Van Kampen Retirement Strategy Trust, et al.; Notice of Application, 57163-57166 [E8-23043]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 1, 2008 / Notices
invest in Other Investments as described
in the application would not raise any
of the concerns that the requirements of
section 12(d)(1) were designed to
address.
Applicants’ Condition
Applicants agree that any order
granting the requested relief will be
subject to the following condition:
Applicants will comply with all
provisions of rule 12d1–2 under the Act,
except for paragraph (a)(2) to the extent
that it restricts any Fund from investing
in Other Investments as described in the
application.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, under delegated
authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8–23042 Filed 9–30–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No.
28406; 812–13506]
Van Kampen Retirement Strategy
Trust, et al.; Notice of Application
September 25, 2008.
Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’).
ACTION: Notice of application for an
order under section 12(d)(1)(J) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940
(‘‘Act’’) for an exemption from sections
12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act, and
under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act
for an exemption from section 17(a) of
the Act.
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AGENCY:
SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION:
Applicants request an order that would
permit certain registered open-end
management investment companies to
acquire shares of other registered openend management investment companies
and unit investment trusts that are
within and outside the same group of
investment companies.
APPLICANTS: Van Kampen Retirement
Strategy Trust (‘‘VK Trust’’), Van
Kampen Asset Management (‘‘VKAM’’
or ‘‘Adviser’’) and Morgan Stanley
Investment Management Limited
(‘‘MSIM Ltd.’’).
FILING DATES: The application was filed
on March 7, 2008 and amended on
September 19, 2008.
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
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Commission’s Secretary and serving
applicants with a copy of the request,
personally or by mail. Hearing requests
should be received by the Commission
by 5:30 p.m. on October 16, 2008, and
should be accompanied by proof of
service on applicants 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; Applicants: VK Trust and VKAM,
522 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York
10036; MSIM Ltd., 25 Bank Street,
Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom
E14 4AD.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emerson S. Davis, Sr., Senior Counsel,
at (202) 551–6868, or Mary Kay Frech,
Branch Chief, at (202) 551–6821 (Office
of Investment Company Regulation,
Division of Investment Management).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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
20549–0102 (telephone (202) 551–5850).
Applicants’ Representations
1. The VK Trust, organized as a
Delaware statutory trust, is registered
under the Act as an open-end
management investment company. The
VK Trust currently offers ten series,
each with its own investment objective
and policies (the ‘‘VK Funds’’).1 The
Adviser, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Van Kampen Investments Inc., which is
an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of
Morgan Stanley, is registered as an
investment adviser under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the
‘‘Advisers Act’’). The Adviser serves as
the investment adviser to each VK
Fund. MSIM Ltd., a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, is an
investment adviser registered under the
1 Applicants request that the order extend to any
other existing or future registered open-end
management investment companies and their series
that are part of the same group of investment
companies, as defined in section 12(d)(1)(G) of the
Act, as VK Trust and are, or may in the future be,
advised by the Adviser or any existing or future
entity controlling, controlled by, or under common
control with the Adviser. All entities that currently
intend to rely on the requested order are named as
applicants and any other entity that relies on the
order in the future will comply with the terms and
conditions of the application.
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57163
Advisers Act and serves as subadviser
for certain VK Funds.
2. Applicants request relief to permit
certain VK Funds (each such VK Fund,
a ‘‘Fund of Funds’’) to invest in: (a)
other VK Funds (‘‘Affiliated Underlying
Funds’’), and (b) registered open-end
management investment companies and
registered unit investment trusts
(‘‘UITs’’) that are not part of the same
‘‘group of investment companies’’ (as
defined in section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the
Act) as the VK Funds (‘‘Unaffiliated
Underlying Funds,’’ and together with
the Affiliated Underlying Funds, the
‘‘Underlying Funds’’). The Unaffiliated
Underlying Funds may include UITs
(‘‘Unaffiliated Trusts’’) and open-end
management investment companies
(‘‘Unaffiliated Funds’’) registered under
the Act. The relief also would permit
the Underlying Funds, their principal
underwriter and any broker or dealer to
sell the shares of the Underlying Funds
to the Fund of Funds. Certain of the
Unaffiliated Underlying Funds may
have received exemptive relief to sell
their shares on a national securities
exchange at negotiated prices (‘‘ETFs’’).
Each Fund of Funds may also invest in
other securities and financial
instruments that are not issued by
registered investment companies and
which are consistent with its investment
objective. Applicants state that each
Fund of Funds seeks to provide, in a
single investment vehicle, an asset
allocation strategy designed for
investors planning to retire on or about
a specific year or to provide income for
investors who have already retired.
Applicants’ Legal Analysis
A. Section 12(d)(1)
1. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act
prohibits a registered investment
company from acquiring shares of an
investment company if the securities
represent more than 3% of the total
outstanding voting stock of the acquired
company, more than 5% of the total
assets of the acquiring company, or,
together with the securities of any other
investment companies, more than 10%
of the total assets of the acquiring
company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act
prohibits a registered open-end
investment company, its principal
underwriter and any broker or dealer
from selling the shares of the investment
company to another investment
company if the sale will cause the
acquiring company to own more than
3% of the acquired company’s voting
stock, or if the sale will cause more than
10% of the acquired company’s voting
stock to be owned by investment
companies generally.
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2. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act
provides that the Commission may
exempt any person, security, or
transaction, or any class or classes of
persons, securities or transactions, from
any provision of section 12(d)(1) if the
exemption is consistent with the public
interest and the protection of investors.
Applicants seek an exemption under
section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act from the
limitations of sections 12(d)(1)(A) and
(B) to the extent necessary to permit the
Funds of Funds to acquire shares of the
Underlying Funds in excess of the limits
set forth in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act
and to permit the Underlying Funds,
their principal underwriters and any
broker or dealer to sell their shares to
the Funds of Funds in excess of the
limits set forth in section 12(d)(1)(B) of
the Act.
3. Applicants state that the proposed
arrangement will not give rise to the
policy concerns underlying sections
12(d)(1)(A) and (B), which include
concerns about undue influence by a
fund of funds or its affiliated persons
over underlying funds, excessive
layering of fees, and overly complex
fund structures. Accordingly, applicants
believe that the requested exemption is
consistent with the public interest and
the protection of investors.
4. Applicants state that the proposed
arrangement will not result in undue
influence by a Fund of Funds or its
affiliated persons over the Underlying
Funds. The concern about undue
influence does not arise in connection
with a Fund of Funds’ investment in the
Affiliated Underlying Funds, since they
are part of the same group of investment
companies. To limit the control that a
Fund of Funds or its affiliated persons
may have over an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund, applicants submit
that: (a) The Adviser; any person
controlling, controlled by or under
common control with the Adviser; and
any investment company and any issuer
that would be an investment company
but for section 3(c)(1) or section 3(c)(7)
of the Act advised or sponsored by the
Adviser or any person controlling,
controlled by or under common control
with the Adviser (collectively, the
‘‘Group’’); and (b) MSIM Ltd. and any
investment adviser to a Fund of Funds
that meets the definition in section
2(a)(20)(B) of the Act (‘‘Subadviser’’);
any person controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the
Subadviser; and any investment
company and any issuer that would be
an investment company but for section
3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or portion
of such investment company or issuer)
advised or sponsored by the Subadviser
or any person controlling, controlled by
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or under common control with the
Subadviser (collectively, the
‘‘Subadviser Group’’) will not control
(individually or in the aggregate) an
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund within
the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
5. Applicants also propose to prevent
a Fund of Funds and its affiliated
entities from taking advantage of an
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund with
respect to transactions between the
entities by precluding a Fund of Funds
and its Adviser, Subadviser, promoter,
principal underwriter and any person
controlling, controlled by or under
common control with any of these
entities (each, a ‘‘Fund of Funds
Affiliate’’) from causing any existing or
potential investment by the Fund of
Funds in an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund to influence the terms of any
services or transactions between the
Fund of Funds or a Fund of Funds
Affiliate and the Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund or its investment
adviser(s), sponsor, promoter, principal
underwriter and any person controlling,
controlled by or under common control
with any of these entities (each, an
‘‘Unaffiliated Underlying Fund
Affiliate’’). In addition, no Fund of
Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate
(except to the extent it is acting in its
capacity as an investment adviser to an
Unaffiliated Fund or sponsor to an
Unaffiliated Trust) will cause an
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund to
purchase a security in an offering of
securities during the existence of an
underwriting or selling syndicate of
which a principal underwriter is an
officer, director, member of an advisory
board, Adviser, Subadviser, or employee
of the Fund of Funds, or a person of
which any such officer, director,
member of an advisory board, Adviser,
Subadviser, or employee is an affiliated
person (each, an ‘‘Underwriting
Affiliate,’’ except any person whose
relationship to the Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund is covered by section
10(f) of the Act is not an Underwriting
Affiliate). An offering of securities
during the existence of an underwriting
or selling syndicate of which a principal
underwriter is an Underwriting Affiliate
is an ‘‘Affiliated Underwriting.’’
6. To further ensure that an
Unaffiliated Fund understands the
implications of an investment by a Fund
of Funds under the requested order,
prior to its investment in the shares of
an Unaffiliated Fund in excess of the
limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Fund of
Funds and the Unaffiliated Fund will
execute an agreement stating, without
limitation, that their boards of directors
or trustees and their investment advisers
understand the terms and conditions of
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the order and agree to fulfill their
responsibilities under the order
(‘‘Participation Agreement’’). Applicants
note that an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund (other than an ETF whose shares
are purchased by a Fund of Funds in the
secondary market) will retain the right
to reject any investment by a Fund of
Funds.2
7. Applicants do not believe that the
proposed arrangement will involve
excessive layering of fees. With respect
to investment advisory fees, applicants
state that, prior to approval of any
investment advisory contract under
section 15 of the Act, the board of
trustees (‘‘Board’’) of each Fund of
Funds, including a majority of the
trustees who are not ‘‘interested
persons,’’ as defined in section 2(a)(19)
of the Act (‘‘Disinterested Trustees’’),
will find that the advisory fees charged
under the advisory contract are based on
services provided that are in addition to,
rather than duplicative of, services
provided pursuant to any Underlying
Fund’s advisory contract(s). Applicants
further state that the Adviser will waive
fees otherwise payable to it by the Fund
of Funds in an amount at least equal to
any compensation (including fees
received pursuant to a plan adopted by
an Unaffiliated Fund under rule 12b–1
under the Act) received by the Adviser
or an affiliated person of the Adviser
from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund,
other than any advisory fees paid to the
Adviser or its affiliated person by an
Unaffiliated Fund, in connection with
the investment by the Fund of Funds in
the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund.
8. Applicants state that the proposed
arrangement will not create an overly
complex fund structure. Applicants note
that an Underlying Fund will be
prohibited from acquiring securities of
any investment company or company
relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of
the Act in excess of the limits contained
in section 12(d)(1)(A), except to the
extent that such Underlying Fund: (a)
Receives securities of another
investment company as a dividend or as
a result of a plan of reorganization of a
company (other than a plan devised for
the purpose of evading section 12(d)(1)
of the Act); or (b) acquires (or is deemed
to have acquired) securities of another
investment company pursuant to
exemptive relief from the Commission
permitting such Underlying Fund to: (i)
Acquire securities of one or more
investment companies for short-term
cash management purposes, or (ii)
2 An Unaffiliated Fund, including an ETF, would
retain its right to reject an initial investment by a
Fund of Funds in excess of the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act by declining to execute the
Participation Agreement.
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engage in interfund borrowing and
lending transactions. Applicants also
represent that a Fund of Funds’
prospectus and sales literature will
contain clear, concise, ‘‘plain English’’
disclosure designed to inform investors
of the unique characteristics of the
proposed Fund of Funds structure,
including, but not limited to, its
expense structure and the additional
expenses of investing in Underlying
Funds.
B. Section 17(a)
1. Section 17(a) of the Act generally
prohibits sales or purchases of securities
between a registered investment
company and any affiliated person of
the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act
defines an ‘‘affiliated person’’ of another
person to include (a) Any person
directly or indirectly owning,
controlling, or holding with power to
vote, 5% or more of the outstanding
voting securities of the other person; (b)
any person 5% or more of whose
outstanding voting securities are
directly or indirectly owned, controlled,
or held with power to vote by the other
person; and (c) any person directly or
indirectly controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with the other
person.
2. Applicants state that the Funds of
Funds and the Affiliated Underlying
Funds might be deemed to be under
common control of the Adviser and
therefore affiliated persons of one
another. Applicants also state that the
Funds of Funds and the Underlying
Funds might be deemed to be affiliated
persons of one another if a Fund of
Funds acquires 5% or more of an
Underlying Fund’s outstanding voting
securities. In light of these and other
possible affiliations, section 17(a) could
prevent an Underlying Fund from
selling shares to and redeeming shares
from a Fund of Funds.
3. Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes
the Commission to grant an order
permitting a transaction otherwise
prohibited by section 17(a) if it finds
that (a) The terms of the proposed
transaction are fair and reasonable and
do not involve overreaching on the part
of any person concerned; (b) the
proposed transaction is consistent with
the policies of each registered
investment company involved; and (c)
the proposed transaction is consistent
with the general purposes of the Act.
Section 6(c) of the Act permits the
Commission to exempt any person,
security or transactions or any class or
classes of persons, securities or
transactions, from any provision of the
Act if such exemption is necessary or
appropriate in the public interest and
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consistent with the protection of
investors and the purposes fairly
intended by the policy and provisions of
the Act.
4. Applicants submit that the
proposed structure satisfies the
standards for relief under sections 17(b)
and 6(c) of the Act.3 Applicants state
that the terms upon which an
Underlying Fund will sell its shares to
or purchase its shares from a Fund of
Funds will be based on the net asset
value of each Underlying Fund.4
Applicants state that the proposed
investment will be consistent with the
policies of each Fund of Funds and
Underlying Fund, and with the general
purposes of the Act.
Applicants’ Conditions
Applicants agree that any order
granting the requested relief shall be
subject to the following conditions:
1. The members of the Group will not
control (individually or in the aggregate)
an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund within
the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
The members of a Subadviser Group
will not control (individually or in the
aggregate) an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund within the meaning of section
2(a)(9) of the Act. If, as a result of a
decrease in the outstanding voting
securities of an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund, the Group or the Subadviser
Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a
holder of more than 25% of the
outstanding voting securities of the
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund, then the
Group or the Subadviser Group will
vote its shares of the Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund in the same
proportion as the vote of all other
holders of the Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund’s shares. This condition will not
apply to the Subadviser Group with
respect to an Unaffiliated Underlying
3 Applicants acknowledge that receipt of
compensation by (a) an affiliated person of a Fund
of Funds, or an affiliated person of such person, for
the purchase by the Fund of Funds of shares of an
Underlying Fund or (b) an affiliated person of an
Underlying Fund, or an affiliated person of such
person, for the sale by the Underlying Fund of its
shares to a Fund of Funds may be prohibited by
section 17(e)(1) of the Act. The Participation
Agreement also will include this acknowledgement.
4 Applicants note that a Fund of Funds generally
would purchase and sell shares of an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund that operates as an ETF through
secondary market transactions at market prices
rather than through principal transactions with the
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund at net asset value.
Applicants would not rely on the requested relief
from section 17(a) for such secondary market
transactions. To the extent that a Fund of Funds
purchases or redeems shares from an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund that is an ETF and an affiliated
person of the Fund of Funds in exchange for a
basket of specified securities as described in the
application for the exemptive order upon which the
ETF relies, applicants also request relief from
section 17(a) for those transactions.
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57165
Fund for which the Subadviser or a
person controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with the
Subadviser acts as the investment
adviser within the meaning section
2(a)(20)(A) of the Act (in the case of an
Unaffiliated Fund) or as the sponsor (in
the case of an Unaffiliated Trust).
2. No Fund of Funds or Fund of
Funds Affiliate will cause any existing
or potential investment by the Fund of
Funds in an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund to influence the terms of any
services or transactions between the
Fund of Funds or a Fund of Funds
Affiliate and the Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund or an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund Affiliate.
3. Each Fund of Funds Board,
including a majority of the Disinterested
Trustees, will adopt procedures
reasonably designed to ensure that the
Adviser and the Subadviser are
conducting the investment program of
the Fund of Funds without taking into
account any consideration received by
the Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds
Affiliate from an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund or an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund Affiliate in connection
with any services or transactions.
4. Once an investment by a Fund of
Funds in the securities of an
Unaffiliated Fund exceeds the limit of
section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the
Board of the Unaffiliated Fund,
including a majority of the Disinterested
Trustees, will determine that any
consideration paid by the Unaffiliated
Fund to a Fund of Funds or a Fund of
Funds Affiliate in connection with any
services or transactions: (a) Is fair and
reasonable in relation to the nature and
quality of the services and benefits
received by the Unaffiliated Fund; (b) is
within the range of consideration that
the Unaffiliated Fund would be required
to pay to another unaffiliated entity in
connection with the same services or
transactions; and (c) does not involve
overreaching on the part of any person
concerned. This condition does not
apply with respect to any services or
transactions between an Unaffiliated
Fund and its investment adviser(s), or
any person controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with such
investment adviser(s).
5. No Fund of Funds or Fund of
Funds Affiliate (except to the extent it
is acting in its capacity as an investment
adviser to an Unaffiliated Fund or
sponsor to an Unaffiliated Trust) will
cause an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund
to purchase a security in any Affiliated
Underwriting.
6. The Board of an Unaffiliated Fund,
including a majority of the Disinterested
Trustees, will adopt procedures
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reasonably designed to monitor any
purchases of securities by the
Unaffiliated Fund in an Affiliated
Underwriting once an investment by a
Fund of Funds in the securities of the
Unaffiliated Fund exceeds the limit of
section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
including any purchases made directly
from an Underwriting Affiliate. The
Board of the Unaffiliated Fund will
review these purchases periodically, but
no less frequently than annually, to
determine whether the purchases were
influenced by the investment by the
Fund of Funds in shares of the
Unaffiliated Fund. The Board of the
Unaffiliated Fund will consider, among
other things: (a) Whether the purchases
were consistent with the investment
objectives and policies of the
Unaffiliated Fund; (b) how the
performance of securities purchased in
an Affiliated Underwriting compares to
the performance of comparable
securities purchased during a
comparable period of time in
underwritings other than Affiliated
Underwritings or to a benchmark such
as a comparable market index; and (c)
whether the amount of securities
purchased by the Unaffiliated Fund in
Affiliated Underwritings and the
amount purchased directly from an
Underwriting Affiliate have changed
significantly from prior years. The
Board of the Unaffiliated Fund will take
any appropriate actions based on its
review, including, if appropriate, the
institution of procedures designed to
ensure that purchases of securities in
Affiliated Underwritings are in the best
interests of shareholders.
7. Each Unaffiliated Fund will
maintain and preserve permanently in
an easily accessible place a written copy
of the procedures described in the
preceding condition, and any
modifications to such procedures, and
will maintain and preserve for a period
of not less than six years from the end
of the fiscal year in which any purchase
from an Affiliated Underwriting
occurred, the first two years in an easily
accessible place, a written record of
each purchase made once an investment
by a Fund of Funds in the securities of
an Unaffiliated Fund exceeds the limit
of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
setting forth from whom the securities
were acquired, the identity of the
underwriting syndicate’s members, the
terms of the purchase, and the
information or materials upon which
the determinations of the Board of the
Unaffiliated Fund were made.
8. Prior to its investment in shares of
an Unaffiliated Fund in excess of the
limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
the Fund of Funds and the Unaffiliated
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Fund will execute a Participation
Agreement stating, without limitation,
that their boards of directors or trustees
and their investment advisers
understand the terms and conditions of
the order and agree to fulfill their
responsibilities under the order. At the
time of its investment in shares of an
Unaffiliated Fund in excess of the limit
in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Fund of
Funds will notify the Unaffiliated Fund
of the investment. At such time, the
Fund of Funds will also transmit to the
Unaffiliated Fund a list of the names of
each Fund of Funds Affiliate and
Underwriting Affiliate. The Fund of
Funds will notify the Unaffiliated Fund
of any changes to the list as soon as
reasonably practicable after a change
occurs. The Unaffiliated Fund and the
Fund of Funds will maintain and
preserve a copy of the order, the
Participation Agreement, and the list
with any updated information for the
duration of the investment and for a
period of not less than six years
thereafter, the first two years in an
easily accessible place.
9. Prior to approving any investment
advisory contract under section 15 of
the Act, each Fund of Funds Board,
including a majority of the Disinterested
Trustees, will find that the advisory fees
charged under the advisory contract are
based on services provided that are in
addition to, rather than duplicative of,
services provided under the advisory
contract(s) of any Underlying Funds in
which the Fund of Funds may invest.
This finding, and the basis upon which
the finding was made, will be recorded
fully in the minute books of the
appropriate Fund of Funds.
10. The Adviser will waive fees
otherwise payable to it by the Fund of
Funds in an amount at least equal to any
compensation (including fees received
pursuant to a plan adopted by an
Unaffiliated Fund under rule 12b–1
under the Act) received by the Adviser,
or an affiliated person of the Adviser,
from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund,
other than any advisory fees paid to the
Adviser or an affiliated person of the
Adviser by the Unaffiliated Fund, in
connection with the investment by the
Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund. Any Subadviser will
waive fees otherwise payable to the
Subadviser, directly or indirectly, by the
Fund of Funds in an amount at least
equal to any compensation received by
the Subadviser, or an affiliated person of
the Subadviser, from an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund, other than any
advisory fees paid to the Subadviser or
an affiliated person of the Subadviser by
the Unaffiliated Fund, in connection
with the investment by the Fund of
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Funds in the Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund made at the direction of the
Subadviser. In the event that the
Subadviser waives fees, the benefit of
the waiver will be passed through to the
Fund of Funds.
11. No Underlying Fund will acquire
securities of any other investment
company or company relying on section
3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act, in excess of
the limits contained in section
12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except to the
extent that such Underlying Fund: (a)
Receives securities of another
investment company as a dividend or as
a result of a plan of reorganization of a
company (other than a plan devised for
the purpose of evading section 12(d)(1)
of the Act); or (b) acquires (or is deemed
to have acquired) securities of another
investment company pursuant to
exemptive relief from the Commission
permitting such Underlying Fund to: (i)
Acquire securities of one or more
investment companies for short-term
cash management purposes, or (ii)
engage in interfund borrowing and
lending transactions.
12. Any sales charges and/or service
fees charged with respect to shares of a
Fund of Funds will not exceed the
limits applicable to funds of funds set
forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, pursuant to
delegated authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8–23043 Filed 9–30–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–58630; File No. 4–443]
Joint Industry Plan; Order Granting
Permanent Approval to Amendment
No. 2 to the Plan for the Purpose of
Developing and Implementing
Procedures Designed To Facilitate the
Listing and Trading of Standardized
Options
September 24, 2008.
I. Introduction
On August 12, 2008, August 18, 2008,
August 15, 2008, August 13, 2008,
August 8, 2008, August 14, 2008,
August 14, 2008, and August 18, 2008,
the American Stock Exchange LLC
(‘‘Amex’’), the Boston Stock Exchange,
Inc. (‘‘BSE’’), Chicago Board Options
Exchange, Incorporated (‘‘CBOE’’), the
International Securities Exchange, LLC
(‘‘ISE’’), The NASDAQ Stock Market
LLC (‘‘Nasdaq’’), NYSE Arca Inc.
E:\FR\FM\01OCN1.SGM
01OCN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 1, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57163-57166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-23043]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No. 28406; 812-13506]
Van Kampen Retirement Strategy Trust, et al.; Notice of
Application
September 25, 2008.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice of application for an order under section 12(d)(1)(J) of
the Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from
sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act, and under sections 6(c) and
17(b) of the Act for an exemption from section 17(a) of the Act.
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Summary of the Application: Applicants request an order that would
permit certain registered open-end management investment companies to
acquire shares of other registered open-end management investment
companies and unit investment trusts that are within and outside the
same group of investment companies.
Applicants: Van Kampen Retirement Strategy Trust (``VK Trust''), Van
Kampen Asset Management (``VKAM'' or ``Adviser'') and Morgan Stanley
Investment Management Limited (``MSIM Ltd.'').
Filing Dates: The application was filed on March 7, 2008 and amended on
September 19, 2008.
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 applicants with a copy of the request, personally or by
mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 5:30
p.m. on October 16, 2008, and should be accompanied by proof of service
on applicants 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; Applicants: VK Trust and VKAM,
522 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10036; MSIM Ltd., 25 Bank Street,
Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom E14 4AD.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emerson S. Davis, Sr., Senior Counsel,
at (202) 551-6868, or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-6821
(Office of Investment Company Regulation, Division of Investment
Management).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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
20549-0102 (telephone (202) 551-5850).
Applicants' Representations
1. The VK Trust, organized as a Delaware statutory trust, is
registered under the Act as an open-end management investment company.
The VK Trust currently offers ten series, each with its own investment
objective and policies (the ``VK Funds'').\1\ The Adviser, a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Van Kampen Investments Inc., which is an indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, is registered as an
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the
``Advisers Act''). The Adviser serves as the investment adviser to each
VK Fund. MSIM Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, is an
investment adviser registered under the Advisers Act and serves as
subadviser for certain VK Funds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Applicants request that the order extend to any other
existing or future registered open-end management investment
companies and their series that are part of the same group of
investment companies, as defined in section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act,
as VK Trust and are, or may in the future be, advised by the Adviser
or any existing or future entity controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with the Adviser. All entities that currently
intend to rely on the requested order are named as applicants and
any other entity that relies on the order in the future will comply
with the terms and conditions of the application.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Applicants request relief to permit certain VK Funds (each such
VK Fund, a ``Fund of Funds'') to invest in: (a) other VK Funds
(``Affiliated Underlying Funds''), and (b) registered open-end
management investment companies and registered unit investment trusts
(``UITs'') that are not part of the same ``group of investment
companies'' (as defined in section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act) as the
VK Funds (``Unaffiliated Underlying Funds,'' and together with the
Affiliated Underlying Funds, the ``Underlying Funds''). The
Unaffiliated Underlying Funds may include UITs (``Unaffiliated
Trusts'') and open-end management investment companies (``Unaffiliated
Funds'') registered under the Act. The relief also would permit the
Underlying Funds, their principal underwriter and any broker or dealer
to sell the shares of the Underlying Funds to the Fund of Funds.
Certain of the Unaffiliated Underlying Funds may have received
exemptive relief to sell their shares on a national securities exchange
at negotiated prices (``ETFs''). Each Fund of Funds may also invest in
other securities and financial instruments that are not issued by
registered investment companies and which are consistent with its
investment objective. Applicants state that each Fund of Funds seeks to
provide, in a single investment vehicle, an asset allocation strategy
designed for investors planning to retire on or about a specific year
or to provide income for investors who have already retired.
Applicants' Legal Analysis
A. Section 12(d)(1)
1. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act prohibits a registered investment
company from acquiring shares of an investment company if the
securities represent more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock
of the acquired company, more than 5% of the total assets of the
acquiring company, or, together with the securities of any other
investment companies, more than 10% of the total assets of the
acquiring company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act prohibits a
registered open-end investment company, its principal underwriter and
any broker or dealer from selling the shares of the investment company
to another investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring
company to own more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or
if the sale will cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting
stock to be owned by investment companies generally.
[[Page 57164]]
2. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act provides that the Commission may
exempt any person, security, or transaction, or any class or classes of
persons, securities or transactions, from any provision of section
12(d)(1) if the exemption is consistent with the public interest and
the protection of investors. Applicants seek an exemption under section
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act from the limitations of sections 12(d)(1)(A) and
(B) to the extent necessary to permit the Funds of Funds to acquire
shares of the Underlying Funds in excess of the limits set forth in
section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act and to permit the Underlying Funds,
their principal underwriters and any broker or dealer to sell their
shares to the Funds of Funds in excess of the limits set forth in
section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act.
3. Applicants state that the proposed arrangement will not give
rise to the policy concerns underlying sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B),
which include concerns about undue influence by a fund of funds or its
affiliated persons over underlying funds, excessive layering of fees,
and overly complex fund structures. Accordingly, applicants believe
that the requested exemption is consistent with the public interest and
the protection of investors.
4. Applicants state that the proposed arrangement will not result
in undue influence by a Fund of Funds or its affiliated persons over
the Underlying Funds. The concern about undue influence does not arise
in connection with a Fund of Funds' investment in the Affiliated
Underlying Funds, since they are part of the same group of investment
companies. To limit the control that a Fund of Funds or its affiliated
persons may have over an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund, applicants
submit that: (a) The Adviser; any person controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the Adviser; and any investment company and
any issuer that would be an investment company but for section 3(c)(1)
or section 3(c)(7) of the Act advised or sponsored by the Adviser or
any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with the
Adviser (collectively, the ``Group''); and (b) MSIM Ltd. and any
investment adviser to a Fund of Funds that meets the definition in
section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act (``Subadviser''); any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Subadviser;
and any investment company and any issuer that would be an investment
company but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or portion of
such investment company or issuer) advised or sponsored by the
Subadviser or any person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with the Subadviser (collectively, the ``Subadviser Group'')
will not control (individually or in the aggregate) an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
5. Applicants also propose to prevent a Fund of Funds and its
affiliated entities from taking advantage of an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund with respect to transactions between the entities by precluding a
Fund of Funds and its Adviser, Subadviser, promoter, principal
underwriter and any person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with any of these entities (each, a ``Fund of Funds
Affiliate'') from causing any existing or potential investment by the
Fund of Funds in an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund to influence the terms
of any services or transactions between the Fund of Funds or a Fund of
Funds Affiliate and the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund or its investment
adviser(s), sponsor, promoter, principal underwriter and any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control with any of these
entities (each, an ``Unaffiliated Underlying Fund Affiliate''). In
addition, no Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate (except to the
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to an
Unaffiliated Fund or sponsor to an Unaffiliated Trust) will cause an
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund to purchase a security in an offering of
securities during the existence of an underwriting or selling syndicate
of which a principal underwriter is an officer, director, member of an
advisory board, Adviser, Subadviser, or employee of the Fund of Funds,
or a person of which any such officer, director, member of an advisory
board, Adviser, Subadviser, or employee is an affiliated person (each,
an ``Underwriting Affiliate,'' except any person whose relationship to
the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund is covered by section 10(f) of the Act
is not an Underwriting Affiliate). An offering of securities during the
existence of an underwriting or selling syndicate of which a principal
underwriter is an Underwriting Affiliate is an ``Affiliated
Underwriting.''
6. To further ensure that an Unaffiliated Fund understands the
implications of an investment by a Fund of Funds under the requested
order, prior to its investment in the shares of an Unaffiliated Fund in
excess of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Fund of Funds and the
Unaffiliated Fund will execute an agreement stating, without
limitation, that their boards of directors or trustees and their
investment advisers understand the terms and conditions of the order
and agree to fulfill their responsibilities under the order
(``Participation Agreement''). Applicants note that an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund (other than an ETF whose shares are purchased by a Fund
of Funds in the secondary market) will retain the right to reject any
investment by a Fund of Funds.\2\
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\2\ An Unaffiliated Fund, including an ETF, would retain its
right to reject an initial investment by a Fund of Funds in excess
of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act by declining to
execute the Participation Agreement.
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7. Applicants do not believe that the proposed arrangement will
involve excessive layering of fees. With respect to investment advisory
fees, applicants state that, prior to approval of any investment
advisory contract under section 15 of the Act, the board of trustees
(``Board'') of each Fund of Funds, including a majority of the trustees
who are not ``interested persons,'' as defined in section 2(a)(19) of
the Act (``Disinterested Trustees''), will find that the advisory fees
charged under the advisory contract are based on services provided that
are in addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided
pursuant to any Underlying Fund's advisory contract(s). Applicants
further state that the Adviser will waive fees otherwise payable to it
by the Fund of Funds in an amount at least equal to any compensation
(including fees received pursuant to a plan adopted by an Unaffiliated
Fund under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received by the Adviser or an
affiliated person of the Adviser from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund,
other than any advisory fees paid to the Adviser or its affiliated
person by an Unaffiliated Fund, in connection with the investment by
the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund.
8. Applicants state that the proposed arrangement will not create
an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that an Underlying
Fund will be prohibited from acquiring securities of any investment
company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in
excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A), except to the
extent that such Underlying Fund: (a) Receives securities of another
investment company as a dividend or as a result of a plan of
reorganization of a company (other than a plan devised for the purpose
of evading section 12(d)(1) of the Act); or (b) acquires (or is deemed
to have acquired) securities of another investment company pursuant to
exemptive relief from the Commission permitting such Underlying Fund
to: (i) Acquire securities of one or more investment companies for
short-term cash management purposes, or (ii)
[[Page 57165]]
engage in interfund borrowing and lending transactions. Applicants also
represent that a Fund of Funds' prospectus and sales literature will
contain clear, concise, ``plain English'' disclosure designed to inform
investors of the unique characteristics of the proposed Fund of Funds
structure, including, but not limited to, its expense structure and the
additional expenses of investing in Underlying Funds.
B. Section 17(a)
1. Section 17(a) of the Act generally prohibits sales or purchases
of securities between a registered investment company and any
affiliated person of the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act defines an
``affiliated person'' of another person to include (a) Any person
directly or indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to
vote, 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the other
person; (b) any person 5% or more of whose outstanding voting
securities are directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or held with
power to vote by the other person; and (c) any person directly or
indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the
other person.
2. Applicants state that the Funds of Funds and the Affiliated
Underlying Funds might be deemed to be under common control of the
Adviser and therefore affiliated persons of one another. Applicants
also state that the Funds of Funds and the Underlying Funds might be
deemed to be affiliated persons of one another if a Fund of Funds
acquires 5% or more of an Underlying Fund's outstanding voting
securities. In light of these and other possible affiliations, section
17(a) could prevent an Underlying Fund from selling shares to and
redeeming shares from a Fund of Funds.
3. Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to grant an
order permitting a transaction otherwise prohibited by section 17(a) if
it finds that (a) The terms of the proposed transaction are fair and
reasonable and do not involve overreaching on the part of any person
concerned; (b) the proposed transaction is consistent with the policies
of each registered investment company involved; and (c) the proposed
transaction is consistent with the general purposes of the Act. Section
6(c) of the Act permits the Commission to exempt any person, security
or transactions or any class or classes of persons, securities or
transactions, from any provision of the Act if such exemption is
necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the
protection of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policy
and provisions of the Act.
4. Applicants submit that the proposed structure satisfies the
standards for relief under sections 17(b) and 6(c) of the Act.\3\
Applicants state that the terms upon which an Underlying Fund will sell
its shares to or purchase its shares from a Fund of Funds will be based
on the net asset value of each Underlying Fund.\4\ Applicants state
that the proposed investment will be consistent with the policies of
each Fund of Funds and Underlying Fund, and with the general purposes
of the Act.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Applicants acknowledge that receipt of compensation by (a)
an affiliated person of a Fund of Funds, or an affiliated person of
such person, for the purchase by the Fund of Funds of shares of an
Underlying Fund or (b) an affiliated person of an Underlying Fund,
or an affiliated person of such person, for the sale by the
Underlying Fund of its shares to a Fund of Funds may be prohibited
by section 17(e)(1) of the Act. The Participation Agreement also
will include this acknowledgement.
\4\ Applicants note that a Fund of Funds generally would
purchase and sell shares of an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund that
operates as an ETF through secondary market transactions at market
prices rather than through principal transactions with the
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund at net asset value. Applicants would
not rely on the requested relief from section 17(a) for such
secondary market transactions. To the extent that a Fund of Funds
purchases or redeems shares from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund
that is an ETF and an affiliated person of the Fund of Funds in
exchange for a basket of specified securities as described in the
application for the exemptive order upon which the ETF relies,
applicants also request relief from section 17(a) for those
transactions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicants' Conditions
Applicants agree that any order granting the requested relief shall
be subject to the following conditions:
1. The members of the Group will not control (individually or in
the aggregate) an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund within the meaning of
section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The members of a Subadviser Group will not
control (individually or in the aggregate) an Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. If, as a result
of a decrease in the outstanding voting securities of an Unaffiliated
Underlying Fund, the Group or the Subadviser Group, each in the
aggregate, becomes a holder of more than 25% of the outstanding voting
securities of the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund, then the Group or the
Subadviser Group will vote its shares of the Unaffiliated Underlying
Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund's shares. This condition will not apply to
the Subadviser Group with respect to an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund
for which the Subadviser or a person controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with the Subadviser acts as the investment adviser
within the meaning section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act (in the case of an
Unaffiliated Fund) or as the sponsor (in the case of an Unaffiliated
Trust).
2. No Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate will cause any
existing or potential investment by the Fund of Funds in an
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund to influence the terms of any services or
transactions between the Fund of Funds or a Fund of Funds Affiliate and
the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund or an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund
Affiliate.
3. Each Fund of Funds Board, including a majority of the
Disinterested Trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to
ensure that the Adviser and the Subadviser are conducting the
investment program of the Fund of Funds without taking into account any
consideration received by the Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate
from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund or an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund
Affiliate in connection with any services or transactions.
4. Once an investment by a Fund of Funds in the securities of an
Unaffiliated Fund exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the
Act, the Board of the Unaffiliated Fund, including a majority of the
Disinterested Trustees, will determine that any consideration paid by
the Unaffiliated Fund to a Fund of Funds or a Fund of Funds Affiliate
in connection with any services or transactions: (a) Is fair and
reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of the services and
benefits received by the Unaffiliated Fund; (b) is within the range of
consideration that the Unaffiliated Fund would be required to pay to
another unaffiliated entity in connection with the same services or
transactions; and (c) does not involve overreaching on the part of any
person concerned. This condition does not apply with respect to any
services or transactions between an Unaffiliated Fund and its
investment adviser(s), or any person controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with such investment adviser(s).
5. No Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate (except to the
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to an
Unaffiliated Fund or sponsor to an Unaffiliated Trust) will cause an
Unaffiliated Underlying Fund to purchase a security in any Affiliated
Underwriting.
6. The Board of an Unaffiliated Fund, including a majority of the
Disinterested Trustees, will adopt procedures
[[Page 57166]]
reasonably designed to monitor any purchases of securities by the
Unaffiliated Fund in an Affiliated Underwriting once an investment by a
Fund of Funds in the securities of the Unaffiliated Fund exceeds the
limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, including any purchases
made directly from an Underwriting Affiliate. The Board of the
Unaffiliated Fund will review these purchases periodically, but no less
frequently than annually, to determine whether the purchases were
influenced by the investment by the Fund of Funds in shares of the
Unaffiliated Fund. The Board of the Unaffiliated Fund will consider,
among other things: (a) Whether the purchases were consistent with the
investment objectives and policies of the Unaffiliated Fund; (b) how
the performance of securities purchased in an Affiliated Underwriting
compares to the performance of comparable securities purchased during a
comparable period of time in underwritings other than Affiliated
Underwritings or to a benchmark such as a comparable market index; and
(c) whether the amount of securities purchased by the Unaffiliated Fund
in Affiliated Underwritings and the amount purchased directly from an
Underwriting Affiliate have changed significantly from prior years. The
Board of the Unaffiliated Fund will take any appropriate actions based
on its review, including, if appropriate, the institution of procedures
designed to ensure that purchases of securities in Affiliated
Underwritings are in the best interests of shareholders.
7. Each Unaffiliated Fund will maintain and preserve permanently in
an easily accessible place a written copy of the procedures described
in the preceding condition, and any modifications to such procedures,
and will maintain and preserve for a period of not less than six years
from the end of the fiscal year in which any purchase from an
Affiliated Underwriting occurred, the first two years in an easily
accessible place, a written record of each purchase made once an
investment by a Fund of Funds in the securities of an Unaffiliated Fund
exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, setting forth
from whom the securities were acquired, the identity of the
underwriting syndicate's members, the terms of the purchase, and the
information or materials upon which the determinations of the Board of
the Unaffiliated Fund were made.
8. Prior to its investment in shares of an Unaffiliated Fund in
excess of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the Fund of
Funds and the Unaffiliated Fund will execute a Participation Agreement
stating, without limitation, that their boards of directors or trustees
and their investment advisers understand the terms and conditions of
the order and agree to fulfill their responsibilities under the order.
At the time of its investment in shares of an Unaffiliated Fund in
excess of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Fund of Funds will
notify the Unaffiliated Fund of the investment. At such time, the Fund
of Funds will also transmit to the Unaffiliated Fund a list of the
names of each Fund of Funds Affiliate and Underwriting Affiliate. The
Fund of Funds will notify the Unaffiliated Fund of any changes to the
list as soon as reasonably practicable after a change occurs. The
Unaffiliated Fund and the Fund of Funds will maintain and preserve a
copy of the order, the Participation Agreement, and the list with any
updated information for the duration of the investment and for a period
of not less than six years thereafter, the first two years in an easily
accessible place.
9. Prior to approving any investment advisory contract under
section 15 of the Act, each Fund of Funds Board, including a majority
of the Disinterested Trustees, will find that the advisory fees charged
under the advisory contract are based on services provided that are in
addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided under the
advisory contract(s) of any Underlying Funds in which the Fund of Funds
may invest. This finding, and the basis upon which the finding was
made, will be recorded fully in the minute books of the appropriate
Fund of Funds.
10. The Adviser will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the Fund
of Funds in an amount at least equal to any compensation (including
fees received pursuant to a plan adopted by an Unaffiliated Fund under
rule 12b-1 under the Act) received by the Adviser, or an affiliated
person of the Adviser, from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund, other than
any advisory fees paid to the Adviser or an affiliated person of the
Adviser by the Unaffiliated Fund, in connection with the investment by
the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund. Any Subadviser
will waive fees otherwise payable to the Subadviser, directly or
indirectly, by the Fund of Funds in an amount at least equal to any
compensation received by the Subadviser, or an affiliated person of the
Subadviser, from an Unaffiliated Underlying Fund, other than any
advisory fees paid to the Subadviser or an affiliated person of the
Subadviser by the Unaffiliated Fund, in connection with the investment
by the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated Underlying Fund made at the
direction of the Subadviser. In the event that the Subadviser waives
fees, the benefit of the waiver will be passed through to the Fund of
Funds.
11. No Underlying Fund will acquire securities of any other
investment company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of
the Act, in excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of
the Act, except to the extent that such Underlying Fund: (a) Receives
securities of another investment company as a dividend or as a result
of a plan of reorganization of a company (other than a plan devised for
the purpose of evading section 12(d)(1) of the Act); or (b) acquires
(or is deemed to have acquired) securities of another investment
company pursuant to exemptive relief from the Commission permitting
such Underlying Fund to: (i) Acquire securities of one or more
investment companies for short-term cash management purposes, or (ii)
engage in interfund borrowing and lending transactions.
12. Any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to
shares of a Fund of Funds will not exceed the limits applicable to
funds of funds set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management,
pursuant to delegated authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-23043 Filed 9-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P