The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund Announces Quarterly Dividend

DALLAS, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund (NYSE: SRV) (the "Fund") declared its quarterly dividend of $0.225 per common share for the quarter ending May 31, 2010. The dividend will be payable on June 10, 2010 to shareholders of record on May 20, 2010. The ex-date for the dividend is May 18, 2010.  With the payment of this quarter's dividend, SRV shareholders have realized aggregate dividends of $2.94 per share since inception.

It is anticipated but not certain that substantially all of this dividend will be treated as a return of capital. The final determination of such amount will be made in early 2011, after the end of the calendar year when the Fund can determine its earnings and profits. The final tax status of the dividend may differ substantially from this preliminary information.

The Fund also announced today the appointments effective immediately of John H. Alban as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Interim Chief Compliance Officer and Daniel L. Spears as Executive Vice President and Secretary of the Fund.  The Fund also accepted the resignations effective as of May 12, 2010 of Mark W. Fordyce as Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of the Fund and Michael S. Minces as Chief Compliance Officer.

The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is to obtain a high after-tax total return from a combination of capital appreciation and current income. No assurance can be given that the Fund's investment objective will be achieved. The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in MLP investments.

The Fund is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SRV." The Fund is managed by Swank Energy Income Advisors, LP, an SEC-registered Investment Adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

ABOUT SWANK ENERGY INCOME ADVISORS, LP.

Swank Energy Income Advisors, LP ("Swank Energy"), is an SEC-registered Investment Adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Swank Energy serves as investment adviser to affiliated funds, which invest primarily in securities of MLPs and other natural resource companies.  Swank Energy is also the sponsor for The Cushing® 30 MLP Index which is a fundamental based North American energy infrastructure index, comprised of 30 equally weighted publicly traded MLPs.  The Cushing® 30 MLP Index is calculated by Standard & Poor's and reported under the Bloomberg ticker "MLPX".  Swank Energy continues to expand its platform of MLP-related investment products, leveraging extensive industry contacts and unparalleled research depth to drive both passive and actively managed investment opportunities for individual and institutional investors.  The Investment Adviser seeks to identify and exploit investment niches it believes are generally less understood and less followed by the broader investor community.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the U.S. federal securities laws.  Generally, the words, "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the Fund's historical experience and its present expectations or projections indicated in any forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, changes in economic and political conditions; regulatory and legal changes; MLP industry risk; leverage risk; valuation risk; interest rate risk; tax risk; and other risks discussed in the Fund's filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. The Fund undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein. There is no assurance that the Fund's investment objectives will be attained.

The Cushing® 30 MLP Index (the "Cushing® 30") is the exclusive property of Swank Capital, LLC, which has contracted with the Standard & Poor's ("S&P") to maintain and calculate the Index.  Standard & Poor's® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC "Calculated by S&P Custom Indices" and it related stylized mark(s) are service marks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and have been licensed by use by Swank Capital, LLC.  S&P and its affiliates shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating the Index.  

SOURCE The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund