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<PAGE> PAGE 2
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SIGNATURE GUY NORDAHL
TITLE ASSISTANT VICE PRES
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<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 11604425
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<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 1068504
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 12947828
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 25584
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
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<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
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<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (375181)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (827993)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 5570265
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (1857666)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 1203174
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 5168662
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 8
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (275)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
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<GROSS-EXPENSE> 141068
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 10056663
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.39
<PER-SHARE-NII> 0.40
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<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (0.41)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (0.81)
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<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<CIK> 0000916403
<NAME> NORTHSTAR VARIABLE TRUST
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> NORTHSTAR MULTI-SECTOR FUND
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1996
<PERIOD-START> JAN-01-1996
<PERIOD-END> DEC-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 5252417
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 5456654
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<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 41583
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 41583
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 6072471
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 0
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 89
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 204237
<NET-ASSETS> 6276797
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 5937
<INTEREST-INCOME> 449430
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 39523
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 415844
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 125074
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 97621
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 638539
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (418626)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (111901)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 3341543
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (1464570)
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<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
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<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (0.10)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 5.25
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 0.80
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<CIK> 0000916403
<NAME> NORTHSTAR VARIABLE TRUST
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 4
<NAME> NORTHSTAR HIGH YIELD BOND FUND
<S> <C>
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<PERIOD-START> JAN-01-1996
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<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 5834504
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<TOTAL-ASSETS> 6648991
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<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
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<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> (4918)
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<INTEREST-INCOME> 490488
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<EXPENSES-NET> 41339
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 450587
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<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 177347
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<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (454312)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (103694)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 2731211
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (1646044)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 549072
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<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 3725
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> (47981)
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<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 89509
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<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 5.04
<PER-SHARE-NII> 0.45
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 0.32
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (0.45)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (0.09)
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</TABLE>
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
__________________________
To the Board of Trustees of
Northstar Variable Trust:
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements and financial
highlights of Northstar Variable Trust (formerly Northstar Trust), comprising
Northstar Growth Fund, Northstar Income & Growth Fund, Northstar Multi-Sector
Bond Fund, and Northstar High Yield Bond Fund for the year ended December 31,
1996, we considered its internal control structure, including procedures for
safeguarding securities, in order to determine our auditing procedures for
the purposes of expressing our opinion on the financial statements and
financial highlights and to comply with the requirements of Form N-SAR, not
to provide assurance on the internal control structure.
The management of Northstar Variable Trust is responsible for establishing
and maintaining an internal control structure. In fulfilling this
responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess
the expected benefits and related costs of internal control structure policies
and procedures. Two of the objectives of an internal control structure are to
provide management with reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets
are safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition and that
transactions are executed in accordance with management's authorization and
recorded properly to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles.
Because of inherent limitations in any internal control structure, errors or
irregularities may occur and may not be detected. Also, projection of any
evaluation of the structure to future periods is subject to the risk that it
may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the
effectiveness of the design and operation may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the internal control structure would not necessarily
disclose all matters in the internal control structure that might be material
weaknesses under standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the design
or operation of the specific internal control structure elements does not
reduce to a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in
amounts that would be material in relation to the financial statements and
financial highlights being audited may occur and not be detected within a
timely period by employees in the normal course of performing their assigned
functions. However, we noted no matters involving the internal control
structure, including procedures for safeguarding securities, that we consider
to be material weaknesses, as defined above, as of December 31, 1996.
<PAGE>
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management of
Northstar Variable Trust and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
COOPERS & LYBRAND L.L.P.
New York, New York
January 31, 1997
