Nebraska Investment Council is investing $163m (€126m) in several real estate funds on behalf of a defined benefit pension scheme and an endowment.

The organisation, which oversees the investment management of several DB pension funds and endowments, will invest $150m from an $11.5bn DB scheme into three open-ended funds.

Commitments of $60m will be made to the Trumbull Property Income Fund and the Patriot Fund, and a further $30m has been allocated to Pramerica’s PRISA II fund.

Nebraska Investment Council is also committing $5m to the Cornerstone Patriot Fund and $7.5m to Landmark Partners VII on behalf of a €1bn endowment, of one of several it oversees.

Jeff States, state investment officer for Nebraska, said: β€œThe investment in the UBS fund should give the DB fund an additional layer of diversification.

β€œThis is a debt fund that will provide new loans for core real estate assets. We think the projected returns for the fund are strong, somewhere in the range of 8% to 9%.”

States said the commitments to the core real estate funds managed by UBS Realty Investors and Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers were expected to called β€œover the next one to two quarters”.

He said: β€œThis situation is something we looked at very closely before we committed new capital to the managers.”

The $2bn Trumbull Property Income Fund invests in office, industrial, retail and apartments in the US.

The DB Fund for Nebraska is already invested in the $3bn Cornerstone Patriot Fund at a $55m at the end of June.

The fund has been buying office buildings in San Francisco, including 33 New Montgomery for $149m, and plans to acquire 201 California Street asset for $133m.

PRISA II, a value-added fund managed by Pramerica Real Estate Investors, invests in a variety of property types in the US.

Landmark is targeting a $1bn capital raise for its latest fund and has already attracted $50m from the Nebraska DB pension fund. It will be buying limited partnership positions in existing funds on the secondary market.