EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TRUST
497, 1995-11-08
Previous: TEMPLETON GLOBAL INVESTMENT TRUST, 485BPOS, 1995-11-08
Next: CORAM HEALTHCARE CORP, DEF 14A, 1995-11-08




<PAGE>
                      EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY FUND
                      EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL INCOME FUND
                 EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TOTAL RETURN BOND FUND
                   EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY INDEX FUND
                    EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL BOND INDEX FUND
               EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL SMALL CAPITALIZATION FUND
                     EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL BALANCED FUND
                   EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY GROWTH FUND
                EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL VALUE EQUITY INCOME FUND
               EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                         EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TRUST
                               6 ST. JAMES AVENUE
                          BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116
                                 (617) 423-0800
 
   For initial purchase and existing account information, call (800) 909-1989
                      (From overseas, call (617) 557-1755)
         For current prices and yield information, call (800) 861-3430
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     This  Prospectus  describes  ten  mutual  funds  offered  to  institutional
investors  by  Excelsior   Institutional  Trust  (the   'Trust'),  an   open-end
diversified   management  investment   company.  The   mutual  funds,  Excelsior
Institutional  Equity  Fund,  Excelsior  Institutional  Income  Fund,  Excelsior
Institutional Total Return Bond Fund, Excelsior Institutional Equity Index Fund,
Excelsior   Institutional  Bond   Index  Fund,   Excelsior  Institutional  Small
Capitalization  Fund,   Excelsior   Institutional   Balanced   Fund,   Excelsior
Institutional  Equity Growth  Fund, Excelsior Institutional  Value Equity Income
Fund and  Excelsior Institutional  International Equity  Fund (each,  a  'Fund';
collectively, the 'Funds'), are separate series of the Trust.
 
     This Prospectus sets forth concisely the information about the Funds that a
prospective  investor should  consider before  investing. Investors  should read
this Prospectus carefully  and retain it  for future reference.  A Statement  of
Additional  Information containing  additional information  about the  Funds has
been filed with  the Securities and  Exchange Commission and  is available  upon
request  without charge by writing to the Trust at its address shown above or by
calling (617) 423-0800. The Statement  of Additional Information bears the  same
date  as this Prospectus and  is incorporated by reference  in its entirety into
this Prospectus.
 
     SHARES OF THE FUNDS  ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR  OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED  OR
ENDORSED  BY, ANY BANK, AND THE SHARES  ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL
DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION,  BANK INSURANCE FUND,  FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD,  OR
ANY  OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY.  AN INVESTMENT IN  A FUND IS  SUBJECT TO RISK OF
PRINCIPAL.
 
     THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT  BEEN APPROVED OR  DISAPPROVED BY THE  SECURITIES
AND  EXCHANGE  COMMISSION  OR  ANY  STATE  SECURITIES  COMMISSION,  NOR  HAS THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE  COMMISSION OR  ANY STATE  SECURITIES COMMISSION  PASSED
UPON  THE ACCURACY  OR ADEQUACY  OF THIS  PROSPECTUS. ANY  REPRESENTATION TO THE
CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
 
Continued
 
          PROSPECTUS DATED OCTOBER 1, 1995, AS AMENDED OCTOBER 6, 1995


<PAGE>

     Each Fund has its own investment objective, as follows:
 
     The  investment  objective  of  EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL  EQUITY  FUND (the
'Equity Fund') is to provide long-term capital appreciation.
 
     The investment  objective  of  EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL  INCOME  FUND  (the
'Income  Fund') is to provide  as high a level of  current interest income as is
consistent with moderate risk of capital and maintenance of liquidity.
 
     The investment objective of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TOTAL RETURN BOND  FUND
(the  'Total  Return  Bond  Fund')  is to  maximize  the  total  rate  of return
consistent with moderate risk of capital and maintenance of liquidity.
 
     The investment objective of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY INDEX FUND  (the
'Equity  Index Fund')  is to provide  investment results that  correspond to the
investment performance of the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price  Index
(the  'S&P  500  Index'),  an  index  emphasizing  large  capitalization  equity
securities.
 
     The investment objective  of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL  BOND INDEX FUND  (the
'Bond  Index  Fund') is  to provide  investment results  that correspond  to the
investment  performance  of  the  Lehman  Brothers  Aggregate  Bond  Index  (the
'Aggregate  Bond Index'), a  broad market-weighted index  which encompasses U.S.
Treasury  and  agency   securities,  corporate  investment   grade  bonds,   and
mortgage-backed securities.
 
     The  investment objective  of EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL SMALL CAPITALIZATION
FUND (the 'Small Cap Fund') is to provide a high total return from a diversified
portfolio of equity securities of small capitalization companies.
 
     The investment  objective of  EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL BALANCED  FUND  (the
'Balanced  Fund') is to provide a high total return from a diversified portfolio
of equity and fixed income securities.
 
     The investment objective of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY GROWTH FUND (the
'Equity Growth Fund') is to provide a high level of capital appreciation through
investment in  a  diversified portfolio  of  common stocks  with  potential  for
above-average growth in earnings and dividends.
 
     The  investment objective  of EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL VALUE  EQUITY INCOME
FUND (the 'Value Equity Income Fund')  is to provide capital appreciation and  a
high level of current income by investing principally in a diversified portfolio
of  securities  selected  for  their potential  to  generate  current  income or
long-term growth of capital.
 
     The investment objective  of EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL INTERNATIONAL  EQUITY
FUND   (the  'International  Equity  Fund')  is  to  provide  long-term  capital
appreciation through investment in a diversified portfolio of marketable foreign
securities.
 
     UNLIKE OTHER  MUTUAL FUNDS  WHICH  DIRECTLY ACQUIRE  AND MANAGE  THEIR  OWN
PORTFOLIOS  OF SECURITIES,  THE TRUST  SEEKS TO  ACHIEVE EACH  FUND'S INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE BY INVESTING ALL OF THAT  FUND'S INVESTABLE ASSETS IN A  CORRESPONDING
PORTFOLIO  OR SERIES OF ST. JAMES  PORTFOLIOS (THE 'PORTFOLIO SERIES'), AN OPEN-
END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY (EACH SUCH  SERIES IS REFERRED TO HEREIN AS  A
'PORTFOLIO';  COLLECTIVELY,  THE  'PORTFOLIOS').  EACH  PORTFOLIO  HAS  THE SAME
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES AS ITS CORRESPONDING FUND. THE FUNDS INVEST IN
THE  PORTFOLIOS  THROUGH  SIGNATURE  FINANCIAL  GROUP,  INC.'S  INVESTMENT  FUND
STRUCTURE  KNOWN  AS  HUB AND  SPOKE'r'.  HUB  AND SPOKE'r'  EMPLOYS  A TWO-TIER
MASTER/FEEDER FUND  STRUCTURE AND  IS  A REGISTERED  SERVICE MARK  OF  SIGNATURE
FINANCIAL  GROUP,  INC. SEE  'SPECIAL  INFORMATION CONCERNING  HUB  AND SPOKE'r'
STRUCTURE' AT PAGE 33.
 
Continued
 
<PAGE>
     United States Trust Company of The Pacific Northwest ('U.S. Trust Pacific')
is the investment adviser for the  Portfolios corresponding to the Funds  listed
below.  U.S. Trust  Pacific has delegated  the daily management  of the security
holdings of the Portfolios  for the following Funds  to the investment  managers
named below, acting as subadvisers.
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                         <C>
Equity Index Fund, Bond Index
  Fund and Small Cap Fund.................  United States Trust Company of New York ('U.S. Trust')
Balanced Fund.............................  Becker Capital Management, Inc.
Equity Growth Fund........................  Luther King Capital Management
Value Equity Income Fund..................  Spare, Kaplan, Bischel & Associates
International Equity Fund.................  Harding, Loevner Management, L.P.
</TABLE>
 
     U.S.  Trust is the  investment adviser for  the Portfolios corresponding to
the Equity Fund,  Income Fund and  Total Return Bond  Fund. U.S. Trust  Pacific,
U.S.  Trust and the subadvisers are  referred to collectively as the 'investment
managers'.
 
     For more  information on  the investment  advisers and  subadvisers of  the
Portfolios,  please refer below to the section entitled 'Management of the Trust
and Portfolio Series   --  Investment  Managers'. Signature Financial  Services,
Inc.  ('SFSI') is the servicing  and fund accounting agent  of the Funds and the
Portfolios.
 
     Subject to shareholder approval,  the Trustees of the  Trust have voted  to
approve  a restructuring  with respect  to the  Equity Fund,  Income Fund, Total
Return Bond  Fund,  Bond Index  Fund,  Balanced  Fund, Equity  Growth  Fund  and
International  Equity Fund (the 'Restructuring Funds'). Under the restructuring,
the Trust  will withdraw  the investment  of each  Restructuring Fund  from  its
corresponding  Portfolio and thereafter operate each  such Fund in a single-tier
mutual fund  structure  (temporarily, in  the  case  of the  Bond  Index  Fund).
Thereafter,  the Trust will engage an  investment adviser and, if applicable, an
investment  subadviser  to  manage   each  Restructuring  Fund's  portfolio   of
investments.  Subject  to  shareholder  approval,  the  Trustees  have  approved
investment advisory agreements between the Trust on behalf of each Restructuring
Fund and the investment adviser currently providing investment advisory services
to the Portfolio corresponding  to such Fund.  Subject to shareholder  approval,
the  Trustees have also  approved investment subadvisory  agreements between the
investment adviser for the  Bond Index Fund, Balanced  Fund, Equity Growth  Fund
and  International Equity Fund and the investment subadviser currently providing
investment subadvisory services to the  Portfolios corresponding to such  Funds.
In  the case of  the Bond Index  Fund, and subject  to shareholder approval, the
Trustees have voted to reinvest all of the investable assets of such Fund in the
Bond Index Portfolio, a series of Federated Investment Portfolios. Therefore, it
is contemplated  that  the  Bond  Index  Fund  will  temporarily  operate  in  a
single-tier  mutual  fund structure  which will  be replaced  almost immediately
thereafter by a new Hub and Spoke'r' investment fund structure. Shareholders  of
the  Trust will be  asked to approve  the restructuring at  a special meeting of
shareholders scheduled to  be held on  November 15, 1995.  The restructuring  is
expected  to take  place as  soon as  practicable after  shareholder approval is
obtained, but in any event after December 1, 1995. In addition, the Trustees  of
the  Trust have  voted to terminate  the Equity Index,  Small Capitalization and
Value Equity Income Funds. The termination  of these Funds is expected to  occur
on  or after December 1, 1995. For more information regarding the restructuring,
please refer  below  to  the  section entitled  'Management  of  the  Trust  and
Portfolio Series  --  Proposed Restructuring'.


<PAGE>
                         EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TRUST
                              SUMMARY OF EXPENSES
 
     The  following table provides (i) a  summary of estimated expenses relating
to purchases  and  sales  of shares  of  the  Funds, and  the  aggregate  annual
operating  expenses  for  the Funds  and  their corresponding  Portfolios,  as a
percentage of average net assets of the Funds, and (ii) an example  illustrating
the dollar cost of such estimated expenses on a $1,000 investment in each Fund.
 
     The  table illustrates  that investors  in the  Funds incur  no shareholder
transaction expenses imposed by the Trust, although in connection with purchases
and  redemptions  of   shares  of  the   Funds,  some  institutional   investors
('Shareholder  Organizations')  may  charge  their  customers  account  fees for
investment and other cash  management services. See  'How to Purchase,  Exchange
and   Redeem  Shares'   below.  Customers   should  contact   their  Shareholder
Organization directly for further information. Investments in a Fund are subject
to the operating expenses  set forth below for  each Fund and its  corresponding
Portfolio,  as a  percentage of the  average daily  net assets of  the Fund. The
Trustees of the Trust believe that the aggregate per share expenses of each Fund
and its corresponding Portfolio will be less than or approximately equal to  the
expenses  which that Fund would  incur if the Trust  retained the services of an
investment adviser and  the assets of  that Fund were  invested directly in  the
type  of securities being  held by its corresponding  Portfolio. Expenses of the
Funds and Portfolios  are discussed  below under  'Management of  the Trust  and
Portfolio  Series'. The annual operating expenses itemized below are expected to
take effect concurrently with the  proposed restructuring. For more  information
regarding  the  restructuring,  please  refer  below  to  the  section  entitled
'Management of the Trust and Portfolio Series -- Proposed Restructuring'.
 
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                                                         <C>
Sales Load Imposed on Purchases..........................................................................   None
Sales Load Imposed on Reinvested Dividends...............................................................   None
Deferred Sales Load......................................................................................   None
Redemption Fees..........................................................................................   None
Exchange Fees............................................................................................   None
</TABLE>
 
EXPENSE TABLE
ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                       TOTAL
                                                                                       RETURN    EQUITY     BOND
                                                                   EQUITY    INCOME     BOND     INDEX      INDEX
                                                                    FUND      FUND      FUND      FUND      FUND
                                                                   ------    ------    ------    ------     -----
<S>                                                                <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>        <C>
Advisory Fees (after waiver)....................................     *         *         *         *          *
12b-1 Fees......................................................     None      None      None      None      None
Other Expenses
  Administrative Fees...........................................    0.15%     0.15%     0.15%     0.07%**   0.08%**
  Shareholder Servicing Fees (after waiver).....................     0%        0%        0%        0%        0%
  Other Operating Expenses (after waivers and reimbursement)....    0.55%     0.35%     0.35%     0.05%     0.22%
                                                                   ------    ------    ------    ------     -----
Total Operating Expenses (after waivers and reimbursements).....    0.70%     0.50%     0.50%     0.12%     0.30%
                                                                   ------    ------    ------    ------     -----
                                                                   ------    ------    ------    ------     -----
</TABLE>
 
                                       1
 
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                              VALUE
                                                                                    EQUITY    EQUITY     INTERNATIONAL
                                                           SMALL CAP    BALANCED    GROWTH    INCOME        EQUITY
                                                             FUND         FUND       FUND      FUND          FUND
                                                           ---------    --------    ------    ------     -------------
 
<S>                                                        <C>          <C>         <C>       <C>        <C>
Advisory Fees (after waiver)...........................       *            *          *         *            *
12b-1 Fees.............................................       None         None       None      None          None
Other Expenses
  Administrative Fees..................................      0.07%**      0.15%      0.15%     0.07%**       0.15%
  Shareholder Servicing Fees (after waiver)............       0%           0%         0%        0%            0%
  Other Operating Expenses (after waivers and
     reimbursement)....................................      0.05%        0.55%      0.55%     0.05%         0.75%
                                                             -----        -----      -----     -----         -----
Total Operating Expenses (after waivers and
  reimbursements)......................................      0.12%        0.70%      0.70%     0.12%         0.90%
                                                             -----        -----      -----     -----         -----
                                                             -----        -----      -----     -----         -----

</TABLE>
 
EXAMPLE
 
     Investors would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming
(1) 5% annual  return and (2)  redemption of the  investment at the  end of  the
following periods:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                         1 YEAR    3 YEARS    5 YEARS    10 YEARS
                                                                         ------    -------    -------    --------
 
<S>                                                                      <C>       <C>        <C>        <C>
Equity Fund, Balanced Fund and Equity Growth Fund.....................     $7        $22        $39        $ 87
Income Fund and Total Return Bond Fund................................     $5        $16        $28        $ 63
Equity Index Fund, Small Cap Fund and Value Equity Income Fund........     $1        $ 4        $ 7        $ 15
Bond Index Fund.......................................................     $3        $10        $17        $ 38
International Equity Fund.............................................     $9        $29        $50        $111
</TABLE>
 
- ------------
 
*  Each  investment adviser  has agreed to  waive all  investment advisory fees.
   While no Portfolio pays any fee to its investment adviser, each institutional
   investor enters into an asset  management services agreement with U.S.  Trust
   Pacific and agrees to pay annual fees calculated as a specified percentage of
   average  net assets. In addition,  Shareholder Organizations may charge their
   customers account fees for investment and other cash management services. See
   'How to  Purchase,  Exchange  and  Redeem  Shares'  below.  Accordingly,  the
   examples  do  not reflect  an amount  for  fees paid  directly to  U.S. Trust
   Pacific by an institutional investor or its customers.
 
** After waiver.
 
     THE EXAMPLE ABOVE  SHOULD NOT  BE CONSIDERED  A REPRESENTATION  OF PAST  OR
FUTURE  EXPENSES OR PERFORMANCE.  ACTUAL EXPENSES AND RETURNS  MAY BE GREATER OR
LESS THAN  THOSE SHOWN.  The purpose  of the  table is  to assist  investors  in
understanding  the various costs  and expenses that shareholders  of each of the
Funds will bear directly  or indirectly. The expense  table and example  reflect
voluntary undertakings (i) by U.S. Trust, U.S. Trust Pacific and the shareholder
servicing  agents to  waive certain  of their  fees, and  (ii) by  U.S. Trust to
reimburse the Trust for  certain administrative fees  and other expenses.  After
giving  effect  to  such  waivers and  reimbursements,  the  aggregate operating
expenses (including  amortization of  organizational expenses  but exclusive  of
taxes,  interest, brokerage commissions and extraordinary expenses) of each Fund
and its corresponding Portfolio will be as shown above. Without such waivers and
reimbursements, (a) the advisory fees paid would equal (x) 0.65% of the  average
daily  net assets of the  Portfolios for the Equity,  Income, Total Return Bond,
Small Cap, Balanced, Equity
 
                                       2
 
<PAGE>
Growth and Value Equity Income Funds, (y) 0.25% of the average daily net  assets
of  the Portfolios for the  Equity Index and Bond Index  Funds, and (z) 1.00% of
the average daily net assets of the Portfolio for the International Equity Fund;
(b) the administrative services fees would equal 0.23% of the average daily  net
assets  of the Equity Index,  Bond Index, Small Cap,  Value Equity Income Funds;
(c) the shareholder servicing  fees would equal 0.25%  of the average daily  net
assets of each Fund; (d) other expenses would equal the following percentages of
the  average daily  net assets  of the Funds:  Equity Fund,  1.62%, Income Fund,
0.60%, Total Return Bond Fund, 0.88%, Equity Index Fund, 0.58%, Bond Index Fund,
0.56%, Small Cap Fund, 0.89%, Balanced  Fund, 0.30%, Equity Growth Fund,  0.31%,
Value  Equity Income Fund, 0.62%, and  International Equity Fund, 1.92%; and (e)
aggregate total operating expenses would equal the following percentages of  the
average  daily net assets of the Funds:  Equity Fund, 2.67%, Income Fund, 1.65%,
Total Return Bond Fund, 1.93%, Equity Index Fund, 1.93%, Bond Index Fund, 1.29%,
Small Cap Fund, 2.02%,  Balanced Fund, 1.32%, Equity  Growth Fund, 1.36%,  Value
Equity  Income  Fund, 1.75%,  and International  Equity Fund,  3.32%. Historical
information in  the  expense  table  regarding  administrative  fees  and  other
expenses  has been  restated to reflect  the maximum potential  increase in such
fees and expenses  attributable to  a modification  in fee  waivers and  expense
reimbursements  effective after completion of the proposed restructuring, but in
any  event  after  December  1,   1995.  For  more  information  regarding   the
restructuring,  please refer  below to the  section entitled  'Management of the
Trust and Portfolio Series -- Proposed Restructuring'. For more information with
respect to the expenses  of each of the  Funds and its corresponding  Portfolio,
see  'Management of  the Trust  and Portfolio  Series'. Fee  waivers and expense
reimbursements are terminable at any time in the sole discretion of the  service
providers waiving fees or reimbursing expenses.
 
                              FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
 
     The  following  selected data  for a  share  outstanding for  the indicated
periods has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP. The Trust's Annual Report,  which
includes  the independent auditors' report and is incorporated by reference into
the Statement of Additional Information, includes a discussion of those factors,
strategies and techniques  that materially affected  its performance during  the
period  of the  report, as well  as certain  related information. A  copy of the
Trust's Annual Report will be made available without charge upon request.
 
                                       3


<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS THROUGH MAY 31, 1995(A)
 
Selected data for a share outstanding throughout each period are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                             TOTAL
                                                                            RETURN        EQUITY         BOND
                                                EQUITY        INCOME         BOND          INDEX         INDEX
                                                 FUND          FUND          FUND          FUND          FUND
                                               --------      --------        ----          ----          ----
 
<S>                                            <C>           <C>           <C>           <C>           <C>
NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD....       $  7.00       $  7.00       $  7.00       $  7.00       $  7.00
                                               -------       -------       -------       -------       -------
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
  Net investment income.................          0.05          0.19          0.18          0.26          0.46
  Net realized and unrealized gain from
    Portfolio Series....................          0.70          0.33          0.47          1.18          0.28
                                               -------       -------       -------       -------       -------
    TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS....          0.75          0.52          0.65          1.44          0.74
                                               -------       -------       -------       -------       -------
DISTRIBUTIONS:
  From net investment income............         (0.02)        (0.19)        (0.18)        (0.13)        (0.46)
  From net realized gains...............         --            --            --            (0.04)        (0.02)
                                               --------      --------      --------      --------      --------
NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD..........       $  7.73       $  7.33       $  7.47       $  8.27       $  7.26
                                               --------      --------      --------      --------      --------
                                               --------      --------      --------      --------      --------
TOTAL RETURN (B)(E).....................        10.80%         7.51%         9.40%        20.96%        11.03%
RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Ratios to Average Net Assets
  Expenses (c)(d).......................         0.12%         0.12%         0.12%         0.12%         0.12%
  Net Investment Income (c).............         2.44%         7.17%         7.09%         2.84%         7.33%
Net Assets at end of Period (000's
  omitted)..............................       $15,409       $33,230       $24,913       $13,107       $15,565
- ------------------------
(a) Commencement of operations:               01/16/95      01/16/95      01/19/95      07/11/94      07/11/94
(b) Not annualized
(c) Annualized
(d) Reflects the Fund's proportionate
    share of its corresponding
    Portfolio's expenses as well as
    voluntary fee waivers and
    reimbursements by agents of the
    Portfolio Series and a voluntary fee
    waiver and an expense reimbursement
    by agents of the Trust. If the
    voluntary waivers and expense
    reimbursements had not been in
    place, the ratios of expenses and
    net investment income to average net
    assets from commencement of
    operations to May 31, 1995 would
    have been as follows:
      Expenses..........................         2.67%         1.65%         1.93%         1.31%         1.23%
      Net Investment Income (Loss)......        (0.12%)        5.65%         5.28%         1.65%         6.22%
(e) Each investment adviser has agreed
    to waive all investment advisory
    fees. While no Portfolio pays any
    fee to its adviser, each
    institutional investor enters into
    an asset management services
    agreement with U.S. Trust Pacific
    and agrees to pay annual fees
    calculated as a specific percentage
    of average net assets.
</TABLE>
 
                                       4
 
<PAGE>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (CONTINUED)
COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS THROUGH MAY 31, 1995(A)
 
Selected data for a share outstanding throughout each period are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                               VALUE
                                                   SMALL                         EQUITY       EQUITY       INTERNATIONAL
                                               CAPITALIZATION      BALANCED      GROWTH       INCOME          EQUITY
                                                    FUND             FUND         FUND         FUND            FUND
                                               --------------      --------      -------      -------      -------------
 
<S>                                            <C>                 <C>           <C>          <C>          <C>
NET ASSET VALUE, BEGINNING OF PERIOD....          $   7.00         $  7.00       $  7.00      $  7.00         $  7.00
                                                  --------         -------       -------      -------         -------
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
  Net investment income.................              0.11            0.35          0.08         0.34            0.08
  Net realized and unrealized gain from
    Portfolio Series....................              0.66            0.64          0.85         0.97            0.80
                                                   -------         --------      -------      -------          ------
    TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS....              0.77            0.99          0.93         1.31            0.88
                                                   -------         --------      -------      -------          ------
DISTRIBUTIONS:
  From net investment income............             (0.06)          (0.26)        (0.06)       (0.26)         --
  From net realized gains...............             (0.01)          (0.03)        --           (0.06)         --
                                                   -------         --------      -------      -------          ------
NET ASSET VALUE, END OF PERIOD..........          $   7.70         $  7.70       $  7.87      $  7.99         $  7.88
                                                   -------         --------      -------      -------          ------
                                                   -------         --------      -------      -------          ------
TOTAL RETURN (B)(E).....................            11.10%          14.59%        13.38%       19.32%          12.57%
RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Ratios to Average Net Assets
  Expenses (c)(d).......................             0.12%           0.12%         0.12%        0.12%           0.25%
  Net Investment Income (c).............             1.59%           5.55%         1.27%        5.03%           3.47%
Net Assets at end of Period (000's
  omitted)..............................          $ 13,329         $74,478       $52,347      $17,483         $ 8,804
- ------------------------
(a) Commencement of operations:                   07/11/94        07/11/94      07/11/94     07/11/94        01/24/95
(b) Not annualized
(c) Annualized
(d) Reflects the Fund's proportionate
    share of its corresponding
    Portfolio's expenses as well as
    voluntary fee waivers and
    reimbursements by agents of the
    Portfolio Series and a voluntary fee
    waiver and an expense reimbursement
    by agents of the Trust. If the
    voluntary waivers and expense
    reimbursements had not been in
    place, the ratios of expenses and
    net investment income to average net
    assets from commencement of
    operations to May 31, 1995 would
    have been as follows:
      Expenses..........................             2.02%           1.32%         1.36%        1.75%           3.32%
      Net Investment Income (Loss)......            (0.31%)          4.35%         0.03%        3.40%           0.40%
(e) Each investment adviser has agreed
    to waive all investment advisory
    fees. While no Portfolio pays any
    fee to its adviser, each
    institutional investor enters into
    an asset management services
    agreement with U.S. Trust Pacific
    and agrees to pay annual fees
    calculated as a specific percentage
    of average net assets.
</TABLE>
 
                                       5


<PAGE>
                       INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
 
INTRODUCTION
 
     Excelsior  Institutional Trust was organized as  a business trust under the
laws of the State of Delaware, with the Funds established as separate series  of
the  Trust, on  April 27,  1994. Shares  of the  Funds are  continuously sold to
institutional investors. The Trust seeks to achieve the investment objective  of
each  of  the Funds  by  investing all  investable assets  of  that Fund  in its
corresponding Portfolio, which has the same investment objective and policies as
that Fund.
 
     Unless otherwise stated,  all of  the investment  objectives, policies  and
strategies  discussed herein and in the  Statement of Additional Information are
deemed 'non-fundamental', i.e.,  the approval  of a Fund's  shareholders is  not
required  to change its  investment objective or any  of its investment policies
and strategies. Likewise,  the approval  of a Fund  and other  investors in  its
corresponding  Portfolio is not  required to change  that Portfolio's investment
objective or  any of  the Portfolio's  investment policies  and strategies.  Any
changes  in  a  Fund's  or  a  Portfolio's  investment  objective,  policies  or
strategies could result in the  Fund having investment objectives, policies  and
strategies  different  from  those applicable  at  the time  of  a shareholder's
investment in such Fund.
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
 
     The investment  objective  of  EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL  EQUITY  FUND  (the
'Equity  Fund') is to provide long-term capital appreciation. The Trust seeks to
achieve the investment objective of the Fund by investing all of the  investable
assets  of  the  Fund in  Equity  Portfolio, a  diversified  open-end investment
company with the  same investment  objective and  policies as  the Equity  Fund.
Equity  Portfolio  seeks to  achieve its  investment  objective by  investing in
companies believed to represent good  long-term values not currently  recognized
in the market prices of their securities.
 
     The  investment  objective  of  EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL  INCOME  FUND (the
'Income Fund') is to provide  as high a level of  current interest income as  is
consistent with moderate risk of capital and maintenance of liquidity. The Trust
seeks  to achieve the investment  objective of the Fund  by investing all of the
investable assets  of  the Fund  in  Income Portfolio,  a  diversified  open-end
investment company with the same investment objective and policies as the Income
Fund.  Income Portfolio seeks  to achieve its  investment objective by investing
principally in  a  broad  range of  investment-grade  fixed  income  securities,
including  preferred stock, bonds, notes and debentures, as well as money market
instruments.
 
     The investment objective of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TOTAL RETURN BOND  FUND
(the  'Total  Return  Bond  Fund')  is to  maximize  the  total  rate  of return
consistent with moderate risk of capital and maintenance of liquidity. The Trust
seeks to achieve the investment  objective of the Fund  by investing all of  the
investable  assets of  the Fund  in Total  Return Bond  Portfolio, a diversified
open-end investment company with the  same investment objective and policies  as
the  Total Return Bond  Fund. Total Return  Bond Portfolio seeks  to achieve its
investment objective by  investing principally  in a broad  range of  investment
grade  fixed  income securities,  including  preferred stock,  bonds,  notes and
debentures, as  well  as  money  market  instruments.  In  selecting  investment
opportunities,  Total Return Bond Portfolio will balance yield, average maturity
and risk in seeking to provide maximum preservation of purchase power.
 
                                       6
 
<PAGE>
     The investment objective of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY INDEX FUND  (the
'Equity  Index Fund')  is to provide  investment results that  correspond to the
investment performance of the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index1
(the 'S&P 500  Index'), an  index emphasizing large  capitalization stocks.  The
Trust seeks to achieve the investment objective of the Fund by investing all the
investable assets of the Fund in Equity Market Portfolio, a diversified open-end
management investment company with the same investment objective and policies as
the  Equity Index Fund. Equity Market  Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment
objective by replicating  the yield and  total return of  the equity  securities
composing  the S&P 500 Index.  The S&P 500 is a  broad-based index of the common
stocks  of  500  companies  from  several  industrial  sectors  representing   a
significant  portion of the market value of all common stocks publicly traded in
the United States.
 
     The investment objective  of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL  BOND INDEX FUND  (the
'Bond  Index  Fund') is  to provide  investment results  that correspond  to the
investment  performance  of  the  Lehman  Brothers  Aggregate  Bond  Index  (the
'Aggregate  Bond Index'), a  broad market-weighted index  which encompasses U.S.
Treasury  and  agency   securities,  corporate  investment   grade  bonds,   and
mortgage-backed  securities,  each with  maturities greater  than one  year. The
Trust seeks to achieve the investment objective of the Fund by investing all the
investable assets of the Fund in  Bond Market Portfolio, a diversified  open-end
management investment company with the same investment objective and policies as
the  Bond  Index Fund.  Bond Market  Portfolio seeks  to achieve  its investment
objective by replicating the yield and total return of the Aggregate Bond  Index
through  a  statistically  selected  sample  of  fixed  income  securities.  The
Aggregate Bond Index is a broad  market-weighted index of U.S. investment  grade
fixed income securities.
 
     The  investment objective  of EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL SMALL CAPITALIZATION
FUND (the 'Small Cap Fund') is to provide a high total return from a diversified
portfolio of  equity securities  of small  capitalization companies.  The  Trust
seeks  to achieve  the investment  objective of  the Fund  by investing  all the
investable assets of  the Fund in  Small Cap Portfolio,  a diversified  open-end
management investment company with the same investment objective and policies as
the  Small  Cap  Fund.  Small  Cap Portfolio  seeks  to  achieve  its investment
objective by investing  in equity securities  from the Russell  2000 Index.  The
Portfolio  invests in index  securities whose risk  characteristics and industry
group representation are similar  to the universe of  securities in the  Russell
2000  Index; however,  the Portfolio's  security holdings,  taken together, will
have a lower aggregate price/earnings ratio than index securities generally. The
Russell 2000 Index is a broad index of equity securities of U.S. companies  with
common stock market capitalizations below $600 million.
 
     The  investment  objective of  EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL BALANCED  FUND (the
'Balanced Fund') is to provide a high total return from a diversified  portfolio
of equity and fixed income securities. The Trust seeks to achieve the investment
objective  of the  Fund by investing  all the  investable assets of  the Fund in
Balanced Portfolio, a  diversified open-end management  investment company  with
the  same  investment  objective and  policies  as the  Balanced  Fund. Balanced
Portfolio seeks to achieve this investment objective by investing in equity  and
fixed income securities, as described more fully below.
 
     The investment objective of EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY GROWTH FUND (the
'Equity Growth Fund') is to provide a high level of capital appreciation through
investment in a
 
- ------------
1'Standard & Poor's'r', 'S&P'r', and 'Standard & Poor's 500'r' are trademarks of
 Standard & Poor's Corporation.
 
                                       7
 
<PAGE>
diversified  portfolio of common stocks  with potential for above-average growth
in earnings and dividends. The Trust  seeks to achieve the investment  objective
of  the Fund by investing all the investable assets of the Fund in Equity Growth
Portfolio, a diversified  open-end management investment  company with the  same
investment  objective  and policies  as the  Equity  Growth Fund.  Equity Growth
Portfolio seeks to achieve this  investment objective by investing primarily  in
the  common stocks  of medium and  large capitalization companies  which, in the
opinion of its subadviser, will present an opportunity for significant increases
in earnings and/or value, without consideration for current income.
 
     The investment  objective of  EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL  VALUE EQUITY  INCOME
FUND  (the 'Value Equity Income Fund') is  to provide capital appreciation and a
high level of current income by investing principally in a diversified portfolio
of equity securities selected for their potential to generate current income  or
long-term growth of capital. The Trust seeks to achieve the investment objective
of  the Fund by investing all the investable  assets of the Fund in Value Equity
Income Portfolio, a diversified open-end management investment company with  the
same  investment objective and  policies as the Value  Equity Income Fund. Value
Equity Income Portfolio seeks to achieve this investment objective by  investing
primarily  in equity  securities which  produce a  current dividend  yield which
generally exceeds the published composite yield of the securities comprising the
S&P 500. The published composite yield of the S&P 500 was 2.45% for the calendar
quarter ended June 30, 1995.
 
     The investment objective  of EXCELSIOR  INSTITUTIONAL INTERNATIONAL  EQUITY
FUND   (the  'International  Equity  Fund')  is  to  provide  long-term  capital
appreciation through investment in a diversified portfolio of marketable foreign
securities. The Trust seeks to achieve  the investment objective of the Fund  by
investing  all  of the  investable assets  of the  Fund in  International Equity
Portfolio, a diversified  open-end investment company  with the same  investment
objective  and policies as  the International Equity  Fund. International Equity
Portfolio seeks to achieve  its investment objective  by investing primarily  in
foreign equity securities of issuers that the subadviser believes to have strong
balance sheets, sustainable internal growth, superior financial results, capable
and forthright management and enduring competitive advantages.
 
     Since  the investment policies and strategies of  each Fund are the same as
those of  its corresponding  Portfolio, the  following is  a discussion  of  the
various   investment  policies  and  strategies   employed  by  each  Portfolio.
Additional information  about the  investment policies  and strategies  of  each
Portfolio  appears in the  Statement of Additional Information.  There can be no
assurance that  the  investment  objective  of any  Fund  or  its  corresponding
Portfolio will be achieved.
 
U.S. TRUST'S INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY AND STRATEGIES
 
     U.S.  Trust,  the adviser  for  the Equity,  Income  and Total  Return Bond
Portfolios, and the subadviser for the Equity Market, Bond Market, and Small Cap
Portfolios, was founded in 1853, and  offers a variety of specialized  fiduciary
and   financial  services  to  high  net  worth  individuals,  institutions  and
corporations. As one of the largest institutions of its type, U.S. Trust  prides
itself  in  offering an  attentive  and high  level of  service  to each  of its
clients.
 
     EQUITY PORTFOLIO
 
     Investment Philosophy.  In managing  investments for the Equity  Portfolio,
U.S.  Trust follows a  long-term investment philosophy  which generally does not
change with  the  short-term variability  of  financial markets  or  fundamental
conditions.   U.S.  Trust's  approach  begins   with  the  conviction  that  all
 
                                       8
 
<PAGE>
worthwhile investments  are  grounded in  value.  U.S. Trust  believes  that  an
investor  can identify fundamental values that eventually should be reflected in
market prices.  U.S. Trust  believes that  over time  a disciplined  search  for
fundamental  value will achieve better results than attempting to take advantage
of short-term price movements.
 
     Implementation of  this long-term  value philosophy  consists of  searching
for,  identifying and  obtaining the  benefits of  present or  future investment
values. For example,  such values may  be found in  a company's future  earnings
potential  or in its  existing resources and assets.  Accordingly, U.S. Trust in
managing  investments  for  the  Equity  Portfolio  is  constantly  engaged   in
assessing,  comparing  and  judging  the  worth  of  companies,  particularly in
comparison to the price the markets place on such companies' shares.
 
     Strategies.   In order  to translate  its investment  philosophy into  more
specific  guidance for selection of investments,  U.S. Trust uses three specific
strategies. These strategies, while identified  separately, may overlap so  that
more than one may be applied in an investment decision.
 
     U.S.  Trust's 'PROBLEM/OPPORTUNITY  STRATEGY' seeks  to identify industries
and companies with  the capabilities  to provide  solutions to  or benefit  from
complex  problems  such  as the  changing  demographics  and aging  of  the U.S.
population or the need to  enhance industrial productivity. U.S. Trust's  second
strategy  is a  'TRANSACTION VALUE'  comparison of  a company's  real underlying
asset value with the  market price of  its shares and with  the sale prices  for
similar  assets changing  ownership in  public market  transactions. Differences
between a company's  real asset  value and  the price  of its  shares often  are
corrected  over time by restructuring of the  assets or by market recognition of
their value. U.S. Trust's third strategy involves identifying 'EARLY LIFE CYCLE'
companies whose products are in their earlier stages of development or that seek
to exploit new  markets. Frequently  such companies are  smaller companies,  but
early  life cycle companies  may also include  larger established companies with
new products or new markets for existing products. U.S. Trust believes that over
time the value of such companies should be recognized in the market.
 
     Themes.    To  complete  U.S.  Trust's  investment  philosophy,  the  three
portfolio  strategies  discussed  above  are  applied  in  concert  with several
'longer-term investment themes' to identify investment opportunities. U.S. Trust
believes these longer-term themes represent  strong and inexorable trends.  U.S.
Trust also believes that understanding the instigation, catalysts and effects of
these   longer-term  trends   should  help   to  identify   companies  that  are
beneficiaries of these trends.
 
     INCOME PORTFOLIO AND TOTAL RETURN BOND PORTFOLIO
 
     Investment Philosophy.  Generally, investors in fixed income securities are
best served in the long term by seeking to maximize total return. However,  some
investors  need to balance  preservation of purchase power  against the need for
current income.
 
     As a result,  the Trust is  offering both objectives  to investors. In  the
Total Return Bond Portfolio, U.S. Trust will employ a total return strategy that
balances  yield,  average  maturity  and  risk  in  seeking  to  provide maximum
preservation of  purchase  power. The  Income  Portfolio will  seek  to  provide
investors  with maximum current  income commensurate with  the credit quality of
the Portfolio and moderate risk of capital.
 
     EQUITY MARKET PORTFOLIO AND BOND MARKET PORTFOLIO
 
     Investment Philosophy.    The  Equity  Market  Portfolio  and  Bond  Market
Portfolio  (collectively, the  'Index Portfolios')  are not  managed pursuant to
traditional methods of  active investment management,  which involve the  buying
and   selling  of  securities   based  upon  economic,   financial,  and  market
 
                                       9
 
<PAGE>
analyses and investment  judgment. Instead,  the Index  Portfolios, utilizing  a
passive   or  indexing  investment  approach,  will  attempt  to  duplicate  the
investment performance of their respective indexes.
 
     The Bond Market Portfolio seeks to duplicate the investment performance  of
the  Aggregate Bond Index through statistical  sampling procedures, that is, the
Portfolio will invest in a selected group  --   not the entire universe  --   of
securities  in its  corresponding index.  This group  of securities,  when taken
together, is  expected  to perform  similarly  to the  index  as a  whole.  This
sampling  technique is expected to enable the Bond Market Portfolio to track the
price movements  and  performance  of its  index,  while  minimizing  brokerage,
custodial and accounting costs.
 
     The  Equity Market Portfolio  seeks to replicate  the investment results of
the S&P  500  Index  by  holding  all  500  stocks  included  in  the  index  in
approximately the same proportions as they are represented in the S&P 500 Index.
This  indexing technique  is known  as complete  replication. The  Equity Market
Portfolio will generally select index stocks by reference to their weighting  in
the  index, starting with the  stocks that are most  heavily weighted. Thus, the
Portfolio intends that the percentage of its assets invested in each index stock
will approximate the weighting of that stock in the S&P 500 Index. The Portfolio
may, however, be unable fully to implement the strategy outlined above when  its
assets  total less than $25 million. At such times, the Portfolio may attempt to
approximate the performance of the index by utilizing a sampling approach.
 
     The Trust  expects  that  there  will be  a  close  correlation  between  a
Portfolio's  performance  and  that of  its  index  in both  rising  and falling
markets. Each Index Portfolio will  attempt to maximize the correlation  between
its  performance and that  of its corresponding  index. Over the  long term, the
investment managers  of the  Index  Portfolios seek  a  correlation of  0.95  or
better.  In the event that a correlation of  0.95 or better is not achieved, the
Board of  Trustees of  the  Portfolio Series  will  review with  the  investment
managers methods for increasing such correlation, such as through adjustments in
securities holdings of an Index Portfolio. A correlation of 1.0 would indicate a
perfect correlation, which would be achieved when a Portfolio's net asset value,
including  the value of its dividend  and capital gains distributions, increases
or decreases in exact proportion to changes in an index. The investment managers
of the Index Portfolios monitor the correlation between the performance of  each
Index  Portfolio and its corresponding index on a regular basis. Factors such as
the size of  a Portfolio's  securities holdings,  transaction costs,  management
fees and expenses, brokerage commissions and fees, the extent and timing of cash
flows into and out of a Portfolio, and changes in the securities markets and the
indexes  themselves, are  expected to account  for any  differences between each
Index Portfolio's performance and that of its corresponding index.
 
INVESTMENT POLICIES
 
     EQUITY  PORTFOLIO  seeks  to  provide  long-term  capital  appreciation  by
investing in companies believed to represent good long-term values not currently
recognized  in  the  market prices  of  their  securities. U.S.  Trust  uses the
investment philosophy, strategies  and themes discussed  above to identify  such
investment values and to diversify the Portfolio's investments over a variety of
industries and types of companies.
 
     Under  normal market and economic conditions,  the Portfolio will invest at
least 65% of its  total assets in common  stock, preferred stock and  securities
convertible  into common stock.  Normally, not more than  35% of the Portfolio's
total assets  may be  invested in  other securities  and instruments  including,
e.g.,   investment-grade  debt   securities,  warrants,   options,  and  futures
instruments as  described  in  more detail  below.  See  'Additional  Investment
Strategies and Techniques; Risk Factors' below. The
 
                                       10
 
<PAGE>
Portfolio  may  hold  cash  or  invest  without  limitation  in  U.S. Government
securities, high  quality money  market  instruments and  repurchase  agreements
collateralized by the foregoing obligations, if deemed appropriate by U.S. Trust
for  temporary defensive  purposes. For a  description of  these securities, see
'Bond Market  Portfolio    --    U.S.  Government  and  Agency  Securities'  and
'Additional  Investment Strategies and Techniques; Risk  Factors  --  Short Term
Instruments' below, and the Statement of Additional Information.
 
     In managing the Portfolio, U.S.  Trust seeks to purchase securities  having
value  currently not  recognized in the  market price of  a security, consistent
with the strategies discussed above.
 
     Portfolio  holdings  will  include   common  stocks  of  companies   having
capitalizations  of  varying  amounts,  and the  Portfolio  will  invest  in the
securities of high growth, small companies where U.S. Trust expects earnings and
the price of the  securities to grow  at an above-average  rate. See 'Small  Cap
Portfolio'  below  for  a  description  of  certain  risks  associated  with the
securities of small companies. Certain securities owned by the Portfolio may  be
traded only in the over-the-counter market or on a regional securities exchange,
may be listed only in the quotation service commonly known as the 'pink sheets',
or may not be traded every day or in the volume typical of trading on a national
securities  exchange. As a result, there may be a greater fluctuation in the net
asset value of the  Portfolio, and the  Portfolio may be  required, in order  to
meet  withdrawals by investors or for other reasons, to sell these securities at
a discount from market prices, to  sell during periods when such disposition  is
not desirable, or to make many small sales over a period of time.
 
     Equity  Portfolio may invest in the securities of foreign issuers directly,
or indirectly through  sponsored and unsponsored  American Depository  Receipts.
See  'Additional Investment Strategies  and Techniques; Risk  Factors' below for
further information on foreign investments.
 
     Because of the risks associated  with common stock investments, the  Equity
Fund  is intended to  be a long-term  investment vehicle and  is not designed to
provide investors  with  a  means  of speculating  on  short-term  stock  market
movements.  Investors should not consider the  Equity Fund a complete investment
program.
 
     INCOME PORTFOLIO seeks  as high a  level of current  interest income as  is
consistent  with moderate risk  of capital and  maintenance of liquidity. Income
Portfolio will implement this objective  by lengthening the average maturity  of
its  holdings and  purchasing higher-yielding (but  relatively stable) corporate
bonds and government securities.  The Portfolio invests  principally in a  broad
range  of investment-grade income securities, including bonds, notes, debentures
and preferred stock, as well as money market instruments. See 'Total Return Bond
Portfolio' below  for a  description of  these securities  and a  discussion  of
certain investment policies of Income Portfolio.
 
     TOTAL  RETURN BOND  PORTFOLIO seeks  to maximize  the total  rate of return
consistent with  moderate  risk of  capital  and maintenance  of  liquidity.  In
selecting  investment opportunities,  Total Return  Bond Portfolio  will balance
yield, average maturity and risk in  seeking to provide maximum preservation  of
purchase power. Total Return Bond Portfolio invests principally in a broad range
of  investment-grade income  securities, including bonds,  notes, debentures and
preferred stock, as well as money market instruments.
 
     The Income and the Total Return Bond Portfolios may invest in the following
types of  securities:  corporate debt  obligations  such as  bonds,  debentures,
obligations  convertible  into  common  stocks  and  money  market  instruments;
preferred stocks; and obligations  issued or guaranteed  by the U.S.  Government
and  its agencies  or instrumentalities.  The Income  and the  Total Return Bond
Portfolios
 
                                       11
 
<PAGE>
are also permitted  to enter into  repurchase agreements, and  may from time  to
time  invest in debt obligations exempt from Federal income tax and issued by or
on behalf of the  states, territories or possessions  of the United States,  the
District  of Columbia,  and their  authorities, agencies,  instrumentalities and
political subdivisions ('Municipal Bonds').
 
     The purchase of Municipal  Bonds may be advantageous  when, as a result  of
prevailing  economic, regulatory or other circumstances, the performance of such
securities, on  a pre-tax  basis, is  comparable to  that of  corporate or  U.S.
Government  debt  obligations. The  two  principal classifications  of Municipal
Bonds which may be held by the  Income and the Total Return Bond Portfolios  are
'general  obligation'  securities and  'revenue' securities.  General obligation
securities are secured  by the issuer's  pledge of its  full faith, credit,  and
taxing  power for the payment of  principal and interest. Revenue securities are
payable only from the  revenues derived from a  particular facility or class  of
facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise tax or other
specific revenue source such as the user of the facility being financed. Private
activity  bonds held by the Portfolios are  in most cases revenue securities and
are not payable from the unrestricted revenues of the issuer. Consequently,  the
credit  quality of private activity revenue bonds is usually directly related to
the credit standing of the corporate user of the facility involved.
 
     The Income and the  Total Return Bond Portfolios  may also purchase  'moral
obligation'  securities,  which are  normally  issued by  special-purpose public
authorities. If the issuer of moral obligation securities is unable to meet  its
debt  service obligations from current revenues, it  may draw on a reserve fund,
the restoration of which is a moral  commitment, but not a legal obligation,  of
the  state or municipality which created the  issuer. Subject to the quality and
diversification requirements  specified below,  there is  no limitation  on  the
amount  of moral obligation  securities that may  be held by  the Income and the
Total Return Bond Portfolios. U.S. Trust will consider investments in  Municipal
Bonds  for  the Income  and the  Total  Return Bond  Portfolios when  U.S. Trust
believes that the total return on such securities is attractive relative to that
of taxable securities.
 
     Under normal market conditions,  at least 75% of  the Income and the  Total
Return  Bond Portfolios' total assets will  be invested in investment-grade debt
obligations rated within the four highest ratings of Moody's Investors  Service,
Inc.  ('Moody's')  or Standard  & Poor's  Ratings Group  ('S&P') (or  in unrated
obligations considered to  be of  investment grade by  U.S. Trust)  and in  U.S.
Government obligations and money market instruments of the types listed at 'Bond
Market  Portfolio   --  U.S.  Government and Agency  Securities' and 'Additional
Investment Strategies and Techniques; Risk Factors  --  Short Term  Instruments'
below.  When, in the opinion  of a Portfolio, a  defensive investment posture is
warranted,  each  of  these  Portfolios  may  invest  temporarily  and   without
limitation in high quality, short-term money market instruments.
 
     Unrated  securities will be considered of  investment grade if deemed to be
comparable in  quality  to  instruments  so rated,  as  determined  pursuant  to
procedures  established by  the Board of  Trustees of St.  James Portfolios (the
'Portfolio Series'). With respect to securities  rated Baa by Moody's or BBB  by
S&P,  interest and principal payments are  regarded as adequate for the present;
however, securities with  these rankings may  have speculative  characteristics,
and  changes in  economic conditions or  other circumstances are  more likely to
lead to a weakened capacity to make interest and principal payments than is  the
case  with higher grade bonds.  See the Appendix to  the Statement of Additional
Information for a more detailed explanation of these ratings.
 
     The Income and the  Total Return Bond  Portfolios may invest  up to 25%  of
their  respective total assets  in (a) obligations rated  below the four highest
ratings of S&P or Moody's with no minimum
 
                                       12
 
<PAGE>
rating required,  (b) preferred  stocks, and  (c) U.S.  dollar-denominated  debt
obligations  of (i) foreign issuers,  including foreign corporations and foreign
governments, and  (ii) U.S.  companies  issued outside  the United  States.  See
'Additional  Investment  Strategies  and  Techniques;  Risk  Factors'  below for
further information on these investments. The  Income and the Total Return  Bond
Portfolios  will not  invest in  common stocks,  and any  common stocks received
through conversion of convertible  debt obligations will be  sold in an  orderly
manner as soon as possible.
 
     Each  of the Income Fund and the Total Return Bond Fund is intended to be a
long-term investment vehicle  and is not  designed to provide  investors with  a
means  of speculating on short-term bond  market movements. Because of potential
share price fluctuations,  these Funds  may be inappropriate  for investors  who
have  short-term objectives. Investors should not  consider the Funds a complete
investment program.
 
     EQUITY MARKET PORTFOLIO invests at least  80% of its assets in a  portfolio
of equity securities consisting of all 500 common stocks in the S&P 500 Index of
large  capitalization  common  stocks.  The Portfolio  intends  to  remain fully
invested, to the extent  practicable, in a pool  of securities which will  match
the investment characteristics of the index. The inclusion of a stock in the S&P
500   Index  in  no  way  implies  that  Standard  &  Poor's  Corporation  ('S&P
Corporation') believes the stock to be an attractive investment.
 
     S&P 500 INDEX.  The S&P 500  Index is a well-known stock market index  that
includes  common  stocks  of  500  companies  from  several  industrial  sectors
representing a significant  portion of  the market  value of  all common  stocks
publicly  traded  in  the  United  States,  in  the  following  proportions: 400
industrials, 60 transportation and utility companies, and 40 financial  services
companies.  Stocks in the S&P  500 Index are weighted  according to their market
capitalization (i.e., the number of shares outstanding multiplied by the stock's
current price),  with the  51  largest stocks  currently  composing 50%  of  the
index's  value.  Typically, companies  included  in the  S&P  500 Index  are the
largest and most dominant firms in  their respective industries. As of June  30,
1995,  the five largest  companies in the Index  were: General Electric (2.39%),
Exxon Corporation  (2.19%), American  Telephone &  Telegraph (2.52%),  Coca-Cola
(2.02%),  and Royal Dutch  Petroleum (1.63%). As  of the same  date, the largest
industry  categories  were:  international   oil  companies  (6.8%),   telephone
companies  (4.9%),  electric  power companies  (3.8%),  diversified  health care
companies (3.8%), and major  regional banks (3.6%).  The investment managers  of
the   Portfolio  believe  that   the  performance  of  the   S&P  500  Index  is
representative of the performance of  publicly traded common stocks in  general.
The  composition of the  S&P 500 Index  is determined by  S&P Corporation and is
based on such factors as the market capitalization and trading activity of  each
stock  and its representation of a particular industry group, and may be changed
from time to time.
 
     The Equity Index Fund  and the Equity Market  Portfolio are not  sponsored,
endorsed,  sold  or  promoted  by  S&P  Corporation.  S&P  Corporation  makes no
representation or warranty, express or implied, to investors in the Equity Index
Fund and the Equity Market Portfolio or  any member of the public regarding  the
advisability  of investing in securities generally  or in the Fund and Portfolio
particularly or the ability of the S&P  500 Index to track general stock  market
performance.  S&P Corporation's only relationship to  the Trust is the licensing
of certain trademarks  and trade names  of S&P  Corporation and of  the S&P  500
Index  which is determined,  composed and calculated  by S&P Corporation without
regard to the Trust, the Equity Index  Fund or the Equity Market Portfolio.  S&P
Corporation has no obligation to take the needs of the Trust or the investors in
the  Equity Index  Fund and  the Equity  Market Portfolio  into consideration in
determining, composing or calculating the S&P
 
                                       13
 
<PAGE>
500 Index. S&P Corporation  is not responsible for  and has not participated  in
the  determination of the net asset value of  shares of the Equity Index Fund or
the timing of the issuance or sale of shares of the Fund.
 
     S&P CORPORATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS  OF
THE S&P 500 INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND S&P CORPORATION SHALL HAVE NO
LIABILITY  FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS,  OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. S&P CORPORATION
MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE TRUST
OR INVESTORS IN THE  EQUITY INDEX FUND  AND THE EQUITY  MARKET PORTFOLIO OR  ANY
PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE S&P 500 INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN.
S&P  CORPORATION MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS
ALL WARRANTIES OF  MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS  FOR A PARTICULAR  PURPOSE OR  USE
WITH RESPECT TO THE S&P 500 INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING
ANY  OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT  SHALL S&P CORPORATION HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR
ANY SPECIAL,  PUNITIVE,  INDIRECT,  OR  CONSEQUENTIAL  DAMAGES  (INCLUDING  LOST
PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
 
     Because  of the risks associated with  common stock investments, the Equity
Index Fund is intended to be a long-term investment vehicle and is not  designed
to  provide investors  with a  means of  speculating on  short-term stock market
movements. Investors  should  not consider  the  Equity Index  Fund  a  complete
investment program.
 
     BOND  MARKET PORTFOLIO invests at least 80% of its assets in a portfolio of
securities consisting of a representative  selection of fixed income  securities
included  in the Lehman Brothers Aggregate  Bond Index. The Portfolio intends to
remain fully invested, to the extent  practicable, in a pool of securities  that
match the yield and total return of the index.
 
     LEHMAN  BROTHERS AGGREGATE BOND INDEX.  The Aggregate Bond Index is a broad
market-weighted index which  encompasses three  major classes  of United  States
investment  grade fixed income securities with maturities greater than one year:
U.S. Treasury  and  agency  securities,  corporate  bonds,  and  mortgage-backed
securities.  The Index measures the total investment return (capital change plus
income) provided  by a  universe of  fixed income  securities, weighted  by  the
market  value outstanding of each security. The securities included in the Index
generally meet  the  following  criteria,  as defined  by  Lehman  Brothers:  an
outstanding market value of at least $100 million for U.S. Government and agency
issues  and $50 million for all other  securities issuers (this limit was raised
to $100  million for  all issuers  at the  end of  1994); and  investment  grade
quality,  rated a  minimum of  Baa by  Moody's or  BBB by  S&P. The  Bond Market
Portfolio is managed without regard to  tax ramifications. As of June 30,  1995,
the  following  classes  of  fixed  income  securities  represented  the  stated
proportions of the total market value of the Aggregate Bond Index:
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                         <C>
U.S. Treasury and government agency securities...........................    54%
Corporate bonds..........................................................    17%
Mortgage-backed securities...............................................    28%
Asset-backed securities..................................................     1%
Option-adjusted duration:                                                   4.6 years
</TABLE>
 
     The Aggregate Bond Index is composed of the following kinds of  securities:
public  obligations  of  the  U.S.  Government;  publicly  issued  debt  of U.S.
Government agencies and quasi-federal corporations; corporate debt guaranteed by
the U.S.  Government;  fixed rate  nonconvertible  dollar-denominated  corporate
debt;  15-and  30-year fixed  rate securities  backed by  mortgage pools  of the
Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), the Federal Home Loan  Mortgage
Corporation (FHLMC),
 
                                       14
 
<PAGE>
and   the  Federal  National  Mortgage   Association  (FNMA);  and  asset-backed
pass-through securities representing pools of  credit card receivables and  auto
or home equity loans.
 
     U.S.  GOVERNMENT  AND AGENCY  SECURITIES.   The  Bond Market  Portfolio may
invest in  U.S. Government  securities and  securities issued  or guaranteed  by
agencies  or  instrumentalities of  the  U.S. Government.  Securities  issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. Government  or its agencies or instrumentalities  include
U.S.  Treasury securities, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities
and times of  issuance: Treasury Bills  have initial maturities  of one year  or
less;  Treasury Notes have initial maturities of  one to ten years; and Treasury
Bonds generally  have  initial  maturities  of  greater  than  ten  years.  Some
obligations   issued   or   guaranteed   by   U.S.   Government   agencies   and
instrumentalities, such as Government National Mortgage Association pass-through
certificates, are supported by the full  faith and credit of the U.S.  Treasury;
other securities, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by
the  right of the issuer  to borrow from the  Treasury. Securities issued by the
Federal National Mortgage Association  are supported by discretionary  authority
of  the  U.S.  Government  to  purchase certain  obligations  of  the  agency or
instrumentality; other  securities, such  as those  issued by  the Student  Loan
Marketing  Association,  are  supported only  by  the  credit of  the  agency or
instrumentality. While the  U.S. Government provides  financial support to  such
U.S.  Government-sponsored agencies  or instrumentalities,  no assurance  can be
given that it will always do so, since  it is not so obligated by law. The  Bond
Index  Fund and Bond Market Portfolio, and their respective net asset values and
yields, are  not guaranteed  by the  U.S. Government  or any  federal agency  or
instrumentality.  For additional information on  U.S. Government securities, see
the Statement of Additional Information.
 
     The Bond Market Portfolio  may, from time to  time, substitute one type  of
investment  grade bond for another. For  instance, the Bond Market Portfolio may
hold more short-term corporate bonds (and fewer short U.S. Treasury bonds)  than
represented in the Aggregate Bond Index so as to increase income.
 
     CORPORATE BONDS.  The Bond Market Portfolio may purchase debt securities of
United  States corporations only  if they are deemed  investment grade, that is,
carry a rating of at least Baa from Moody's or BBB from S&P or, if not rated  by
these rating agencies, are judged by the investment managers of the Portfolio to
be  of comparable quality. With  respect to securities rated  Baa by Moody's and
BBB by S&P,  interest and principal  payments are regarded  as adequate for  the
present;   however,  securities   with  these   ratings  may   have  speculative
characteristics, and changes in economic  conditions or other circumstances  are
more  likely  to lead  to a  weakened  capacity to  make interest  and principal
payments than is  the case  with higher grade  bonds. The  Portfolio intends  to
dispose  in  an  orderly  manner  of  any  security  which  is  downgraded below
investment grade subsequent to its purchase.  See the Appendix to the  Statement
of Additional Information for a more detailed explanation of these ratings.
 
     Corporate bonds are subject to call risk during periods of falling interest
rates.  Securities with  high stated interest  rates may be  prepaid (or called)
prior to maturity, requiring the Bond Market Portfolio to invest the proceeds at
generally lower interest rates. Call provisions, common in many corporate bonds,
allow bond issuers to redeem bonds prior to maturity (at a specific price). When
interest rates are falling, bond  issuers often exercise these call  provisions,
paying  off bonds that  carry high stated  interest rates and  often issuing new
bonds at lower rates. For  the Bond Market Portfolio,  the result would be  that
bonds   with  high  interest  rates  are   called  and  must  be  replaced  with
lower-yielding instruments.  In  these circumstances,  the  income of  the  Bond
Market Portfolio would decline.
 
                                       15
 
<PAGE>
     MORTGAGE  PASS-THROUGHS AND COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE  OBLIGATIONS.  The Bond
Market Portfolio may purchase mortgage  and mortgage-related securities such  as
pass-throughs  and collateralized mortgage obligations that meet the Bond Market
Portfolio's selection criteria  (collectively, 'Mortgage Securities').  Mortgage
pass-throughs  are  securities  that  pass  through  to  investors  an undivided
interest in a pool  of underlying mortgages. These  are issued or guaranteed  by
U.S.  government  agencies  such  as  GNMA,  FNMA,  and  FHLMC.  Other  mortgage
pass-throughs consist of whole  loans originated and  issued by private  limited
purpose  corporations or conduits. Collateralized  mortgage obligation bonds are
obligations of special purpose corporations that are collateralized or supported
by mortgages or mortgage securities such as pass-throughs.
 
     As a result of its investments in Mortgage Securities, the  mortgage-backed
securities  in the Bond Market  Portfolio may be subject  to a greater degree of
market volatility as a result of unanticipated prepayments of principal.  During
periods  of declining interest rates,  the principal invested in mortgage-backed
securities with high interest  rates may be repaid  earlier than scheduled,  and
the  Bond Market Portfolio will be forced to reinvest the unanticipated payments
at generally  lower  interest rates.  When  interest rates  fall  and  principal
prepayments  are reinvested  at lower interest  rates, the income  that the Bond
Market  Portfolio  derives  from  mortgage-backed  securities  is  reduced.   In
addition,  like  other fixed  income  securities, Mortgage  Securities generally
decline in price when interest rates rise.
 
     Because the Bond Market Portfolio will seek to represent all major  sectors
of  the investment grade fixed income securities market, the Bond Index Fund may
be a suitable vehicle for those investors seeking ownership in the 'bond market'
as a  whole,  without regard  to  particular sectors.  The  Bond Index  Fund  is
intended  to be a  long-term investment vehicle  and is not  designed to provide
investors with  a means  of  speculating on  short-term bond  market  movements.
Because of potential share price fluctuations, the Fund may be inappropriate for
investors  who have short-term objectives or who require stability of principal.
Investors should not consider the Fund a complete investment program.
 
     SMALL CAP PORTFOLIO seeks to provide  a high total return from a  portfolio
of  equity  securities  of  small capitalization  companies.  Total  return will
consist of income  plus realized and  unrealized capital gains  and losses.  The
Portfolio  will invest  at least  65% of its  total assets  in equity securities
consisting of a selection of  the stocks included in  the Russell 2000 Index  of
small  capitalization stocks. The Portfolio intends to remain fully invested, to
the extent practicable,  in securities  with risk  characteristics and  industry
group representation similar to the securities in the Russell 2000 Index, but it
is  anticipated that  the Portfolio's securities,  taken together,  would have a
lower aggregate price/earnings ratio than index securities generally. To  reduce
the  risk associated with investments  in individual securities, the Portfolio's
investments will be spread over a range of industries and issuers as opposed  to
being   concentrated   in  a   few  individual   securities.  Stocks   of  small
capitalization issuers generally have  greater illiquidity and price  volatility
than stocks of larger capitalization issuers.
 
     The  Russell 2000 Index  consists of the smallest  2,000 companies from the
Russell  3000  Index  (a  portfolio  of  3,000  securities  of  U.S.   companies
representing  approximately 98% of  the U.S. equity  market). Only common stocks
issued by corporations domiciled  in the United States  and its territories  are
eligible  for inclusion  in the  Russell 2000  Index. As  of June  30, 1995, the
market capitalization of  stocks in the  index ranged in  size from $28  million
(smallest company) to $1.07 billion (largest company).
 
     The Portfolio invests in common stocks and other equity securities, such as
preferred  stocks, rights and warrants. Because  the Portfolio invests in equity
securities of small capitalization issuers, its price volatility may be  greater
than if the Portfolio invested exclusively in equity securities of issuers which
 
                                       16
 
<PAGE>
have  larger  market  capitalizations.  Generally,  equity  securities  of small
capitalization  companies  have  historically  been  characterized  by   greater
volatility  of returns,  greater total returns,  and lower  dividend yields than
equity securities of large capitalization issuers. The greater price  volatility
of  equity securities of  small capitalization issuers may  result from the fact
that there may be less market liquidity, less publicly available information  or
fewer  investors who monitor the activities of these companies. In addition, the
market prices of  these securities may  exhibit more sensitivity  to changes  in
industry or general economic conditions.
 
     The Small Cap Fund may be appropriate for a variety of investment programs.
While  the Fund is not  a substitute for an  investment portfolio tailored to an
investor's particular investment needs and ability  to tolerate risk, it may  be
used  to supplement and diversify an  investment portfolio. Because of the risks
associated  with  investments  in  equity  securities  of  small  capitalization
companies,  the Small Cap Fund is intended  to be a long-term investment vehicle
and is  not  designed  to provide  investors  with  a means  of  speculating  on
short-term  stock market movements. Investors should  not consider the Small Cap
Fund a complete investment program.
 
     BALANCED PORTFOLIO seeks to provide a high total return from a  diversified
portfolio  of equity and  fixed income securities. Total  return will consist of
income plus  realized and  unrealized capital  gains and  losses. The  Portfolio
seeks  to provide a total return that  approaches that of the universe of equity
securities of large  U.S. companies  and that exceeds  the return  typical of  a
portfolio  of fixed  income securities. The  Portfolio attempts  to achieve this
return by investing in equity and fixed income instruments, as described below.
 
     The Balanced Fund  is designed for  investors who wish  to invest for  long
term  objectives. The Balanced Fund may be appropriate for investors who seek to
attain appreciation in the market value of their investments over the long term,
but with somewhat  less price fluctuation  than a portfolio  consisting only  of
equity  securities.  The Balanced  Fund  may also  be  an attractive  option for
investors  who  want  professional  investment  managers  to  decide  how  their
investments  should  be allocated  between equity  and fixed  income securities.
Investors should not consider the Balanced Fund a complete investment program.
 
     The relative emphasis placed upon each asset class will vary based upon the
subadviser's assessment  of  their  current attractiveness  on  a  risk-adjusted
basis.  The precise allocation will depend  upon numerous factors, including the
Portfolio investment managers' evaluation of  the economy and financial  markets
as  well as government fiscal and monetary policies. Normally, the commitment to
stocks will range between 35% and  65% of portfolio assets. Similarly, the  bond
allocation  will usually fall between 35%  and 65% of portfolio assets. However,
at least 25% of the total assets  of the Portfolio are always invested in  fixed
income  senior  securities including  debt securities  and preferred  stock. The
subadviser may allocate the Portfolio's investments between these asset  classes
in  a manner they  believe consistent with  the Portfolio's investment objective
and current market conditions.  Stocks may be over-weighted  over the long  term
relative  to  bonds  given  that historically  equity  securities  have provided
superior returns. Within a  shorter time horizon, however,  if stocks and  bonds
appear  equally attractive, fixed  income securities may  be favored given their
greater certainty of return and lower volatility.
 
     The subadviser intends to manage the  Portfolio actively in pursuit of  its
investment   objective.  While   the  Portfolio   has  a   long-term  investment
perspective, it may take advantage of short-term trading opportunities that  are
consistent with its objective. To the extent the Portfolio engages in short-term
trading, it may incur increased transaction costs. See 'Tax Matters' below.
 
                                       17
 
<PAGE>
     EQUITY  INVESTMENTS.    For  the  equity  portion  of  the  Portfolio,  the
subadviser seeks to achieve  a high total  return through fundamental  analysis,
systematic   stock  valuation   and  disciplined   portfolio  construction.  The
Portfolio's equity investments will be primarily the common stock of large-  and
medium-sized  U.S.  companies with  market  capitalizations above  $1.5 billion,
including common stock of  any class or series  or any similar equity  interest,
such   as  trust  or  limited  partnership  interests.  The  Portfolio's  equity
investments may also include preferred  stock, warrants and similar rights.  The
Portfolio  may also invest  in the equity  securities of small  companies and of
foreign issuers.  The small  company  holdings of  the Portfolio  are  primarily
companies included in the Russell 2500 Index. The Russell 2500 Index consists of
the smallest 2,500 companies from the Russell 3000 Index. The Portfolio's equity
securities  may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights.
For a discussion of the risks of investments in small companies, see 'Small  Cap
Portfolio' above.
 
     FIXED  INCOME INVESTMENTS.  For the  fixed income portion of the Portfolio,
the subadviser seeks  to provide a  high total return  by actively managing  the
duration   of  the  Portfolio's  fixed  income  securities,  the  allocation  of
securities across  market  sectors,  and  the  selection  of  securities  within
sectors.  Based  on  fundamental,  economic and  capital  markets  research, the
subadviser adjusts the duration of  the Portfolio's fixed income investments  in
light   of  market  conditions.  The  subadviser  also  actively  allocates  the
Portfolio's fixed income investments among the broad sectors of the fixed income
market.
 
     Duration is a  measure of the  weighted average time  until receipt of  the
payments  expected to be  generated by the  fixed income securities  held in the
Portfolio, and can be used  as a measure of  the sensitivity of the  Portfolio's
market  value to  changes in interest  rates. For example,  and for illustrative
purposes only, a hypothetical fund with a duration of 10 years will decrease 10%
in value as a  result of a  1% increase in interest  rates. Under normal  market
conditions, the duration of the fixed income portion of the Portfolio will range
between  80% and  120% of the  Lehman Brothers  Government/Corporate Bond Index,
which as of June 30,  1995, was approximately 5.1  years. The maturities of  the
individual fixed income securities in the Portfolio may vary widely, however.
 
     The  Portfolio  may  purchase  debt  securities  only  if  they  are deemed
investment grade, that is, carry  a rating of at least  Baa from Moody's or  BBB
from S&P or, if not rated by these rating agencies, are judged by the investment
managers  to be of comparable  quality. With respect to  securities rated Baa by
Moody's and BBB by S&P, interest and principal payments are regarded as adequate
for the present;  however, securities  with these ratings  may have  speculative
characteristics,  and changes in economic  conditions or other circumstances are
more likely  to lead  to a  weakened  capacity to  make interest  and  principal
payments  than is  the case  with higher grade  bonds. The  Portfolio intends to
dispose in  an  orderly  manner  of  any  security  which  is  downgraded  below
investment  grade subsequent to its purchase.  See the Appendix to the Statement
of Additional Information for a more detailed explanation of these ratings.
 
     The Portfolio may invest  in a broad range  of debt securities of  domestic
and  foreign  issuers.  These  include  debt  securities  of  various  types and
maturities,  e.g.,  debentures,  notes,  mortgage  securities,  equipment  trust
certificates  and other  collateralized securities  and zero  coupon securities.
Collateralized securities  are backed  by a  pool  of assets  such as  loans  or
receivables  which  generate  cash  flow  to  cover  the  payments  due  on  the
securities. Collateralized securities are subject to certain risks, including  a
decline  in the  value of  the collateral backing  the security,  failure of the
collateral to generate the anticipated cash flow or in certain cases more  rapid
prepayment  because  of events  affecting  the collateral,  such  as accelerated
prepayment of mortgages or other  loans backing these securities or  destruction
of  equipment subject to equipment trust certificates.  In the event of any such
prepayment
 
                                       18
 
<PAGE>
the Portfolio  will be  required  to reinvest  the  proceeds of  prepayments  at
interest  rates prevailing at the  time of reinvestment, which  may be lower. In
addition, the value of zero coupon securities which do not pay interest is  more
volatile  than that of interest-bearing debt  securities with the same maturity.
For more  information on  mortgage securities  and associated  risks, see  'Bond
Market  Portfolio    --    Mortgage  Pass-Throughs  and  Collateralized Mortgage
Obligations' above.
 
     The Portfolio  may  invest in  U.S.  Government securities  and  securities
issued  or guaranteed by  agencies or instrumentalities  of the U.S. Government.
For a description  of these securities,  see 'Bond  Market Portfolio   --   U.S.
Government  and  Agency  Securities'  above  and  the  Statement  of  Additional
Information. The Portfolio may also invest in municipal obligations which may be
general obligations of the issuer or payable only from specific revenue sources.
However, the Portfolio will invest only in municipal obligations that have  been
issued on a taxable basis or have an attractive total return potential excluding
tax  considerations. In addition, the Portfolio may invest in debt securities of
foreign governments and governmental entities denominated, in all cases, in U.S.
dollars. See  'Additional Investment  Strategies and  Techniques; Risk  Factors'
below for further information on foreign investments.
 
     EQUITY   GROWTH  PORTFOLIO  seeks  to  provide  a  high  level  of  capital
appreciation through investment in a diversified portfolio of common stocks with
potential for  above-average growth  in earnings  and dividends.  Equity  Growth
Portfolio  seeks to achieve this investment  objective by investing primarily in
the common  stocks of  medium  and large  capitalization U.S.  companies  (i.e.,
companies  with stock market capitalizations of  more than $1 billion) which, in
the opinion  of the  subadviser,  will present  an opportunity  for  significant
increases in earnings and/or value. Current dividend income is incidental to the
Equity  Growth Portfolio's  investment objective  of increasing  the value  of a
shareholder's investment. Investments will be selected based on their  potential
for  above-average growth in earnings and dividends, with no consideration given
to current income.
 
     Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio  will invest at least 65%  of
its  total assets in common stocks. The remainder of the Portfolio's assets will
be  invested   in  other   types  of   securities  including   convertible   and
nonconvertible  bonds,  warrants and  short-term obligations,  preferred stocks,
debt securities, and repurchase  agreements collateralized by these  securities.
The  Portfolio may purchase  debt securities only if  they are deemed investment
grade, that is, carry a rating of at least Baa from Moody's or BBB from S&P  or,
if  not rated by these rating agencies, are judged by the investment managers to
be of comparable quality.  With respect to securities  rated Baa by Moody's  and
BBB  by S&P, interest  and principal payments  are regarded as  adequate for the
present;  however,   securities  with   these  ratings   may  have   speculative
characteristics,  and changes in economic  conditions or other circumstances are
more likely  to lead  to a  weakened  capacity to  make interest  and  principal
payments  than is  the case  with higher grade  bonds. The  Portfolio intends to
dispose in  an  orderly  manner  of  any  security  which  is  downgraded  below
investment  grade subsequent to its purchase.  See the Appendix to the Statement
of Additional Information for an explanation of these ratings. The Portfolio may
invest without limitation  in high  quality money market  instruments if  deemed
appropriate  by the subadviser for temporary defensive purposes. See 'Short-Term
Instruments' below. While  the Portfolio  may invest in  foreign securities,  it
currently  has no intention of purchasing foreign securities other than American
Depository  Receipts.   See   'Investment  Strategies   and   Techniques;   Risk
Factors   --   Foreign Investments'  below and  'Foreign Securities   --  Equity
Portfolios' in the Statement of  Additional Information. The Portfolio may  vary
the percentage of assets invested in any one type of security in accordance with
the  subadviser's interpretation of  economic and market  conditions, fiscal and
monetary policy, and underlying security values.
 
                                       19
 
<PAGE>
     The subadviser intends to manage the  Portfolio actively in pursuit of  its
investment   objective.  While   the  Portfolio   has  a   long-term  investment
perspective, it may take advantage of any short-term trading opportunities  that
are  consistent  with its  objective.  To the  extent  the Portfolio  engages in
short-term trading, it may incur increased transaction costs. See 'Tax  Matters'
below.
 
     The  Equity  Growth Fund  may be  appropriate for  a variety  of investment
programs. While  the  Fund is  not  a  substitute for  an  investment  portfolio
tailored  to an investor's  particular investment needs  and ability to tolerate
risk, it  may be  used  to supplement  and  diversify an  investment  portfolio.
Securities  which  offer  above-average  potential for  growth  in  earnings and
dividends may also involve greater volatility of market value. Investors  should
not consider the Fund a complete investment program.
 
     VALUE  EQUITY INCOME PORTFOLIO seeks to  provide capital appreciation and a
high level of current income by investing principally in a diversified portfolio
of equity securities selected for their potential to generate current income  or
long-term  growth of  capital. Over  the long term,  the Portfolio  will seek to
maintain its dividend and interest income levels  close to those of the S&P  500
Index.   In  making  portfolio  selections,   the  subadviser  follows  a  value
philosophy: to invest  in companies  with sound fundamentals  the securities  of
which  are trading at low price-to-earnings  ratios. In addition, the subadviser
follows an equity income philosophy: to invest principally in common stocks that
provide high current income and a low level of volatility relative to the market
while  seeking  to  obtain  long-term  growth  of  capital.  To  implement   the
Portfolio's  investment objective,  the subadviser will  attempt to  (a) build a
diversified  portfolio  with  significantly  lower-than-market  volatility  that
achieves   superior  return   over  time,  (b)   maintain  consistent  portfolio
characteristics, and (c) provide protection over a falling market cycle.
 
     EQUITY  INVESTMENTS.    The  Portfolio  will  invest  primarily  in  equity
securities  which produce a  current dividend yield  which generally exceeds the
published composite yield of  the securities comprising the  S&P 500 Index.  The
published  composite  yield of  the S&P  500  Index was  2.45% for  the calendar
quarter ended June 30,  1995. The S&P  500 Index is a  broad-based index of  500
companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Portfolio invests primarily
in  preferred stocks and common stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange and
on other national securities exchanges and,  to a lesser extent, in stocks  that
are  traded over-the-counter. Provided such securities meet the requirements set
forth below  for fixed  income investments,  the Portfolio  may also  invest  in
securities  convertible into common or preferred stocks. The Portfolio allocates
its investments among different industries  and companies, seeking to invest  in
growing, financially stable and undervalued companies.
 
     Under  normal market conditions, the Portfolio  will invest at least 65% of
its total assets  in income producing  equity securities. The  remainder of  the
Fund's  assets  may be  invested in  short-term  instruments such  as commercial
paper, bank obligations, U.S. government  and agency securities maturing  within
one  year, notes and other debt securities of various maturities, and repurchase
agreements collateralized by these securities. The Portfolio may invest  without
limitation  *in high quality  money market instruments  if deemed appropriate by
the subadviser for  temporary defensive purposes.  See 'Short-Term  Instruments'
below. While the Portfolio may invest in foreign securities, it currently has no
intention  of  purchasing  foreign  securities  other  than  American Depository
Receipts. See 'Investment Strategies and Techniques;  Risk Factors  --   Foreign
Investments'  below  and 'Foreign  Securities   --    Equity Portfolios'  in the
Statement of Additional Information.
 
     FIXED INCOME INVESTMENTS.   The Portfolio  may invest in  a broad range  of
debt  securities of domestic and foreign  issuers. These include debt securities
of various types and maturities,  e.g., debentures, notes, mortgage  securities,
equipment    trust    certificates   and    other    collateralized   securities
 
                                       20
 
<PAGE>
and zero coupon securities. For a more detailed description of these securities,
see 'Balanced  Portfolio  Fixed Income  Investments'  above. The  Portfolio  may
purchase  debt securities  only if  they are  deemed investment  grade, that is,
carry a rating of at least Baa from Moody's or BBB from S&P or, if not rated  by
these rating agencies, are judged by the investment managers to be of comparable
quality.  With  respect to  securities  rated Baa  by  Moody's and  BBB  by S&P,
interest and  principal  payments are  regarded  as adequate  for  the  present;
however, securities with these ratings may have speculative characteristics, and
changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to
a  weakened capacity to  make interest and  principal payments than  is the case
with higher grade bonds. The Portfolio  intends to dispose in an orderly  manner
of  any security  which is downgraded  below investment grade  subsequent to its
purchase. See the  Appendix to the  Statement of Additional  Information for  an
explanation of these ratings.
 
     U.S.  GOVERNMENT AND AGENCY  SECURITIES.  The Portfolio  may invest in U.S.
Government securities  and  securities  issued  or  guaranteed  by  agencies  or
instrumentalities of the U.S. Government. For a description of these securities,
see 'Bond Market Portfolio  --  U.S. Government and Agency Securities' above and
'U.S.   Government  and  Agency  Securities'  in  the  Statement  of  Additional
Information.
 
     MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGHS AND COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS.  The  Value
Equity  Income  Portfolio  may  purchase  mortgage-related  securities  such  as
mortgage  pass-throughs,  collateralized  mortgage  obligations,  and   mortgage
derivatives  that meet the Portfolio's selection  criteria. For a description of
these securities and associated risks, see 'Bond Market Portfolio  --   Mortgage
Pass-Throughs and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations' above.
 
     The  subadviser intends to manage the  Portfolio actively in pursuit of its
investment  objective.   While  the   Portfolio  has   a  long-term   investment
perspective,  it may take advantage of any short-term trading opportunities that
are consistent  with its  objective.  To the  extent  the Portfolio  engages  in
short-term  trading, it may incur increased transaction costs. See 'Tax Matters'
below.
 
     The Value Equity  Income Fund may  be appropriate for  investors seeking  a
fund  with greater  potential for capital  appreciation than an  income fund and
less price volatility than a growth fund. Investors should not consider the Fund
a complete investment program.
 
     INTERNATIONAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO seeks long-term capital appreciation through
investment in  a diversified  portfolio of  marketable foreign  securities.  The
Portfolio  ordinarily  will invest  primarily  in foreign  equity  securities of
issuers that the subadviser believes to have strong balance sheets,  sustainable
internal  growth, superior financial returns, capable and forthright management,
and enduring competitive advantages.
 
     When evaluating foreign  securities, the subadviser  will seek to  identify
superior  companies with excellent long-term growth prospects and to select from
among them those whose shares appear  to offer attractive absolute returns.  The
subadviser's  investment  criteria  therefore  include  both  growth  and  value
considerations. Growth stocks are  those that the  subadviser believes have  the
potential  for above-average growth in earnings. Value stocks are those that the
investment subadviser  believes  are undervalued  by  the market  based  on  the
investment  managers'  assessment  of  the company's  current  value  and future
earnings prospects.
 
     In  determining  investment  strategy   and  allocating  investments,   the
subadviser  will  continuously analyze  a  broad range  of  international equity
securities. Country and sector portfolio weightings are expected to reflect  the
results of a 'bottom up' stock selection process, rather than the results of any
'top  down' country or  sector allocation process.  The Portfolio generally will
sell securities if the
 
                                       21
 
<PAGE>
subadviser believes that  such securities have  become substantially  overvalued
relative  to alternative investments or if the subadviser believes that there is
an unfavorable change in the issuer's long-term business forecast.
 
     The Portfolio's investments generally will be diversified among  geographic
regions  and  countries.  While there  are  no prescribed  limits  on geographic
distributions,  the  Portfolio   normally  will  hold   securities  of   issuers
collectively  having their  principal place of  business in no  fewer than three
foreign countries. The subadviser expects that the Portfolio's assets ordinarily
will be invested in  securities of issuers located  in the Pacific Basin  (e.g.,
Japan,  Hong Kong,  Singapore, Malaysia),  Europe, Australia,  Latin America and
South Africa.  The  Portfolio also  may  invest, from  time  to time,  in  other
regions,  seeking to  capitalize on  investment opportunities  emerging in other
parts of the world. In purchasing foreign equity securities, the Portfolio  will
look generally to large and small companies in mature foreign markets as well as
well-established  companies  in  emerging markets.  Under  unusual  economic and
market conditions, the Portfolio  may restrict the  securities markets in  which
its assets are invested.
 
     Under   normal  market  and  economic  conditions,  at  least  75%  of  the
Portfolio's assets  will be  invested  in foreign  equity securities.  For  cash
management  purposes, the  Portfolio may  invest up  to 25%  of its  assets on a
continuous basis in  cash or short  term instruments such  as commercial  paper,
bank  obligations,  U.S. Government  and agency  securities maturing  within one
year, notes  and other  debt securities  of various  maturities, and  repurchase
agreements  collateralized by  these securities.  The Portfolio  also may invest
without limitation in any combination of high quality domestic or foreign  money
market  instruments  if  deemed  appropriate  by  the  subadviser  for temporary
defensive purposes in response  to unusual market  and economic conditions.  See
'Short-Term  Instruments' below. To the extent described below under 'Additional
Investment Strategies  and Techniques;  Risk Factors,'  the Portfolio  also  may
purchase shares of other investment companies and may engage in other investment
practices, including repurchase agreements, securities lending, forward currency
contracts and futures contracts and options.
 
     Foreign  equity securities  purchased by  the Portfolio  may include common
stock, preferred stock, securities convertible  into common or preferred  stock,
and  warrants  issued  by  companies  domiciled  outside  of  the  United States
('foreign issuers'),  and shares  of U.S  registered investment  companies  that
invest  primarily in foreign securities.  The Portfolio may purchase when-issued
securities otherwise  eligible for  purchase  by the  Portfolio and  may  invest
indirectly   in  the  securities  of   foreign  issuers  through  sponsored  and
unsponsored American Depository Receipts ('ADRs'), European Depository  Receipts
('EDRs') and similar securities of foreign issuers.
 
     Convertible  debt  securities  purchased  by the  Portfolio  will  be rated
investment grade by Moody's or S&P if such a rating is available. If unrated, as
is the case with most foreign securities, convertible debt securities  purchased
by  the Portfolio will be deemed to be comparable in quality to securities rated
investment grade pursuant to procedures established by the Board of Trustees  of
the  Portfolio Series. With respect to securities rated Baa by Moody's or BBB by
S&P (the lowest of the top four investment rankings), or deemed to be comparable
in quality to such securities, interest  and principal payments are regarded  as
adequate  for  the  present;  however,  these  securities  may  have speculative
characteristics, and changes in economic  conditions or other circumstances  are
more  likely  to lead  to a  weakened  capacity to  make interest  and principal
payments than is the case with higher grade bonds.
 
     The Portfolio may  purchase securities both  on recognized stock  exchanges
and in over-the-counter markets. Most portfolio transactions will be effected in
the primary trading market for the given security. The Portfolio also may invest
up   to  5%  of  its   total  assets  in  gold   bullion.  Investments  in  gold
 
                                       22
 
<PAGE>
will not produce dividends or interest  income, and the Portfolio can look  only
to price appreciation for a return on such investments.
 
     The  relative performance of foreign currencies  is an important element in
the Portfolio's performance. Although  the subadviser does  not expect to  hedge
foreign  currency exposure on a routine basis, it may do so when it has a strong
view on  the  prospects for  a  particular currency.  Certain  currency  hedging
techniques  that  may  be employed  by  the  subadviser are  described  below in
'Additional Investment Strategies and Techniques; Risk Factors: Foreign Currency
and Exchange Transactions.' Although such techniques may reduce the risk of loss
to the Portfolio from adverse movements in foreign exchange rates, they also may
limit possible gains from favorable movements in such rates.
 
     The Portfolio is designed for investors who desire to achieve international
diversification of  their investments  by  participating in  foreign  securities
markets.  Because international investments generally  involve risks in addition
to those associated with investments in the United States, the Portfolio  should
be  considered only  as a  vehicle for  international diversification  and not a
complete investment program. Before investing in the Portfolio, investors should
be familiar with the risks associated with foreign investments. These risks  are
discussed  below under  'Additional Investment  Strategies and  Techniques; Risk
Factors.'
 
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES; RISK FACTORS
 
     The Equity, Income, Total Return Bond, Small Cap, Balanced, Equity  Growth,
Value  Equity  Income  and International  Equity  Portfolios  (collectively, the
'Managed  Portfolios'),  and  the  Equity  Market  and  Bond  Market  Portfolios
(collectively,  the 'Index  Portfolios'), may  utilize the  following investment
strategies and techniques, as described below.
 
     SAMPLING AND TRADING IN  THE INDEX PORTFOLIOS.   The Bond Market  Portfolio
does  not  expect  to hold  all  of  the individual  issues  which  comprise the
Aggregate Bond  Index  because  of  the large  number  of  securities  involved.
Instead,  the  Portfolio  will  hold  a  representative  sample  of  securities,
selecting one or two issues to  represent entire classes or types of  securities
in  the index. This sampling  technique is expected to  be an effective means of
substantially duplicating the income and capital returns provided by the index.
 
     To reduce transaction costs, the Index Portfolios' securities holdings will
not be automatically traded or re-balanced  to reflect changes in an index.  The
Index  Portfolios will  seek to  buy round  lots of  stocks and  may trade large
blocks of securities. These policies may cause a particular security to be over-
or under-represented in a Portfolio relative to its index weighing or result  in
its  continued  ownership by  a  Portfolio after  its  deletion from  the index,
thereby reducing the correlation between the Portfolio and the index. The  Index
Portfolios  are  not  required to  buy  or  sell securities  solely  because the
percentage of  their assets  invested  in index  securities changes  when  their
market  values increase or decrease. In  addition, the Index Portfolios may omit
or remove  index securities  from their  portfolios if  the investment  managers
believe  the security to  be insufficiently liquid  or believe the  merit of the
investment has been substantially impaired by extraordinary events or  financial
conditions.  Over the long term, the investment managers of the Index Portfolios
seek a correlation of  0.95 or better. See  'U.S. Trust's Investment  Philosophy
and Strategies  --  Equity Market Portfolio and Bond Market Portfolio' above.
 
                                       23
 
<PAGE>
     INVESTMENTS BELOW INVESTMENT GRADE.  As discussed above, investments by the
Income  and the Total Return Bond Portfolios in obligations rated below the four
highest ratings of S&P and Moody's (commonly called 'junk bonds') have different
risks than investments in  securities that are rated  investment grade. Risk  of
loss  upon default by the borrower  is significantly greater because lower-rated
securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to other creditors
of  the  issuer,  and  because  the  issuers  frequently  have  high  levels  of
indebtedness  and are  more sensitive  to adverse  economic conditions,  such as
recessions, individual  corporate developments  and increasing  interest  rates,
than  are  investment grade  issuers.  As a  result,  the market  price  of such
securities, and the net asset value of  the Income and Total Return Bond  Funds'
Shares,   may  be  particularly  volatile.   Additional  risks  associated  with
lower-rated fixed-income securities are (a) the relative youth and growth of the
market for such securities, (b) the  sensitivity of such securities to  interest
rate  and economic changes, (c) the lower  degree of protection of principal and
interest payments,  (d) the  relatively  low trading  market liquidity  for  the
securities,  (e) the  impact that  legislation may have  on the  high yield bond
market (and,  in  turn,  on  the Portfolios'  net  asset  value  and  investment
practices),  (f)  the operation  of  mandatory sinking  fund  or call/redemption
provisions during periods of declining interest rates whereby a Portfolio may be
required to reinvest premature redemption  proceeds in lower yielding  portfolio
securities,  and (g)  the creditworthiness  of the  issuers of  such securities.
During an  economic downturn  or substantial  period of  rising interest  rates,
highly  leveraged issuers may experience  financial stress which would adversely
affect  their  ability   to  service  their   principal  and  interest   payment
obligations,   to  meet  projected  business  goals  and  to  obtain  additional
financing. An economic downturn  could also disrupt  the market for  lower-rated
bonds  generally and  adversely affect  the value  of outstanding  bonds and the
ability of the  issuers to  repay principal  and interest.  If the  issuer of  a
lower-rated  debt obligation held by a  Portfolio defaulted, the Portfolio could
incur additional  expenses  to seek  recovery.  Adverse publicity  and  investor
perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the
values  and liquidity of  lower-rated securities, especially  in a thinly traded
market. Finally, a  Portfolio's trading  in fixed-income  securities to  achieve
capital  appreciation entails risks  that capital losses  rather than gains will
result.
 
     Debt obligations rated 'BB', 'B' or 'CCC' by S&P are regarded, on  balance,
as  predominately speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay
principal in accordance with  the terms of the  obligation. 'BB' represents  the
lowest  degree of speculation  and 'C' the highest  degree of speculation. While
such debt will likely  have some quality  and protective characteristics,  these
are  outweighed  by  large  uncertainties or  major  risk  exposures  to adverse
conditions. The rating 'CC' is typically applied to debt subordinated to  senior
debt  that is assigned an actual or implied 'CCC' debt rating. The rating 'C' is
applied to debt subordinated  to a senior  debt which is  assigned an actual  or
implied  'CCC' rating. The 'C'  rating may be used to  cover a situation where a
bankruptcy petition has  been filed,  but debt service  payments are  continued.
Debt  obligations  rated 'D'  are in  default, and  payments of  interest and/or
repayment of principal are in arrears.  The ratings from 'AA' through 'CCC'  are
sometimes  modified by  the addition of  a plus  or minus sign  to show relative
standing  within   the  major   rating  categories.   Moody's  has   a   similar
classification   scheme   for  non-investment   grade  debt   obligations.  Debt
obligations rated 'Ba', 'B', 'Caa', 'Ca' and 'C' provide questionable protection
of interest and principal. The rating 'Ba' indicates that a debt obligation  has
some  speculative characteristics.  The rating 'B'  indicates a  general lack of
characteristics of desirable  investment. Debt  obligations rated  'Caa' are  of
poor   quality,  while  debt  obligations   rated  'Ca'  are  considered  highly
speculative. 'C' represents the lowest rated class of debt obligations.  Moody's
applies  numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 in each generic classification from 'Aa'
to 'B' in its bond rating system. The
 
                                       24
 
<PAGE>
modifier '1' indicates that  a security ranks  in the higher  end of its  rating
category;  the modifier '2'  reflects a mid-range ranking;  and the modifier '3'
indicates that  the  security ranks  at  the lower  end  of its  generic  rating
category. See the Appendix to the Statement of Additional Information for a more
detailed explanation of these ratings.
 
     CONVERTIBLE  SECURITIES.  The  Managed Portfolios may  invest in investment
grade convertible securities of  domestic and foreign  issuers, although in  the
current  fiscal  year the  Small Cap  Portfolio  has no  intention to  invest in
convertible securities of  foreign issuers. See  'Value Equity Income  Portfolio
Fixed Income Investments' for an explanation of investment grade ratings of debt
securities,  including  convertible  securities. The  convertible  securities in
which the Portfolios may invest include  any debt securities or preferred  stock
which  may be converted into  common stock or which  carry the right to purchase
common  stock.  Convertible  securities  entitle  the  holder  to  exchange  the
securities for a specified number of shares of common stock, usually of the same
company, at specified prices within a certain period of time.
 
     WHEN-ISSUED  AND DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES.   The Portfolios may purchase
securities on a  'when-issued' basis and  may purchase or  sell securities on  a
'forward  commitment' basis  in order  to hedge  against anticipated  changes in
interest rates  and  prices.  These  transactions  involve  a  commitment  by  a
Portfolio  to purchase or  sell particular securities  with payment and delivery
taking place in the future, beyond the normal settlement date, at a stated price
and yield. Securities purchased on a forward commitment or when-issued basis are
recorded as an asset and are subject  to changes in value based upon changes  in
the  general level of interest rates. When such transactions are negotiated, the
price, which is generally  expressed in yield  terms, is fixed  at the time  the
commitment  is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a
later date. When-issued securities and forward commitments may be sold prior  to
the  settlement date,  but a Portfolio  will enter into  when-issued and forward
commitments only  with the  intention of  actually receiving  or delivering  the
securities,  as  the  case may  be.  At the  time  the Portfolio  enters  into a
transaction on a when-issued or  forward commitment basis, a segregated  account
consisting  of cash or high  grade liquid debt securities  equal to the value of
the when-issued  or  forward  commitment  securities  will  be  established  and
maintained.  There is a risk  that the securities may  not be delivered and that
the Portfolio may incur a loss.
 
     In addition, the Income  and the Total Return  Bond Portfolios may  acquire
'stand-by  commitments' with  respect to Municipal  Bonds held by  them. Under a
stand-by commitment,  a  dealer  agrees  to purchase  at  a  Portfolio's  option
specified  Municipal Bonds  at a  specified price.  The Portfolios  will acquire
stand-by commitments solely to facilitate portfolio liquidity and do not  intend
to   exercise  their  rights  thereunder   for  speculative  purposes.  Stand-by
commitments acquired by a  Portfolio will be valued  at zero in determining  the
Portfolio's net asset value.
 
     REPURCHASE  AGREEMENTS.   Each of the  Portfolios may  engage in repurchase
agreement transactions  with brokers,  dealers  or banks  that meet  the  credit
guidelines  established by the Trustees of the Portfolio Series. In a repurchase
agreement, a  Portfolio  buys  a security  from  a  seller that  has  agreed  to
repurchase  it at a mutually agreed upon date and price, reflecting the interest
rate effective for the term  of the agreement. The  term of these agreements  is
usually  from overnight to one  week. A repurchase agreement  may be viewed as a
fully collateralized loan of money by the Portfolio to the seller. The Portfolio
always receives securities as collateral with  a market value at least equal  to
the  purchase price plus  accrued interest, and this  value is maintained during
the term  of the  agreement. If  the seller  defaults and  the collateral  value
declines,  the  Portfolio  might incur  a  loss. If  bankruptcy  proceedings are
commenced with  respect to  the  seller, the  Portfolio's realization  upon  the
disposition  of collateral  may be  delayed or  limited. Investments  in certain
repurchase agreements and certain other investments
 
                                       25
 
<PAGE>
which may  be  considered  illiquid  are  limited.  See  'Illiquid  Investments;
Privately Placed and other Unregistered Securities' below.
 
     REVERSE  REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS.   Each  Portfolio may  borrow funds,  in an
amount up  to one-third  of the  value of  its total  assets, for  temporary  or
emergency purposes, such as meeting larger than anticipated redemption requests,
and not for leverage. Each Portfolio may also agree to sell portfolio securities
to  financial institutions  such as banks  and broker-dealers  and to repurchase
them at a mutually agreed date and price (a 'reverse repurchase agreement'). The
SEC views reverse repurchase agreements  as a form of  borrowing. At the time  a
Portfolio  enters  into  a reverse  repurchase  agreement,  it will  place  in a
segregated custodial account cash, U.S. Government securities or high-grade debt
obligations having  a value  equal to  the repurchase  price, including  accrued
interest.  Reverse repurchase agreements involve the  risk that the market value
of the securities sold by the  Portfolio may decline below the repurchase  price
of those securities.
 
     INVESTMENT  COMPANY SECURITIES.   In connection with  the management of its
daily cash positions, each  Portfolio may invest in  securities issued by  other
investment  companies which invest  in high quality,  short-term debt securities
and which determine their net asset value per share based on the amortized  cost
or  penny-rounding method. The International  Equity Portfolio may also purchase
shares of  investment  companies  investing  primarily  in  foreign  securities,
including  so-called 'country funds' which  have portfolios consisting primarily
of securities of  issuers located  in one foreign  country. In  addition to  the
advisory  fees and other expenses a  Portfolio bears directly in connection with
its own operations, as a shareholder of another investment company, a  Portfolio
would  bear its pro rata portion of the other investment company's advisory fees
and other  expenses.  As  such,  the  corresponding  Fund's  shareholders  would
indirectly  bear the expenses  of the other  investment company, some  or all of
which would  be duplicated.  Securities  of other  investment companies  may  be
acquired  by the Portfolios to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, that is,
a Portfolio may invest a maximum of up to 10% of its total assets in  securities
of  other  investment  companies  so long  as  not  more than  3%  of  the total
outstanding voting stock of any one investment company is held by any Portfolio.
In addition, not more than 5% of the Portfolio's total assets may be invested in
the securities of any one investment company.
 
     FOREIGN INVESTMENTS.    In  accordance  with  their  respective  investment
objectives  and policies, the  Equity, Balanced, Equity  Growth and Value Equity
Income Portfolios  may  invest,  and the  International  Equity  Portfolio  will
invest,  in common stocks  of foreign corporations, and  each of such Portfolios
and the  Income and  Total  Return Bond  Portfolios  may invest  in  convertible
securities of foreign corporations as well as fixed income securities of foreign
government and corporate issuers. Other than the International Equity Portfolio,
which  will invest under normal  market and economic conditions  at least 75% of
its total assets in foreign securities, none of the Portfolios expects to invest
more than 30% (25% in the case  of the Income and Total Return Bond  Portfolios)
of  their  respective total  assets at  the  time of  purchase in  securities of
foreign issuers.
 
     All investments, domestic or foreign, involve certain risks. Investment  in
securities  of  foreign  issuers,  and in  obligations  of  foreign  branches or
subsidiaries of domestic  or foreign  banks, may  involve risks  in addition  to
those  normally associated with  investments in the  securities of U.S. issuers.
Overall, there may  be limited  publicly available information  with respect  to
foreign  issuers, and there  may be less supervision  of foreign stock exchanges
and market  participants  such  as  brokers  and  issuers.  Moreover,  available
information  may not  be as  reliable as  information regarding  U.S. companies,
because foreign issuers often  are not subject  to uniform accounting,  auditing
and  financial standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S.
companies.
 
                                       26
 
<PAGE>
     Dividends  and  interest  paid  by  foreign  issuers  may  be  subject   to
withholding  and other  foreign taxes.  To the  extent that  such taxes  are not
offset by credits or  deductions allowed to investors  under the Federal  income
tax laws, they may reduce the net return to investors. See 'Tax Matters' below.
 
     Investors  should realize  that the value  of a  Portfolio's investments in
foreign securities may be adversely affected  by changes in political or  social
conditions,   diplomatic   relations,   confiscatory   taxation,  expropriation,
nationalization, limitation on the removal of funds or assets, or imposition  of
(or changes in) exchange controls or tax regulations in those foreign countries.
In  addition,  changes in  government  administrations or  economic  or monetary
policies in  the  United  States  or abroad  could  result  in  appreciation  or
depreciation of portfolio securities and could favorably or unfavorably affect a
Portfolio's  operations. The economies of  individual foreign nations may differ
from the U.S. economy in areas such as growth of gross national product, rate of
inflation,  capital  reinvestment,  resource  self-sufficiency  and  balance  of
payments  position;  it may  also  be more  difficult  to obtain  and  enforce a
judgment against a foreign issuer. Any  foreign investments made by a  Portfolio
must  be made in compliance with U.S.  and foreign currency restrictions and tax
laws restricting the amounts and types of foreign investments.
 
     While the volume of  transactions effected on  foreign stock exchanges  has
increased  in recent years, in  most cases it remains  appreciably below that of
domestic security exchanges. Accordingly, a Portfolio's foreign investments  may
be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than comparable investments
in  securities of U.S.  companies. Moreover, the  settlement periods for foreign
securities, which are often  longer than those for  securities of U.S.  issuers,
may affect portfolio liquidity.
 
     The costs attributable to investing abroad are usually higher than those of
funds  investing in domestic securities for  several reasons, such as the higher
cost of  investment research,  higher  cost of  custody of  foreign  securities,
higher  commissions  paid  on  comparable transactions  on  foreign  markets and
additional costs arising  from delays in  settlements of transactions  involving
foreign securities.
 
     The  Portfolios may invest in securities  of foreign issuers directly or in
the form of American Depository Receipts ('ADRs'), European Depository  Receipts
('EDRs')  or other similar  securities of foreign  issuers. These securities may
not necessarily  be denominated  in the  same currency  as the  securities  they
represent.  ADRS are receipts typically  issued by a U.S.  bank or trust company
which evidence  ownership of  the underlying  foreign securities.  Certain  such
institutions  issue  ADRs  which may  not  be  sponsored by  the  issuer  of the
underlying foreign securities.  A non-sponsored depository  may not provide  the
same  shareholder information that a sponsored depository is required to provide
under its contractual  arrangements with  the issuer of  the underlying  foreign
securities.  EDRs  are  receipts  issued  by  a  European  financial institution
evidencing a  similar  arrangement. Generally,  ADRs,  in registered  form,  are
designed  for use in the U.S. securities  markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are
designed for use in European securities markets.
 
     Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the value in U.S. dollars  of
all  foreign currency-denominated  securities held  by the  Portfolios. Exchange
rates are influenced generally by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign
currency markets and by  numerous other political and  economic events, many  of
which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.
 
     FOREIGN   CURRENCY  EXCHANGE  TRANSACTIONS.     In  accordance  with  their
respective investment objectives and policies, the Equity, Income, Total  Return
Bond,  Balanced, Equity  Growth and Value  Equity Income Portfolios  may buy and
sell, and the International Equity Portfolio will buy and sell, securities  (and
receive  interest  and dividends  proceeds) in  currencies  other than  the U.S.
dollar. Therefore, these  Portfolios may enter  from time to  time into  foreign
currency exchange transactions.
 
                                       27
 
<PAGE>
The  Portfolios will either enter into these transactions on a spot (i.e., cash)
basis at the spot  rate prevailing in the  foreign currency exchange market,  or
use  forward contracts  to purchase  or sell foreign  currencies. The  cost of a
Portfolio's spot currency exchange transactions will generally be the difference
between the bid and offer spot rate of the currency being purchased or sold.
 
     A forward  foreign  currency  exchange  contract  is  an  obligation  by  a
Portfolio to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be
any fixed number of days from the date of the contract. Forward foreign currency
exchange  contracts establish an exchange rate at a future date. These contracts
are transferable  in  the interbank  market  directly between  currency  traders
(usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward foreign currency
exchange  contract generally has no deposit requirement,  and is traded at a net
price without commission. The Portfolios  will not enter into forward  contracts
for speculative purposes. Neither spot transactions nor forward foreign currency
exchange  contracts  eliminate  fluctuations  in  the  prices  of  a Portfolio's
securities or in foreign exchange rates, or prevent loss if the prices of  these
securities should decline.
 
     The  Portfolios may enter into foreign currency exchange transactions in an
attempt to protect against  changes in foreign  currency exchange rates  between
the   trade  and  settlement  dates   of  specific  securities  transactions  or
anticipated securities transactions. The Portfolios may also enter into  forward
contracts  to hedge  against a  change in  foreign currency  exchange rates that
would cause  a decline  in  the value  of  existing investments  denominated  or
principally  traded in a foreign  currency. To do this,  a Portfolio would enter
into a forward contract to sell the foreign currency in which the investment  is
denominated  or principally traded  in exchange for U.S.  dollars or in exchange
for another foreign currency. A Portfolio will only enter into forward contracts
to sell  a foreign  currency in  exchange for  another foreign  currency if  its
respective  subadviser  expects  the foreign  currency  purchased  to appreciate
against the U.S. dollar.
 
     Although these transactions are intended to  minimize the risk of loss  due
to  a decline in the value  of the hedged currency, at  the same time they limit
any potential  gain  that might  be  realized should  the  value of  the  hedged
currency  increase.  In  addition,  forward  contracts  that  convert  a foreign
currency into another foreign currency will cause a Portfolio to assume the risk
of fluctuations in  the value of  the currency  purchased vis a  vis the  hedged
currency  and  the U.S.  dollar. The  precise matching  of the  forward contract
amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be  possible
because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as
a  consequence of market movements  in the value of  such securities between the
date the  forward  contract  is  entered  into and  the  date  it  matures.  The
projection  of  currency  market  movements  is  extremely  difficult,  and  the
successful execution of a hedging strategy is highly uncertain.
 
     FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS.   Each Portfolio may  purchase put and  call
options  on  securities,  indices  of  securities  and  futures  contracts.  The
Portfolios may also purchase  and sell futures  contracts. Futures contracts  on
securities  and securities  indices will be  used primarily  to accommodate cash
flows or in anticipation of taking a market position when, in the opinion of the
investment  managers,  available  cash  balances  do  not  permit   economically
efficient  purchases of securities.  Moreover, a Portfolio  may sell futures and
options to 'close out' futures and options  it may have purchased or to  protect
against  a decrease in the price of securities  it owns but intends to sell. The
Index Portfolios will not invest  in futures or options  as part of a  defensive
strategy  to  protect  against  potential  stock  market  declines.  The Managed
Portfolios may  use futures  contracts and  options for  both hedging  and  risk
management  purposes, although not  for speculation. See  'Futures Contracts and
Options on Futures Contracts' in the Statement of Additional Information.
 
                                       28
 
<PAGE>
     The Portfolios may (a) purchase exchange traded and over the counter  (OTC)
put  and call options on securities and  indexes of securities, (b) purchase and
sell futures contracts on securities and indexes of securities and (c)  purchase
put  and  call  options  on  futures  contracts  on  securities  and  indexes of
securities. In addition, the Portfolios may sell (write) exchange traded and OTC
put and call  options on  securities and indexes  of securities  and on  futures
contracts  on securities  and indexes  of securities. The  staff of  the SEC has
taken the position that OTC options  are illiquid and, therefore, together  with
other  illiquid  securities  held  by  a Portfolio,  cannot  exceed  15%  of the
Portfolio's net assets. The Portfolios intend to comply with this limitation.
 
     The Portfolios  may  use options  and  futures contracts  to  manage  their
exposure  to changing  interest rates and/or  security prices.  Some options and
futures strategies, including selling futures contracts and buying puts, tend to
hedge a Portfolio's  investments against price  fluctuations. Other  strategies,
including  buying futures contracts,  writing puts and  calls, and buying calls,
tend to increase market exposure. Options and futures contracts may be  combined
with each other or with forward contracts in order to adjust the risk and return
characteristics of a Portfolio's overall strategy in a manner deemed appropriate
by  the Portfolio's  investment managers and  consistent with  its objective and
policies. Because  combined  options  positions involve  multiple  trades,  they
result  in higher transaction costs and may  be more difficult to open and close
out.
 
     The use  of options  and futures  is a  highly specialized  activity  which
involves  investment strategies and  risks different from  those associated with
ordinary portfolio securities transactions, and  there can be no guarantee  that
their  use will increase a Portfolio's return. While the use of these techniques
by a Portfolio  may reduce certain  risks associated with  owning its  portfolio
securities,   these  investments  entail  certain   other  risks.  If  Portfolio
investment managers apply a  strategy at an inappropriate  time or judge  market
conditions  or trends  incorrectly, options and  futures strategies  may lower a
Portfolio's return.  Certain strategies  limit  a Portfolio's  possibilities  to
realize  gains as well as  limit its exposure to  losses. A Portfolio could also
experience losses if the prices of its options and futures positions were poorly
correlated with  its  other  investments, or  if  it  could not  close  out  its
positions because of an illiquid secondary market. In addition, a Portfolio will
incur  transaction costs, including trading  commissions and option premiums, in
connection with  its futures  and options  transactions and  these  transactions
could significantly increase the Portfolio's turnover rate. For more information
on these investment techniques, see the Statement of Additional Information.
 
     Each  of  the Portfolios  may purchase  and  sell put  and call  options on
securities, indexes of securities  and futures contracts,  or purchase and  sell
futures  contracts, only if such options are written by other persons and if (i)
the aggregate premiums paid on  all such options which are  held at any time  do
not  exceed 20% of a Portfolio's total net assets, and (ii) the aggregate margin
deposits required on all such futures or options thereon held at any time do not
exceed 5% of a Portfolio's total assets. None of the Portfolios has any  current
intention  of purchasing futures contracts or  investing in put and call options
on securities, indexes of  securities, or futures contracts  if more than 5%  of
its net assets would be at risk from such transactions.
 
     ILLIQUID    INVESTMENTS;   PRIVATELY   PLACED    AND   OTHER   UNREGISTERED
SECURITIES.  Each Portfolio  may acquire investments that  are illiquid or  have
limited  liquidity,  such  as private  placements  or investments  that  are not
registered under the Securities  Act of 1933, as  amended (the '1933 Act'),  and
cannot  be offered  for public  sale in  the United  States without  first being
registered under the  1933 Act. An  illiquid investment is  any investment  that
cannot  be disposed  of within seven  days in  the normal course  of business at
approximately the amount at  which it is  valued by the  Portfolio. The price  a
Portfolio pays for illiquid securities or receives upon resale may be lower than
the price paid or received for similar
 
                                       29
 
<PAGE>
securities  with  a  more  liquid market.  Accordingly  the  valuation  of these
securities will reflect any limitations on their liquidity.
 
     Acquisitions of illiquid investments by  the Portfolios are subject to  the
following  non-fundamental policies. Each Portfolio may not invest in additional
illiquid securities if, as a  result, more than 15% of  the market value of  its
net  assets would be invested in illiquid securities. Each of the Portfolios may
also purchase  Rule  144A securities  sold  to institutional  investors  without
registration under the 1933 Act. These securities may be determined to be liquid
in  accordance with guidelines established  by the Portfolio investment managers
and approved by the Trustees. The Trustees of the Portfolio Series will  monitor
the implementation of these guidelines on a periodic basis. Because Rule 144A is
relatively  new,  it  is  not  possible to  predict  how  markets  in  Rule 144A
securities will develop.  If trading in  Rule 144A securities  were to  decline,
these  securities could  become illiquid  after being  purchased, increasing the
level of illiquidity  of a  Portfolio. As a  result, a  Portfolio holding  these
securities  might  not be  able  to sell  these  securities when  the investment
manager wishes to do so, or might have to sell them at less than fair value.
 
     SHORT-TERM INSTRUMENTS.   Each Portfolio  may invest  in short-term  income
securities in accordance with its investment objective and policies as described
above.  The  Portfolios may  also make  money  market investments  pending other
investments  or  settlement,  or  to  maintain  liquidity  to  meet  shareholder
redemptions. Although the Index Portfolios normally seek to remain substantially
fully  invested  in  securities  selected  to  match  their  corresponding index
consistent with  seeking  a correlation  of  0.95  or better  between  an  Index
Portfolio's  performance and that of its corresponding index, an Index Portfolio
may invest  temporarily up  to 20%  of its  assets in  certain short-term  fixed
income   securities.  The  Index  Portfolios   will  not  invest  in  short-term
instruments as part of a defensive  strategy to protect against potential  stock
market  declines.  Each of  the  Managed Portfolios  is  permitted to  invest in
short-term instruments, although each intends to stay invested in the equity and
fixed income instruments described above to the extent practical in light of its
respective objective  and  long-term  investment perspective.  In  addition,  in
adverse market conditions and for temporary defensive purposes only, the Managed
Portfolios  may temporarily invest their respective assets without limitation in
short-term investments.  These  securities  include:  obligations  of  the  U.S.
Government  and its  agencies or  instrumentalities; commercial  paper and other
debt securities;  variable  and  floating  rate  securities;  bank  obligations;
repurchase  agreements  collateralized  by  these  securities;  shares  of other
investment companies  that  primarily  invest in  any  of  the  above-referenced
securities;  and, in  the case of  the International Equity  Portfolio, cash and
bank instruments denominated in foreign currencies. Commercial paper consists of
short-term, unsecured  promissory  notes  issued to  finance  short-term  credit
needs. Other corporate obligations in which the Portfolios may invest consist of
high  quality,  U.S. dollar-denominated  short-term  bonds and  notes (including
variable  amount  master   demand  notes)   issued  by   domestic  and   foreign
corporations.  The Portfolios  may invest  in commercial  paper issued  by major
corporations in reliance on the exemption from registration afforded by  Section
3(a)(3)  of the 1933  Act. Such commercial  paper may be  issued only to finance
current transactions and  must mature in  nine months or  less. Trading of  such
commercial  paper  is  conducted primarily  by  institutional  investors through
investment dealers,  and individual  investor  participation in  the  commercial
paper market is very limited.
 
     Each  Portfolio  may  invest  in  U.S.  dollar-denominated  certificates of
deposit, time deposits,  bankers' acceptances and  other short-term  obligations
issued  by domestic  banks and domestic  or foreign branches  or subsidiaries of
foreign  banks.  Certificates  of   deposit  are  certificates  evidencing   the
obligation  of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of
time. Such instruments
 
                                       30
 
<PAGE>
include Yankee Certificates of Deposit ('Yankee CDs'), which are certificates of
deposit denominated  in U.S.  dollars and  issued in  the United  States by  the
domestic  branch of  a foreign bank.  Time deposits  are non-negotiable deposits
maintained in a banking institution for a  specified period of time at a  stated
interest rate. Time deposits which may be held by the Portfolios are not insured
by  the Federal Deposit  Insurance Corporation or  any other agency  of the U.S.
Government. The Portfolios will not invest,  respectively, more than 15% of  the
value  of their net assets  in time deposits maturing  in longer than seven days
and other  instruments which  are  deemed illiquid  or not  readily  marketable.
Bankers'  acceptances are credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank
to pay  a  draft drawn  on  it by  a  customer. These  instruments  reflect  the
obligation  both of the  bank and of  the drawer to  pay the face  amount of the
instrument  upon  maturity.  The   other  short-term  obligations  may   include
uninsured,  direct  obligations which  have either  fixed, floating  or variable
interest rates.
 
     The Portfolios  will  limit  their short-term  investments  to  those  U.S.
dollar-denominated instruments which are determined by or on behalf of the Board
of  Trustees of the Portfolio  Series to present minimal  credit risks and which
are of 'high quality' as determined by  a major rating service (i.e., rated  P-1
by  Moody's or A-1 by S&P)  or, in the case of  instruments which are not rated,
are deemed to be of comparable quality pursuant to procedures established by the
Board of  Trustees  of  the  Portfolio Series.  The  Portfolios  may  invest  in
obligations  of banks which at the date  of investment have capital, surplus and
undivided profits (as  of the date  of their most  recently published  financial
statements)  in excess of  $100 million. Investments  in high quality short-term
instruments may, in many  circumstances, result in a  lower yield than would  be
available from investments in instruments with a lower quality or longer term.
 
     SECURITIES  LENDING. The  Portfolios may seek  to increase  their income by
lending  securities  to   banks,  brokers  or   dealers  and  other   recognized
institutional  investors.  Such loans  may  not exceed  30%  of the  value  of a
Portfolio's total assets.  In connection  with such loans,  each Portfolio  will
receive  collateral consisting  of cash, U.S.  Government or  other high quality
securities, irrevocable letters of credit issued  by a bank, or any  combination
thereof.  Such collateral will be maintained at  all times in an amount equal to
at least 100% of the current market value of the loaned securities. A  Portfolio
can  increase  its  income  through  the  investment  of  such  collateral. Such
Portfolio continues to be entitled to payments in amounts equal to the  interest
or  dividends payable on the loaned  security, and in addition receives interest
on the  amount of  the loan.  Such loans  will be  terminable at  any time  upon
specified  notice. A Portfolio might experience  risk of loss if the institution
with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement
with the Portfolio.
 
     SHORT SALES  'AGAINST THE  BOX'.   In a  short sale,  a Portfolio  sells  a
borrowed security and has a corresponding obligation to the lender to return the
identical security. A Portfolio may engage in short sales only if at the time of
the  short sale it  owns or has the  right to obtain, at  no additional cost, an
equal amount of  the security  being sold  short. This  investment technique  is
known  as a short sale 'against the box'. A Portfolio may make a short sale as a
hedge, when it believes that the value of a security owned by the Portfolio  (or
a  security convertible or exchangeable for  such security) may decline, or when
the Portfolio wants  to sell  the security at  an attractive  current price  but
wishes  to defer recognition of gain or loss for tax purposes. Not more than 40%
of a Portfolio's  total assets  would be involved  in short  sales 'against  the
box'.
 
     CERTAIN  OTHER OBLIGATIONS.   Consistent  with their  respective investment
objectives, policies  and  restrictions,  the  Portfolios  may  also  invest  in
participation   interests,  guaranteed  investment  contracts  and  zero  coupon
obligations. See the Statement of Additional Information. In order to allow  for
investments in new instruments that may be created in the future, upon the Trust
supplementing  this Prospectus, a Portfolio may invest in obligations other than
those listed previously, provided such
 
                                       31
 
<PAGE>
investments are consistent  with the  Portfolio's and  its corresponding  Fund's
investment objective, policies and restrictions.
 
     PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE.  Although the Managed Portfolios generally seek to
invest  for the long term,  and the Index Portfolios  are managed to reflect the
composition of  their respective  indexes, each  Portfolio may  sell  securities
irrespective  of how long such securities have been held. Ordinarily, securities
will be sold  from an  Index Portfolio  only to  reflect certain  administrative
changes  in  its  corresponding  index  (including  mergers  or  changes  in its
composition) or to  accommodate cash flows  into and out  of an Index  Portfolio
while  maintaining the similarity of said Portfolio to its benchmark index. Each
Managed  Portfolio  may  sell  a  portfolio  investment  immediately  after  its
acquisition  if  the  investment managers  believe  that such  a  disposition is
consistent with the investment objective of the particular Portfolio.  Portfolio
investments  may be  sold for  a variety  of reasons,  such as  a more favorable
investment opportunity or  other circumstances  bearing on  the desirability  of
continuing to hold such investments.
 
     The  portfolio  turnover  rates  for each  Portfolio  from  commencement of
operations through May 31, 1995 were  as follows: Equity Portfolio, 34%;  Income
Portfolio,  34%; Total Return Bond Portfolio, 84%; Equity Market Portfolio, 98%;
Bond Market Portfolio, 67%; Small  Cap Portfolio, 47%; Balanced Portfolio,  57%;
Equity   Growth  Portfolio,  122%;  Value  Equity  Income  Portfolio,  28%;  and
International Equity Portfolio, 8%. A rate of 100% indicates that the equivalent
of all of a Portfolio's assets have been sold and reinvested in a calendar year.
A high rate of portfolio turnover may involve correspondingly greater  brokerage
commission expenses and other transaction costs, which must be borne directly by
a  Portfolio  and  ultimately  by the  corresponding  Fund's  shareholders. High
portfolio turnover  may result  in the  realization of  substantial net  capital
gains.   To  the  extent   net  short-term  capital   gains  are  realized,  any
distributions resulting  from  such gains  are  considered ordinary  income  for
Federal income tax purposes. See 'Tax Matters' below.
 
                                *      *      *
 
     As  diversified investment companies,  75% of the  assets of each Portfolio
are represented  by  cash and  cash  items (including  receivables),  government
securities, securities of other investment companies, and other securities which
for  purposes  of  this calculation  are  subject to  the  following fundamental
limitations: (a) the Portfolio may not invest  more than 5% of its total  assets
in the securities of any one issuer, and (b) the Portfolio may not own more than
10%  of the outstanding voting  securities of any one  issuer. In addition, each
Portfolio may not invest 25% or more of its assets in the securities of  issuers
in any one industry, unless, for each of the Index Portfolios, the securities in
a  single industry were to  comprise 25% or more  of its corresponding index, in
which case the Index  Portfolio will invest  25% or more of  its assets in  that
industry.  These are fundamental investment policies of each Portfolio which may
not be changed without investor approval.
 
     The Statement  of Additional  Information  includes further  discussion  of
investment  strategies  and  techniques,  and  a  listing  of  other fundamental
investment restrictions and non-fundamental investment policies which govern the
investment policies of  each Fund and  its corresponding Portfolio.  Fundamental
investment  restrictions may not be  changed, in the case  of each Fund, without
the approval of  that Fund's  shareholders or, in  the case  of each  Portfolio,
without  the  approval  of the  investors  in  that Portfolio.  If  a percentage
restriction (other than a restriction as  to borrowing) or a rating  restriction
on  investment or utilization of assets is  adhered to at the time an investment
is made or assets are so utilized,  a later change in percentage resulting  from
changes  in the value of the securities held by a Portfolio or a later change in
the rating of a security  held by a Portfolio is  not considered a violation  of
the policy.
 
                                       32



<PAGE>
           SPECIAL INFORMATION CONCERNING HUB AND SPOKE'r' STRUCTURE
 
     Unlike  other  mutual funds  which directly  acquire  and manage  their own
portfolios of securities, the Trust seeks to achieve the investment objective of
each Fund  by  investing  all of  the  investable  assets of  the  Fund  in  its
corresponding  Portfolio,  a  separate  series  of  St.  James  Portfolios  (the
'Portfolio Series'), a  registered investment  company. Each Fund  has the  same
investment objective and policies as its corresponding Portfolio. In addition to
selling  a beneficial  interest to  a Fund,  each Portfolio  may sell beneficial
interests to other mutual funds or institutional investors. Such investors  will
invest  in  that Portfolio  on  the same  terms and  conditions  and will  pay a
proportionate share of that Portfolio's  expenses. However, the other  investors
investing  in a  Portfolio are not  required to  issue their shares  at the same
public offering  price as  the corresponding  Fund due  to variations  in  sales
commissions and other operating expenses. Investors in each Fund should be aware
that  these  differences may  result in  differences  in returns  experienced by
investors in the different funds that invest in a Portfolio. Such differences in
returns are also present in other mutual fund structures. Information concerning
other holders of  interests in each  Portfolio is available  from SFSI at  (617)
423-0800.
 
     The  investment objective of each Fund  may be changed without the approval
of that Fund's  shareholders, but  not without  written notice  thereof to  that
Fund's  shareholders thirty days prior to implementing the change. If there were
a change in a Fund's investment objective, shareholders should consider  whether
the  Fund  remains  an appropriate  investment  in light  of  their then-current
financial position and needs. The investment objective of each Portfolio may  be
changed without the approval of the investors in that Portfolio, but not without
written  notice thereof to  the investors in  that Portfolio (and  notice by the
Trust  to  shareholders  of  the  corresponding  Fund)  thirty  days  prior   to
implementing  the  change.  There  can,  of course,  be  no  assurance  that the
investment objective of  either a Fund  or its corresponding  Portfolio will  be
achieved.   See  'Investment  Restrictions'  in   the  Statement  of  Additional
Information for  a  description  of  the  fundamental  investment  policies  and
restrictions  of each Portfolio and Fund that cannot be changed without approval
by the holders of a 'majority of the outstanding voting securities' (as  defined
in  the Investment  Company Act of  1940, as  amended (the '1940  Act')) of that
Portfolio or  Fund.  Except  as stated  otherwise,  all  investment  objectives,
policies,  strategies and restrictions described herein  and in the Statement of
Additional Information are non-fundamental.
 
     Smaller funds investing in  a Portfolio may be  materially affected by  the
actions of larger funds investing in the Portfolio. For example, if a large fund
withdraws  from a Portfolio, the remaining  funds may experience higher pro rata
operating expenses, thereby producing  lower returns. Additionally, a  Portfolio
may  become less diverse, resulting in  increased portfolio risk. (However, this
possibility also exists for traditionally  structured funds which have large  or
institutional  investors.) Also,  funds with a  greater pro rata  ownership in a
Portfolio  could  have  effective  voting  control  of  the  operations  of  the
Portfolio.  Whenever the Trust is  requested to vote on  matters pertaining to a
Portfolio (other  than  a vote  by  a Fund  to  continue the  operation  of  its
corresponding  Portfolio  upon  the  withdrawal  of  another  investor  in  such
Portfolio), the Trust will hold a  meeting of shareholders of the  corresponding
Fund  and will cast all of its votes in  the same proportion as the votes of the
Fund's shareholders.  Fund shareholders  who do  not vote  will not  affect  the
Trust's  votes at  the Portfolio  meeting. The  percentage of  the Trust's votes
representing Fund  shareholders not  voting will  be voted  by the  Trustees  or
officers  of the Trust  in the same  proportion as Fund  shareholders who do, in
fact, vote. Certain changes in  a Portfolio's investment objective, policies  or
restrictions  may  require  the  Trust  to  withdraw  the  corresponding  Fund's
investment in the Portfolio. Any such withdrawal could result in a  distribution
in  kind of  portfolio securities  (as opposed to  a cash  distribution from the
Portfolio). If securities are distributed,  the Fund could incur brokerage,  tax
or other charges in converting the securities to cash.
 
                                       33
 
<PAGE>
In addition, the distribution in kind may result in a less diversified portfolio
of  investments or adversely  affect the liquidity  of the Fund. Notwithstanding
the above, there are  other means for  meeting shareholder redemption  requests,
such as borrowing.
 
     The  Trust may  withdraw the  investment of  a Fund  from its corresponding
Portfolio at any time, if the Board of Trustees of the Trust determines that  it
is  in the best  interests of the Fund  to do so. Upon  any such withdrawal, the
Board of  Trustees of  the Trust  would  consider what  action might  be  taken,
including  investing all of the investable assets of such Fund in another pooled
investment entity having the same investment objective and policies as the  Fund
or  retaining an  investment adviser to  manage the Fund's  assets in accordance
with the investment policies described above with respect to the Portfolio.
 
     For descriptions of the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of
the Portfolios,  see 'Investment  Objectives  and Policies'  herein and  in  the
Statement  of Additional Information. For descriptions  of the management of the
Portfolios, see 'Management of the Trust and Portfolio Series' herein and in the
Statement of Additional  Information. For  descriptions of the  expenses of  the
Portfolios,  see 'Management of  the Trust and  Portfolio Series' and 'Expenses'
below.
 
                               PRICING OF SHARES
 
     The net asset value of each Fund is determined and the shares of each  Fund
(the  'Shares') are priced for purchases and redemptions at the close of regular
trading hours on the New York  Stock Exchange (the 'NYSE'), currently 4:00  p.m.
(Eastern time). Net asset value and pricing for each Fund are determined on each
day  the NYSE is open for trading ('Business Day'). Currently, the days on which
the Funds are closed (other than weekends) are New Year's Day, Presidents'  Day,
Good   Friday,  Memorial  Day,  Independence   Day,  Labor  Day,  Columbus  Day,
Thanksgiving Day  and Christmas.  Net  asset value  per  Share for  purposes  of
pricing  sales  and  redemptions is  calculated  by  dividing the  value  of all
securities and other assets belonging to a Fund, less the liabilities charged to
the Fund, by the number of its outstanding Shares.
 
     Assets in the Portfolios  which are traded on  a recognized domestic  stock
exchange  are valued at the last sale  price on the securities exchange on which
such securities are primarily  traded or at  the last sale  price on a  national
securities market. Securities traded only on over-the-counter markets are valued
on  the basis of closing over-the-counter bid prices. Securities for which there
were no transactions are valued at the average of the most recent bid and  asked
prices.  Restricted securities, securities  for which market  quotations are not
readily available,  and other  assets  are valued  at  fair value,  pursuant  to
guidelines  adopted by the  Portfolio Series' Board  of Trustees. Absent unusual
circumstances, debt  securities  maturing in  60  days  or less  are  valued  at
amortized cost.
 
     Portfolio  securities  which  are primarily  traded  on  foreign securities
exchanges  are  generally  valued  at  the  preceding  closing  values  of  such
securities  on their respective exchanges, except  that when an event subsequent
to the time when value was so established is likely to have changed such  value,
then  the fair value of those  securities will be determined after consideration
of such events and other material factors, all under the direction and  guidance
of  the Board of Trustees of the Portfolio Series. A security which is listed or
traded on more  than one exchange  is valued  at the quotation  on the  exchange
determined   to  be  the  primary  market  for  such  security.  Absent  unusual
circumstances, investments in foreign  debt securities having  a maturity of  60
days  or less are valued based upon the amortized cost method. All other foreign
securities are valued at the last current bid quotation if market quotations are
available,  or  at  fair  value  as  determined  in  accordance  with   policies
established by the
 
                                       34
 
<PAGE>
Board  of Trustees. For valuation purposes,  quotations of foreign securities in
foreign currency  are converted  to U.S.  dollars equivalent  at the  prevailing
market  rate on the  day of conversion.  Some of the  securities acquired by the
Portfolios may be  traded on  foreign exchanges or  over-the-counter markets  on
days  which are  not Business Days.  In such cases,  the net asset  value of the
Shares may be significantly affected on days when investors can neither purchase
nor redeem a  Fund's Shares.  The servicing agent  has undertaken  to price  the
securities  held by the Portfolios, and may  use one or more independent pricing
services in  connection with  this  service. The  methods  used by  the  pricing
services  and the valuations so established will be reviewed by each Portfolio's
investment managers and  servicing agent  under the general  supervision of  the
Board of Trustees of the Portfolio Series.
 
                  HOW TO PURCHASE, EXCHANGE AND REDEEM SHARES
 
PURCHASE OF SHARES
 
     Shares of each Fund may be purchased without a sales charge on any Business
Day  at the net asset value next determined after an order is transmitted to the
Trust's transfer  agent,  Chase Global  Funds  Services Company  ('CGFSC'),  and
accepted  by the distributor, Edgewood Services, Inc. (the 'Distributor'). There
is no minimum amount for initial or subsequent investments. Purchase orders  for
Shares  received prior to  the close of regular  trading on the  NYSE on any day
that a Fund's  net asset value  is calculated  are priced according  to the  net
asset  value determined on that day. Purchase orders received after the close of
regular trading on the NYSE  are priced as of the  time the net asset value  per
share  is  next  determined.  The  Distributor  has  established  procedures for
purchasing Shares  in order  to accommodate  different types  of investors  (see
'Purchase Procedures' below).
 
     Shares of each Fund may be purchased only in those states where they may be
lawfully sold. The Trust reserves the right to cease offering Shares for sale at
any  time and the Distributor and the Trust each reserve the right to reject any
order for the purchase of Shares.
 
     Purchase Procedures
 
     Shares  may  be   purchased  directly  only   by  institutional   investors
('Institutional   Investors').   An  Institutional   Investor   (a  'Shareholder
Organization')  may  elect  to   hold  of  record   Shares  for  its   customers
('Customers')  and  to  record beneficial  ownership  of Shares  on  the account
statements provided  to its  Customers. In  that case,  it is  each  Shareholder
Organization's responsibility to transmit to the Distributor all purchase orders
for its Customers and to transmit, on a timely basis, payment for such orders to
CGFSC   in  accordance  with  the  procedures   agreed  to  by  the  Shareholder
Organization and  the  Distributor.  Confirmations of  all  such  purchases  and
redemptions by Shareholder Organizations for the benefit of their customers will
be sent by CGFSC to the particular Shareholder Organization. In the alternative,
a  Shareholder Organization  may elect to  establish its  Customers' accounts of
record with CGFSC. In this event, even if the Shareholder Organization continues
to place its  Customers' purchase and  redemption orders with  the Funds,  CGFSC
will  send confirmations  of such  transactions and  periodic account statements
directly to the Customers.
 
     Certificates will not be issued for Shares.
 
     Customers may agree with  a particular Shareholder  Organization to make  a
minimum purchase with respect to their accounts. Depending upon the terms of the
particular  account, Shareholder  Organizations may charge  a Customer's account
fees for automatic investment and other cash
 
                                       35
 
<PAGE>
management  services  provided.  Customers  should  contact  their   Shareholder
Organization directly for further information.
 
     Purchases by Wire
 
     Institutional  Investors  may purchase  Shares by  wiring federal  funds to
CGFSC. Prior to making an initial investment by wire, an investor must telephone
CGFSC at  (800)  909-1989  (from  overseas,  please  call  (617)  557-1755)  for
instructions,  including a  Wire Control Number  (see below).  Federal funds and
registration instructions should be wired through the Federal Reserve System to:
 
                       The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.
                       ABA #021000021
                       Excelsior Institutional Trust
                       Credit DDA #910-2-733046
                       [Account Registration]
                       [Account Number]
                       [Wire Control Number] *See Above*
 
     Shares purchased by federal  funds wire will be  effected at the net  asset
value  per share next determined after acceptance of the order provided that the
federal funds wire has been received by the Fund's bank on that Business Day.
 
     It is intended that  each Fund and its  corresponding Portfolio will be  as
fully invested at all times as is reasonably practicable in order to enhance the
yield  on their  respective assets.  Accordingly, in  order to  make investments
which  will  immediately  generate  income,  a  Fund  must  have  federal  funds
available.  Purchase orders received  and accepted after  4:00 p.m. Eastern time
will be effected at the net asset value next determined even if a Fund  received
federal funds on that day.
 
     Investors  making initial  investments by  wire must  promptly complete the
application accompanying this  Prospectus and  forward it to  CGFSC. No  account
application  is required for subsequent purchases. Completed applications should
be directed to:
 
                         Excelsior Institutional Trust
                    c/o Chase Global Funds Services Company
                                 P.O. Box 2798
                             Boston, MA 02208-2798
 
     The application may  also be sent  via facsimile. Please  contact CGFSC  at
(800)  909-1989  (from  overseas,  please  call  (617)  557-1755)  for  complete
instructions. Redemptions by investors will not be processed until the completed
application for purchase  of Shares  has been  received and  accepted by  CGFSC.
Investors  making  subsequent  investments  by  wire  should  follow  the  above
instructions.
 
     Purchases by Telephone
 
     For Institutional  Investors who  have  previously selected  the  telephone
purchase  option,  a purchase  order may  be  placed by  calling CGFSC  at (800)
909-1989 (from overseas, please call (617) 557-1755). The purchase by  telephone
will  be  effected  at the  net  asset  value per  share  next  determined after
acceptance of the order.
 
     By establishing the telephone  purchase option, the Institutional  Investor
authorizes CGFSC and the Distributor to act upon telephone instructions believed
to  be genuine. CGFSC and the Distributor will  not be held liable for any loss,
liability, cost  or  expense  for acting  upon  such  instruction.  Accordingly,
Institutional  Investors bear the risk of loss. The Trust will employ reasonable
procedures to confirm that
 
                                       36
 
<PAGE>
instructions  communicated  by   telephone  are   genuine,  including,   without
limitation,  recording telephonic  instructions and/or  requiring the  caller to
provide some  form  of personal  identification.  Failure to  employ  reasonable
procedures  may make  the Trust  liable for  any losses  due to  unauthorized or
fraudulent telephone instructions.
 
     This option may be changed, modified  or terminated at any time. The  Trust
currently  does  not  charge  a  fee for  this  service,  although  some Service
Organizations may charge  their customers fees.  Customers should contact  their
Service Organization directly for further information.
 
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
 
     Shares  of a Fund may be exchanged  without payment of any exchange fee for
shares of another Fund described herein at their respective net asset values. An
exchange of shares is  treated for federal  and state income  tax purposes as  a
redemption  (sale)  of  shares given  in  exchange  by the  shareholder,  and an
exchanging shareholder  may,  therefore,  realize  a taxable  gain  or  loss  in
connection  with  the exchange.  Shareholders exchanging  shares  of a  Fund for
shares of another Fund should review the disclosure provided herein relating  to
the  exchanged-for shares  carefully prior to  making an  exchange. The exchange
privilege is available  to shareholders  residing in  any state  in which  Trust
shares being acquired may be legally sold.
 
     The exchange option may be changed, modified or terminated at any time. The
Trust  currently does not charge  a fee for this  service, although some Service
Organizations may charge  their customers fees.  Customers should contact  their
Service Organization directly for further information.
 
     Exchanges by Telephone
 
     For  Institutional  Investors who  have  previously selected  the telephone
exchange option,  an exchange  order may  be placed  by calling  CGFSC at  (800)
909-1989  (from overseas, please call (617) 557-1755). The exchange by telephone
will be  effected  at  the net  asset  value  per share  next  determined  after
acceptance of the order for each Fund.
 
     By  establishing the telephone exchange  option, the Institutional Investor
authorizes CGFSC and the Distributor to act upon telephone instructions believed
to be genuine. CGFSC and the Distributor  will not be held liable for any  loss,
liability,  cost  or  expense  for acting  upon  such  instruction. Accordingly,
Institutional Investors bear the risk of loss. The Trust will employ  reasonable
procedures  to confirm that instructions  communicated by telephone are genuine,
including,  without   limitation,  recording   telephonic  instructions   and/or
requiring the caller to provide some form of personal identification. Failure to
employ  reasonable procedures may  make the Trust  liable for any  losses due to
unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions.
 
REDEMPTION OF SHARES
 
     Institutional Investors may  redeem all  or any  portion of  the Shares  in
their  account at the  net asset value  next determined after  proper receipt in
good form and acceptance  of an order for  redemption. Proceeds from  redemption
orders received and accepted by 4:00 p.m. Eastern time will normally be sent the
next Business Day; proceeds are sent in any event within five Business Days.
 
     It  is necessary for Institutional Investors  and other entities to have on
file appropriate  documentation authorizing  redemptions by  the institution  or
entity  before a redemption request is considered in proper form. In some cases,
additional documentation may be requested.
 
                                       37
 
<PAGE>
     Investment return and principal  value of an investment  in each Fund  will
fluctuate,  so that the  value of shares redeemed  may be more  or less than the
shareholder's cost.  Redemptions  of  shares  are  taxable  events  on  which  a
shareholder may realize a gain or loss.
 
     Redemption Procedures
 
     Customers  of Shareholder Organizations holding Shares of record may redeem
all or part of their investments in the Funds in accordance with the  procedures
governing   their  accounts  at  their   Shareholder  Organization.  It  is  the
responsibility of the Shareholder Organizations to transmit redemption orders to
CGFSC and credit such Customer accounts with the redemption proceeds on a timely
basis.
 
     Customers redeeming  Shares through  certain Shareholder  Organizations  or
certified  financial planners may  incur transaction charges  in connection with
such redemptions. Such Customers  should contact their Shareholder  Organization
for further information on transaction fees.
 
     Institutional  Investors  may  redeem  all  or  part  of  their  Shares  in
accordance with any  of the  procedures described below.  These procedures  only
apply  to Customers  of Shareholder  Organizations for  whom individual accounts
have been  established  with  CGFSC. Customers  whose  individual  accounts  are
maintained   by  Shareholder   Organizations  must   contact  their  Shareholder
Organization directly to redeem Trust shares.
 
     If any portion of the Shares  to be redeemed represents an investment  made
by  check, the  Trust and CGFSC  reserve the  right not to  honor the redemption
until CGFSC  is  reasonably satisfied  that  the  check has  been  collected  in
accordance  with the applicable banking regulations; such collection process may
take up to 15 days. An Institutional Investor who anticipates the need for  more
immediate  access to its  investment should purchase Shares  by federal funds or
bank wire or by certified or cashier's check. Banks normally impose a charge  in
connection  with the use of  bank wires, as well  as certified checks, cashier's
checks and Federal  funds. If a  check is  not collected, the  purchase will  be
canceled  and CGFSC will charge a fee  of $25.00 to the Institutional Investor's
account.
 
     Redemption by Wire or Telephone
 
     Institutional Investors  who  maintain an  account  at CGFSC  and  have  so
indicated  on their application, or have  subsequently arranged in writing to do
so, may redeem Shares by  instructing CGFSC, by wire  or telephone, to wire  the
redemption proceeds directly to the investor's predesignated bank account at any
commercial  bank in  the United States.  Institutional Investors  may have their
Shares redeemed by wire by instructing  CGFSC at (800) 909-1989 (from  overseas,
please  call  (617) 557-1755).  No charge  is  imposed by  the Trust  for wiring
redemption   payments   to   Institutional   Investors   although    Shareholder
Organizations  may  charge Customers  for  wiring or  crediting  such redemption
payments to their accounts. Information relating to such redemption services and
charges, if  any, is  available  to Customers  directly from  their  Shareholder
Organizations.
 
     In  order to arrange for  redemption by wire or  telephone after an account
has been opened or to change  the bank account designated to receive  redemption
proceeds,  an Institutional Investor must send a written request to the Trust at
the address  listed below  under 'Redemption  by Mail'.  Such requests  must  be
signed  by the  investor, with signatures  guaranteed (see  'Redemption by Mail'
below for details regarding signature guarantees). Further documentation may  be
requested.
 
     CGFSC  and the Distributor reserve the right  to refuse a wire or telephone
redemption. Procedures for redeeming Shares by wire or telephone may be modified
or terminated at any time by the Trust or the Distributor. CGFSC, the Trust  and
the   Distributor  will  not  be  liable   for  any  loss,  liability,  cost  or
 
                                       38
 
<PAGE>
expense  for  acting  upon  telephone  instructions  believed  to  be   genuine.
Accordingly,  shareholders will  bear the  risk of  loss. The  Trust will employ
reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are
genuine, including, without limitation, recording telephone instructions  and/or
requiring the caller to provide some form of personal identification. Failure to
employ  reasonable procedures may  make the Trust  liable for any  losses due to
unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions.
 
     Redemption by Mail
 
     Shares may be redeemed by an Institutional Investor by submitting a written
request for redemption to:
 
                         Excelsior Institutional Trust
                    c/o Chase Global Funds Services Company
                                 P.O. Box 2798
                             Boston, MA 02208-2798
 
     A written redemption request to CGFSC  must (i) state the number of  Shares
to   be  redeemed,  (ii)  identify  the   shareholder  account  number  and  tax
identification number, and  (iii) be  signed for  each registered  owner by  its
authorized officer exactly as the Shares are registered.
 
     A  redemption request for an amount in  excess of $5,000, or for any amount
if the proceeds are  to be sent  elsewhere than the address  of record, must  be
accompanied  by  signature guarantees  from  any eligible  guarantor institution
approved by CGFSC in  accordance with its  Standards, Procedures and  Guidelines
for  the Acceptance of Signature  Guarantees ('Signature Guarantee Guidelines').
Eligible guarantor institutions generally include banks, broker-dealers,  credit
unions,  national  securities  exchanges,  registered  securities  associations,
clearing agencies and savings associations. All eligible guarantor  institutions
must  participate in the Securities  Transfer Agents Medallion Program ('STAMP')
in order to be approved by CGFSC pursuant to the Signature Guarantee Guidelines.
Copies of the  Signature Guarantee Guidelines  and information on  STAMP can  be
obtained  from  CGFSC  at  (800)  909-1989  (from  overseas,  please  call (617)
557-1755) or at the address given above. CGFSC may require additional supporting
documents. A redemption request  will not be deemed  to be properly received  in
good form until CGFSC receives all required documents in proper form.
 
     Questions with respect to the proper form for redemption requests should be
directed to CGFSC at (800) 909-1989 (from overseas, please call (617) 557-1755).
 
     Other Redemption Information
 
     Except  as described in 'Investor  Programs' below, Institutional Investors
may be required to redeem Shares in a Fund after 60 days' written notice if  due
to  investor redemptions the  balance in the particular  account with respect to
the Fund  remains  below  $500. If  a  Customer  has agreed  with  a  particular
Shareholder Organization to maintain a minimum balance with respect to Shares of
a  Fund and the balance  in such account falls  below that minimum, the Customer
may be obliged  by the Shareholder  Organization to  redeem all or  part of  its
Shares to the extent necessary to maintain the required minimum balance.
 
                                       39
 
<PAGE>
                               INVESTOR PROGRAMS
 
RETIREMENT PLANS
 
     Shares  are available for purchase by Institutional Investors in connection
with the following  tax-deferred prototype  retirement plans  offered by  United
States Trust Company of New York:
 
          IRAs  (including  'rollovers'  from  existing  retirement  plans)  for
     individuals and their eligible non-working spouses;
 
          Profit Sharing  and Money-Purchase  Plans for  corporations and  self-
     employed  individuals and  their partners  to benefit  themselves and their
     employees; and
 
          Keogh Plans for self-employed individuals.
 
     Institutional Investors or Customers of Shareholder Organizations investing
in Shares  pursuant  to  a  retirement  plan are  not  subject  to  the  minimum
investment   and  mandatory  redemption  provisions  described  above.  Detailed
information concerning eligibility,  service fees and  other matters related  to
these plans is available from the Trust by calling CGFSC at (800) 909-1989 (from
overseas,  please call  (617) 557-1755). Customers  of Shareholder Organizations
may purchase Shares pursuant  to retirement plans if  such plans are offered  by
their Shareholder Organizations.
 
                                  TAX MATTERS
 
     Each  year the Trust intends to qualify  each Fund and elect that each Fund
be treated as a  separate 'regulated investment company'  under Subchapter M  of
the  Internal Revenue  Code of  1986, as amended  (the 'Code').  Provided a Fund
meets all income, distribution and diversification requirements of the Code, and
distributes all  of its  net investment  income and  realized capital  gains  to
shareholders  in accordance with the timing requirements imposed by the Code, no
federal income or  excise taxes  will be  required to  be paid  from that  Fund,
although  foreign-source income of a Fund  may be subject to foreign withholding
taxes. The Portfolios are also  not expected to be  required to pay any  federal
income  or excise taxes. If  a Fund fails to  qualify as a 'regulated investment
company' in any year,  the Fund would incur  a regular corporate federal  income
tax  upon its  taxable income  and the  Fund's distributions  would generally be
taxable as ordinary dividend income to shareholders.
 
     Shareholders of a Fund normally will  have to pay federal income taxes  and
any state or local taxes on the dividends and net capital gain distributions, if
any,  they  receive  from  a  Fund.  Dividends  from  ordinary  income  and  any
distributions from net short-term capital  gains are taxable to shareholders  as
ordinary  income for federal  income tax purposes.  Distributions of net capital
gains are taxable to shareholders as  long-term capital gains without regard  to
the  length  of time  the  shareholders have  held  their Shares.  Dividends and
distributions, if any, paid to shareholders  will be treated in the same  manner
for  federal  income tax  purposes  whether received  in  cash or  reinvested in
additional Shares of a Fund.
 
     A portion of the ordinary income dividends  of a Fund invested in stock  of
domestic  corporations  may  qualify for  the  dividends-received  deduction for
corporations if  the  recipient  otherwise qualifies  for  that  deduction  with
respect  to  its  holding of  Fund  Shares.  Availability of  the  deduction for
particular shareholders is subject to certain limitations, and deducted  amounts
may  be  subject to  the alternative  minimum  tax and  result in  certain basis
adjustments.
 
                                       40
 
<PAGE>
     Dividends declared in October, November or December of any year payable  to
shareholders of record on a specified date in such months will be deemed to have
been  received by shareholders and paid by a Fund on December 31 of such year in
the event such dividends are actually paid during January of the following year.
 
     At the end of each calendar year, each shareholder receives information for
tax purposes  on the  dividends  and other  distributions received  during  that
calendar  year, including  the portion thereof  taxable as  ordinary income, the
portion  taxable  as  long-term  capital  gains,  the  portion  (if  any)  which
constitutes a return of capital (which is generally free of tax but results in a
basis reduction), and the amount of dividends (if any) which may qualify for the
dividends-received deduction for corporations.
 
     In  general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares
of a Fund by  a shareholder that holds  such Shares as a  capital asset will  be
treated  as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more
than 12 months and otherwise as a short-term capital gain or loss. However,  any
loss  realized upon a redemption of Shares in a Fund held for six months or less
will be treated as a long-term capital  loss to the extent of any  distributions
of  net capital gain made with respect to those Shares. Any loss realized upon a
disposition of Shares may also be disallowed under rules relating to wash sales.
 
     If more than  50% of  the value of  the International  Equity Fund's  total
assets  at the  close of  any taxable  year consists  of stock  or securities of
foreign corporations, the International Equity Fund may elect to 'pass  through'
to   shareholders  foreign  income   taxes  paid  by   that  Fund.  Under  those
circumstances, the Fund will  notify shareholders of their  pro rata portion  of
the  foreign income  taxes paid  by the Fund;  shareholders may  be eligible for
foreign tax  credits or  deductions with  respect to  those taxes,  but will  be
required  to treat the amount of the taxes  as an amount distributed to them and
thus includable in their gross income for federal income tax purposes.
 
     The Trust may be required to withhold federal income tax at the rate of 31%
from all taxable distributions and  redemption proceeds payable to  shareholders
who  do not provide the Trust  with their correct taxpayer identification number
or make  required certifications,  or who  have been  notified by  the  Internal
Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Such withholding is
not  an  additional  tax.  Any  amounts withheld  may  be  credited  against the
shareholder's federal income tax liability.
 
     Under current law, neither the Trust, as a Delaware business trust, nor any
of the Funds are liable for any income or franchise tax in the State of Delaware
as long as  the Funds continue  to qualify as  'regulated investment  companies'
under the Code.
 
     The  foregoing  discussion is  intended  for general  information  only. An
investor should consult with its own tax  advisor as to the tax consequences  of
an investment in the Funds, including the status of distributions from the Funds
under applicable state and local laws.
 
                  MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST AND PORTFOLIO SERIES
 
     The  Boards of Trustees of Excelsior  Institutional Trust (the 'Trust') and
St. James Portfolios (the 'Portfolio  Series') provide general supervision  over
the  affairs of the  Trust and the Portfolio  Series, respectively. The Trustees
decide upon  matters  of  general  policy and  review  the  actions  of  service
providers  such  as the  investment  managers, service  agent,  distributor, and
others. None of the Trustees common to  both the Trust and the Portfolio  Series
are  'interested  persons'  (as  defined  in  the  1940  Act)  (the 'Independent
Trustees') of the Trust or the Portfolio Series.
 
                                       41
 
<PAGE>
                              INVESTMENT MANAGERS
 
     United States Trust Company of The Pacific Northwest ('U.S. Trust Pacific')
is responsible for the management of the assets of the Portfolios  corresponding
to  the Funds  listed below, pursuant  to an Investment  Advisory Agreement (the
'Advisory Agreement') with St.  James Portfolios on  behalf of such  Portfolios.
U.S.  Trust Pacific has delegated the  daily management of the security holdings
of  these  Portfolios  to  the  investment  managers  named  below,  acting   as
subadvisers (the 'Subadvisers'):
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                         <C>
Equity Index Fund, Bond Index Fund and
  Small Cap Fund..........................  United States Trust Company of New York
Balanced Fund.............................  Becker Capital Management, Inc.
Equity Growth Fund........................  Luther King Capital Management
Value Equity Income Fund..................  Spare, Kaplan, Bischel & Associates
International Equity Fund.................  Harding, Loevner Management, L.P.
</TABLE>
 
     Subject  to the general  guidance and policies  set by the  Trustees of the
Portfolio Series,  U.S.  Trust Pacific  provides  general supervision  over  the
investment management functions performed by each of the Subadvisers. U.S. Trust
Pacific  closely  monitors  the Subadvisers'  application  of  these Portfolios'
investment policies  and strategies,  and regularly  evaluates the  Subadvisers'
investment results and trading practices.
 
     For  its  services  under the  Advisory  Agreement, U.S.  Trust  Pacific is
entitled to receive from the Portfolios, for the respective Portfolio's  current
fiscal  year, fees accrued daily and paid monthly at an annual rate equal to the
percentages specified below of the  corresponding Portfolio's average daily  net
assets:  (a) 0.25% for the Equity Index Fund  and Bond Index Fund; (b) 0.65% for
the Small Cap Fund,  Balanced Fund, Equity Growth  Fund and Value Equity  Income
Fund; and (c) 1.00% for the International Equity Fund. U.S. Trust Pacific, which
has its principal offices at 4380 Southwest Macadam Avenue, Suite 450, Portland,
OR  97201, is a subsidiary of United  States Trust Company of New York. Although
the advisory  fee paid  by the  International Equity  Portfolio is  higher  than
advisory  fees currently being paid by most investment companies in general, the
advisory fee  paid by  the International  Equity Portfolio  is similar  to  fees
currently  being paid by other investment  companies which also invest primarily
in foreign  issuers. U.S.  Trust  Pacific has  agreed  to waive  all  investment
advisory  fees  with  respect to  each  Portfolio  listed above.  While  no such
Portfolio  pays  investment   advisory  fees   to  U.S.   Trust  Pacific,   each
institutional  investor enters into an  asset management services agreement with
U.S. Trust  Pacific and  agrees to  pay annual  fees calculated  as a  specified
percentage of average net assets.
 
     Pursuant  to  separate  subadvisory agreements,  the  Subadvisers  make the
day-to-day investment  decisions and  portfolio  selections for  the  Portfolios
corresponding  to  the Equity  Index, Bond  Index,  Small Cap,  Balanced, Equity
Growth, Value Equity Income and International Equity Funds, consistent with  the
general  guidelines and policies established by U.S. Trust Pacific and the Board
of Trustees of the Portfolio Series. For the investment management services they
provide to the corresponding Portfolios, the Subadvisers are compensated only by
U.S. Trust Pacific, and receive no fees directly from the Portfolio Series.  For
their  services under the  subadvisory agreements, the  Subadvisers receive from
U.S. Trust  Pacific, fees  at a  maximum annual  rate equal  to the  percentages
specified  below of the corresponding Portfolio's  average daily net assets: (a)
0.25% for the Equity Index Fund and Bond Index Fund, (b) 0.65% for the Small Cap
Fund,   (c)   0.40%   for   the   Value   Equity   Income   Fund   and    Equity
 
                                       42
 
<PAGE>
Growth  Fund,  (d)  0.425%  for  the  Balanced  Fund,  and  (e)  0.50%  for  the
International Equity  Fund. The  Subadvisers furnish  at their  own expense  all
services,  facilities and  personnel necessary  in connection  with managing the
corresponding Portfolios' investments and effecting securities transactions  for
the Portfolios.
 
     BALANCED   FUND,  EQUITY  GROWTH   FUND,  VALUE  EQUITY   INCOME  FUND  AND
INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
 
     U.S.  Trust  Pacific  has  entered  into  separate  Investment  Subadvisory
Agreements  with Becker Capital Management, Inc.  ('Becker') with respect to the
Portfolio for the Balanced Fund; Luther King Capital Management ('Luther  King')
with respect to the Portfolio for the Equity Growth Fund; Spare, Kaplan, Bischel
& Associates ('Spare Kaplan') with respect to the Portfolio for the Value Equity
Income  Fund;  and Harding,  Loevner Management,  L.P. ('Harding  Loevner') with
respect to the Portfolio for the International Equity Fund.
 
     Becker maintains its principal offices at 2185 Pacwest Center, Portland, OR
97204. As of June 30, 1995, Becker had $1.1 billion in assets under  management.
The  person primarily responsible for the  day-to-day management of the Balanced
Portfolio is Donald L. Wolcott, C.F.A., Vice President and Portfolio Manager  of
Becker.  Mr. Wolcott joined Becker in 1987  and brings 19 years of experience in
investment management to his position.
 
     Luther King maintains its principal  offices at 301 Commerce Street,  Suite
1600,  Forth Worth, TX 76102. As of June  30, 1995, Luther King had $4.8 billion
in assets under management.  Emmett M. Murphy is  primarily responsible for  the
day-to-day  management  of  Equity  Growth Portfolio.  Mr.  Murphy  has  been an
investment manager with Luther King since 1981. He is also a Chartered Financial
Analyst.
 
     Spare Kaplan maintains its principal  offices at 44 Montgomery Street,  San
Francisco,  CA 94104.  As of  June 30,  1995, Spare  Kaplan had  $2.3 billion in
assets under  management.  The  day-to-day management  of  Value  Equity  Income
Portfolio  is performed by the Value Equity Income Strategy Team, which includes
Anthony E. Spare, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of  Spare
Kaplan,  and James G.  McCluskey, Senior Portfolio Manager  at Spare Kaplan. Mr.
Spare co-founded the Value Equity Income Strategy Team in 1975 and has served as
senior strategy team member since 1975; Mr. McCluskey has been with Spare Kaplan
since 1989.
 
     Harding Loevner  maintains its  principal offices  at 50  Division  Street,
Suite  401, Somerville, NJ 08876. As of  June 30, 1995, Harding Loevner had $512
million in  assets  under management.  All  investment management  decisions  of
Harding  Loevner are made by  an investment group and  not by portfolio managers
individually.
 
     EQUITY INDEX FUND, BOND INDEX FUND AND SMALL CAP FUND
 
     U.S. Trust Pacific  has entered  into an  Investment Subadvisory  Agreement
with  United States Trust Company of New York ('U.S. Trust') with respect to the
Portfolios corresponding to the Equity Index Fund, Bond Index Fund and Small Cap
Fund. U.S. Trust is a state-chartered bank and trust company created by  Special
Act  of the New York Legislature in  1853. U.S. Trust provides trust and banking
services to  individuals, corporations  and  institutions, both  nationally  and
internationally,    including   investment   management,    estate   and   trust
administration, financial planning, corporate trust and agency, and personal and
corporate banking. U.S. Trust is a member bank of the Federal Reserve System and
the Federal Deposit Insurance  Corporation and is one  of the twelve members  of
the  New York Clearing House  Association. On June 30,  1995, U.S. Trust's Asset
Management Group had  approximately $41.2  billion in  assets under  management.
U.S. Trust, which has its principal offices at
 
                                       43
 
<PAGE>
114  West  47th  Street, New  York,  NY 10036,  is  a subsidiary  of  U.S. Trust
Corporation, a registered bank holding company.
 
     Bruce Tavel, Senior Vice President, and Cyril M. Theccanat, Vice  President
of  U.S.  Trust,  Structured  Investment  Management  Department,  are primarily
responsible for the day-to-day management of the Portfolio corresponding to  the
Bond   Index  Fund.  Mr.  Theccanat  has  been  managing  structured  investment
portfolios at U.S. Trust since January, 1990. Prior to this, Mr. Theccanat was a
Vice President  of Drexel  Burnham Lambert,  responsible for  interest rate  and
foreign  exchange risk  management. Mr.  Tavel designs,  develops and implements
analytic products and services utilizing quantitative and financial information.
He has over 17 years of experience in the execution of decision support  systems
at  U.S. Trust and previously at Lehman  Asset Management, where he was Director
of Institutional Computer Services.
 
     Peter Albanese, Financial Officer in the Structured Investments area of the
Institutional  Investment  Management   Division,  U.S.   Trust,  is   primarily
responsible for the day-to-day management of the Portfolios corresponding to the
Equity  Index Fund  and Small Cap  Fund. Mr.  Albanese has been  with U.S. Trust
since December 1994. Prior to joining U.S. Trust he worked for Kidder, Peabody &
Co., Inc. from March 1991 to December 1994, as a Quantitative Analyst in  Equity
Research.
 
     EQUITY FUND, INCOME FUND AND TOTAL RETURN BOND FUND
 
     U.S.  Trust  is  responsible  for  the  management  of  the  assets  of the
Portfolios corresponding to the Equity Fund, Income Fund, and Total Return  Bond
Fund,  pursuant to an  Investment Advisory Agreement  (the 'Advisory Agreement')
with St. James Portfolios  on behalf of such  Portfolios. With respect to  these
Portfolios, U.S. Trust makes decisions with respect to and places orders for all
purchases  and sales of portfolio securities,  and maintains records relating to
such purchases and sales.
 
     The  following  persons  are  primarily  responsible  for  the   day-to-day
management of the Portfolios corresponding to the following Funds:
 
<TABLE>
<S>                             <C>
Equity Fund...................  P.  Ross Taylor  III, Director of  Institutional Investments  (Equity) and Senior
                                Portfolio Manager, U.S. Trust (since 1987).
Income Fund...................  Charles E. Rabus, Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager, U.S. Trust  (since
                                1987).
Total Return Bond Fund........  Henry  M. Milkowicz,  Senior Vice  President and  Senior Portfolio  Manager, U.S.
                                Trust (since 1986).
</TABLE>
 
     For its services under the Advisory Agreement, U.S. Trust receives from the
Portfolios corresponding to the Equity Fund,  Income Fund and Total Return  Bond
Fund,  a fee accrued daily and paid monthly  at an annual rate equal to 0.65% of
each Portfolio's average daily  net assets. U.S. Trust  has agreed to waive  all
investment  advisory fees under the Advisory  Agreement. While no such Portfolio
pays investment advisory fees to U.S. Trust, each institutional investor  enters
into  an asset management services agreement  with U.S. Trust Pacific and agrees
to pay annual fees calculated as a specified percentage of average net assets.
 
     U.S. Trust also serves as investment adviser to UST Master Funds, Inc.  and
UST Master Tax-Exempt Funds, Inc., registered investment companies consisting of
the  following funds: Equity  Fund; Income and Growth  Fund; Long-Term Supply of
Energy Fund; Productivity Enhancers  Fund; Environmentally-Related Products  and
Services  Fund;  Aging of  America Fund;  Communication and  Entertainment Fund;
Business and Industrial Restructuring Fund; Global Competitors Fund; Early  Life
Cycle Fund;
 
                                       44
 
<PAGE>
Money  Fund; Government Money  Fund; Treasury Money  Fund; Short-Term Tax-Exempt
Fund; New York Intermediate-Term  Tax-Exempt Fund; International Fund;  Emerging
Americas  Fund;  Pacific/Asia  Fund; Pan  European  Fund;  Short-Term Tax-Exempt
Securities Fund; Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt  Fund; Long-Term Tax-Exempt  Fund;
Short-Term  Government Securities  Fund; Intermediate-Term  Managed Income Fund;
and Managed Income Fund.
 
     INVESTMENTS IN THE FUNDS ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR  GUARANTEED
OR ENDORSED BY, UNITED STATES TRUST COMPANY OF NEW YORK OR ANY OTHER BANK.
 
                             PROPOSED RESTRUCTURING
 
     At  meetings of  the Trust's  Board of  Trustees held  on August  29, 1995,
September 15,  1995,  and October  6,  1995, the  Trustees  voted to  approve  a
restructuring  (the  'Restructuring'),  subject  to  shareholder  approval, with
respect to the  Equity Fund,  Income Fund, Total  Return Bond  Fund, Bond  Index
Fund,  Balanced  Fund, Equity  Growth Fund  and  International Equity  Fund (the
'Restructuring Funds'). Under  the Restructuring,  the Trust  will withdraw  the
investment  of  each Restructuring  Fund  from its  corresponding  Portfolio and
thereafter operate  each such  Fund in  a traditional,  single-tier mutual  fund
structure.  Thereafter,  the Trust  will engage  an  investment adviser  and, if
applicable,  an  investment  subadviser  to  manage  each  Restructuring  Fund's
portfolio  of investments.  Subject to  shareholder approval,  the Trustees have
approved investment  advisory  agreements  (each  a  'New  Advisory  Agreement')
between  the  Trust on  behalf  of each  Restructuring  Fund and  the investment
adviser currently  providing  investment  advisory  services  to  the  Portfolio
corresponding  to such Fund. Subject to  shareholder approval, the Trustees have
also  approved  investment  subadvisory  agreements  (each  a  'New  Subadvisory
Agreement')  between the  investment adviser for  the Bond  Index Fund, Balanced
Fund, Equity  Growth  Fund and  International  Equity Fund  and  the  investment
subadviser currently providing investment subadvisory services to the Portfolios
corresponding to such Funds.
 
     The  rates  of  the  advisory  or  subadvisory  fees  in  the  New Advisory
Agreements and the New Subadvisory Agreements are identical to the rates of  the
advisory or subadvisory fees in the corresponding current advisory agreements or
current  subadvisory agreements, as applicable. The  terms and conditions of the
New Advisory Agreements and the New Subadvisory Agreements are identical in  all
material  respects to those of the corresponding current advisory or subadvisory
agreements, except that  the new agreements  will be dated  as of the  effective
date  of the Restructuring, and except that the Trust will be a party to the New
Advisory Agreements.
 
     As part  of the  Restructuring, and  subject to  shareholder approval,  the
Trustees  of the Trust  have recommended that  the Bond Index  Fund withdraw its
investment in the Bond Market Portfolio. Unlike the other Funds that would  also
be  withdrawn from their  corresponding Portfolio, the  Trustees have determined
that in the case of  the Bond Index Fund, the  benefits of a two-tier  structure
could  potentially be realized by reinvesting the assets of the Fund in a series
(the 'Federated Bond  Index Portfolio') of  Federated Investment Portfolios  and
operating  in a Hub and Spoke'r' investment fund structure. Since it is expected
that there  will  be one  or  more additional  Spokesm  funds investing  in  the
Federated  Bond Index  Portfolio, it  is anticipated  that many  of the expected
benefits of the  two-tier structure  will be realized.  Therefore, the  Trustees
have  determined that it would  be in the best  interests of the shareholders of
the Bond  Index Fund  to replace  the one-tier  operating structure  as soon  as
practicable  following the withdrawal from the  Bond Market Portfolio with a Hub
and Spoke'r'  investment fund  structure,  by investing  all of  the  investable
assets  of the Fund in the Federated Bond Index Portfolio, which has adopted the
same  investment   objective,   restrictions   and   policies   as   the   Fund,
 
                                       45
 
<PAGE>
and  terminating the New  Advisory Agreement and  New Subadvisory Agreement with
respect to the Fund.
 
     Shareholders of the Trust will be  asked to approve the Restructuring at  a
special  meeting of shareholders scheduled to be  held on November 15, 1995. The
Restructuring is expected to take place as soon as practicable after shareholder
approval is obtained, but in any event after December 1, 1995.
 
     At a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on October 6, 1995, the Trustees
voted to  terminate the  Equity  Index, Small  Capitalization and  Value  Equity
Income  Funds, after having  determined that the continuation  of these Funds is
not in the  best interests of  the Funds or  their respective shareholders.  The
termination  of the Equity  Index, Small Capitalization  and Value Equity Income
Funds is expected to occur on or after December 1, 1995.
 
                                 SERVICING PLAN
 
     The Trust has adopted  a Servicing Plan which  provides that the Trust  may
obtain  the services of a servicing and fund accounting agent, a transfer agent,
a custodian and  one or more  Shareholder Servicing Agents,  and may enter  into
agreements  providing  for the  payment  of fees  for  such services.  Under the
Servicing Plan,  the  aggregate of  the  fees paid  to  the servicing  and  fund
accounting  agent from a Fund and fees paid to Shareholder Servicing Agents from
a Fund  may not  exceed 0.40%  of that  Fund's average  daily net  assets on  an
annualized basis for the Fund's then-current fiscal year.
 
                                SERVICING AGENT
 
     Signature  Financial Services, Inc.  ('SFSI'), located at  89 South Street,
Boston, MA 02111, serves as servicing and fund accounting agent to the Trust and
the Portfolio Series pursuant to agreements  between SFSI and each of the  Trust
and  the Portfolio  Series (the 'Servicing  Agent Agreements').  Pursuant to the
Servicing Agent Agreements,  SFSI supervises the  affairs of the  Trust and  the
Portfolio  Series, including,  among other responsibilities,  the negotiation of
contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billings of,  the
various  service  providers  of  the Trust  or  the  Portfolio  Series; provides
equipment and clerical personnel necessary  for maintaining the organization  of
the  Trust and the  Portfolio Series; prepares and  distributes all materials in
connection with  meetings of  Trustees  and investors;  prepares and  files  all
documents  required for  compliance by  the Trust  or the  Portfolio Series with
applicable laws  and  regulations; and  arranges  for the  maintenance  of  fund
accounting and record-keeping of the Trust and the Portfolio Series.
 
     SFSI  provides persons satisfactory to the respective Boards of Trustees to
serve as officers of the Trust or  the Portfolio Series. Such officers, as  well
as  certain other employees and  Trustees of the Trust  or the Portfolio Series,
may be directors, officers or employees of SFSI or its affiliates. SFSI provides
similar services to other mutual funds unrelated to the Trust and the  Portfolio
Series.
 
     As  compensation for providing  these services (other  than fund accounting
services) and facilities to the Trust and the Portfolio Series, SFSI receives  a
fee  from the Portfolio Series accrued daily  and paid monthly at an annual rate
of up to 0.07% of  the average daily net assets  of the Portfolios. This fee  is
reported  in the Expense Table at pages  1-2 as the Administrative Fees. For its
fund accounting services, SFSI receives a per annum fee from each Fund and  each
Portfolio  equal to $12,000  and $50,000, respectively. SFSI  is a subsidiary of
Signature Financial Group, Inc.
 
                                       46
 
<PAGE>
                                  DISTRIBUTOR
 
     Pursuant  to  a  Distribution  Agreement,  Edgewood  Services,  Inc.   (the
'Distributor'),  Federated Investors Tower, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222, acts
as principal underwriter for the  Shares. Edgewood Services, Inc., a  registered
broker-dealer   and  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary   of  Federated  Investors,  is
unaffiliated with U.S. Trust or any  of its affiliates. The Distributor and  its
affiliates  acts as distributor and serves  as administrator to twenty-four bank
related mutual fund complexes.
 
                          SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENTS
 
     The Trust has  entered into  shareholder servicing agreements  with one  or
more  shareholder  servicing agents,  including  U.S. Trust.  Pursuant  to these
agreements, a shareholder servicing  agent, as agent for  its customers who  are
purchasing  Shares,  will perform  the following  services for  these investors,
among other  things:  answer customer  inquiries  regarding account  status  and
history,  the manner in which purchases,  exchanges and redemptions of Shares of
each Fund may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to a Fund; assist
shareholders in designating and changing dividend options, account  designations
and  addresses;  provide necessary  personnel  and facilities  to  establish and
maintain shareholder  accounts  and  records;  assist  in  processing  purchase,
exchange  and redemption transactions; arrange for the wiring of funds; transmit
and receive funds in  connection with customer orders  to purchase, exchange  or
redeem  Shares; verify and  guarantee shareholder signatures  in connection with
redemption orders and transfers and changes in shareholder-designated  accounts;
provide  periodic statements showing  a customer's account  balances and, to the
extent practicable, integrate  such information with  other client  transactions
otherwise  effected  with or  through the  shareholder servicing  agent; furnish
(either separately or  on an  integrated basis with  other reports  sent to  the
customer by its shareholder servicing agent) monthly and year-end statements and
confirmations  of purchases and  redemptions; transmit, on  behalf of the Trust,
prospectuses, proxy statements, annual  reports, updating prospectuses, if  any,
and  other communications from the Trust  to shareholders of each Fund; receive,
tabulate and transmit to the Trust proxies executed by shareholders with respect
to meetings  of  shareholders of  the  Funds;  and provide  such  other  related
services  as the  Trust or  a shareholder may  request. For  these services, the
shareholder servicing agents will receive a  fee accrued daily and paid  monthly
for  the respective Fund's current fiscal year at  an annual rate of up to 0.25%
of the average daily  net assets represented by  shares owned during the  period
for which payment is being made by customers of the shareholder servicing agent.
In  addition, certain shareholder  servicing agents will  perform record keeping
and administrative functions for which they will receive a fee at an annual rate
of up to 0.15%  of each Fund's average  daily net assets. Shareholder  servicing
agents are expected to waive a portion of their fees.
 
                          CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
 
     The  Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. ('Chase') serves as custodian of the Funds'
and the Portfolios' assets. Communications  to the custodian should be  directed
to  The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., Mutual Funds Service Division, 770 Broadway,
New York, NY 10003. Investors Bank &  Trust Company, 79 Milk Street, Boston,  MA
02205,  has been retained to  serve as domestic and  foreign subcustodian of the
Funds'  and  the  Portfolios'  assets.  Chase  Global  Funds  Services   Company
('CGFSC'), 73 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02108, serves as the transfer agent for
the  Funds,  providing  transfer  agency,  dividend  disbursement  and registrar
services. CGFSC is a subsidiary of Chase.
 
                                       47
 
<PAGE>
                                    EXPENSES
 
     The respective expenses of the Trust  and the Portfolio Series include  the
compensation  of  their  respective Trustees  who  are not  affiliated  with the
investment managers or  SFSI; governmental fees;  interest charges; taxes;  fees
and  expenses  of independent  auditors, of  legal counsel  and of  any transfer
agent, custodian, registrar  or dividend disbursing  agent of the  Trust or  the
Portfolio  Series; insurance premiums; and expenses of calculating the net asset
value of, and the net income on,  interests in the Portfolios and shares of  the
Funds.
 
     Expenses  of  the Trust  also include  all fees  under its  Servicing Agent
Agreement;  expenses  of  distributing   and  redeeming  shares  and   servicing
shareholder  accounts; expenses of preparing, printing and mailing prospectuses,
reports,  notices,  proxy  statements  and   reports  to  shareholders  and   to
governmental  officers  and  commissions; expenses  of  shareholder  and Trustee
meetings; expenses relating to the  issuance, registration and qualification  of
shares  of each Fund  and the preparation, printing  and mailing of prospectuses
for such  purposes; and  membership  dues in  the Investment  Company  Institute
allocable to the Trust.
 
     Expenses  of the Portfolio Series also include all fees under the Portfolio
Series' Servicing Agent  Agreement; the expenses  connected with the  execution,
recording  and settlement  of security  transactions; fees  and expenses  of the
Portfolio Series'  custodian  for  all services  to  the  Portfolios,  including
safekeeping of funds and securities and maintaining required books and accounts;
expenses  of  preparing and  mailing reports  to  investors and  to governmental
officers and commissions; expenses  of meetings of  investors and Trustees;  and
the  advisory fees,  if any,  payable to U.S.  Trust Pacific  under the Advisory
Agreement.
 
     Bank Regulatory Matters.   The  Glass-Steagall Act  and applicable  banking
laws  and regulations generally prohibit  certain financial institutions such as
U.S. Trust from engaging in the business of underwriting securities of  open-end
investment  companies such as the Trust or the Portfolio Series. Based on advice
of its counsel, it is the position of U.S. Trust and U.S. Trust Pacific that the
investment advisory services performed by U.S. Trust Pacific or U.S. Trust under
the Advisory Agreements with St.  James Portfolios, the activities performed  by
U.S.  Trust  as shareholder  servicing agent  for the  Funds and  subadviser and
custodian for the Portfolios, and the transfer agency and dividend  disbursement
activities  performed by  CGFSC for  the Funds,  do not  constitute underwriting
activities and are consistent with the requirements of the Glass- Steagall  Act.
In   addition,  counsel  has  advised  that  this  combination  of  individually
permissible activities  is  consistent with  the  Glass-Steagall Act  and  other
federal  or  state  legal  and  regulatory  precedent.  There  is  presently  no
controlling precedent regarding the performance  of a combination of  investment
advisory,  shareholder servicing,  custodian and  transfer agency  activities by
banks. State laws on this issue may differ from the interpretations of  relevant
federal  law and banks and financial institutions may be required to register as
dealers pursuant  to state  securities  law. Future  changes in  either  federal
statutes or regulations relating to the permissible activities of banks, as well
as  future judicial or  administrative decisions and  interpretations of present
and future statutes  and regulations, could  prevent a bank  from continuing  to
perform  all or part of its servicing  or investment management activities. If a
bank were  prohibited  from  so  acting,  its  shareholder  customers  would  be
permitted  to remain Fund shareholders and  alternative means for continuing the
servicing of such shareholders  would be sought. In  such event, changes in  the
operation of the Funds might occur and a shareholder serviced by such bank might
no longer be able to avail himself of any automatic investment or other services
then   being   provided  by   such   bank.  The   Trustees   of  the   Trust  do
 
                                       48
 
<PAGE>
not expect that  shareholders of the  Funds would suffer  any adverse  financial
consequences as a result of these occurrences.
 
     Certain  Relationships and Activities.  U.S.  Trust, U.S. Trust Pacific and
their  affiliates  may   have  deposit,  loan   and  other  commercial   banking
relationships with the issuers of securities which may be purchased on behalf of
the  Portfolios,  including outstanding  loans to  such  issuers which  could be
repaid in whole or in  part with the proceeds  of securities so purchased.  U.S.
Trust  and  U.S. Trust  Pacific  have informed  the  Portfolios that,  in making
investment decisions, they do not obtain  or use material inside information  in
their  possession or  in the  possession of any  of their  affiliates. In making
investment recommendations for the Portfolios, U.S. Trust and U.S. Trust Pacific
will not inquire  or take  into consideration  whether an  issuer of  securities
proposed for purchase or sale by a Portfolio is a customer of U.S. Trust or U.S.
Trust  Pacific, their parents or their  subsidiaries or affiliates. When dealing
with its customers, U.S. Trust, U.S. Trust Pacific, their parents, subsidiaries,
and affiliates will not inquire or take into consideration whether securities of
such customers are held by any fund managed by U.S. Trust, U.S. Trust Pacific or
any such affiliate.
 
                   DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS
 
     Dividends equal to all or substantially  all of each Fund's net  investment
income  will be  declared and paid  as follows:  For the Small  Cap Fund, Equity
Index Fund and International Equity Fund, dividends will be declared and paid at
least once a year; for the Bond Index Fund, dividends will be declared daily and
paid at least each  month; and for  the Equity Fund,  Income Fund, Total  Return
Bond  Fund,  Balanced Fund,  Equity Growth  Fund and  Value Equity  Income Fund,
dividends will be declared and paid at least quarterly (four times a year).
 
     Long-term capital gains, if any, for  each Fund will be distributed once  a
year, usually in December, if a Fund's profits during that year from the sale of
securities  held for longer than the applicable period exceed losses during such
year from the sale  of securities together with  any net capital losses  carried
forward  from prior years (to  the extent not used  to offset short-term capital
gains). Net short-term capital gains realized  during a Fund's fiscal year  will
also  be  distributed during  such  year. Each  Fund's  net income  for dividend
purposes consists of (i) all accrued income, whether taxable or tax-exempt, plus
discount earned on the Fund's assets, less (ii) amortization of premium on  such
assets,  accrued expenses  directly attributable  to the  Fund, and  the general
expenses  or  the  expenses  common  to   more  than  one  Fund  (e.g.,   legal,
administrative,  accounting, and  Trustees' fees) prorated  to each  Fund on the
basis of its relative  net assets. Dividends and  distributions will reduce  the
net  asset  value  of  each of  the  Funds  by  the amount  of  the  dividend or
distribution.
 
     Additional distributions will also  be made to  shareholders to the  extent
necessary  to avoid the application of a 4% non-deductible federal excise tax on
certain undistributed income and net capital gains of mutual funds.
 
              DESCRIPTION OF SHARES, VOTING RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES
 
     The Trust's Trust Instrument permits the Trustees of the Trust to issue  an
unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest (par value
$0.00001  per share) of each  series and to divide or  combine the shares into a
greater or lesser number  of shares without  thereby changing the  proportionate
beneficial  interests in each Fund.  The Trust reserves the  right to create and
issue any number of  series; investments in each  series participate equally  in
the earnings, dividends and assets of
 
                                       49
 
<PAGE>
the  particular series only  and no other  series. Currently, the  Trust has ten
active  and  two   inactive  series.  The   active  series  include:   Excelsior
Institutional  Equity  Fund,  Excelsior  Institutional  Income  Fund,  Excelsior
Institutional Total Return Bond Fund, Excelsior Institutional Equity Index Fund,
Excelsior  Institutional  Bond   Index  Fund,   Excelsior  Institutional   Small
Capitalization   Fund,   Excelsior   Institutional   Balanced   Fund,  Excelsior
Institutional Equity Growth  Fund, Excelsior Institutional  Value Equity  Income
Fund  and  Excelsior Institutional  International  Equity Fund.  The  ten active
series are offered through this Prospectus.
 
     Each Share  of  a  Fund  represents  an  interest  in  that  Fund  that  is
proportionate  with the interest represented by each other Share. Shares have no
preference, preemptive, conversion  or similar  rights. Shares  when issued  are
fully  paid  and  nonassessable, except  as  set forth  below.  Shareholders are
entitled to one vote for each Share  held on matters on which they are  entitled
to  vote. The  Trust is  not required to  and has  no current  intention to hold
annual meetings of shareholders, although  the Trust will hold special  meetings
of shareholders when in the judgment of the Board of Trustees of the Trust it is
necessary  or desirable to  submit matters for  a shareholder vote. Shareholders
have the right to  remove one or  more Trustees of the  Trust at a  shareholders
meeting  by  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  outstanding  Shares  of  the  Trust.
Shareholders also have the  right to remove  one or more  Trustees of the  Trust
without  a  meeting  by  a  declaration in  writing  by  a  specified  number of
shareholders. Upon liquidation or dissolution  of a Fund, shareholders would  be
entitled  to  share  pro rata  in  the net  assets  of such  Fund  available for
distribution to shareholders.
 
     The Trust is  a business trust  organized under  the laws of  the State  of
Delaware.  Under  Delaware law,  shareholders  of Delaware  business  trusts are
entitled to the same limitation  on personal liability extended to  shareholders
of  private for profit corporations organized  under the general corporation law
of the State of Delaware; the courts of other states may not apply Delaware law,
however, and shareholders may, under  certain circumstances, be held  personally
liable  for  the obligations  of  the Trust.  The  Trust Instrument  contains an
express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust
and provides  for indemnification  and  reimbursement of  expenses out  of  Fund
property  for any  shareholder held personally  liable for the  obligations of a
Fund solely by  reason of  his being  or having  been a  shareholder. The  Trust
Instrument  also provides for the maintenance, by  or on behalf of the Trust and
each Fund, of appropriate insurance (for  example, fidelity bond and errors  and
omissions  insurance)  for the  protection  of the  Trust  and each  Fund, their
shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees  and agents, covering possible  tort
and  other liabilities. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss
on account  of  shareholder  liability  is limited  to  circumstances  in  which
Delaware  law did not apply, inadequate insurance  existed and a Fund itself was
unable to meet its obligations.
 
     Shareholders of  all  series of  the  Trust  will vote  together  to  elect
Trustees   of  the   Trust  and  for   certain  other   matters.  Under  certain
circumstances, the shareholders of one or more series of the Trust could control
the outcome of these votes.
 
     Each Portfolio is a series of St. James Portfolios, which is organized as a
trust under the laws of the State of New York. The Portfolio Series' Declaration
of Trust provides that the Funds and other entities investing in the  Portfolios
(e.g.,  other  investment  companies, insurance  company  separate  accounts and
common and commingled trust  funds) will each be  liable for all obligations  of
their  corresponding Portfolios. However, the Trustees of the Trust believe that
the risk of the Funds incurring financial  loss on account of such liability  is
limited  to  circumstances  in which  both  inadequate insurance  existed  and a
Portfolio itself was unable to meet its obligations, and that neither the  Funds
nor their shareholders
 
                                       50
 
<PAGE>
will be exposed to a material risk of liability by reason of a Fund's investment
in  its corresponding Portfolio. For more  information regarding the Trustees of
the Trust and the Portfolio Series,  see 'Management of the Trust and  Portfolio
Series'  in  the  Statement  of Additional  Information.  The  interests  in the
Portfolio Series are divided into separate  series. Investors in each series  of
the  Portfolio Series  will vote  separately or together  in the  same manner as
shareholders of the Trust's series.
 
                            PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
 
     From time to  time, in  advertisements, reports to  shareholders, or  other
communications  to shareholders or prospective investors, the performance of the
Funds may be quoted  and compared to  those of other  mutual funds with  similar
investment  objectives and  to stock  or other  relevant indices  or to rankings
prepared by independent  services or  other financial  or industry  publications
that  monitor the performance of  mutual funds. Performance information includes
the Fund's investment results  and/or comparisons of  its investment results  to
various  unmanaged indices,  or results of  other mutual funds  or investment or
savings vehicles. A Fund's investment results as used in such communications are
calculated on a 'yield' or 'total rate of return' basis in the manner set  forth
below.
 
     The  Trust  provides  period and  annualized  'total rates  of  return' and
non-standardized total return  data for each  Fund. The 'total  rate of  return'
refers  to the  change in the  value of  an investment in  a Fund  over a stated
period which reflects any change in net  asset value per share and includes  the
value  of  any shares  purchased with  any dividends  or capital  gains declared
during such  period.  Period  total  rates  of  return  may  be  annualized.  An
annualized  total rate  of return  is a  compounded total  rate of  return which
assumes that  the period  total rate  of  return is  generated over  a  one-year
period, and that all dividends and capital gains distributions are reinvested.
 
     The Trust provides annualized 'yield' quotations for each Fund. The 'yield'
of  a Fund refers to the  income generated by an investment  in such Fund over a
thirty day or one month period. The  dates of any such period are identified  in
all advertisements or communications containing yield quotations. Income is then
annualized;  that is, the amount of income  generated by an investment in a Fund
over a period is assumed to be generated (or remain constant) over one year  and
is  shown  as a  percentage of  the  net asset  value on  the  last day  of that
year-long period. The Funds may also advertise the 'effective yields', which are
calculated similarly but, when annualized,  income is assumed to be  reinvested,
thereby  making the effective yields slightly  higher because of the compounding
effect of  the  assumed  reinvestment.  See  'Performance  Information'  in  the
Statement  of Additional Information.  These methods of  calculating 'yield' and
'total rate  of return'  are determined  by regulations  of the  Securities  and
Exchange Commission.
 
     Since  a Fund's  yield and  total rate  of return  quotations are  based on
historical earnings and since  such yields and total  rates of return  fluctuate
over  time,  such  quotations  should  not be  considered  as  an  indication or
representation of  the  future  performance of  any  Fund.  Shareholders  should
remember that performance is generally a function of the kind and quality of the
instruments  held in  a portfolio,  portfolio maturity,  operating expenses, and
market conditions. Any  fees charged by  Shareholder Organizations to  Customers
that  have invested  in Shares  and any  charges to  institutional investors for
asset management and related  services will not be  included in calculations  of
performance.  From  time  to time,  fund  rankings  may be  quoted  from various
sources, such as Lipper Analytical Services, Inc.
 
                                       51
 
<PAGE>
                                 MISCELLANEOUS
 
     Shareholders of  record  will  receive unaudited  semi-annual  reports  and
annual reports audited by the Funds' independent auditors.
 
     The  Funds' Statement of Additional Information bears the same date as this
Prospectus and  contains  more detailed  information  about the  Funds  and  the
Portfolios,  including  information  related  to  (i)  investment  policies  and
restrictions of the Funds and the Portfolios, (ii) Trustees and officers of  the
Trust   and  Portfolio  Series,  (iii)   portfolio  transactions  and  brokerage
commissions, (iv)  rights  and liabilities  of  shareholders of  the  Trust  and
Portfolio Series, (v) additional performance information, including methods used
to  calculate yield and total return, (vi)  determination of the net asset value
of Shares of the Funds and (vii)  the audited financial statements of the  Funds
and the Portfolios at May 31, 1995.
 
                                       52


<PAGE>
                    INSTRUCTIONS FOR NEW ACCOUNT APPLICATION
 
OPENING YOUR ACCOUNT:
 
     Complete the Application(s) and mail (regular or overnight) to:
 
                         Excelsior Institutional Trust
 c/o Chase Global Funds Services Company, P.O. Box 2798, Boston, MA 02208-2798
 
     Please  enclose  with the  Application(s) your  check  made payable  to the
'Excelsior Institutional Trust' in the amount of your investment.
 
     For direct wire  purchases please refer  to the section  of the  Prospectus
entitled 'How to Purchase and Redeem Shares -- Purchase Procedures'.
 
     Minimum Investments:
 
     Except  as provided in the Prospectus,  there is no minimum amount required
for an initial or subsequent investment.
 
     Redemptions:
 
     Shares can be redeemed  in any amount  and at any  time in accordance  with
procedures described in the Prospectus. In the case of shares recently purchased
by  check, redemption  proceeds will  not be  made available  until the transfer
agent is reasonably assured that the check has been collected in accordance with
applicable banking regulations.
 
     Certain legal  documents  will  be  required  from  corporations  or  other
organizations,  executors and trustees, or if  redemption is requested by anyone
other than the shareholder of record.  Written redemption requests of $5,000  or
more must be accompanied by signature guarantees.
 
     Signatures:
 
     Please be sure to sign the Application(s).
 
     If the shares are registered in the name of:
 
      --  a corporation or other organization, an authorized officer should sign
          (please indicate corporate office or title).*
 
      --  a trustee or other fiduciary, the fiduciary or fiduciaries should sign
          (please indicate capacity).*
 
     -----------------
 
     *A corporate resolution or appropriate certificate may be required.
 
     Taxpayer Identification Number:
 
     Institutional   Investors   and   other  entities   must   provide   a  tax
identification or social security  number on the  application. Investors who  do
not  supply this information or  who have been notified  by the Internal Revenue
Service that  they  are subject  to  backup withholding  will  be subject  to  a
withholding rate of 31% from all taxable distributions paid to the shareholder.
 
     Questions:
 
     If   you  have  any  questions  regarding  the  Application  or  redemption
requirements, please contact your shareholder servicing agent.
 
                                       53



<PAGE>
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                        PAGE
                                                        ----
<S>                                                     <C>
SUMMARY OF EXPENSES..................................      1
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND
  POLICIES...........................................      6
  EQUITY PORTFOLIO...................................     10
  INCOME PORTFOLIO...................................     11
  TOTAL RETURN BOND PORTFOLIO........................     11
  EQUITY MARKET PORTFOLIO............................     13
  BOND MARKET PORTFOLIO..............................     14
  SMALL CAP PORTFOLIO................................     16
  BALANCED PORTFOLIO.................................     17
  EQUITY GROWTH PORTFOLIO............................     19
  VALUE EQUITY INCOME PORTFOLIO......................     20
  INTERNATIONAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO.....................     21
SPECIAL INFORMATION CONCERNING HUB AND SPOKE'r'
  STRUCTURE..........................................     33
PRICING OF SHARES....................................     34
HOW TO PURCHASE, EXCHANGE AND REDEEM SHARES..........     35
INVESTOR PROGRAMS....................................     40
TAX MATTERS..........................................     40
MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST AND PORTFOLIO SERIES.........     41
DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS............     49
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES, VOTING RIGHTS AND
  LIABILITIES........................................     49
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION..............................     51
MISCELLANEOUS........................................     52
INSTRUCTIONS FOR NEW ACCOUNT APPLICATION.............     53
</TABLE>
 
  NO  PERSON  HAS  BEEN  AUTHORIZED  TO GIVE  ANY  INFORMATION  OR  TO  MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATIONS NOT CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, OR IN THE FUNDS' STATEMENT  OF
ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE, IN CONNECTION WITH THE
OFFERING MADE BY  THIS PROSPECTUS  AND, IF GIVEN  OR MADE,  SUCH INFORMATION  OR
REPRESENTATIONS  MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON  AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY EXCELSIOR
INSTITUTIONAL TRUST OR ITS DISTRIBUTOR.  THIS PROSPECTUS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE  AN
OFFER BY EXCELSIOR INSTITUTIONAL TRUST OR ITS DISTRIBUTOR IN ANY JURISDICTION IN
WHICH, OR TO ANY PERSON TO WHOM, SUCH OFFER MAY NOT LAWFULLY BE MADE.
 
UST206C
 


                        EXCELSIOR
                      INSTITUTIONAL
                          TRUST
 
                       EQUITY FUND
                       INCOME FUND
                  TOTAL RETURN BOND FUND
                    EQUITY INDEX FUND
                     BOND INDEX FUND
                SMALL CAPITALIZATION FUND
                      BALANCED FUND
                    EQUITY GROWTH FUND
                 VALUE EQUITY INCOME FUND
                INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
 
                        PROSPECTUS
                     OCTOBER 1, 1995,
                AS AMENDED OCTOBER 6, 1995




                           STATEMENT OF DIFFERENCES

          The registration symbol shall be expressed as .........  'r'





© 2022 IncJournal is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission