Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 11958-11959 [E8-4206]

Download as PDF 11958 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / Notices any oral statement. Such statements should be sent to the Office of the Secretary using the methods prescribed above, with a copy to the Licensing Board Chair. Dated: February 27, 2008, at Rockville, Maryland. For the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. Ann Marshall Young, Chair, Administrative Judge. [FR Doc. E8–4226 Filed 3–4–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Proposed Collection; Comment Request Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Washington, DC 20549–0213. jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES Extension: Rule 17d–1; SEC File No. 270–505; OMB Control No. 3235–0562. Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’) is soliciting comments on the collections of information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit these existing collections of information to the Office of Management and Budget for extension and approval. Section 17(d) (15 U.S.C. 80a–17(d)) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a et seq.) (the ‘‘Act’’) prohibits first- and second-tier affiliates of a fund, the fund’s principal underwriters, and affiliated persons of the fund’s principal underwriters, acting as principal, to effect any transaction in which the fund or a company controlled by the fund is a joint or a joint and several participant in contravention of the Commission’s rules. Rule 17d–1 (17 CFR 270.17d–1) prohibits an affiliated person of or principal underwriter for any fund (a ‘‘first-tier affiliate’’), or any affiliated person of such person or underwriter (a ‘‘second-tier affiliate’’), acting as principal, from participating in or effecting any transaction in connection with a joint enterprise or other joint arrangement in which the fund is a participant, unless prior to entering into the enterprise or arrangement ‘‘an application regarding (the transaction) has been filed with the Commission and has been granted by an order.’’ In reviewing the proposed affiliated transaction, the rule provides VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:03 Mar 04, 2008 Jkt 214001 that the Commission will consider whether the proposal is (i) consistent with the provisions, policies, and purposes of the Act, and (ii) on a basis different from or less advantageous than that of other participants in determining whether to grant an exemptive application for a proposed joint enterprise, joint arrangement, or profitsharing plan. Rule 17d–1 also contains a number of exceptions to the requirement that a fund must obtain Commission approval prior to entering into joint transactions or arrangements with affiliates. For example, funds do not have to obtain Commission approval for certain employee compensation plans, certain tax-deferred employee benefit plans, certain transactions involving small business investment companies, the receipt of securities or cash by certain affiliates pursuant to a plan of reorganization, and arrangements regarding liability insurance policies. The Commission amended rule 17d–1 most recently in 2003 to expand the current exemptions from the Commission approval process to permit funds to engage in transactions with ‘‘portfolio affiliates’’—companies that are affiliated with the fund solely as a result of the fund (or an affiliated fund) controlling them or owning more than five percent of their voting securities. This amendment was designed to permit funds’ transactions with portfolio affiliates without seeking Commission approval, as long as certain other affiliated persons of the fund (e.g., the fund’s adviser, persons controlling the fund, and persons under common control with the fund) (‘‘prohibited participants’’) are not parties to the transaction and do not have a ‘‘financial interest’’ in a party to the transaction. The rule excludes from the definition of ‘‘financial interest’’ any interest that the fund’s board of directors (including a majority of the directors who are not interested persons of the fund) finds to be not material, as long as the board records the basis for its finding in their meeting minutes. Thus, the rule contains two filing and recordkeeping requirements that constitute collections of information. First, rule 17d–1 requires funds that wish to engage in a joint transaction or arrangement with affiliates to meet the procedural requirements for obtaining exemptive relief from the rule’s prohibition on joint transactions or arrangements involving first- or secondtier affiliates. Second, rule 17d–1 permits a portfolio affiliate to enter into a joint transaction or arrangement with the fund if a prohibited participant has a financial interest that the fund’s board PO 00000 Frm 00100 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 determines is not material and records the basis for this finding in their meeting minutes. These requirements of rule 17d–1 are designed to prevent fund insiders from managing funds for their own benefit, rather than for the benefit of the funds’ shareholders. Based on an analysis of past filings, Commission staff estimates that 4 funds file applications under section 17(d) and rule 17d–1 per year. Based on a limited survey of persons in the mutual fund industry, the Commission staff estimates that each applicant will spend an average of 154 hours to comply with the Commission’s applications process. The Commission staff therefore estimates the annual burden hours per year for all funds under rule 17d–1’s application process to be 616 hours. Based on analysis of past filings, the Commission’s staff estimates that 148 funds are affiliated persons of 668 issuers as a result of the fund’s ownership or control of the issuer’s voting securities, and that there are approximately 1,000 such affiliate relationships. Staff discussions with mutual fund representatives have suggested that no funds are currently relying on rule 17d–1 exemptions. We do not know definitively the reasons for this transactional behavior, but differing market conditions from year to year may offer some explanation for the current lack of fund interest in the exemptions under rule 17d–1. Accordingly, we estimate that annually there will be no joint transactions under rule 17d–1 that will result in a collection of information. The Commission, therefore, requests authorization to maintain an inventory of total burden hours per year for all funds under rule 17d–1 of 616 hours. The estimate of average burden hours is made solely for the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The estimate is not derived from a comprehensive or even a representative survey or study of the costs of Commission rules. Complying with these collections of information requirement is necessary to obtain the benefit of relying on rule 17d–1. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid control number. Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM 05MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 44 / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / Notices information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication. Please direct your written comments to R. Corey Booth, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, C/O Shirley Martinson, 6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, VA 22312; or send an email to: PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov. Dated: February 27, 2008. Florence E. Harmon, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E8–4206 Filed 3–4–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Proposed Collection; Comment Request Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Washington, DC 20549–0213. jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES Extension: Rule 18f–1 and Form N–18f–1; SEC File No. 270–187; OMB Control No. 3235– 0211. Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 350l–3520), the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’) is soliciting comments on the collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit this existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget for extension and approval. Rule 18f–1 (17 CFR 270.18f–1) enables a registered open-end management investment company (‘‘fund’’) that may redeem its securities in-kind, by making a one-time election, to commit to make cash redemptions pursuant to certain requirements without violating section 18(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–18(f)). A fund relying on the rule must file Form N–18F–1 (17 CFR 274.51) to notify the Commission of this election. The Commission staff estimates that approximately 39 funds file Form N–18F–1 annually, and that each response takes approximately one hour. Based on these estimates, the total annual burden hours associated with the rule is estimated to be 39 hours. VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:03 Mar 04, 2008 Jkt 214001 The estimate of average burden hours is made solely for the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act, and is not derived from a comprehensive or even a representative survey or study of the costs of Commission rules. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission’s estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication. Please direct your written comments to R. Corey Booth, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, C/O Shirley Martinson, 6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, VA 22312; or send an e-mail to: PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov. Dated: February 27, 2008. Florence E. Harmon, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E8–4207 Filed 3–4–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Investment Company Act Release No. 28176; 812–13348] Patriot Capital Funding, Inc.; Notice of Application February 28, 2008. Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’). ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ‘‘Act’’) for an exemption from sections 23(a), 23(b) and 63 of the Act, and under sections 57(a)(4) and 57(i) of the Act and rule 17d–1 under the Act permitting certain joint transactions otherwise prohibited by section 57(a)(4) of the Act. AGENCY: Patriot Capital Funding, Inc. (‘‘Applicant’’) requests an order to permit Applicant to SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION: PO 00000 Frm 00101 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 11959 issue restricted shares of its common stock under the terms of its employee compensation plan. FILING DATES: The application was filed on November 29, 2006, and amended on February 15, 2008. Applicant has agreed to file an amendment during the notice period, the substance of which is reflected in the notice. HEARING OR NOTIFICATION OF HEARING: An order granting the application will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission’s Secretary and serving Applicant with a copy of the request, personally or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 5:30 p.m. on March 24, 2008, and should be accompanied by proof of service on applicant, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the writer’s interest, the reason for the request, and the issues contested. Persons who wish to be notified of a hearing may request notification by writing to the Commission’s Secretary. ADDRESSES: Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549– 1090. Applicant, c/o Richard P. Buckanavage, President and Chief Executive Officer, Patriot Capital Funding, Inc., 274 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT 06880. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannon Conaty, Senior Counsel, at (202) 551–6827, or Janet M. Grossnickle, Branch Chief, at (202) 551–6821 (Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company Regulation). The following is a summary of the application. The complete application may be obtained for a fee at the Commission’s Public Reference Desk, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549–1520 (tel. 202–551–5850). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Applicant’s Representations 1. Applicant, a Delaware corporation, is an internally managed, nondiversified, closed-end investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company (‘‘BDC’’) under the Act.1 1 Applicant was organized on November 4, 2002. When Applicant commenced business operations in 2003, its business was conducted through two separate entities, Patriot Capital Funding, Inc. and Wilton Funding, LLC. On July 27, 2005, Wilton Funding, LLC merged with and into Patriot Capital Funding, Inc. and the surviving entity, Applicant, elected to be regulated as a BDC. Section 2(a)(48) E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM Continued 05MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11958-11959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4206]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Washington, DC 
20549-0213.

Extension:
    Rule 17d-1; SEC File No. 270-505; OMB Control No. 3235-0562.

    Notice is hereby given that pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(the ``Commission'') is soliciting comments on the collections of 
information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit these 
existing collections of information to the Office of Management and 
Budget for extension and approval.
    Section 17(d) (15 U.S.C. 80a-17(d)) of the Investment Company Act 
of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a et seq.) (the ``Act'') prohibits first- and 
second-tier affiliates of a fund, the fund's principal underwriters, 
and affiliated persons of the fund's principal underwriters, acting as 
principal, to effect any transaction in which the fund or a company 
controlled by the fund is a joint or a joint and several participant in 
contravention of the Commission's rules. Rule 17d-1 (17 CFR 270.17d-1) 
prohibits an affiliated person of or principal underwriter for any fund 
(a ``first-tier affiliate''), or any affiliated person of such person 
or underwriter (a ``second-tier affiliate''), acting as principal, from 
participating in or effecting any transaction in connection with a 
joint enterprise or other joint arrangement in which the fund is a 
participant, unless prior to entering into the enterprise or 
arrangement ``an application regarding (the transaction) has been filed 
with the Commission and has been granted by an order.'' In reviewing 
the proposed affiliated transaction, the rule provides that the 
Commission will consider whether the proposal is (i) consistent with 
the provisions, policies, and purposes of the Act, and (ii) on a basis 
different from or less advantageous than that of other participants in 
determining whether to grant an exemptive application for a proposed 
joint enterprise, joint arrangement, or profit-sharing plan.
    Rule 17d-1 also contains a number of exceptions to the requirement 
that a fund must obtain Commission approval prior to entering into 
joint transactions or arrangements with affiliates. For example, funds 
do not have to obtain Commission approval for certain employee 
compensation plans, certain tax-deferred employee benefit plans, 
certain transactions involving small business investment companies, the 
receipt of securities or cash by certain affiliates pursuant to a plan 
of reorganization, and arrangements regarding liability insurance 
policies. The Commission amended rule 17d-1 most recently in 2003 to 
expand the current exemptions from the Commission approval process to 
permit funds to engage in transactions with ``portfolio affiliates''--
companies that are affiliated with the fund solely as a result of the 
fund (or an affiliated fund) controlling them or owning more than five 
percent of their voting securities. This amendment was designed to 
permit funds' transactions with portfolio affiliates without seeking 
Commission approval, as long as certain other affiliated persons of the 
fund (e.g., the fund's adviser, persons controlling the fund, and 
persons under common control with the fund) (``prohibited 
participants'') are not parties to the transaction and do not have a 
``financial interest'' in a party to the transaction. The rule excludes 
from the definition of ``financial interest'' any interest that the 
fund's board of directors (including a majority of the directors who 
are not interested persons of the fund) finds to be not material, as 
long as the board records the basis for its finding in their meeting 
minutes.
    Thus, the rule contains two filing and recordkeeping requirements 
that constitute collections of information. First, rule 17d-1 requires 
funds that wish to engage in a joint transaction or arrangement with 
affiliates to meet the procedural requirements for obtaining exemptive 
relief from the rule's prohibition on joint transactions or 
arrangements involving first- or second-tier affiliates. Second, rule 
17d-1 permits a portfolio affiliate to enter into a joint transaction 
or arrangement with the fund if a prohibited participant has a 
financial interest that the fund's board determines is not material and 
records the basis for this finding in their meeting minutes. These 
requirements of rule 17d-1 are designed to prevent fund insiders from 
managing funds for their own benefit, rather than for the benefit of 
the funds' shareholders.
    Based on an analysis of past filings, Commission staff estimates 
that 4 funds file applications under section 17(d) and rule 17d-1 per 
year. Based on a limited survey of persons in the mutual fund industry, 
the Commission staff estimates that each applicant will spend an 
average of 154 hours to comply with the Commission's applications 
process. The Commission staff therefore estimates the annual burden 
hours per year for all funds under rule 17d-1's application process to 
be 616 hours.
    Based on analysis of past filings, the Commission's staff estimates 
that 148 funds are affiliated persons of 668 issuers as a result of the 
fund's ownership or control of the issuer's voting securities, and that 
there are approximately 1,000 such affiliate relationships. Staff 
discussions with mutual fund representatives have suggested that no 
funds are currently relying on rule 17d-1 exemptions. We do not know 
definitively the reasons for this transactional behavior, but differing 
market conditions from year to year may offer some explanation for the 
current lack of fund interest in the exemptions under rule 17d-1. 
Accordingly, we estimate that annually there will be no joint 
transactions under rule 17d-1 that will result in a collection of 
information. The Commission, therefore, requests authorization to 
maintain an inventory of total burden hours per year for all funds 
under rule 17d-1 of 616 hours.
    The estimate of average burden hours is made solely for the 
purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The estimate is not derived 
from a comprehensive or even a representative survey or study of the 
costs of Commission rules. Complying with these collections of 
information requirement is necessary to obtain the benefit of relying 
on rule 17d-1. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it 
displays a currently valid control number.
    Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the

[[Page 11959]]

information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions 
submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication.
    Please direct your written comments to R. Corey Booth, Director/
Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, C/O 
Shirley Martinson, 6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, VA 22312; or 
send an e-mail to: PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov.

     Dated: February 27, 2008.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-4206 Filed 3-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
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