TheStreet.com Ratings Initiates Coverage of 30 Mutual Funds

TheStreet.com Ratings has initiated coverage of 99 open-end stock mutual funds that accrued a sufficient track record of risk and performance data by the end of October. After eliminating multiple share classes, these represent 30 unique funds.

Only four of the 30 funds rank in the "Buy" range of funds with grades of B- or better. The (TCMSX Quote)TCM Small Cap Growth Fund (TCMSX) is the best of the quartet with an initial rating of A. The fund has returned 26.39% for the year ended Oct. 31, 2007. Some of the fund's largest holdings include McDermott International (MDR Quote), Washington Group (WNG Quote), Ansys(ANSS Quote) and Callaway Golf (ELY Quote).

Also doing well, the (CHVCX Quote)Cullen High Dividend Equity C (CHVCX) returned 16.63% over the same period, earning a B+ rating. As of Sept. 28, 2007, the fund had an average dividend yield of 3.84%. Big name holdings include Vodafone (VOD Quote), Chevron (CHV Quote), Verizon (VZ Quote) and Bristol-Myers Squibb(BMY Quote).

Up 17.02% in the last year, the (SVOAX Quote)SEI U.S. Managed Volatility Fund was awarded a B rating. The fund tries to achieve capital appreciation and a low level of volatility. Based on our various risk measures, such as standard deviation and drawdown, the fund has done well at keeping volatility low, but is only average when it comes to generating capital appreciation.

Lastly, the (TCLTX Quote)TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Fund 2020 starts off with a rating of B-. This is a fund of funds where the assets are invested in a diversified portfolio of TIAA-CREF Institutional funds with a targeted split of 60% equities and 40% fixed income. As of Sept. 30, 2007 the fund had 65.2% in equities. The fund returned 14.90% for the year thru the end of October and benefited from lower volatility.

Research Methodology

TheStreet.com Ratings condenses the available fund performance and risk data into a single composite opinion of each fund's risk-adjusted performance. This allows the unbiased identification of those funds that have historically done well and those that have underperformed the market. While there is no guarantee of future performance, these investment ratings provide a solid framework for making informed, timely investment decisions.

All the funds listed below have either reached their three-year anniversary or are investor share classes of existing institutional funds for which the fund companies have submitted three years of pro-forma results.

Funds rated A or B are considered "Buy" rated based on a track record of higher than average risk-adjusted performance. Funds at the C level are rated as "Hold," while underperformers at the D and E levels our model ranks as "Sell."

For a detailed definitions of what each level of our rating levels mean, click here.

New Coverage of Open End Mutual Funds As of Oct. 31, 2007
Fund	Ticker	Initial Rating	Inception Date	Investment Style
TCM Small Cap Growth Fund	TCMSX	A	10/1/2004	Growth - Domestic
Cullen High Dividend Equity C	CHVCX	B+	10/7/2004	Growth & Income
SEI Instl Mgd Tr-US Mgd Volty A	SVOAX	B	10/28/2004	Growth - Domestic
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2020 Retire	TCLTX	B-	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Steward Domestic All-Cap Eqty Indv	SEEKX	C+	10/1/2004	Growth - Domestic
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2015 Retire	TCLIX	C+	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Vanguard Energy Index Adm	VENAX	C+	10/7/2004	Energy/Natural Res
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2010 Retire	TCLEX	C	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2030 Retire	TCLNX	C	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2035 Retire	TCLRX	C	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2040 Retire	TCLOX	C	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
American Century VP Mid Cap Val II	AVMTX	C	10/29/2004	Mid Cap
Putnam Retirement Ready 2035 A	PRRWX	C	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2040 A	PRRZX	C	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2045 A	PRVLX	C	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
TIAA-CREF Lifecycle 2025 Retire	TCLFX	C-	10/15/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2015 A	PRRHX	C-	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2020 A	PRRMX	C-	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2025 A	PRROX	C-	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2030 A	PRRQX	C-	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
MassMutual Select Divers Val A	MDDAX	C-	10/15/2004	Growth & Income
Direxion Spectrum Equity Opp Adv	SFEOX	C-	10/11/2004	Growth & Income
HighMark Capital Growth Alloc A	HMAAX	C-	10/12/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
HighMark Growth & Inc Alloc A	HMRAX	C-	10/12/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Oppenheimer Prin Prot Main St III A	OAPRX	D+	10/7/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready 2010 A	PRXRX	D+	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
HighMark Income Plus Allocation A	HMPAX	D+	10/12/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Putnam Retirement Ready Maturity A	PRMAX	D+	11/1/2004	Asset Allocation - Domestic
Calvert Mid Cap Value A	CMVAX	D	10/1/2004	Mid Cap
Calvert Small Cap Value A	CCVAX	E+	10/1/2004	Small Cap
Source: TheStreet.com Ratings