The folks at a publicly traded, Midwestern bank's $1.3-trillion-AUM* asset manager are expanding and rebranding their ETF business.

Last Tuesday (August 19), Daniel Gamba, president of Northern Trust Corporation's Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM) [profile], and Dave Abner, global head of ETFs and funds at NTAM, unveiled the launch of the Northern Trust ETFs brand, along with the brand's 1st 11 ETFs across 3 new fixed income suites. They also revealed that NTAM's 14-year-old, 29-fund, $21-billion-AUM* FlexShares ETFs brand will be absorbed into the new Northern Trust ETFs brand next year. Stay tuned for further expansion of the Northern Trust ETFs lineup.

"Yes, we intend to expand our ETF lineup in the future, leveraging Northern Trust Asset Management�s significant investing expertise in fixed income, equities, and active strategies. As the ETF market continues to grow, we will seek new ways to use this vehicle to help investors build well-balanced portfolios," a Northern Trust spokesperson tells MFWire via email. "These initial Distributing Ladder ETFs meet a clear demand from our investors. Going forward, we will consider ways to enhance the suite to address our clients' investing needs."

"We intend to use our decades of experience managing wealth for some of the wealthiest individuals and families to build innovative investment solutions," the Northern Trust spokesperson adds.

The first 11 Northern Trust ETFs, which all debuted on August 18, are:

"We have launched our new funds under the name Northern Trust ETFs, reflecting the strength of Northern Trust and our commitment to innovation powered by Northern Trust Asset Management's investment expertise and platform," a Northern Trust spokesperson writes, describing the launch of the brand as "a significant step in the evolution and growth" of NTAM's ETF business. "ETFs are an important element of Northern Trust Asset Management's growth strategy ... We will bring our investment solutions under one Northern Trust brand for consistency and clarity for our clients."

Chicago-based Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (NTI) serves as investment advisor to all 11 Northern Trust ETFs. And they all have the same three-person NTI PM team:

David Alongi, senior vice president;

Timothy Blair, SVP; and

Michael Chico, VP.

TAXT, TAXI, and TAXS each come with an expense ratio of five basis points and are designed to provide tax-exempt income. TAXS and TAXI each now have about $8 million in AUM**, while TAXT now has about $14 million**. Those three new ETFs are listed on the Nasdaq.

The four Northern Trust Inflation-Linked Distributing Ladder ETFs —: TIPD, TIPC, TIPB, and TIPA — each come with an expense ratio of 10bps. They're designed to provide inflation-protected monthly income through their terminal year. TIPA, TIPB, and TIPC now have about $2.01 million in AUM each**, while TIPD has about $2.02 million**.

The four Nothern Trust Tax-Exempt Distributing Ladder ETFs — MUND, MUNC, MUNB, and MUNA — each come with an expense ratio of 18bps. They're designed to provide tax-exempt monthly income through their terminal year. MUNA and MUNB each now have about $5 million in AUM**, while MUND has about $10 million** and MUNC has about $10.01 million**.

Both suites of distributing ladder ETFs are listed on the NYSE Arca.

Gamba describes the 11 initial Northern Trust ETFs as offering investors "thoughtfully constructed solutions for their investing needs."

"The creation of distributing ladder ETFs marks an important step forward for our platform, the industry and investors, delivering Northern Trust Asset Management's strength in investment innovation to the ETF marketplace," Gamba states.

Abner puts the 11 launches in the context of investors' need for "access to innovation new solutions that efficiently and transparently aid them in managing their risk and empower them to achieve their most important financial goals."

"Northern Trust Distributing Ladder ETFs are designed to provide tax-exempt or inflation-protected monthly income and annual principal distributions without the complexity of building your own bond ladders," Abner states.

The 11 initial Northern Trust ETFs are each non-diversifies series of Northern Funds. The new funds' other service providers include:

Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent accounting firm;

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as administrator, custodian, dividend disbursing agent, securities lending agent, and transfer agent;

ACA Foreside's Northern Funds Distributors, LLC as distributor; and

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP as counsel.

*As of June 30, 2025.

**As of August 22, 2025 (Friday).

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