HARTFORD, Conn., May 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of the Virtus Total Return Fund (NYSE: DCA), a diversified closed-end fund, today announced that at its annual meeting of shareholders held on May 20, Class II Trustees William R. Moyer and James M. Oates were re-elected to terms of three years or until a successor has been duly elected and qualified.

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About the fund
The Virtus Total Return Fund is a diversified closed-end fund with an objective of total return, consisting of both capital appreciation and current income, as determined by the fund's investment adviser, Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. The fund has been managed since December 9, 2011 by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. and Newfleet Asset Management, LLC, both affiliated managers of Virtus Investment Partners. For more information on the fund, contact shareholder services at (866) 270-7788, by email at closedendfunds@virtus.com, or through the closed end fund section on the web at www.virtus.com.

About Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.
Duff & Phelps Investment Management is a leader in investing in real estate investment trusts, infrastructure, and utility companies and in developing and managing focused investment strategies for specialized clients, including nuclear decommissioning trusts. For more information about Duff & Phelps, visit www.dpimc.com.

About Newfleet Asset Management
Newfleet Asset Management provides comprehensive fixed income portfolio management in multiple strategies. Newfleet Multi-Sector Strategies, which manages assets in the Virtus Total Return Fund, leverages the knowledge and skill of a team of investment professionals with expertise in every sector of the bond market, including evolving, specialized, and out-of-favor sectors. The team employs active sector rotation and disciplined risk management to portfolio construction, avoiding interest rate bets and remaining duration neutral to each strategy's stated benchmark.

About Virtus Investment Partners
Virtus Investment Partners (NASDAQ: VRTS) is a distinctive partnership of boutique investment managers singularly committed to the long-term success of individual and institutional investors. For more information visit www.virtus.com.

An investment in the fund is subject to risk and the fund's shares may be worth less than what an investor paid for them when they are sold. Distributions may represent earnings from net investment income, excess gains taxable as ordinary income or, if necessary, return of capital. Any portion of the fund's distributions that is a return of capital does not necessarily reflect the fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." The tax status of the fund's distributions is determined at the end of the taxable year. The options strategy may not be successful in its objective of limiting the risk of loss and could result in increased losses for investors.

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SOURCE Virtus Total Return Fund