Before Fortress Investment Group made its historic announcement of becoming the first hedge fund to float in the U.S., an estimated 20 partners at private equity firms reportedly met at a dinner with bankers at Citigroup to discuss a similar strategy of listing their management companies. Citing sources, Financial News reports that p.e. firms may be trending toward listing for one obvious and one less obvious reason: to create a steady flow of capital through an initial public offering and to make for a smoother succession to the firm’s next leaders. Among the firms mentioned by FN that are considering a jump on to the IPO bandwagon are The Blackstone Group, The Carlyle Group and Doughty Hanson, notably because of their size and the fact that they have their hands in many sectors, including hedge funds and property funds as well as buyouts. None of the above commented on the listing plans, and the sources told FN nothing is likely to occur in the near future. Observers say one issue facing companies looking to list is a potential conflict of interest that can develop between meeting financial result targets of portfolio companies and the businesses’ own long-term requirements.