-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, KemPBSsQHLSJHtsQaSf+SRXG61jAQbvU4CmlpPRL4Xsqk+3FmvFepENx5XVjkdES C+kIPJTZ75A4jLuH+l1h5g== 0000894189-00-000088.txt : 20000214 0000894189-00-000088.hdr.sgml : 20000214 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000894189-00-000088 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 40-17F2 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 2 FILED AS OF DATE: 20000211 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: FIRSTAR STELLAR FUNDS CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000846030 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN SIC - 0000 [0000] IRS NUMBER: 251733855 STATE OF INCORPORATION: MA FISCAL YEAR END: 1130 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 40-17F2 SEC ACT: SEC FILE NUMBER: 811-05762 FILM NUMBER: 536544 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: FEDERATED INVESTORS TOWER CITY: PITTSBURGH STATE: PA ZIP: 15222-3779 BUSINESS PHONE: 8006773863 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: FEDERATED INVESTORS TOWER CITY: PITTSBURGH STATE: PA ZIP: 15222-3779 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: STAR FUNDS DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19930608 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: VALUE PLUS FUNDS DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19890409 40-17F2 1 FIRSTAR STELLAR FUNDS REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS To the Board of Directors of Firstar Stellar Funds We have examined management's assertion, included in the accompanying Management Statement Regarding Compliance with Certain Provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, about Firstar Stellar Funds' (the "Company's") compliance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("the Act") as of November 12, 1999. Management is responsible for the Company's compliance with those requirements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management's assertion about the Company's compliance based on our examination. Our examination was conducted in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and, accordingly, included examining, on a test basis, evidence about the Company's compliance with those requirements and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. Included among our procedures were the following tests performed as of November 12, 1999, and with respect to agreement of security purchases and sales, for the period from October 29, 1999 (the date of our last examination) through November 12, 1999: - - Confirmation of securities held by the following institutions in book entry form: the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Depository Trust Company; - - Confirmation of securities and similar investments held by the following sub-custodian: Bank of New York; - - Confirmation of securities and similar investments held by outside brokers and other third parties, except for mutual fund holdings held in nominee name by Firstar Bank; - - Reconciliation of such securities to the books and records of the Company and the custodian; - - Confirmation of repurchase agreements with brokers and agreement of underlying collateral with custodian records; and - - Agreement of 5 security purchases and 5 security sales or maturities since our last report from the books and records of the Company to broker confirmations. We believe that our examination provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. Our examination does not provide a legal determination on the Company's compliance with specified requirements. In our opinion, management's assertion that Firstar Stellar Funds was in compliance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of November 12, 1999 with respect to securities reflected in the investment account of the Company is fairly stated, except for the exceptions noted, in all material respects. This report is intended solely for the information and use of the Board of Directors, management, and the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties. February 11, 2000 EX-99 2 MANAGEMENT LETTER MANAGEMENT STATEMENT REGARDING COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 We, as members of management of Firstar Stellar Funds (the "Company"), are responsible for complying with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2, Custody of Investments by Registered Management Investment Companies, of the Investment Company Act of 1940. We are also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal controls over compliance with those requirements. We have performed an evaluation of the Company's compliance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 as of November 12, 1999, and from October 29, 1999 through November 12, 1999. Based on this evaluation, we assert that the Company was in compliance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of November 12, 1999, and from October 29, 1999 through November 12, 1999, with respect to securities reflected in the investment account of the Company, except that for a number of option contracts the books of the Company did not agree to the custodian records. These exceptions were the result of the untimely removal from the custodian records of options that had either expired or been sold. In each case the books of the Company were determined to be proper and the custodian records have been subsequently corrected to reflect the proper number of option contracts owned. FIRSTAR STELLAR FUNDS By:/s/ Michael T. Karbouski ------------------------------------------------------ Michael T. Karbouski Treasurer ------------------------------------------------------ Title February 11, 2000 ------------------------------------------------------ Date By:/s/ Elaine Richards ------------------------------------------------------ Elaine Richards Secretary ------------------------------------------------------ Title February 11, 2000 ------------------------------------------------------ Date -----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----