News Details

Funds in multiple categories awarded

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Five Columbia funds have received 2015 Lipper Fund Awards as top-performing mutual funds in their respective Lipper classifications for the period ending December 31, 2014:

• Columbia Select Large-Cap Value Fund (R5 shares)
  Large-Cap Value Funds classification (90 funds¹) – 10 years
• Columbia Greater China Fund (Z shares)
  China Region Funds classification (11 funds¹) – 10 years
• Columbia Global Technology Growth Fund (Z shares)
  Science & Technology Funds classification (39 funds¹) – 3 years
• Columbia Contrarian Core Fund (Z shares)
  Large-Cap Core Funds classification (177 funds¹) – 10 years
• Columbia AMT-Free California Intermediate Muni Bond Fund (Z shares)
  California Intermediate Municipal Debt Funds classification (13 funds¹) – 10 years

The U.S. Lipper Fund Awards recognize funds for their consistently strong risk-adjusted three-, five-, and 10-year performance, relative to their peers, based on Lipper’s proprietary performance-based methodology².

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

“We are pleased to have five funds recognized by Lipper for their consistent, risk adjusted performance,” said Colin Moore, Global Chief Investment Officer. “The awards underscore the importance ColumbiaThreadneedle Investments places on rigorous research and a disciplined investment process in the service of our clients.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that Columbia Select Large-Cap Value Fund has earned a Lipper Award in the Large-Cap Value category. The fund received the award for 10-year performance in 2014 (84 funds), for 5-year and 10-year performance in 2013 (102 funds and 84 funds), and for 5-year performance in 2012 (402 funds).

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments:
ColumbiaThreadneedle Investments is a leading global asset management group that provides a broad range of actively managed investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world.

With more than 2000 people including over 450 investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia, we manage $506 billion(as of 12/31/14)of assets across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, asset allocation solutions and alternatives.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global asset management group of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP).

For more information, please visit columbiathreadneedle.com/us. Follow us on Twitter @CTInvest_US.

Source: Columbia Threadneedle Investments, as of 12/31/14.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

¹ Within the respective Lipper classification.

² Lipper rankings are based on annualized total returns and do not reflect sales charges.

³ Class Z an R shares are sold at net asset value and have limited eligibility. Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc. offers multiple share classes, not all necessarily available through all firms, and the share class ratings may vary. Contact us for details.

⁴ The inception date of Class R5 shares of Columbia Select Large-Cap Value Fund is 11/30/2001.The returns shown for periods prior to this date include the returns of the oldest share class of the fund, adjusted to reflect higher class-related operating expenses, as applicable. In addition, the returns shown include the returns of any predecessor to the fund. Please visit columbiamanagement.com/institutional/strategies-and-products/appended-performance for more information.

⁵ The fund’s expense ratio is from the most recent prospectus. The investment manager and certain of its affiliates have contractually (for at least twelve months after the date of the fund prospectus) agreed to waive certain fees and/or to reimburse certain expenses of the fund.

The performance information shown represents past performance and is not a guarantee of future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that the shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance information shown.You may obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end by visiting columbiathreadneedle.com/us.

The investment manager and certain of its affiliates have contractually (for at least the current fiscal year) and/or voluntarily agreed to waive certain fees and/or to reimburse certain expenses of the Fund, as described in the Fund's prospectus, unless sooner terminated. Contractual waivers/reimbursements may be discontinued before their stated end date at the sole discretion of the Fund’s board and voluntary waivers/reimbursement arrangements, if any, may be discontinued at any time.The Fund’s returns reflect the effect of any fee waivers and/or reimbursements of Fund expenses. Without such fee waivers/expense reimbursements, the Fund’s returns would have been lower.

The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management firms, sell-side firms, research analysts, and investor relations teams. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence also include the Extel Survey Awards, the StarMine Analyst Awards, and the StarMine Broker Rankings. For more information, please contact markets.awards@thomsonreuters.com or visit excellence.thomsonreuters.com.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a mutual fund carefully before investing. For a free prospectus or a summary prospectus, which contains this and other important information about the funds, visit columbiathreadneedle.com/us. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Columbia Select Large Cap-Value Fund: The market value of securities may fall, fail to rise, or fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Market risk may affect a single issuer, sector of the economy, industry, or the market as a whole. Value securities involve the risk that they may never reach what the portfolio managers believe is their full market value either because the market fails to recognize the stock's intrinsic worth or the portfolio managers misgauged that worth. They also may decline in price, even though in theory they are already undervalued. Because the Fund may hold a limited number of securities, the Fund as a whole is subject to greater risk of loss if any of those securities declines in price.

Columbia Greater China Fund: Market risk may affect a single issuer, sector of the economy, industry or the market as a whole. International investing involves certain risks and volatility due to potential political, economic or currency instabilities and different financial and accounting standards. Risks are enhanced for emerging market issuers. Concentration in the Greater China region, where issuers tend to be less developed than U.S. issuers, presents increased risk of loss than a fund that does not concentrate its investments. Investments in small- and mid-cap companies involve risks and volatility greater than investments in larger, more established companies. As a non-diversified fund, fewer investments could have a greater effect on performance.

Columbia Global Technology Growth Fund: Market risk may affect a single issuer, sector of the economy, industry or the market as a whole. The products of technology companies may be subject to severe competition and rapid obsolescence, and technology stocks may be subject to greater price fluctuations. Growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general and may be out of favor with investors. Foreign investments subject the fund to risks, including political, economic, market, social and others within a particular country, as well as to currency instabilities and less stringent financial and accounting standards generally applicable to U.S. issuers. Risks are enhanced for emerging market issuers. As a non-diversified fund, fewer investments could have a greater effect on performance.

Columbia Contrarian Core Fund: Market risk may affect a single issuer, sector of the economy, industry or the market as a whole. Foreign investments subject the fund to risks, including political, economic, market, social and others within a particular country, as well as to currency instabilities and less stringent financial and accounting standards generally applicable to U.S. issuers. Growth securities, at times, may not perform as well as value securities or the stock market in general and may be out of favor with investors. Value securities may be unprofitable if the market fails to recognize their intrinsic worth or the portfolio manager misgauged that worth. The fund may invest significantly in issuers within a particular sector, which may be negatively affected by market, economic or other conditions, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in the sector.

Columbia AMT-Free California Intermediate Muni Bond Fund: Fixed-income securities present issuer default risk. The fund invests substantially in municipal securities and will be affected by tax, legislative, regulatory, demographic or political changes, as well as changes impacting a state’s financial, economic or other conditions. A relatively small number of tax-exempt issuers may necessitate the fund investing more heavily in a single issuer and, therefore, be more exposed to the risk of loss than a fund that invests more broadly. The value of the fund’s portfolio may be more volatile than a more geographically diversified fund. Prepayment and extension risk exists as a loan, bond or other investment may be called, prepaid or redeemed before maturity and that similar yielding investments may not be available for purchase. A rise in interest rates may result in a price decline of fixed-income instruments held by the fund, negatively impacting its performance and NAV. Falling rates may result in the fund investing in lower yielding debt instruments, lowering the fund’s income and yield. These risks may be heightened for longer maturity and duration securities. Non-investment-grade (high-yield or junk) securities present greater price volatility and more risk to principal and income than higher rated securities. Market risk may affect a single issuer, sector of the economy, industry or the market as a whole. Federal and state tax rules apply to capital gain distributions and any gains or losses on sales. Income may be subject to state or local taxes. Liquidity risk is associated with the difficulty of selling underlying investments at a desirable time or price.

Columbia Funds are distributed by Columbia Management Investment Distributors, Inc., member FINRA. Advisory services provided by Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC.

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For Columbia Threadneedle Investments:
Carlos Melville, 617-897-9384
carlos.melville@ampf.com

Source: Columbia Threadneedle Investments