Lincoln Financial Group Partners With Minority-Owned Boutique Asset Management Firm to Bring Additional Small-Cap Investment Opportunities to Clients

Lincoln Financial Group's dedicated minority-managed mutual fund, LVIP Channing Small Cap Value Fund, is now available as a standalone investment in its annuity product suites

Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE: LNC) today announced that its minority-managed mutual fund, LVIP Channing Small Cap Value Fund, is now available as a standalone investment within the Lincoln ChoicePlus^SM and Investor Advantage® annuity product suites. This investment option, in partnership with Channing Capital Management, LLC, provides clients with a platform for investing primarily in stocks of small-cap companies that fall within the range of companies in the Russell 2000 ® Value Index.

“We are proud to be working with Channing Capital, a firm that shares our deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we recognize the importance of strong partnerships in pursuing our corporate social responsibility efforts,” said Jayson Bronchetti, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Risk and Sustainability, Lincoln Financial. “Channing’s flagship small-cap value strategy has disciplined adherence to the team’s stated process. Their investment philosophy has produced strong risk-adjusted returns and a predictable pattern of returns through time. Investing in small-cap companies brings a significant upside growth potential unmatched by larger companies. Channing’s quality-oriented investment style looks to protect investors on the downside and add value throughout its rigorous, fundamental, bottom-up process.”

The LVIP Channing Small Cap Value Fund is sub-advised by minority-owned boutique asset manager firm Channing Capital, a top-tier investment management boutique firm that focuses on “Intrinsic Value” investing. Channing’s nimble approach and disciplined process opportunistically capture alpha through stock selection. Lincoln Financial’s Investments team spent time looking for a firm for this mandate that has assets under $1 billion, is diverse in nature and has a structure for incentivizing teamwork, diversity, gender, race and ethnicity.

The announcement of the Fund comes after Lincoln’s nonprofit investment partnership with The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), “360 Community Capital,” which is designed to be a force multiplier bringing capital from the life insurance sector to affordable housing in underserved communities through partnerships with nonprofit and public community development organizations. Lincoln is one of 39 ACLI member companies that is a Founding Partner of 360 Community Capital.

“Our partnership with Channing Capital and our involvement with the ACLI’s 360 Community Capital program are a result of our ongoing focus and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) in the Investments organization at Lincoln. Our focus is specific and our actions to advance DE&I at Lincoln are intentional, this includes our investment strategy, and we’re proud of the progress we have made and the opportunities ahead,” said Allison Green Johnson, Chief Diversity Officer, Lincoln Financial.

About Lincoln Financial Group

Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help people take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. Today, approximately 16 million customers trust our retirement, insurance and wealth protection expertise to help address their lifestyle, savings and income goals, and guard against long-term care expenses. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. The company had $279 billion in end-of-period account values as of June 30, 2022. Lincoln Financial Group is a committed corporate citizen included on major sustainability indices including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and FTSE4Good and ranks among Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies. Dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion, we are included on transparency benchmarking tools such as the Corporate Equality Index, the Disability Equality Index and the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. Committed to providing our employees with flexible work arrangements, we were named to FlexJobs’ list of the Top 100 Companies to Watch for Remote Jobs in 2022. With a long and rich legacy of acting ethically, telling the truth and speaking up for what is right, Lincoln was recognized as one of Ethisphere’s 2022 World’s Most Ethical Companies^®. Learn more at: www.LincolnFinancial.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Sign up for email alerts at http://newsroom.lfg.com.

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