UK private bank Brown Shipley has opened its AIM portfolio service to the wider market so that it can now be accessed by financial advisors, accountants, solicitors and stock brokers, along with direct clients. The service was launched for Brown Shipley internal clients in November 2005 and has attracted £20 million worth of assets. According to the group, it returned 71.8 per cent between December 2005 and March 2007, compared to a 20.84 per cent gain in the FTSE AIM index. The service invests in a selected portfolio of between 10 and 15 AIM-listed firms with a market capitalisation of more than £50 million, with no excessive gearing, no exponential growth forecasts and, where possible, they should be asset backed. Brown Shipley marketing strategy director, Peter Collier, said: “Our primary objectives with this portfolio service are to ensure the inheritance tax and capital gains tax tax reliefs, and both safeguard investments and achieve capital growth through careful selection of companies that meet our strict investment criteria.”