Thomas Fred Musmanno

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.

Preferred Income Strategies Fund, Inc., is located in New Jersey, United States. It operates as a Closed-End mutual Fund. It was organised along with Preferred and Corporate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. and The Europe Fund Inc. Each Fund is organized as a Maryland corporation. The investment adviser for each of Preferred Income Strategies Fund, Inc. and Preferred and Corporate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. is FAM and the investment adviser for Europe is Merrill Lynch Investment Managers International Limited ('MLIMIL')

Preferred and Corporate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. is located in New Jersey, United States. It operates as a Closed-End mutual Fund. It was organised along with The Europe Fund Inc. and Preferred Income Strategies Fund, Inc. Each Fund is organized as a Maryland corporation. The investment adviser for Preferred and Corporate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. and Preferred Income Strategies Fund, Inc., is FAM and the investment adviser for Europe is Merrill Lynch Investment Managers International Limited ('MLIMIL')

BlackRock Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1994 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BlackRock Advisors manages assets for US-registered investment companies and 529 Plans.

BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. (BFM) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1994 and is a direct subsidiary of BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BFM manages assets for institutional and high net-worth clients, separate accounts, pooled investment vehicles, private investment funds and US registered investment companies.

BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded in 1984 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Delaware Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BFA manages assets for US registered investment companies, including ETFs. Mandates include cash management, equity, fixed income, multi-asset and index strategies.

MacKay Shields LLC is a registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The original predecessor to the firm, MacKay-Shields Economics, was founded in 1938 as an economic consulting firm and it became MacKay Shields Financial Corp. (MSFC) in 1969. In 1984, MSFC was purchased by New York Life Insurance Co. (NYLIC). NYLIC established New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC (NYLIM Holdings) in 1999 and transferred ownership of MSFC to NYLIM Holdings. In 1999, MSFC was converted to MacKay Shields LLC. The ownership, control and management of MacKay Shields did not change as a result of this conversion. The firm is wholly owned by NYLIM Holdings, which is wholly-owned by NYLIC. MacKay Shields provides discretionary investment management services primarily to institutional clients. The firm is a signatory of the United Nation Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).