U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-17f-2
Certificate of Accounting of Securities and Similar Investments in the Custody
of Management Investment Companies
Pursuant to Rule 17f-2 [17 CFR 270, 17f-2]
1. Investment Company Act File Number: Date examination completed:
811-5536 May 31, 2003
2. State Identification Number:
AL AK AZ AR CA CO
CT DE DC FL GA HI
ID IL IN IA KS KY
LA ME MD MA MI MN
MS MO MT NE NV NH
NJ NM NY NC ND OH
OK OR PA RI SC SD
TN TX UT VT VA WA
WV WI WY PUERTO RICO
Other (specify):
3. Exact name of investment company as specified in registration statement:
Hibernia Funds
4. Address of principal executive office: (number, street, city, state, zip
code)
5800 Corporate Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15237-7010
INSTRUCTIONS This Form must be completed by the investment companies that
have custody of securities or similar investments.
Investment Company
1. All items must be completed by the investment company.
2. Give this Form to the independent public accountant who, in compliance
with Rule 17f-2 under the Act and applicable state law, examines securities and
similar investments in the custody of the investment company.
Accountant
3. Submit this Form to the Securities and Exchange Commission and
appropriate state securities administrators when filing the certificate of
accounting required by Rule 17f-2 under the Act and applicable state law. File
the original and one copy with the Securities and Exchange Commission's
principal office in Washington, D.C., one copy with the regional office for the
region in which the investment company's principal business operations are
conducted, and one copy with the appropriate state administrator(s), if
applicable.
THIS FORM MUST BE GIVEN TO YOUR INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
Note: The estimated average burden hours are made solely for purposes of
the Paperwork Reduction Act, and are not derived from a comprehensive or even a
representative survey or study of the costs of SEC rules and forms. Direct any
comments concerning the accuracy of the estimated average burden hours for
compliance with SEC rules and forms to Kenneth A. Fogash, Deputy Executive
Director, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549 and Gary Waxman, Clearance Officer, Office of Management
and Budget, Room 3208 New Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503.
Independent Auditor's Report
To the Board of Trustees of
Hibernia 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, that Hibernia Funds (the "Trust") complied with
the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (the "Act") as of May 31, 2003. Management is responsible
for the Trust's compliance with those requirements. Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on management's assertion about the Trust'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 Trust'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 May 31, 2003, without prior notice of
management:
o Confirmation of all securities held by Marshall & Ilsley Corp.
(Sub-custodian) on behalf of Hibernia National Bank (Custodian);
o Reconciliation of all such securities to the books and records of the
Trust and Hibernia National Bank; and
We believe that our examination provides a reasonable basis for our
opinion. Our examination does not provide a legal determination on the Trust's
compliance with specified requirements.
In our opinion, management's assertion that Hibernia Funds complied with
the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment
Company Act of 1940 as of May 31, 2003 with respect to securities reflected in
the investment accounts of the Trust, is fairly stated, in all material
respects.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management
and the Board of Trustees of the Trust and the Securities and Exchange
Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than
these specified parties.
Ernst & Young LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
August 26, 2003
Management Statement Regarding Compliance With Certain
Provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940
We, as members of management of Hibernia Funds (the "Trust"), 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 also are responsible for
establishing and maintaining effective internal controls over compliance with
those requirements. We have performed an evaluation of the Trust's compliance
with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 as of May 31,
2003 and from March 31, 2003 through May 31, 2003.
Based on this evaluation, we assert that the Trust was in compliance with
the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment
Company Act of 1940 as of May 31, 2003 with respect to securities reflected in
the investment accounts of the Trust.
/s/Johnell B. Smith
Johnell B. Smith
Compliance Manager
Hibernia National Bank
/s/George M. Polatas
George M. Polatas
Vice President
Hibernia Funds