Ericksen on Top as Berkowitz Whipsawed Shows Challenges

As Bruce Berkowitz and Donald Yacktman were whipsawed by market swings in the past 15 months, a handful of managers guided their mutual funds to top ranks in both 2011 and 2012.

They’re led by Christopher Ericksen and his colleagues at Delaware Investments, who run the $742 million Delaware Select Growth Fund, one of two diversified U.S. stock funds with at least $500 million in assets that ranked in the top 10 percent in their categories both years, according to data compiled by Morningstar Inc. The $10.8 billion Wells Fargo Advantage Growth Fund is the other. Five additional actively managed funds out of a total of 843 were in the top 15 percent for 2011 and for this year through March 27.