ROCKVILLE, Md. (February 1, 2021) — Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), the leading provider of high-quality and differentiated data, analytics, and insight to the institutional investor and corporate issuer communities, today announced it has acquired ACRe Data, the largest provider of ESG scoring and rankings for the U.S. municipal bond marketplace.
Founded in 2015, ACRe provides ESG rankings and scores on approximately 3,140 U.S. counties, 29,000 cities and towns, 14,300 school districts, 8,700 opportunity zones, and all 50 states alongside underlying data—comprising upwards of 60 million data points—dating back to 2009. Offerings are currently available directly from ACRe, now part of ISS ESG, and via licensing through both the Bloomberg and Open:FactSet platforms. Later in 2021 ISS clients will be able to access the same offerings via ISS’ industry leading DataDesk platform.
“In today’s marketplace, vendors offer snapshots of data, or views of municipal issuers, but only ACRe links the social, economic, and environmental data into one view that our clients will now be able to access,” said Marija Kramer, Global Head of ISS ESG, the responsible investment arm of ISS. “Importantly, the transaction is in keeping with our commitment to clients to continue to expand our offerings beyond those designed primarily for equity securities.”
ACRe’s proprietary ESG scoring and ranking methodology provides metrics that can be utilized by various industries with differing objectives, including asset owners seeking to review a unique risk profile of assets held or municipal bonds on an investment short-list.
As the largest provider of alternative data for the municipal marketplace, ACRe’s numerous datasets provide unique and insightful measurements for ESG risks, including those for: climate change, crime, cost of crime, cyber risks, flood risks, health risks, infrastructure repairs, safe drinking water violations, demographic data, and many more.
“The ACRe team, with more than three decades of experience and excellence in designing leading fixed income analytics, pricing models, and trade analysis, is extremely pleased to join ISS in supporting its mission to provide institutions with world-class and cutting-edge ESG solutions,” said John McLean, founder and Managing Director of ACRe. “We look forward to working with Marija and the entire ISS ESG team to build upon their success in delivering a robust and comprehensive suite of responsible investment offerings spanning a variety of asset classes.”
To learn more about ACRe, please click here.
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About ISS
Founded in 1985, the Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (“ISS”) empowers investors and companies to build for long-term and sustainable growth by providing high-quality data, analytics, and insight. Comprised of seven discrete business lines and class-action claims management that is provided by Securities Class Action Services, LLC, ISS is today the world’s leading provider of corporate governance and responsible investment solutions, market intelligence and fund services, and events and editorial content for institutional investors and corporations, globally. Clients rely on ISS’ expertise to help them make informed investment decisions. For more information, please visit www.issgovernance.com.
Media Contact:
Subodh Mishra, Managing Director
+301-556-0304
subodh.mishra@issgovernance.com
Institutional Shareholder Services Announces the Acquisition of Municipal Bond ESG Scorer
ROCKVILLE, Md. (February 1, 2021) — Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), the leading provider of high-quality and differentiated data, analytics, and insight to the institutional investor and corporate issuer communities, today announced it has acquired ACRe Data, the largest provider of ESG scoring and rankings for the U.S. municipal bond marketplace.
Founded in 2015, ACRe provides ESG rankings and scores on approximately 3,140 U.S. counties, 29,000 cities and towns, 14,300 school districts, 8,700 opportunity zones, and all 50 states alongside underlying data—comprising upwards of 60 million data points—dating back to 2009. Offerings are currently available directly from ACRe, now part of ISS ESG, and via licensing through both the Bloomberg and Open:FactSet platforms. Later in 2021 ISS clients will be able to access the same offerings via ISS’ industry leading DataDesk platform.
“In today’s marketplace, vendors offer snapshots of data, or views of municipal issuers, but only ACRe links the social, economic, and environmental data into one view that our clients will now be able to access,” said Marija Kramer, Global Head of ISS ESG, the responsible investment arm of ISS. “Importantly, the transaction is in keeping with our commitment to clients to continue to expand our offerings beyond those designed primarily for equity securities.”
ACRe’s proprietary ESG scoring and ranking methodology provides metrics that can be utilized by various industries with differing objectives, including asset owners seeking to review a unique risk profile of assets held or municipal bonds on an investment short-list.
As the largest provider of alternative data for the municipal marketplace, ACRe’s numerous datasets provide unique and insightful measurements for ESG risks, including those for: climate change, crime, cost of crime, cyber risks, flood risks, health risks, infrastructure repairs, safe drinking water violations, demographic data, and many more.
“The ACRe team, with more than three decades of experience and excellence in designing leading fixed income analytics, pricing models, and trade analysis, is extremely pleased to join ISS in supporting its mission to provide institutions with world-class and cutting-edge ESG solutions,” said John McLean, founder and Managing Director of ACRe. “We look forward to working with Marija and the entire ISS ESG team to build upon their success in delivering a robust and comprehensive suite of responsible investment offerings spanning a variety of asset classes.”
To learn more about ACRe, please click here.
###
About ISS
Founded in 1985, the Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (“ISS”) empowers investors and companies to build for long-term and sustainable growth by providing high-quality data, analytics, and insight. Comprised of seven discrete business lines and class-action claims management that is provided by Securities Class Action Services, LLC, ISS is today the world’s leading provider of corporate governance and responsible investment solutions, market intelligence and fund services, and events and editorial content for institutional investors and corporations, globally. Clients rely on ISS’ expertise to help them make informed investment decisions. For more information, please visit www.issgovernance.com.
Media Contact:
Subodh Mishra, Managing Director
+301-556-0304
subodh.mishra@issgovernance.com
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