Hedgemony? MFA inks partnership with yet another hedge fund group

The Managed Funds Association is teaming up with the Texas Hedge Fund Association, marking the MFA's third announced partnership in as many months. The MFA, the hedge fund industry's premier trade association, has made regional alliances a new focus as the association continues to bolster its lobbying efforts. In February, the MFA teamed with the New York Hedge Fund Roundtable, which is made up of more than 1,000 hedge fund industry professionals, and in January tied up with the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association. In October, the group announced an affiliation with the Mid Atlantic Hedge Fund Association. “MFA is continuing to forge links with regional, grassroots industry organizations,” MFA president and chief executive Richard Baker said in a statement. “Strong, active groups like [the Texas Hedge Fund Association] will play an important role in our increasingly unified efforts to educate policymakers, regulators, and pension recipients about the value of our industry,” he added. Mr. Baker is a former congressman from Louisiana who took over as head of the MFA in 2008. Under Mr. Baker's leadership, the MFA also joined forces in 2008 with the London-based Alternative Investment Management Association.