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August 09, 2018 at 07:47 PM
(Photo: Thinkstock)
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. is weighing a sale of asset manager OppenheimerFunds Inc., which could fetch at least $5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Springfield, Massachusetts-based insurer is working with advisers to evaluate a sale, a process that is at an early, informal stage, said the people, who asked not be identified because the matter isn’t public. No decision has been made and MassMutual could opt to hold onto the firm, they said.
(Related: MassMutual Acquires Quilt)
A representative for MassMutual declined to comment.
The potential sale comes as asset managers grapple with narrowing margins as fees fall and regulatory costs mount. Firms such as Oppenheimer that focus on actively managed funds have also been steadily losing business to so-called passive vehicles such as index funds, which are cheaper.
Those pressures have analysts expecting more industry consolidation as large and midsize money managers look for scale and diversity to boost sales.
