny, the Guardian said.

The questions started when Levene failed to appear at crucial court hearings to defend himself, prompting the court to freeze assets and demand he surrender his passport. A spread betting firm also alleges that Levene has racked up gambling debts.

"Levene is known to be a generous family man with an extravagant lifestyle. One leading city broker described him as a man who 'lived the dream' and had a private jet on call," the Guardian reported.

"Last week certain information was passed to the fraud squad." the police said in a statement, "Detectives are now assessing the matter to determine what action if any is necessary. At this time no decision has yet been reached whether an inquiry should be conducted."

Starting A Hedge Fund In The Post-Madoff Era

HedgeCo Archives - At a seminar held yesterday, 'Starting A Hedge Fund In The Post-Madoff Era', organized by Andrew Schneider and Hedgeco Networks, 220 managers, investors and service providers came together at the U.S. Trust Building to hear Joe Goldstein and Ron Geffner, among others, discuss the future of startups in the hedge fund industry.

"As a presenter I was very happy to see many start up funds in the audience as well as investors and service providers." Joe Goldstein from G&S Fund Services said, "I think it was a good environment for someone looking for the right information to plan and succeed in establishing a a start up hedge fund. It is typical that in post-Madoff period fund managers embrace the importance of a good infrastructure in gaining investor confidence and building a good fund."

After the speeches were drinks and networking, the general feeling among investors at the event was the the importance of knowing top of the line service providers, ones that stand out and have a prominent reputation.

"After the collapse of Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme, hedge fund infrastructure has come to the forefront in the industry." Andrew Schneider, founder and co-principal of HedgeCo Networks said, "Investors are performing in-depth due diligence and looking for robust infrastructure before committing their capital. This is especially true for new hedge funds. Potential investors are relying heavily on the reputations of a hedge fund service providers including third-party administrators, auditing firms, prime brokerage houses, and legal counsel to prevent fraud and massive failures like never before."