Foreside Advisor Services, LLC, et al.; Notice of Application, 72416-72423 [2012-29317]
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participation of the investment
companies is on a basis different from
or less advantageous than that of the
other participants. Applicant states that
the Funds and the Other Accounts (by
purchasing Interests of the A Share
Funds), William Blair (by managing the
portfolio securities of the A Share Fund
and the Funds at the same time that the
Funds are invested in Interests of the A
Share Fund), and the A Share Fund (by
selling its Interests to, and redeeming its
Interests from, the Funds), could be
deemed to be participants in a joint
enterprise or arrangement within the
meaning of section 17(d) and rule 17d–
1.
9. Applicants request an order
pursuant to section 17(d) and rule 17d–
1 to permit the proposed transactions
with the A Share Fund. Applicants
submit that the investment by the Funds
in the A Share Fund on the basis
proposed is consistent with the
provisions, policies and purposes of the
Act, and that each Fund will invest in
Interests of the A Share Fund on the
same basis as any other shareholder (i.e.,
the other Funds and Other Accounts).
Applicants further state that William
Blair will take reasonable steps to make
sure that allocations among the Funds
and Other Accounts are fair and
equitable. Allocations of China A Shares
to different A Share Fund Series, and
allocations of opportunities to invest in
the A Share Fund Series, by Funds and
Other Accounts, will be subject to
William Blair’s Trade Allocation Policy,
under the supervision of William Blair’s
and the Funds’ CCO, and compliance
with William Blair’s Trade Allocation
Policy will be overseen by the Funds’
Board.
Applicants’ Conditions
Applicants agree that any order
granting the requested relief shall be
subject to the following conditions:
1. The Funds’ investment in Interests
of the A Share Fund will be undertaken
only in accordance with the Funds’
stated investment restrictions and will
be consistent with their stated
investment policies.
2. William Blair and its affiliated
persons will receive no advisory fee
from the A Share Fund in connection
with the Funds’ investment in the A
Share Fund. William Blair and its
affiliated persons will receive no
commissions, fees, or other
compensation from a Fund or the A
Share Fund in connection with the
purchase or redemption by the Funds of
shares in the A Share Fund. Interests of
the A Share Fund will not be subject to
a sales load, redemption fee,
distribution fee or service fee.
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3. Administrative fees will be paid by
the A Share Fund Series used by the
Funds to William Blair or a William
Blair Affiliate only upon a
determination by each Fund’s Board,
including a majority of its Independent
Trustees, that the fees are (i) for services
in addition to, rather than duplicative
of, services rendered to the Funds
directly, and (ii) fair and reasonable in
light of the usual and customary charges
imposed by others for services of the
same nature and quality. If such
determination is not made by a Fund’s
Board, William Blair will reimburse to
that Fund the amount of any
administrative fee borne by that Fund as
an investor in the A Share Fund.
4. Each Fund will, at all times, limit
its holdings in the A Share Fund to no
more than 15% of its assets.
5. Each Fund’s Board, including a
majority of the Independent Trustees,
will determine initially and no less
frequently than annually that the Fund’s
investments in the A Share Fund are,
and continue to be, in the best interests
of the Fund and the Fund’s
shareholders.
6. William Blair will make the
accounts, books and other records of the
A Share Fund available for inspection
by the Commission staff and, if
requested, to furnish copies of those
records to the Commission staff.
7. The A Share Fund will comply
with the requirements of the following
sections of the Act, except as noted
below: Sections 9, 12, 13, 17(a) (except
insofar as relief is provided by the
Order), 17(d) (except insofar as relief is
provided by the Order), 17(e), 17(f),
17(h), 18, 21 and 36–53 of the Act and
rule 22c–1 under the Act as if the A
Share Fund were an open-end
management investment company
registered under the Act. In addition,
the A Share Fund will comply with the
requirements of the rules under section
17(f) and 17(g) of the Act. This
condition 7 will apply only to A Share
Fund Series in which a Fund has
invested; this condition 7 will not apply
to A Share Fund Series invested in
exclusively by Other Accounts except
insofar as necessary for the A Share
Fund Series invested in by a Fund to
comply with this condition. William
Blair will adopt procedures designed to
ensure that the A Share Fund complies
with the aforementioned sections of the
Act and rules under the Act. William
Blair will periodically review and
periodically update as appropriate such
procedures and will maintain books and
records describing such procedures, and
maintain the records required by rules
31a–1(b)(1), 31a–1(b)(2)(ii) and 31a–
1(b)(9) under the Act. In addition, in
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connection with the review required by
condition 5 above, William Blair will
provide annually to each Fund’s Board
a written report about William Blair’s
and the A Share Fund’s compliance
with this condition. All books and
records required to be made pursuant to
this condition will be maintained and
preserved for a period of not less than
six years from the end of the fiscal year
in which any transaction occurred, the
first two years in an easily accessible
place, and will be subject to
examination by the SEC and its staff.
8. To engage in Cross Transactions,
the Funds will comply with rule 17a–
7 under the Act in all respects other
than the requirement that the parties to
the transaction be affiliated persons (or
affiliated persons of affiliated persons)
of each other solely by reason of having
a common investment adviser or
investment advisers which are affiliated
persons of each other, common officers,
and/or common directors, solely
because a Fund and Other Account
might become affiliated persons within
the meaning of section 2(a)(3)(A), (B) or
(C) of the Act because of their
investments in the A Share Fund.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, under delegated
authority.
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–29318 Filed 12–4–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No.
30284; 812–14023]
Foreside Advisor Services, LLC, et al.;
Notice of Application
November 29, 2012.
Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’).
ACTION: Notice of an application for an
order under section 6(c) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940
(‘‘Act’’) for an exemption from sections
2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the
Act and rule 22c–1 under the Act, and
under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act
for an exemption from sections 17(a)(1)
and (2) of the Act, and under section
12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from
sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act.
AGENCY:
Foreside Advisor Services,
LLC (‘‘FAS’’), Foreside ETF Trust (the
‘‘Trust’’) and Foreside Fund Services,
LLC (‘‘Distributor’’).
SUMMARY OF APPLICATION: Applicants
request an order that permits: (a) Certain
APPLICANTS:
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open-end management investment
companies or series thereof to issue
shares (‘‘Shares’’) redeemable in large
aggregations only (‘‘Creation Units’’); (b)
secondary market transactions in Shares
to occur at negotiated market prices; (c)
certain series to pay redemption
proceeds, under certain circumstances,
more than seven days from the tender of
Shares for redemption; (d) certain
affiliated persons of the series to deposit
securities into, and receive securities
from, the series in connection with the
purchase and redemption of Creation
Units; and (e) certain registered
management investment companies and
unit investment trusts outside of the
same group of investment companies as
the series to acquire Shares.
FILING DATES: The application was filed
on April 2, 2012, and amended on
November 29, 2012.
HEARING OR NOTIFICATION OF HEARING: An
order granting the requested relief 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. December 26, 2012, 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: Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
Applicants, Three Canal Plaza, Suite
100, Portland, ME 04101.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Deepak T. Pai, Senior Counsel, at (202)
551–6876 or Mary Kay Frech, Branch
Chief, at (202) 551–6821 (Division of
Investment Management, Office of
Investment Company Regulation).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
following is a summary of the
application. The complete application
may be obtained via the Commission’s
Web site by searching for the file
number, or an applicant using the
Company name box, at https://
www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by
calling (202) 551–8090.
Applicants’ Representations
1. The Trust, a Delaware statutory
trust, will be registered under the Act as
an open-end management investment
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company. Applicants request that the
order apply to the initial series of the
Trust, The ETF 50, described in Exhibit
A to the application (‘‘Initial Fund’’),
and future series of the Trust and future
open-end management investment
companies and series thereof advised by
FAS or an entity controlling, controlled
by or under common control with FAS
(the ‘‘Adviser’’) that comply with the
terms and conditions of the application
(each such company or series, a ‘‘Future
Fund,’’ and collectively with the Initial
Fund, the ‘‘Funds’’).1 The Initial Fund
and the Future Funds will each track
the performance of a specified equity or
fixed income securities index
(‘‘Underlying Index’’). Future Funds
may be based on Underlying Indexes
that include only foreign equity or fixed
income securities (‘‘International
Funds’’). Other Future Funds may be
based on Underlying Indexes that
include foreign and domestic equity or
fixed income securities (‘‘Global
Funds’’).
2. FAS or another Adviser will serve
as the investment adviser to the Funds.
FAS and each other Adviser will be
registered as an investment adviser
under the Investment Advisers Act of
1940 (‘‘Advisers Act’’). The Adviser may
enter into subadvisory agreements with
investment advisers to act as
subadvisers with respect to any Fund
(each, a ‘‘Subadviser’’). Any Subadviser
to a Fund will be registered under the
Advisers Act. The Distributor, a brokerdealer registered under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Broker’’) and an
affiliate of the Adviser, will act as the
distributor and principal underwriter of
Creation Units of Shares. In the future,
another Broker may act as distributor
and principal underwriter. No
Distributor will be affiliated with any
Exchange (as defined below) or any
Index Provider (as defined below).
3. Each Fund will consist of a
portfolio of securities and other
instruments (‘‘Portfolio Instruments’’)
selected to correspond generally to the
price and yield performance of an
Underlying Index. No entity that
creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains
an Underlying Index (‘‘Index Provider’’)
is or will be an affiliated person, as
defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act, or
an affiliated person of an affiliated
person of the Trust or a Fund, a
1 All existing entities that intend to rely on the
requested order have been named as applicants.
Any other existing or future entity that
subsequently relies on the order will comply with
the terms and conditions of the application. An
Acquiring Fund (as defined below) may rely on the
order only to invest in a Fund and not in any other
registered investment company.
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72417
promoter, the Adviser, a Subadviser, or
a Distributor.
4. The investment objective of each
Fund will be to provide investment
returns that closely correspond, before
fees and expenses, to the price and yield
performance of its Underlying Index.2
Each Fund will sell and redeem
Creation Units on a ‘‘Business Day,’’
which is defined to include any day that
the Trust is open for business as
required by section 22(e) of the Act. The
Adviser and/or Subadviser may utilize a
replication or a representative sampling
strategy to track its Underlying Index. A
Fund using a replication strategy will
invest in substantially all of the
Component Securities in its Underlying
Index in the same approximate
proportions as in the Underlying Index.
A Fund using a representative sampling
strategy generally will hold a significant
number, but not necessarily all, of the
Component Securities of its Underlying
Index. Applicants state that if
representative sampling is used, a Fund
will not be expected to track its
Underlying Index with the same degree
of accuracy as a Fund employing the
replication strategy. Applicants expect
that each Fund will have a tracking
error relative to the performance of its
Underlying Index of no more than five
percent.
5. Applicants anticipate that the price
of a Share will range from $15 to $25,
and that Creation Units will consist of
at least 25,000 Shares. All orders to
purchase and redeem Creation Units
must be placed with the Distributor by
or through an ‘‘Authorized Participant,’’
which is either: (a) A ‘‘participating
party,’’ i.e., a Broker or other participant
in the Continuous Net Settlement
System of the National Securities
Clearing Corporation (‘‘NSCC’’), a
clearing agency registered with the
Commission and affiliated with the
Depository Trust Company (‘‘DTC’’), or
(b) a participant in the DTC (‘‘DTC
Participant’’), which in any case, has
executed an agreement with the
Distributor. The Distributor will
transmit all purchase orders to the
relevant Fund.
6. The Shares will be purchased and
redeemed in Creation Units and
2 Applicants represent that at least 80% of each
Fund’s total assets will be invested in the
constituent securities of its respective Underlying
Index (‘‘Component Securities’’), TBA Transactions
(as defined below) representing Component
Securities, and Depositary Receipts (as defined
below) representing Component Securities. Each
Fund also may invest the remaining 20% of its total
assets in a broad variety of other instruments,
including securities not included in its Underlying
Index, which the Adviser or Subadviser believes
will assist the Fund in tracking the performance of
its Underlying Index.
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generally on an in-kind basis. Except
where the purchase or redemption will
include cash under the limited
circumstances specified below,
purchasers will be required to purchase
Creation Units by making an in-kind
deposit of specified instruments
(‘‘Deposit Instruments’’), and
shareholders redeeming their Shares
will receive an in-kind transfer of
specified instruments (‘‘Redemption
Instruments’’).3 On any given Business
Day the names and quantities of the
instruments that constitute the Deposit
Instruments and the names and
quantities of the instruments that
constitute the Redemption Instruments
will be identical, unless the Fund is
Rebalancing (as defined below). In
addition, the Deposit Instruments and
the Redemption Instruments will each
correspond pro rata to the positions in
a Fund’s portfolio (including cash
positions),4 except: (a) In the case of
bonds, for minor differences when it is
impossible to break up bonds beyond
certain minimum sizes needed for
transfer and settlement; (b) for minor
differences when rounding is necessary
to eliminate fractional shares or lots that
are not tradeable round lots; 5 (c) ‘‘to be
announced’’ transactions (‘‘TBA
Transactions’’),6 derivatives and other
positions that cannot be transferred in
kind 7 will be excluded from the Deposit
Instruments and the Redemption
Instruments; 8 (d) to the extent the Fund
determines, on a given Business Day, to
use a representative sampling of the
3 The Funds must comply with the federal
securities laws in accepting Deposit Instruments
and satisfying redemptions with Redemption
Instruments, including that the Deposit Instruments
and Redemption Instruments are sold in
transactions that would be exempt from registration
under the Securities Act of 1933 (‘‘Securities Act’’).
In accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying
redemptions with Redemption Instruments that are
restricted securities eligible for resale pursuant to
Rule 144A under the Securities Act, the Funds will
comply with the conditions of Rule 144A.
4 The portfolio used for this purpose will be the
same portfolio used to calculate the Fund’s NAV for
that Business Day.
5 A tradeable round lot for a security will be the
standard unit of trading in that particular type of
security in its primary market.
6 A TBA Transaction is a method of trading
mortgage-backed securities. In a TBA Transaction,
the buyer and seller agree on general trade
parameters such as agency, settlement date, par
amount and price. The actual pools delivered
generally are determined two days prior to the
settlement date.
7 This includes instruments that can be
transferred in kind only with the consent of the
original counterparty to the extent the Fund does
not intend to seek such consents.
8 Because these instruments will be excluded
from the Deposit Instruments and the Redemption
Instruments, their value will be reflected in the
determination of the Cash Amount (defined below).
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Fund’s portfolio; 9 or (e) for temporary
periods, to effect changes in the Fund’s
portfolio as a result of the rebalancing
of its Underlying Index (any such
change, a ‘‘Rebalancing’’). If there is a
difference between the net asset value
(‘‘NAV’’) attributable to a Creation Unit
and the aggregate market value of the
Deposit Instruments or Redemption
Instruments exchanged for the Creation
Unit, the party conveying instruments
with the lower value will also pay to the
other an amount in cash equal to that
difference (the ‘‘Cash Amount’’).
7. Purchases and redemptions of
Creation Units may be made in whole or
in part on a cash basis, rather than in
kind, solely under the following
circumstances: (a) To the extent there is
a Cash Amount, as described above; (b)
if, on a given Business Day, a Fund
announces before the open of trading
that all purchases, all redemptions or all
purchases and redemptions on that day
will be made entirely in cash; (c) if,
upon receiving a purchase or
redemption order from an Authorized
Participant, a Fund determines to
require the purchase or redemption, as
applicable, to be made entirely in
cash; 10 (d) if, on a given Business Day,
a Fund requires all Authorized
Participants purchasing or redeeming
Shares on that day to deposit or receive
(as applicable) cash in lieu of some or
all of the Deposit Instruments or
Redemption Instruments, respectively,
solely because: (i) Such instruments are
not eligible for transfer through either
the NSCC or DTC; or (ii) in the case of
Global Funds and International Funds,
such instruments are not eligible for
trading due to local trading restrictions,
local restrictions on securities transfers
or other similar circumstances; or (e) if
a Fund permits an Authorized
Participant to deposit or receive (as
9 A Fund may only use sampling for this purpose
if the sample: (i) Is designed to generate
performance that is highly correlated to the
performance of the Fund’s portfolio; (ii) consists
entirely of instruments that are already included in
the Fund’s portfolio; and (iii) is the same for all
Authorized Participants on a given Business Day.
10 In determining whether a particular Fund will
sell or redeem Creation Units entirely on a cash or
in kind basis (whether for a given day or a given
order), the key consideration will be the benefit that
would accrue to the Fund and its investors. For
instance, in bond transactions, the Adviser may be
able to obtain better execution than Share
purchasers because of the Adviser’s size, experience
and potentially stronger relationships in the fixed
income markets. Purchases of Creation Units either
on an all cash basis or in kind are expected to be
neutral to the Funds from a tax perspective. In
contrast, cash redemptions typically require selling
portfolio holdings, which may result in adverse tax
consequences for the remaining Fund shareholders
that would not occur with an in kind redemption.
As a result, tax considerations may warrant in kind
redemptions.
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applicable) cash in lieu of some or all
of the Deposit Instruments or
Redemption Instruments, respectively,
solely because: (i) Such instruments are,
in the case of the purchase of a Creation
Unit, not available in sufficient
quantity; (ii) such instruments are not
eligible for trading by an Authorized
Participant or the investor on whose
behalf the Authorized Participant is
acting; or (iii) a holder of Shares of a
Global Fund or International Fund
would be subject to unfavorable income
tax treatment if the holder receives
redemption proceeds in kind.11
8. Each Business Day, before the open
of trading on a national securities
exchange, as defined in section 2(a)(26)
of the Act (‘‘Exchange’’) on which
Shares are listed (‘‘Primary Listing
Exchange’’), each Fund will cause to be
published through the NSCC the names
and quantities of the instruments
comprising the Deposit Instruments and
the Redemption Instruments, as well as
the estimated Cash Amount (if any), for
that day. The list of Deposit Instruments
and Redemption Instruments will apply
until a new list is announced on the
following Business Day, and there will
be no intra-day changes to the list
except to correct errors in the published
list. The intra-day indicative value of
Shares, which will represent on a per
Share basis the sum of the current value
of the Portfolio Instruments, will be
published on the Consolidated Tape
every 15 seconds throughout the regular
trading hours of the Primary Listing
Exchange.
9. Each Fund may recoup settlement
costs charged by NSCC and DTC by
imposing a transaction fee on investors
purchasing or redeeming Creation Units
(‘‘Transaction Fee’’). The Transaction
Fee will be borne only by purchasers
and redeemers of Creation Units and
will be limited to amounts that have
been determined appropriate by the
Adviser to defray the transaction
expenses that will be incurred by a
Fund when an investor purchases or
redeems Creation Units.12 All orders to
purchase Creation Units will be placed
with the Distributor by or through an
Authorized Participant, and the
Distributor will transmit all purchase
11 A ‘‘custom order’’ is any purchase or
redemption of Shares made in whole or in part on
a cash basis in reliance on clause (e)(i) or (e)(ii).
12 Where a Fund permits an in-kind purchaser to
substitute cash-in-lieu of depositing one or more
Deposit Instruments, the purchaser may be assessed
a higher Transaction Fee to cover the cost of
purchasing those particular Deposit Instruments. In
all cases, the Transaction Fee will be limited in
accordance with the requirements of the
Commission applicable to open-end management
investment companies offering redeemable
securities.
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orders to the relevant Fund. The
Distributor will furnish a prospectus
and a confirmation to Authorized
Participants placing purchase orders
and will maintain a record of the
instructions given to a Fund to
implement delivery of its Shares.
10. Shares of each Fund will be listed
on an Exchange. The principal
secondary market for the Shares will be
the Primary Listing Exchange. It is
expected that one or more member firms
of the Primary Listing Exchange will be
designated to act as a specialist or
market maker and maintain a market for
the Shares trading on the Primary
Listing Exchange. The price of Shares
will be based on a current bid/offer in
the secondary market. Transactions
involving the purchases or sales of
Shares on an Exchange will be subject
to customary brokerage fees and
charges.
11. Applicants expect that purchasers
of Creation Units will include
institutional investors and arbitrageurs.
Authorized Participants also may
purchase or redeem Creation Units in
connection with their market making
activities. Applicants expect that
secondary market purchasers of Shares
will include both institutional and retail
investors.13 The price at which Shares
trade will be disciplined by arbitrage
opportunities created by the ability to
purchase or redeem Creation Units at
NAV, which applicants believe should
ensure that Shares similarly do not trade
at a material premium or discount in
relation to NAV.
12. Shares will not be individually
redeemable and owners of Shares may
acquire those Shares from a Fund or
tender such shares for redemption to the
Fund, in Creation Units only. To
redeem, an investor must accumulate
enough Shares to constitute a Creation
Unit. Redemption requests must be
placed by or through an Authorized
Participant.
13. Neither the Trust nor any Fund
will be marketed or otherwise held out
as a traditional open-end investment
company or a ‘‘mutual fund’’. Instead,
each Fund will be marketed as an
‘‘exchange-traded fund.’’ All marketing
materials that describe the features or
method of obtaining, buying or selling
Creation Units, or Shares being listed
and traded on an Exchange, or refer to
redeemability, will prominently
disclose that Shares are not individually
redeemable shares and will disclose that
the owners of Shares may acquire those
13 Shares will be registered in book-entry form
only. DTC or its nominee will be the record or
registered owner of all outstanding Shares.
Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on
the records of DTC or DTC Participants.
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Shares from the Fund or tender such
Shares for redemption to the Fund only
in Creation Units. Copies of annual and
semi-annual shareholder reports will
also be provided to the DTC Participants
for distribution to beneficial owners of
Shares.
Applicants’ Legal Analysis
1. Applicants request an order under
section 6(c) of the Act granting an
exemption from sections 2(a)(32),
5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the Act and
rule 22c–1 under the Act, under
sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act
granting an exemption from sections
17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act, and under
section 12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption
from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the
Act.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that
the Commission may exempt any
person, security or transaction, or any
class of persons, securities or
transactions, from any provision of the
Act, if and to the extent that 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. Section 17(b)
of the Act authorizes the Commission to
exempt a proposed transaction from
section 17(a) of the Act if evidence
establishes that the terms of the
transaction, including the consideration
to be paid or received, are reasonable
and fair and do not involve
overreaching on the part of any person
concerned, and the proposed
transaction is consistent with the
policies of the registered investment
company and the general provisions of
the Act. 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.
Sections 5(a)(1) and 2(a)(32) of the Act
3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an
‘‘open-end company’’ as a management
investment company that is offering for
sale or has outstanding any redeemable
security of which it is the issuer.
Section 2(a)(32) of the Act defines a
redeemable security as any security,
other than short-term paper, under the
terms of which the holder, upon its
presentation to the issuer, is entitled to
receive approximately a proportionate
share of the issuer’s current net assets,
or the cash equivalent. Because Shares
will not be individually redeemable,
applicants request an order that would
permit the Trust to issue Shares in
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Fmt 4703
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72419
Creation Units only. Applicants state
that Creation Units will always be
redeemable in accordance with the
provisions of the Act. Applicants further
state that because the market price of
Shares will be disciplined by arbitrage
opportunities, investors should be able
to sell Shares in the secondary market
at prices that do not vary materially
from their NAV per Share.
Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule 22c–
1 Under the Act
4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among
other things, prohibits a dealer from
selling a redeemable security that is
currently being offered to the public by
or through an underwriter, except at a
current public offering price described
in the prospectus. Rule 22c–1 under the
Act generally requires that a dealer
selling, redeeming, or repurchasing a
redeemable security do so only at a
price based on its NAV. Applicants state
that the purchase and sale of Shares of
a Fund will not be accomplished at an
offering price described in the Fund’s
prospectus, as required by section 22(d),
nor will sales and repurchases be made
at a price based on the current NAV
next computed after receipt of an order,
as required by rule 22c–1. Applicants
request an exemption under section 6(c)
from these provisions.
5. Applicants believe that the
concerns sought to be addressed by
section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c–
1 under the Act with respect to pricing
are equally satisfied by the proposed
method of pricing Shares. Applicants
maintain that, while there is little
legislative history regarding section
22(d), its provisions, as well as those of
rule 22c–1, appear to have been
intended to (a) prevent dilution caused
by certain riskless-trading schemes by
principal underwriters and contract
dealers, (b) prevent unjust
discrimination or preferential treatment
among buyers, and (c) ensure an orderly
distribution system of shares by contract
dealers by eliminating price competition
from non-contract dealers who could
offer investors shares at less than the
published sales price and who could
pay investors a little more than the
published redemption price.
6. Applicants believe that none of
these purposes will be thwarted by
permitting Shares to trade in the
secondary market at negotiated prices.
Applicants state that secondary market
transactions in Shares would not cause
dilution for owners of such Shares,
because such transactions do not
directly involve Fund assets. Similarly,
secondary market trading in Shares
should not create unjust discrimination
or preferential treatment among buyers
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to the extent different prices exist
during a given trading day, or from day
to day. Applicants state that such
variances occur as a result of third-party
market forces, such as supply and
demand, but do not occur as a result of
unjust or discriminatory manipulation.
Finally, applicants contend that the
proposed distribution system will be
orderly because arbitrage activity will
ensure that the Shares do not trade at a
material discount or premium in
relation to their NAV.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
Section 22(e) of the Act
7. Section 22(e) of the Act generally
prohibits a registered investment
company from suspending the right of
redemption or postponing the date of
payment of redemption proceeds for
more than seven days after the tender of
a security for redemption. Applicants
observe that the settlement of
redemptions of Creation Units of the
Global and International Funds is
contingent not only on the settlement
cycle of the U.S. securities markets but
also on the delivery cycles present in
foreign markets in which those Funds
invest. Applicants have been advised
that, under certain circumstances, the
delivery cycles for transferring Portfolio
Instruments to redeeming investors,
coupled with local market holiday
schedules, will require a delivery
process of up to fourteen (14) calendar
days. Applicants request relief under
section 6(c) of the Act from section 22(e)
to allow Global and International Funds
to pay redemption proceeds up to 14
calendar days after the tender of the
Creation Units. With respect to Future
Funds based on a global or an
international Underlying Index,
applicants seek the same relief from
section 22(e) only to the extent that
similar circumstances exist. Except as
disclosed in the relevant Global Fund’s
or International Fund’s SAI, applicants
expect that the Global Funds and
International Funds will be able to
deliver redemption proceeds within
seven days.14
8. Applicants submit that Congress
adopted section 22(e) to prevent
unreasonable, undisclosed and
unforeseen delays in the actual payment
of redemption proceeds. Applicants
state that allowing redemption
payments for Creation Units of a Fund
to be made within 14 calendar days
would not be inconsistent with the
spirit and intent of section 22(e).
14 Applicants acknowledge that no relief obtained
from the requirements of section 22(e) will affect
any obligations that applicants may otherwise have
under rule 15c6–1 under the Exchange Act. Rule
15c6–1 requires that most securities transactions be
settled within three business days of the trade date.
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Applicants state that the SAI will
disclose those local holidays (over the
period of at least one year following the
date thereof), if any, that are expected to
prevent the delivery of redemption
proceeds in seven calendar days and the
maximum number of days (up to 14
calendar days) needed to deliver the
proceeds for each affected Global Fund
and International Fund.
9. Applicants are not seeking relief
from section 22(e) for Global or
International Funds that do not effect
redemptions of Creation Units in-kind.
Section 12(d)(1) of the Act
10. 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, or any other broker or
dealer from selling the investment
company’s shares to another investment
company if the sale would cause the
acquiring company to own more than
3% of the acquired company’s voting
stock, or if the sale would cause more
than 10% of the acquired company’s
voting stock to be owned by investment
companies generally.
11. Applicants request an exemption
to permit management investment
companies (‘‘Acquiring Management
Companies’’) and unit investment trusts
(‘‘Acquiring Trusts’’) registered under
the Act that are not advised or
sponsored by the Adviser and are not
part of the same ‘‘group of investment
companies,’’ as defined in section
12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act, as the Funds
(collectively, ‘‘Acquiring Funds’’) to
acquire Shares beyond the limits of
section 12(d)(1)(A). In addition,
applicants seek relief to permit each
Fund, the Distributor and/or a Broker to
sell Shares to Acquiring Funds in excess
of the limits of section 12(d)(1)(B).
12. Each investment adviser to an
Acquiring Management Company
within the meaning of section
2(a)(20)(A) of the Act (‘‘Acquiring Fund
Adviser’’) will be registered as an
investment adviser under the Advisers
Act. An ‘‘Acquiring Fund Subadviser’’
is any investment advisor within the
meaning of section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act
to an Acquiring Management Company.
Each Acquiring Trust’s sponsor is the
‘‘Sponsor.’’
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13. Applicants submit that the
proposed conditions to the requested
relief adequately address the concerns
underlying the limits in section
12(d)(1)(A) and (B), which include
concerns about undue influence by a
fund of funds over underlying funds,
excessive layering of fees and overly
complex fund structures. Applicants
believe that the requested exemption is
consistent with the public interest and
the protection of investors.
14. Applicants believe that neither an
Acquiring Fund nor an Acquiring Fund
Affiliate would be able to exert undue
influence over a Fund.15 Condition 5
limits the ability of an Acquiring Fund’s
Advisory Group 16 or an Acquiring
Fund’s Subadvisory Group 17 to control
a Fund within the meaning of section
2(a)(9) of the Act. Applicants propose
other conditions to limit the potential
for undue influence over the Funds,
including that no Acquiring Fund or
Acquiring Fund Affiliate will cause a
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 Underwriting Affiliate
(‘‘Affiliated Underwriting’’).18
15 An ‘‘Acquiring Fund Affiliate’’ is defined as the
Acquiring Fund Adviser, Acquiring Fund
Subadviser(s), any Sponsor, promoter or principal
underwriter of an Acquiring Fund and any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control
with any of these entities. A ‘‘Fund Affiliate’’ is
defined as the Adviser, Subadviser(s), promoter or
principal underwriter of a Fund and any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control
with any of these entities.
16 An ‘‘Acquiring Fund’s Advisory Group’’ is
defined as the Acquiring Fund Adviser, Sponsor,
any person controlling, controlled by or under
common control with the Acquiring Fund Adviser
or Sponsor, and any investment company or issuer
that would be an investment company but for
section 3(c)(l) or 3(c)(7) of the Act, that is advised
or sponsored by the Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Sponsor or any person controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the Acquiring Fund
Adviser or Sponsor.
17 An ‘‘Acquiring Fund’s Subadvisory Group’’ is
defined as any Acquiring Fund Subadviser, any
person controlling, controlled by, or under common
control with the Acquiring Fund Subadviser, and
any investment company or issuer that would be an
investment company but for section 3(c)(l) or 3(c)(7)
of the Act (or portion of such investment company
or issuer) advised or sponsored by the Acquiring
Fund Subadviser or any person controlling,
controlled by or under common control with the
Acquiring Fund Subadviser.
18 An ‘‘Underwriting Affiliate’’ is defined as a
principal underwriter in any underwriting or
selling syndicate that is an officer, director, member
of an advisory board, Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Acquiring Fund Subadviser, Sponsor, or employee
of the Acquiring Fund, or a person of which any
such officer, director, member of an advisory board,
Acquiring Fund Adviser, Acquiring Fund
Subadviser, Sponsor, or employee is an affiliated
person, except any person whose relationship to the
Fund is covered by section 10(f) of the Act is not
an Underwriting Affiliate.
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15. Applicants do not believe that the
proposed arrangement will involve
excessive layering of fees. With respect
to Acquiring Management Companies,
applicants note that the board of
directors or trustees, including a
majority of the independent directors or
trustees within the meaning of section
2(a)(19) of the Act, of any Acquiring
Fund, will find that any fees charged
under the Acquiring Management
Company’s advisory contract(s) are
based on services provided that will be
in addition to, rather than duplicative
of, services provided under the advisory
contract(s) of any Fund in which the
Acquiring Management Company may
invest. Under condition 13, the
Acquiring Fund Adviser, or trustee of
any Acquiring Trust (‘‘Trustee’’), or
Sponsor, will waive fees otherwise
payable to it by the Acquiring Fund in
an amount at least equal to any
compensation (including fees received
pursuant to any plan adopted under rule
12b–1 under the Act) received from a
Fund by the Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Trustee or Sponsor, or an affiliated
person of the Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Trustee or Sponsor, in connection with
the investment by the Acquiring Fund
in the Fund. Applicants also state that
any sales charges or service fees charged
with respect to shares of an Acquiring
Fund will not exceed the limits
applicable to a fund of funds as set forth
in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.19
16. Applicants submit that the
proposed arrangement will not create an
overly complex fund structure.
Applicants note that no Fund will
acquire securities of any investment
company or company relying on section
3(c)(l) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of
the limits contained in section
12(d)(l)(A) of the Act, except to the
extent permitted by exemptive relief
from the Commission permitting the
Fund to purchase shares of other
investment companies for short-term
cash management purposes. To ensure
that the Acquiring Funds understand
and will comply with the terms and
conditions of the requested order, any
Acquiring Fund will be required to
enter into a written agreement with the
Fund (the ‘‘Acquiring Fund
Agreement’’). The Acquiring Fund
Agreement will include an
acknowledgment from the Acquiring
Fund that it may rely on the order only
to invest in a Fund and not in any other
investment company.
19 Any references to NASD Conduct Rule 2830
include any successor or replacement rule that may
be adopted by the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority.
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17:19 Dec 04, 2012
Jkt 229001
17. Applicants note that a Fund may
choose to reject any direct purchase of
Creation Units by an Acquiring Fund. A
Fund would also retain its right to reject
any initial investment by an Acquiring
Fund in excess of the limits in section
12(d)(l)(A) of the Act by declining to
execute an Acquiring Fund Agreement
with an Acquiring Fund.
Section 17 of the Act
18. Section 17(a) of the Act generally
prohibits an affiliated person of a
registered investment company, or an
affiliated person of such a person
(‘‘second-tier affiliate’’), from selling any
security to or purchasing any security
from the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the
Act defines ‘‘affiliated person’’ of
another person to include 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 and
any person directly or indirectly
controlling, controlled by, or under
common control with, the other person.
Section 2(a)(9) of the Act defines
‘‘control’’ as the power to exercise a
controlling influence over the
management or policies of a company,
and provides that a control relationship
will be presumed where one person
owns more than 25% of a company’s
voting securities. The Funds may be
deemed to be controlled by the Adviser
and hence affiliated persons of each
other. In addition, the Funds may be
deemed to be under common control
with any other registered investment
company (or series thereof) advised by
the Adviser (an ‘‘Affiliated Fund’’).
Applicants believe there exists a
possibility that, with respect to one or
more Funds and the Trust, a large
institutional investor could own more
than 5% of a Fund or the Trust, or in
excess of 25% of the outstanding Shares
of a Fund or the Trust, making that
investor a first-tier affiliate of each Fund
under section 2(a)(3)(A) or section
2(a)(3)(C) of the Act. In addition, a large
institutional investor could own 5% or
more of, or in excess of 25% of the
outstanding shares of one or more
Affiliated Funds, making that investor a
second-tier affiliate of a Fund.
19. Applicants request an exemption
under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act
from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the
Act in order to permit persons that are
affiliated persons or second-tier
affiliates of the Funds solely by virtue
of (a) holding 5% or more, or in excess
of 25% of the outstanding Shares of one
or more Funds; (b) having an affiliation
with a person with an ownership
interest described in (a); or (c) holding
5% or more, or more than 25% of the
PO 00000
Frm 00103
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
72421
Shares of one or more Affiliated Funds,
to effectuate purchases and redemptions
in-kind. Applicants also request an
exemption in order to permit a Fund to
sell Shares to, and purchase Shares
from, and to engage in any
accompanying in-kind transactions
with, an Acquiring Fund of which the
Fund is an affiliated person or a secondtier affiliate.20
20. Applicants assert that no useful
purpose would be served by prohibiting
such affiliated persons from making inkind purchases or in-kind redemptions
of Shares of a Fund in Creation Units.
Deposit Instruments and Redemption
Instruments will be valued in the same
manner as those Portfolio Instruments
currently held by the relevant Funds,
and the valuation of the Deposit
Instruments and Redemption
Instruments will be made in the same
manner and on the same terms for all,
regardless of the identity of the
purchaser or redeemer. Deposit
Instruments, Redemption Instruments,
and the balancing Cash Amounts,
except for any permitted cash-in-lieu
amounts consistent with the terms of
the application, will be the same
regardless of the identity of the
purchaser or redeemer. Therefore,
applicants state that in-kind purchases
and redemptions create no opportunity
for affiliated persons or applicants to
effect a transaction detrimental to the
other holders of Shares of that Fund.
Applicants also believe that in-kind
purchases and redemptions will not
result in abusive self-dealing or
overreaching of the Fund. Applicants
believe that an exemption is appropriate
under sections 17(b) and 6(c) because
the proposed arrangement meets the
standards for relief in those sections.
Applicants note that any consideration
paid for the purchase or redemption of
Shares directly from a Fund will be
based on the NAV of the Fund in
accordance with policies and
procedures set forth in the Fund’s
registration statement.21 Applicants also
20 To the extent that purchases and sales of Shares
of a Fund occur in the secondary market and not
through principal transactions directly between an
Acquiring Fund and a Fund, relief from section
17(a) would not be necessary. However, the
requested relief would apply to direct sales of
Shares in Creation Units by a Fund to an Acquiring
Fund and redemptions of those Shares. Applicants
are not seeking relief from section 17(a) for, and the
requested relief will not apply to, transactions
where a Fund could be deemed an affiliated person
or a second-tier affiliate of an Acquiring Fund
because the Adviser provides investment advisory
services to that Acquiring Fund.
21 Applicants acknowledge that the receipt of
compensation by (a) an affiliated person of an
Acquiring Fund, or a second-tier affiliate, for the
purchase by the Acquiring Fund of Shares or (b) an
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state that the proposed transactions are
consistent with the general purposes of
the Act and appropriate in the public
interest.
Applicants’ Conditions
Applicants agree that any order of the
Commission granting the requested
relief will be subject to the following
conditions:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
ETF Relief
1. As long as a Fund operates in
reliance on the requested relief to
permit ETF operations, its Shares will
be listed on an Exchange.
2. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will
be advertised or marketed as an openend investment company or a mutual
fund. Any advertising material that
describes the purchase or sale of
Creation Units or refers to redeemability
will prominently disclose that Shares
are not individually redeemable and
that owners of Shares may acquire those
Shares from a Fund and tender those
Shares for redemption to a Fund in
Creation Units only.
3. The Web site for the Funds, which
is and will be publicly accessible at no
charge, will contain, on a per Share
basis for each Fund, the prior Business
Day’s NAV and the market closing price
or the midpoint of the bid/ask spread at
the time of the calculation of such NAV
(‘‘Bid/Ask Price’’), and a calculation of
the premium or discount of the market
closing price or Bid/Ask Price against
such NAV.
4. The requested relief to permit ETF
operations will expire on the effective
date, of any Commission rule under the
Act that provides relief permitting the
operation of index-based exchangetraded funds.
12(d)(1) Relief
5. The members of the Acquiring
Fund’s Advisory Group will not control
(individually or in the aggregate) a Fund
within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of
the Act. The members of an Acquiring
Fund’s Subadvisory Group will not
control (individually or in the aggregate)
a 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 a Fund, the Acquiring
Fund’s Advisory Group or the Acquiring
Fund’s Subadvisory Group, each in the
aggregate, becomes a holder of more
than 25 percent of the outstanding
voting securities of a Fund, it will vote
its Shares in the same proportion as the
affiliated person of a Fund, or a second-tier affiliate,
for the sale by the Fund of its Shares to an
Acquiring Fund, may be prohibited by section 17(e)
of the Act. The Acquiring Fund Agreement also will
include this acknowledgment.
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vote of all other holders of the Shares.
This condition does not apply to an
Acquiring Fund Subadvisory Group
with respect to a Fund for which the
Acquiring Fund Subadviser or a person
controlling, controlled by, or under
common control with the Acquiring
Fund Subadviser acts as the investment
adviser within the meaning of section
2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
6. No Acquiring Fund or Acquiring
Fund Affiliate will cause any existing or
potential investment by the Acquiring
Fund in a Fund to influence the terms
of any services or transactions between
the Acquiring Fund or an Acquiring
Fund Affiliate and the Fund or a Fund
Affiliate.
7. The board of directors or trustees of
an Acquiring Management Company,
including a majority of the disinterested
directors or trustees, will adopt
procedures reasonably designed to
ensure that the Acquiring Fund Adviser
and any Acquiring Fund Subadviser are
conducting the investment program of
the Acquiring Management Company
without taking into account any
consideration received by the Acquiring
Management Company or an Acquiring
Fund Affiliate from a Fund or a Fund
Affiliate in connection with any services
or transactions.
8. Once an investment by an
Acquiring Fund in Shares exceeds the
limits in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the
Act, the board of trustees of the Trust
(‘‘Board’’), including a majority of the
disinterested directors/trustees, will
determine that any consideration paid
by the Fund to an Acquiring Fund or an
Acquiring Fund Affiliate in connection
with any services or transactions: (i) Is
fair and reasonable in relation to the
nature and quality of the services and
benefits received by the Fund; (ii) is
within the range of consideration that
the Fund would be required to pay to
another unaffiliated entity in connection
with the same services or transactions;
and (iii) does not involve overreaching
on the part of any person concerned.
This condition does not apply with
respect to any services or transactions
between a Fund and its investment
adviser(s), or any person controlling,
controlled by or under common control
with such investment adviser(s).
9. No Acquiring Fund or Acquiring
Fund Affiliate (except to the extent it is
acting in its capacity as an investment
adviser to a Fund) will cause the Fund
to purchase a security in any Affiliated
Underwriting.
10. The Board, including a majority of
the independent trustees, will adopt
procedures reasonably designed to
monitor any purchases of securities by
the Fund in an Affiliated Underwriting,
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Frm 00104
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
once an investment by an Acquiring
Fund in the securities of the 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 will
review these purchases periodically, but
no less frequently than annually, to
determine whether the purchases were
influenced by the investment by the
Acquiring Fund in the Fund. The Board
will consider, among other things: (i)
Whether the purchases were consistent
with the investment objectives and
policies of the Fund; (ii) 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 (iii)
whether the amount of securities
purchased by the Fund in Affiliated
Underwritings and the amount
purchased directly from an
Underwriting Affiliate have changed
significantly from prior years. The
Board will take any appropriate actions
based on its review, including, if
appropriate, the institution of
procedures designed to assure that
purchases of securities in Affiliated
Underwritings are in the best interest of
shareholders of the Fund.
11. Each 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 in an Affiliated
Underwriting occurred, the first two
years in an easily accessible place, a
written record of each purchase of
securities in Affiliated Underwritings,
once an investment by an Acquiring
Fund in the securities of the 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 were
made.
12. Before investing in Shares in
excess of the limits in section
12(d)(1)(A), each Acquiring Fund and
the Fund will execute an Acquiring
Fund Agreement stating, without
limitation, that their boards of directors
or trustees and their investment
adviser(s), or their Sponsors or Trustee,
as applicable, understand the terms and
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conditions of the order, and agree to
fulfill their responsibilities under the
order. At the time of its investment in
Shares in excess of the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A)(i), an Acquiring Fund will
notify the Fund of the investment. At
such time, the Acquiring Fund will also
transmit to the Fund a list of the names
of each Acquiring Fund Affiliate and
Underwriting Affiliate. The Acquiring
Fund will notify the Fund of any
changes to the list of the names as soon
as reasonably practicable after a change
occurs. The Fund and the Acquiring
Fund will maintain and preserve a copy
of the order, the Acquiring Fund
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.
13. The Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Trustee or Sponsor, as applicable, will
waive fees otherwise payable to it by the
Acquiring Fund in an amount at least
equal to any compensation (including
fees received pursuant to any plan
adopted under rule 12b-1 under the Act)
received from the Fund by the
Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or
Sponsor, or an affiliated person of the
Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or
Sponsor, other than any advisory fees
paid to the Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Trustee, or Sponsor, or its affiliated
person by the Fund, in connection with
the investment by the Acquiring Fund
in the Fund. Any Acquiring Fund
Subadviser will waive fees otherwise
payable to the Acquiring Fund
Subadviser, directly or indirectly, by the
Acquiring Management Company in an
amount at least equal to any
compensation received from a Fund by
the Acquiring Fund Subadviser, or an
affiliated person of the Acquiring Fund
Subadviser, other than any advisory fees
paid to the Acquiring Fund Subadviser
or its affiliated person by the Fund, in
connection with any investment by the
Acquiring Management Company in the
Fund made at the direction of the
Acquiring Fund Subadviser. In the
event that the Acquiring Fund
Subadviser waives fees, the benefit of
the waiver will be passed through to the
Acquiring Management Company.
14. Any sales charges and/or service
fees charged with respect to shares of an
Acquiring Fund will not exceed the
limits applicable to a fund of funds as
set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
15. No 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 permitted by
exemptive relief from the Commission
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:19 Dec 04, 2012
Jkt 229001
72423
permitting the Fund to purchase shares
of other investment companies for shortterm cash management purposes.
16. Before approving any advisory
contract under section 15 of the Act, the
board of directors or trustees of each
Acquiring Management Company,
including a majority of the disinterested
directors or trustees, will find that the
advisory fees charged under such
advisory contract are based on services
provided that will be in addition to,
rather than duplicative of, the services
provided under the advisory contract(s)
of any Fund in which the Acquiring
Management Company may invest.
These findings and their basis will be
recorded fully in the minute books of
the appropriate Acquiring Management
Company.
www.nsx.com, at the principal office of
the Exchange, and at the Commission’s
Public Reference Room.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, under delegated
authority.
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
[FR Doc. 2012–29317 Filed 12–4–12; 8:45 am]
1. Purpose
The Exchange is proposing to amend
NSX Rule 11.11(c) entitled ‘‘Order and
Modifiers’’ to provide a new order type,
a Double Play Order. The proposed
Double Play Order is a market or limit
order that instructs the System 3 to route
the order to a specified away Trading
Center(s) 4 as approved by the Exchange
from time to time.5 Such Trading
Centers may include execution venues
known as ‘‘dark pools.’’ The order will
not be exposed to the NSX Book 6 before
being routed to a specified destination
or destinations. An order that is not
executed in full after routing away
would return to the Exchange, receive a
new timestamp, and be processed in the
manner described in NSX Rule
11.14.(a).
The Exchange will route the Double
Play Order through NSX Securities, Inc.,
an affiliate and facility of the Exchange
(‘‘Outbound Router’’).7 The Outbound
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–68317; File No. SR–NSX–
2012–22]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
National Stock Exchange, Inc.; Notice
of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness
of Proposed Rule Change To Adopt a
New Order Type Called the Double
Play Order
November 29, 2012.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on November
14, 2012, National Stock Exchange, Inc.
(‘‘NSX’’ or the ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with
the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I and II below, which Items have
been prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange is proposing to amend
NSX Rule 11.11(c), entitled ‘‘Order and
Modifiers’’ to provide a new order type,
a Double Play Order. The text of the
proposed rule change is available on the
Exchange’s Web site at https://
1 15
2 17
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
Frm 00105
Fmt 4703
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
Exchange included statements
concerning the purpose of and basis for
the proposed rule change and discussed
any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of these
statements may be examined at the
places specified in Item IV below. The
Exchange has prepared summaries, set
forth in sections A, B, and C below, of
the most significant parts of such
statements.
3 Under Exchange Rule 1.5, the term ‘‘System’’ is
defined as ‘‘the electronic communications and
trading facility * * * through which orders of [ETP
Holders] are consolidated for ranking and
execution.’’
4 NSX Rule 2.11. A Trading Center is defined as
‘‘other securities exchanges, facilities of securities
exchanges, automated trading systems, electronic
communication networks or other brokers or
dealers.’’
5 The Exchange will not directly route orders to
the Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc. until approved as
an inbound routing facility of the Chicago Board
Options Exchange, Inc.
6 Under Exchange Rule 1.5, the term ‘‘NSX Book’’
is defined as ‘‘the System’s electronic file of
orders.’’
7 The Outbound Router is regulated as a facility
of the Exchange (as defined in Section 3(a)(2) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(‘‘Exchange Act’’ or ‘‘Act’’)), 15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(2),
Continued
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\05DEN1.SGM
05DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72416-72423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29317]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No. 30284; 812-14023]
Foreside Advisor Services, LLC, et al.; Notice of Application
November 29, 2012.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from sections
2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the
Act, and under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from
sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act, and under section 12(d)(1)(J) for
an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicants: Foreside Advisor Services, LLC (``FAS''), Foreside ETF
Trust (the ``Trust'') and Foreside Fund Services, LLC
(``Distributor'').
Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that permits: (a)
Certain
[[Page 72417]]
open-end management investment companies or series thereof to issue
shares (``Shares'') redeemable in large aggregations only (``Creation
Units''); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares to occur at
negotiated market prices; (c) certain series to pay redemption
proceeds, under certain circumstances, more than seven days from the
tender of Shares for redemption; (d) certain affiliated persons of the
series to deposit securities into, and receive securities from, the
series in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation
Units; and (e) certain registered management investment companies and
unit investment trusts outside of the same group of investment
companies as the series to acquire Shares.
Filing Dates: The application was filed on April 2, 2012, and amended
on November 29, 2012.
Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the requested
relief 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. December 26, 2012, 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: Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants,
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deepak T. Pai, Senior Counsel, at
(202) 551-6876 or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-6821
(Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company
Regulation).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the
application. The complete application may be obtained via the
Commission's Web site by searching for the file number, or an applicant
using the Company name box, at https://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or
by calling (202) 551-8090.
Applicants' Representations
1. The Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, will be registered under
the Act as an open-end management investment company. Applicants
request that the order apply to the initial series of the Trust, The
ETF 50, described in Exhibit A to the application (``Initial Fund''),
and future series of the Trust and future open-end management
investment companies and series thereof advised by FAS or an entity
controlling, controlled by or under common control with FAS (the
``Adviser'') that comply with the terms and conditions of the
application (each such company or series, a ``Future Fund,'' and
collectively with the Initial Fund, the ``Funds'').\1\ The Initial Fund
and the Future Funds will each track the performance of a specified
equity or fixed income securities index (``Underlying Index''). Future
Funds may be based on Underlying Indexes that include only foreign
equity or fixed income securities (``International Funds''). Other
Future Funds may be based on Underlying Indexes that include foreign
and domestic equity or fixed income securities (``Global Funds'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ All existing entities that intend to rely on the requested
order have been named as applicants. Any other existing or future
entity that subsequently relies on the order will comply with the
terms and conditions of the application. An Acquiring Fund (as
defined below) may rely on the order only to invest in a Fund and
not in any other registered investment company.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. FAS or another Adviser will serve as the investment adviser to
the Funds. FAS and each other Adviser will be registered as an
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
(``Advisers Act''). The Adviser may enter into subadvisory agreements
with investment advisers to act as subadvisers with respect to any Fund
(each, a ``Subadviser''). Any Subadviser to a Fund will be registered
under the Advisers Act. The Distributor, a broker-dealer registered
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Broker'') and an affiliate
of the Adviser, will act as the distributor and principal underwriter
of Creation Units of Shares. In the future, another Broker may act as
distributor and principal underwriter. No Distributor will be
affiliated with any Exchange (as defined below) or any Index Provider
(as defined below).
3. Each Fund will consist of a portfolio of securities and other
instruments (``Portfolio Instruments'') selected to correspond
generally to the price and yield performance of an Underlying Index. No
entity that creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains an Underlying
Index (``Index Provider'') is or will be an affiliated person, as
defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act, or an affiliated person of an
affiliated person of the Trust or a Fund, a promoter, the Adviser, a
Subadviser, or a Distributor.
4. The investment objective of each Fund will be to provide
investment returns that closely correspond, before fees and expenses,
to the price and yield performance of its Underlying Index.\2\ Each
Fund will sell and redeem Creation Units on a ``Business Day,'' which
is defined to include any day that the Trust is open for business as
required by section 22(e) of the Act. The Adviser and/or Subadviser may
utilize a replication or a representative sampling strategy to track
its Underlying Index. A Fund using a replication strategy will invest
in substantially all of the Component Securities in its Underlying
Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Underlying Index. A
Fund using a representative sampling strategy generally will hold a
significant number, but not necessarily all, of the Component
Securities of its Underlying Index. Applicants state that if
representative sampling is used, a Fund will not be expected to track
its Underlying Index with the same degree of accuracy as a Fund
employing the replication strategy. Applicants expect that each Fund
will have a tracking error relative to the performance of its
Underlying Index of no more than five percent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Applicants represent that at least 80% of each Fund's total
assets will be invested in the constituent securities of its
respective Underlying Index (``Component Securities''), TBA
Transactions (as defined below) representing Component Securities,
and Depositary Receipts (as defined below) representing Component
Securities. Each Fund also may invest the remaining 20% of its total
assets in a broad variety of other instruments, including securities
not included in its Underlying Index, which the Adviser or
Subadviser believes will assist the Fund in tracking the performance
of its Underlying Index.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Applicants anticipate that the price of a Share will range from
$15 to $25, and that Creation Units will consist of at least 25,000
Shares. All orders to purchase and redeem Creation Units must be placed
with the Distributor by or through an ``Authorized Participant,'' which
is either: (a) A ``participating party,'' i.e., a Broker or other
participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National
Securities Clearing Corporation (``NSCC''), a clearing agency
registered with the Commission and affiliated with the Depository Trust
Company (``DTC''), or (b) a participant in the DTC (``DTC
Participant''), which in any case, has executed an agreement with the
Distributor. The Distributor will transmit all purchase orders to the
relevant Fund.
6. The Shares will be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units and
[[Page 72418]]
generally on an in-kind basis. Except where the purchase or redemption
will include cash under the limited circumstances specified below,
purchasers will be required to purchase Creation Units by making an in-
kind deposit of specified instruments (``Deposit Instruments''), and
shareholders redeeming their Shares will receive an in-kind transfer of
specified instruments (``Redemption Instruments'').\3\ On any given
Business Day the names and quantities of the instruments that
constitute the Deposit Instruments and the names and quantities of the
instruments that constitute the Redemption Instruments will be
identical, unless the Fund is Rebalancing (as defined below). In
addition, the Deposit Instruments and the Redemption Instruments will
each correspond pro rata to the positions in a Fund's portfolio
(including cash positions),\4\ except: (a) In the case of bonds, for
minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond
certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; (b) for minor
differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares
or lots that are not tradeable round lots; \5\ (c) ``to be announced''
transactions (``TBA Transactions''),\6\ derivatives and other positions
that cannot be transferred in kind \7\ will be excluded from the
Deposit Instruments and the Redemption Instruments; \8\ (d) to the
extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a
representative sampling of the Fund's portfolio; \9\ or (e) for
temporary periods, to effect changes in the Fund's portfolio as a
result of the rebalancing of its Underlying Index (any such change, a
``Rebalancing''). If there is a difference between the net asset value
(``NAV'') attributable to a Creation Unit and the aggregate market
value of the Deposit Instruments or Redemption Instruments exchanged
for the Creation Unit, the party conveying instruments with the lower
value will also pay to the other an amount in cash equal to that
difference (the ``Cash Amount'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The Funds must comply with the federal securities laws in
accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying redemptions with
Redemption Instruments, including that the Deposit Instruments and
Redemption Instruments are sold in transactions that would be exempt
from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (``Securities
Act''). In accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying redemptions
with Redemption Instruments that are restricted securities eligible
for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, the Funds
will comply with the conditions of Rule 144A.
\4\ The portfolio used for this purpose will be the same
portfolio used to calculate the Fund's NAV for that Business Day.
\5\ A tradeable round lot for a security will be the standard
unit of trading in that particular type of security in its primary
market.
\6\ A TBA Transaction is a method of trading mortgage-backed
securities. In a TBA Transaction, the buyer and seller agree on
general trade parameters such as agency, settlement date, par amount
and price. The actual pools delivered generally are determined two
days prior to the settlement date.
\7\ This includes instruments that can be transferred in kind
only with the consent of the original counterparty to the extent the
Fund does not intend to seek such consents.
\8\ Because these instruments will be excluded from the Deposit
Instruments and the Redemption Instruments, their value will be
reflected in the determination of the Cash Amount (defined below).
\9\ A Fund may only use sampling for this purpose if the sample:
(i) Is designed to generate performance that is highly correlated to
the performance of the Fund's portfolio; (ii) consists entirely of
instruments that are already included in the Fund's portfolio; and
(iii) is the same for all Authorized Participants on a given
Business Day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units may be made in whole
or in part on a cash basis, rather than in kind, solely under the
following circumstances: (a) To the extent there is a Cash Amount, as
described above; (b) if, on a given Business Day, a Fund announces
before the open of trading that all purchases, all redemptions or all
purchases and redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash;
(c) if, upon receiving a purchase or redemption order from an
Authorized Participant, a Fund determines to require the purchase or
redemption, as applicable, to be made entirely in cash; \10\ (d) if, on
a given Business Day, a Fund requires all Authorized Participants
purchasing or redeeming Shares on that day to deposit or receive (as
applicable) cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments or
Redemption Instruments, respectively, solely because: (i) Such
instruments are not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or
DTC; or (ii) in the case of Global Funds and International Funds, such
instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading
restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other
similar circumstances; or (e) if a Fund permits an Authorized
Participant to deposit or receive (as applicable) cash in lieu of some
or all of the Deposit Instruments or Redemption Instruments,
respectively, solely because: (i) Such instruments are, in the case of
the purchase of a Creation Unit, not available in sufficient quantity;
(ii) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized
Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant
is acting; or (iii) a holder of Shares of a Global Fund or
International Fund would be subject to unfavorable income tax treatment
if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ In determining whether a particular Fund will sell or
redeem Creation Units entirely on a cash or in kind basis (whether
for a given day or a given order), the key consideration will be the
benefit that would accrue to the Fund and its investors. For
instance, in bond transactions, the Adviser may be able to obtain
better execution than Share purchasers because of the Adviser's
size, experience and potentially stronger relationships in the fixed
income markets. Purchases of Creation Units either on an all cash
basis or in kind are expected to be neutral to the Funds from a tax
perspective. In contrast, cash redemptions typically require selling
portfolio holdings, which may result in adverse tax consequences for
the remaining Fund shareholders that would not occur with an in kind
redemption. As a result, tax considerations may warrant in kind
redemptions.
\11\ A ``custom order'' is any purchase or redemption of Shares
made in whole or in part on a cash basis in reliance on clause
(e)(i) or (e)(ii).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Each Business Day, before the open of trading on a national
securities exchange, as defined in section 2(a)(26) of the Act
(``Exchange'') on which Shares are listed (``Primary Listing
Exchange''), each Fund will cause to be published through the NSCC the
names and quantities of the instruments comprising the Deposit
Instruments and the Redemption Instruments, as well as the estimated
Cash Amount (if any), for that day. The list of Deposit Instruments and
Redemption Instruments will apply until a new list is announced on the
following Business Day, and there will be no intra-day changes to the
list except to correct errors in the published list. The intra-day
indicative value of Shares, which will represent on a per Share basis
the sum of the current value of the Portfolio Instruments, will be
published on the Consolidated Tape every 15 seconds throughout the
regular trading hours of the Primary Listing Exchange.
9. Each Fund may recoup settlement costs charged by NSCC and DTC by
imposing a transaction fee on investors purchasing or redeeming
Creation Units (``Transaction Fee''). The Transaction Fee will be borne
only by purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units and will be limited
to amounts that have been determined appropriate by the Adviser to
defray the transaction expenses that will be incurred by a Fund when an
investor purchases or redeems Creation Units.\12\ All orders to
purchase Creation Units will be placed with the Distributor by or
through an Authorized Participant, and the Distributor will transmit
all purchase
[[Page 72419]]
orders to the relevant Fund. The Distributor will furnish a prospectus
and a confirmation to Authorized Participants placing purchase orders
and will maintain a record of the instructions given to a Fund to
implement delivery of its Shares.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ Where a Fund permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute
cash-in-lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Instruments, the
purchaser may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to cover the cost
of purchasing those particular Deposit Instruments. In all cases,
the Transaction Fee will be limited in accordance with the
requirements of the Commission applicable to open-end management
investment companies offering redeemable securities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Shares of each Fund will be listed on an Exchange. The
principal secondary market for the Shares will be the Primary Listing
Exchange. It is expected that one or more member firms of the Primary
Listing Exchange will be designated to act as a specialist or market
maker and maintain a market for the Shares trading on the Primary
Listing Exchange. The price of Shares will be based on a current bid/
offer in the secondary market. Transactions involving the purchases or
sales of Shares on an Exchange will be subject to customary brokerage
fees and charges.
11. Applicants expect that purchasers of Creation Units will
include institutional investors and arbitrageurs. Authorized
Participants also may purchase or redeem Creation Units in connection
with their market making activities. Applicants expect that secondary
market purchasers of Shares will include both institutional and retail
investors.\13\ The price at which Shares trade will be disciplined by
arbitrage opportunities created by the ability to purchase or redeem
Creation Units at NAV, which applicants believe should ensure that
Shares similarly do not trade at a material premium or discount in
relation to NAV.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ Shares will be registered in book-entry form only. DTC or
its nominee will be the record or registered owner of all
outstanding Shares. Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on
the records of DTC or DTC Participants.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Shares will not be individually redeemable and owners of Shares
may acquire those Shares from a Fund or tender such shares for
redemption to the Fund, in Creation Units only. To redeem, an investor
must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit. Redemption
requests must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant.
13. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be marketed or otherwise
held out as a traditional open-end investment company or a ``mutual
fund''. Instead, each Fund will be marketed as an ``exchange-traded
fund.'' All marketing materials that describe the features or method of
obtaining, buying or selling Creation Units, or Shares being listed and
traded on an Exchange, or refer to redeemability, will prominently
disclose that Shares are not individually redeemable shares and will
disclose that the owners of Shares may acquire those Shares from the
Fund or tender such Shares for redemption to the Fund only in Creation
Units. Copies of annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will also
be provided to the DTC Participants for distribution to beneficial
owners of Shares.
Applicants' Legal Analysis
1. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act
granting an exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e)
of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b)
of the Act granting an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the
Act, and under section 12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from sections
12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt
any person, security or transaction, or any class of persons,
securities or transactions, from any provision of the Act, if and to
the extent that 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.
Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to exempt a proposed
transaction from section 17(a) of the Act if evidence establishes that
the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid or
received, are reasonable and fair and do not involve overreaching on
the part of any person concerned, and the proposed transaction is
consistent with the policies of the registered investment company and
the general provisions of the Act. 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.
Sections 5(a)(1) and 2(a)(32) of the Act
3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an ``open-end company'' as a
management investment company that is offering for sale or has
outstanding any redeemable security of which it is the issuer. Section
2(a)(32) of the Act defines a redeemable security as any security,
other than short-term paper, under the terms of which the holder, upon
its presentation to the issuer, is entitled to receive approximately a
proportionate share of the issuer's current net assets, or the cash
equivalent. Because Shares will not be individually redeemable,
applicants request an order that would permit the Trust to issue Shares
in Creation Units only. Applicants state that Creation Units will
always be redeemable in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
Applicants further state that because the market price of Shares will
be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities, investors should be able to
sell Shares in the secondary market at prices that do not vary
materially from their NAV per Share.
Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule 22c-1 Under the Act
4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among other things, prohibits a dealer
from selling a redeemable security that is currently being offered to
the public by or through an underwriter, except at a current public
offering price described in the prospectus. Rule 22c-1 under the Act
generally requires that a dealer selling, redeeming, or repurchasing a
redeemable security do so only at a price based on its NAV. Applicants
state that the purchase and sale of Shares of a Fund will not be
accomplished at an offering price described in the Fund's prospectus,
as required by section 22(d), nor will sales and repurchases be made at
a price based on the current NAV next computed after receipt of an
order, as required by rule 22c-1. Applicants request an exemption under
section 6(c) from these provisions.
5. Applicants believe that the concerns sought to be addressed by
section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act with respect to
pricing are equally satisfied by the proposed method of pricing Shares.
Applicants maintain that, while there is little legislative history
regarding section 22(d), its provisions, as well as those of rule 22c-
1, appear to have been intended to (a) prevent dilution caused by
certain riskless-trading schemes by principal underwriters and contract
dealers, (b) prevent unjust discrimination or preferential treatment
among buyers, and (c) ensure an orderly distribution system of shares
by contract dealers by eliminating price competition from non-contract
dealers who could offer investors shares at less than the published
sales price and who could pay investors a little more than the
published redemption price.
6. Applicants believe that none of these purposes will be thwarted
by permitting Shares to trade in the secondary market at negotiated
prices. Applicants state that secondary market transactions in Shares
would not cause dilution for owners of such Shares, because such
transactions do not directly involve Fund assets. Similarly, secondary
market trading in Shares should not create unjust discrimination or
preferential treatment among buyers
[[Page 72420]]
to the extent different prices exist during a given trading day, or
from day to day. Applicants state that such variances occur as a result
of third-party market forces, such as supply and demand, but do not
occur as a result of unjust or discriminatory manipulation. Finally,
applicants contend that the proposed distribution system will be
orderly because arbitrage activity will ensure that the Shares do not
trade at a material discount or premium in relation to their NAV.
Section 22(e) of the Act
7. Section 22(e) of the Act generally prohibits a registered
investment company from suspending the right of redemption or
postponing the date of payment of redemption proceeds for more than
seven days after the tender of a security for redemption. Applicants
observe that the settlement of redemptions of Creation Units of the
Global and International Funds is contingent not only on the settlement
cycle of the U.S. securities markets but also on the delivery cycles
present in foreign markets in which those Funds invest. Applicants have
been advised that, under certain circumstances, the delivery cycles for
transferring Portfolio Instruments to redeeming investors, coupled with
local market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process of up
to fourteen (14) calendar days. Applicants request relief under section
6(c) of the Act from section 22(e) to allow Global and International
Funds to pay redemption proceeds up to 14 calendar days after the
tender of the Creation Units. With respect to Future Funds based on a
global or an international Underlying Index, applicants seek the same
relief from section 22(e) only to the extent that similar circumstances
exist. Except as disclosed in the relevant Global Fund's or
International Fund's SAI, applicants expect that the Global Funds and
International Funds will be able to deliver redemption proceeds within
seven days.\14\
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\14\ Applicants acknowledge that no relief obtained from the
requirements of section 22(e) will affect any obligations that
applicants may otherwise have under rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange
Act. Rule 15c6-1 requires that most securities transactions be
settled within three business days of the trade date.
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8. Applicants submit that Congress adopted section 22(e) to prevent
unreasonable, undisclosed and unforeseen delays in the actual payment
of redemption proceeds. Applicants state that allowing redemption
payments for Creation Units of a Fund to be made within 14 calendar
days would not be inconsistent with the spirit and intent of section
22(e). Applicants state that the SAI will disclose those local holidays
(over the period of at least one year following the date thereof), if
any, that are expected to prevent the delivery of redemption proceeds
in seven calendar days and the maximum number of days (up to 14
calendar days) needed to deliver the proceeds for each affected Global
Fund and International Fund.
9. Applicants are not seeking relief from section 22(e) for Global
or International Funds that do not effect redemptions of Creation Units
in-kind.
Section 12(d)(1) of the Act
10. 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, or
any other broker or dealer from selling the investment company's shares
to another investment company if the sale would cause the acquiring
company to own more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or
if the sale would cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting
stock to be owned by investment companies generally.
11. Applicants request an exemption to permit management investment
companies (``Acquiring Management Companies'') and unit investment
trusts (``Acquiring Trusts'') registered under the Act that are not
advised or sponsored by the Adviser and are not part of the same
``group of investment companies,'' as defined in section
12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act, as the Funds (collectively, ``Acquiring
Funds'') to acquire Shares beyond the limits of section 12(d)(1)(A). In
addition, applicants seek relief to permit each Fund, the Distributor
and/or a Broker to sell Shares to Acquiring Funds in excess of the
limits of section 12(d)(1)(B).
12. Each investment adviser to an Acquiring Management Company
within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act (``Acquiring Fund
Adviser'') will be registered as an investment adviser under the
Advisers Act. An ``Acquiring Fund Subadviser'' is any investment
advisor within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act to an
Acquiring Management Company. Each Acquiring Trust's sponsor is the
``Sponsor.''
13. Applicants submit that the proposed conditions to the requested
relief adequately address the concerns underlying the limits in section
12(d)(1)(A) and (B), which include concerns about undue influence by a
fund of funds over underlying funds, excessive layering of fees and
overly complex fund structures. Applicants believe that the requested
exemption is consistent with the public interest and the protection of
investors.
14. Applicants believe that neither an Acquiring Fund nor an
Acquiring Fund Affiliate would be able to exert undue influence over a
Fund.\15\ Condition 5 limits the ability of an Acquiring Fund's
Advisory Group \16\ or an Acquiring Fund's Subadvisory Group \17\ to
control a Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
Applicants propose other conditions to limit the potential for undue
influence over the Funds, including that no Acquiring Fund or Acquiring
Fund Affiliate will cause a 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 Underwriting Affiliate
(``Affiliated Underwriting'').\18\
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\15\ An ``Acquiring Fund Affiliate'' is defined as the Acquiring
Fund Adviser, Acquiring Fund Subadviser(s), any Sponsor, promoter or
principal underwriter of an Acquiring Fund and any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control with any of these
entities. A ``Fund Affiliate'' is defined as the Adviser,
Subadviser(s), promoter or principal underwriter of a Fund and any
person controlling, controlled by or under common control with any
of these entities.
\16\ An ``Acquiring Fund's Advisory Group'' is defined as the
Acquiring Fund Adviser, Sponsor, any person controlling, controlled
by or under common control with the Acquiring Fund Adviser or
Sponsor, and any investment company or issuer that would be an
investment company but for section 3(c)(l) or 3(c)(7) of the Act,
that is advised or sponsored by the Acquiring Fund Adviser, Sponsor
or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control
with the Acquiring Fund Adviser or Sponsor.
\17\ An ``Acquiring Fund's Subadvisory Group'' is defined as any
Acquiring Fund Subadviser, any person controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with the Acquiring Fund Subadviser, and any
investment company or issuer that would be an investment company but
for section 3(c)(l) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or portion of such
investment company or issuer) advised or sponsored by the Acquiring
Fund Subadviser or any person controlling, controlled by or under
common control with the Acquiring Fund Subadviser.
\18\ An ``Underwriting Affiliate'' is defined as a principal
underwriter in any underwriting or selling syndicate that is an
officer, director, member of an advisory board, Acquiring Fund
Adviser, Acquiring Fund Subadviser, Sponsor, or employee of the
Acquiring Fund, or a person of which any such officer, director,
member of an advisory board, Acquiring Fund Adviser, Acquiring Fund
Subadviser, Sponsor, or employee is an affiliated person, except any
person whose relationship to the Fund is covered by section 10(f) of
the Act is not an Underwriting Affiliate.
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[[Page 72421]]
15. Applicants do not believe that the proposed arrangement will
involve excessive layering of fees. With respect to Acquiring
Management Companies, applicants note that the board of directors or
trustees, including a majority of the independent directors or trustees
within the meaning of section 2(a)(19) of the Act, of any Acquiring
Fund, will find that any fees charged under the Acquiring Management
Company's advisory contract(s) are based on services provided that will
be in addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided under
the advisory contract(s) of any Fund in which the Acquiring Management
Company may invest. Under condition 13, the Acquiring Fund Adviser, or
trustee of any Acquiring Trust (``Trustee''), or Sponsor, will waive
fees otherwise payable to it by the Acquiring Fund in an amount at
least equal to any compensation (including fees received pursuant to
any plan adopted under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received from a Fund
by the Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor, or an affiliated
person of the Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor, in connection
with the investment by the Acquiring Fund in the Fund. Applicants also
state that any sales charges or service fees charged with respect to
shares of an Acquiring Fund will not exceed the limits applicable to a
fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.\19\
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\19\ Any references to NASD Conduct Rule 2830 include any
successor or replacement rule that may be adopted by the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority.
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16. Applicants submit that the proposed arrangement will not create
an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that no Fund will
acquire securities of any investment company or company relying on
section 3(c)(l) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the limits contained
in section 12(d)(l)(A) of the Act, except to the extent permitted by
exemptive relief from the Commission permitting the Fund to purchase
shares of other investment companies for short-term cash management
purposes. To ensure that the Acquiring Funds understand and will comply
with the terms and conditions of the requested order, any Acquiring
Fund will be required to enter into a written agreement with the Fund
(the ``Acquiring Fund Agreement''). The Acquiring Fund Agreement will
include an acknowledgment from the Acquiring Fund that it may rely on
the order only to invest in a Fund and not in any other investment
company.
17. Applicants note that a Fund may choose to reject any direct
purchase of Creation Units by an Acquiring Fund. A Fund would also
retain its right to reject any initial investment by an Acquiring Fund
in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(l)(A) of the Act by declining
to execute an Acquiring Fund Agreement with an Acquiring Fund.
Section 17 of the Act
18. Section 17(a) of the Act generally prohibits an affiliated
person of a registered investment company, or an affiliated person of
such a person (``second-tier affiliate''), from selling any security to
or purchasing any security from the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act
defines ``affiliated person'' of another person to include 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 and any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled
by, or under common control with, the other person. Section 2(a)(9) of
the Act defines ``control'' as the power to exercise a controlling
influence over the management or policies of a company, and provides
that a control relationship will be presumed where one person owns more
than 25% of a company's voting securities. The Funds may be deemed to
be controlled by the Adviser and hence affiliated persons of each
other. In addition, the Funds may be deemed to be under common control
with any other registered investment company (or series thereof)
advised by the Adviser (an ``Affiliated Fund''). Applicants believe
there exists a possibility that, with respect to one or more Funds and
the Trust, a large institutional investor could own more than 5% of a
Fund or the Trust, or in excess of 25% of the outstanding Shares of a
Fund or the Trust, making that investor a first-tier affiliate of each
Fund under section 2(a)(3)(A) or section 2(a)(3)(C) of the Act. In
addition, a large institutional investor could own 5% or more of, or in
excess of 25% of the outstanding shares of one or more Affiliated
Funds, making that investor a second-tier affiliate of a Fund.
19. Applicants request an exemption under sections 6(c) and 17(b)
of the Act from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act in order to
permit persons that are affiliated persons or second-tier affiliates of
the Funds solely by virtue of (a) holding 5% or more, or in excess of
25% of the outstanding Shares of one or more Funds; (b) having an
affiliation with a person with an ownership interest described in (a);
or (c) holding 5% or more, or more than 25% of the Shares of one or
more Affiliated Funds, to effectuate purchases and redemptions in-kind.
Applicants also request an exemption in order to permit a Fund to sell
Shares to, and purchase Shares from, and to engage in any accompanying
in-kind transactions with, an Acquiring Fund of which the Fund is an
affiliated person or a second-tier affiliate.\20\
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\20\ To the extent that purchases and sales of Shares of a Fund
occur in the secondary market and not through principal transactions
directly between an Acquiring Fund and a Fund, relief from section
17(a) would not be necessary. However, the requested relief would
apply to direct sales of Shares in Creation Units by a Fund to an
Acquiring Fund and redemptions of those Shares. Applicants are not
seeking relief from section 17(a) for, and the requested relief will
not apply to, transactions where a Fund could be deemed an
affiliated person or a second-tier affiliate of an Acquiring Fund
because the Adviser provides investment advisory services to that
Acquiring Fund.
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20. Applicants assert that no useful purpose would be served by
prohibiting such affiliated persons from making in-kind purchases or
in-kind redemptions of Shares of a Fund in Creation Units. Deposit
Instruments and Redemption Instruments will be valued in the same
manner as those Portfolio Instruments currently held by the relevant
Funds, and the valuation of the Deposit Instruments and Redemption
Instruments will be made in the same manner and on the same terms for
all, regardless of the identity of the purchaser or redeemer. Deposit
Instruments, Redemption Instruments, and the balancing Cash Amounts,
except for any permitted cash-in-lieu amounts consistent with the terms
of the application, will be the same regardless of the identity of the
purchaser or redeemer. Therefore, applicants state that in-kind
purchases and redemptions create no opportunity for affiliated persons
or applicants to effect a transaction detrimental to the other holders
of Shares of that Fund. Applicants also believe that in-kind purchases
and redemptions will not result in abusive self-dealing or overreaching
of the Fund. Applicants believe that an exemption is appropriate under
sections 17(b) and 6(c) because the proposed arrangement meets the
standards for relief in those sections. Applicants note that any
consideration paid for the purchase or redemption of Shares directly
from a Fund will be based on the NAV of the Fund in accordance with
policies and procedures set forth in the Fund's registration
statement.\21\ Applicants also
[[Page 72422]]
state that the proposed transactions are consistent with the general
purposes of the Act and appropriate in the public interest.
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\21\ Applicants acknowledge that the receipt of compensation by
(a) an affiliated person of an Acquiring Fund, or a second-tier
affiliate, for the purchase by the Acquiring Fund of Shares or (b)
an affiliated person of a Fund, or a second-tier affiliate, for the
sale by the Fund of its Shares to an Acquiring Fund, may be
prohibited by section 17(e) of the Act. The Acquiring Fund Agreement
also will include this acknowledgment.
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Applicants' Conditions
Applicants agree that any order of the Commission granting the
requested relief will be subject to the following conditions:
ETF Relief
1. As long as a Fund operates in reliance on the requested relief
to permit ETF operations, its Shares will be listed on an Exchange.
2. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed as
an open-end investment company or a mutual fund. Any advertising
material that describes the purchase or sale of Creation Units or
refers to redeemability will prominently disclose that Shares are not
individually redeemable and that owners of Shares may acquire those
Shares from a Fund and tender those Shares for redemption to a Fund in
Creation Units only.
3. The Web site for the Funds, which is and will be publicly
accessible at no charge, will contain, on a per Share basis for each
Fund, the prior Business Day's NAV and the market closing price or the
midpoint of the bid/ask spread at the time of the calculation of such
NAV (``Bid/Ask Price''), and a calculation of the premium or discount
of the market closing price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV.
4. The requested relief to permit ETF operations will expire on the
effective date, of any Commission rule under the Act that provides
relief permitting the operation of index-based exchange-traded funds.
12(d)(1) Relief
5. The members of the Acquiring Fund's Advisory Group will not
control (individually or in the aggregate) a Fund within the meaning of
section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The members of an Acquiring Fund's
Subadvisory Group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) a
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 a Fund, the
Acquiring Fund's Advisory Group or the Acquiring Fund's Subadvisory
Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a holder of more than 25 percent
of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, it will vote its Shares
in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the Shares.
This condition does not apply to an Acquiring Fund Subadvisory Group
with respect to a Fund for which the Acquiring Fund Subadviser or a
person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the
Acquiring Fund Subadviser acts as the investment adviser within the
meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
6. No Acquiring Fund or Acquiring Fund Affiliate will cause any
existing or potential investment by the Acquiring Fund in a Fund to
influence the terms of any services or transactions between the
Acquiring Fund or an Acquiring Fund Affiliate and the Fund or a Fund
Affiliate.
7. The board of directors or trustees of an Acquiring Management
Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or
trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the
Acquiring Fund Adviser and any Acquiring Fund Subadviser are conducting
the investment program of the Acquiring Management Company without
taking into account any consideration received by the Acquiring
Management Company or an Acquiring Fund Affiliate from a Fund or a Fund
Affiliate in connection with any services or transactions.
8. Once an investment by an Acquiring Fund in Shares exceeds the
limits in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the board of trustees of
the Trust (``Board''), including a majority of the disinterested
directors/trustees, will determine that any consideration paid by the
Fund to an Acquiring Fund or an Acquiring Fund Affiliate in connection
with any services or transactions: (i) Is fair and reasonable in
relation to the nature and quality of the services and benefits
received by the Fund; (ii) is within the range of consideration that
the Fund would be required to pay to another unaffiliated entity in
connection with the same services or transactions; and (iii) does not
involve overreaching on the part of any person concerned. This
condition does not apply with respect to any services or transactions
between a Fund and its investment adviser(s), or any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control with such investment
adviser(s).
9. No Acquiring Fund or Acquiring Fund Affiliate (except to the
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to a Fund)
will cause the Fund to purchase a security in any Affiliated
Underwriting.
10. The Board, including a majority of the independent trustees,
will adopt procedures reasonably designed to monitor any purchases of
securities by the Fund in an Affiliated Underwriting, once an
investment by an Acquiring Fund in the securities of the 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 will review
these purchases periodically, but no less frequently than annually, to
determine whether the purchases were influenced by the investment by
the Acquiring Fund in the Fund. The Board will consider, among other
things: (i) Whether the purchases were consistent with the investment
objectives and policies of the Fund; (ii) 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 (iii) whether the
amount of securities purchased by the Fund in Affiliated Underwritings
and the amount purchased directly from an Underwriting Affiliate have
changed significantly from prior years. The Board will take any
appropriate actions based on its review, including, if appropriate, the
institution of procedures designed to assure that purchases of
securities in Affiliated Underwritings are in the best interest of
shareholders of the Fund.
11. Each 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 in an Affiliated
Underwriting occurred, the first two years in an easily accessible
place, a written record of each purchase of securities in Affiliated
Underwritings, once an investment by an Acquiring Fund in the
securities of the 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 were made.
12. Before investing in Shares in excess of the limits in section
12(d)(1)(A), each Acquiring Fund and the Fund will execute an Acquiring
Fund Agreement stating, without limitation, that their boards of
directors or trustees and their investment adviser(s), or their
Sponsors or Trustee, as applicable, understand the terms and
[[Page 72423]]
conditions of the order, and agree to fulfill their responsibilities
under the order. At the time of its investment in Shares in excess of
the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), an Acquiring Fund will notify the
Fund of the investment. At such time, the Acquiring Fund will also
transmit to the Fund a list of the names of each Acquiring Fund
Affiliate and Underwriting Affiliate. The Acquiring Fund will notify
the Fund of any changes to the list of the names as soon as reasonably
practicable after a change occurs. The Fund and the Acquiring Fund will
maintain and preserve a copy of the order, the Acquiring Fund
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.
13. The Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor, as applicable,
will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the Acquiring Fund in an
amount at least equal to any compensation (including fees received
pursuant to any plan adopted under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received
from the Fund by the Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor, or an
affiliated person of the Acquiring Fund Adviser, Trustee or Sponsor,
other than any advisory fees paid to the Acquiring Fund Adviser,
Trustee, or Sponsor, or its affiliated person by the Fund, in
connection with the investment by the Acquiring Fund in the Fund. Any
Acquiring Fund Subadviser will waive fees otherwise payable to the
Acquiring Fund Subadviser, directly or indirectly, by the Acquiring
Management Company in an amount at least equal to any compensation
received from a Fund by the Acquiring Fund Subadviser, or an affiliated
person of the Acquiring Fund Subadviser, other than any advisory fees
paid to the Acquiring Fund Subadviser or its affiliated person by the
Fund, in connection with any investment by the Acquiring Management
Company in the Fund made at the direction of the Acquiring Fund
Subadviser. In the event that the Acquiring Fund Subadviser waives
fees, the benefit of the waiver will be passed through to the Acquiring
Management Company.
14. Any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to
shares of an Acquiring Fund will not exceed the limits applicable to a
fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
15. No 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 permitted by exemptive relief from the Commission permitting
the Fund to purchase shares of other investment companies for short-
term cash management purposes.
16. Before approving any advisory contract under section 15 of the
Act, the board of directors or trustees of each Acquiring Management
Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or
trustees, will find that the advisory fees charged under such advisory
contract are based on services provided that will be in addition to,
rather than duplicative of, the services provided under the advisory
contract(s) of any Fund in which the Acquiring Management Company may
invest. These findings and their basis will be recorded fully in the
minute books of the appropriate Acquiring Management Company.
For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management,
under delegated authority.
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-29317 Filed 12-4-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P