U.S. Bancorp adds veteran strategist

Veteran municipal strategist Jim Link joined U.S. Bancorp Asset Management in a role aimed at providing clients with market and asset management guidance.

Link — who has over 34 years of experience — will head of the bank’s institutional Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) practice, housed within its wholly owned subsidiary PFM Asset Management LLC. 

Link is headquartered in Philadelphia and reports to Eric Thole, leader of the Institutional Asset Management business and CEO of U.S. Bancorp Asset Management.

Link will be responsible for “unifying several legacy offerings to amplify the overall market presence of the group’s institutional OCIO practice,” according to a release. He “will focus on developing new strategies to solve client-based needs,” it said.

“The increasing complexity of portfolios combined with extreme market volatility has caused many institutions to rethink their approach to managing portfolios and adopt the OCIO model,” Thole continued. 

“Our institutional clients are looking for an OCIO partner who is able to offer sophisticated guidance and navigate these challenges in an agile and cost-effective manner that may not be possible with in-house resources,” he explained.

“Having an experienced professional, like Jim, heading up the OCIO function is great for our clients,” Thole said.

Link arrives at the bank with experience in strategy and asset management. Most recently as head of the multi-assets strategies group for PFM Asset Management, Link led client-facing strategies, product and regional business development for client OCIO portfolios, in addition to managing business and board of director relationships and product for the PFM Multi-Manager Series Trust Mutual Funds.

His resume also includes stints at Wachovia/First Union National Bank, Manning and Napier Advisors, and T. Rowe Price Associates. 

Link said, “U.S. Bancorp Asset Management’s commitment to providing the highest level of client service, combined with the strength of our parent company U.S. Bank means we are poised for growth in the expanding and very competitive OCIO market.”

Link holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University.