JNL Series Trust, et al.; Notice of Application, 58837-58841 [2014-23226]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 189 / Tuesday, September 30, 2014 / Notices
investment company as a dividend or as
a result of a plan of reorganization of a
company (other than a plan devised for
the purpose of evading section 12(d)(1)
of the Act); or (b) acquires (or is deemed
to have acquired) securities of another
investment company pursuant to
exemptive relief from the Commission
permitting such Underlying Fund to (i)
acquire securities of one or more
investment companies for short-term
cash management purposes, or (ii)
engage in interfund borrowing and
lending transactions.
12. Any sales charges and/or service
fees charged with respect to shares of a
Fund of Funds will not exceed the
limits applicable to fund of funds set
forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
Other Investments by Same Group Fund
of Funds
Applicants agree that the relief to
permit Same Group Fund of Funds to
invest in Other Investments shall be
subject to the following condition:
13. Applicants will comply with all
provisions of rule 12d1–2 under the Act,
except for paragraph (a)(2) to the extent
that it restricts any Same Group Fund of
Funds from investing in Other
Investments as described in the
application.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, pursuant to
delegated authority.
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–23227 Filed 9–29–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No.
31261; File No. 812–14270]
JNL Series Trust, et al.; Notice of
Application
September 24, 2014.
Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’).
ACTION: Notice of an application for an
order pursuant to: (a) Section 6(c) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940
(‘‘Act’’) granting an exemption from
sections 18(f) and 21(b) of the Act; (b)
section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act granting an
exemption from section 12(d)(1) of the
Act; (c) sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the
Act granting an exemption from sections
17(a)(1), 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Act;
and (d) section 17(d) of the Act and rule
17d-1 under the Act to permit certain
joint arrangements and transactions.
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AGENCY:
Summary of the Application:
Applicants request an order that would
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permit certain registered open-end
management investment companies to
participate in a joint lending and
borrowing facility.
Applicants: JNL Series Trust, JNL
Investors Series Trust, Curian Series
Trust, and Curian Variable Series Trust
(each a ‘‘Trust’’ and collectively the
‘‘Trusts’’), JNL Variable Fund LLC and
JNL Strategic Income Fund LLC (each a
‘‘Limited Liability Company’’), Jackson
National Asset Management, LLC
(‘‘JNAM’’) and Curian Capital, LLC
(‘‘Curian’’) (each, an ‘‘Adviser,’’ and
such entities together, the ‘‘Advisers’’).
DATES: Filing Dates: The application was
filed on January 24, 2014, and amended
on May 29, 2104, and September 22,
2014.
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. on
October 17, 2014 and should be
accompanied by proof of service on the
applicants, in the form of an affidavit,
or, for lawyers, a certificate of service.
Pursuant to Rule 0–5 under the Act,
hearing requests should state the nature
of the writer’s interest, any facts bearing
upon the desirability of a hearing on the
matter, 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: Brent J. Fields, Secretary,
U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC, 20549–1090;
Applicants: c/o Eric S. Purple, Esq., K&L
Gates LLP, 1601 K Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20006–1600.
For Further Information Contact:
Emerson S. Davis, Senior Counsel, at
(202) 551–6868 or Daniele Marchesani,
Branch Chief, at (202) 551–6821
(Division of Investment Management,
Chief Counsel’s Office).
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. Each Trust is organized as a
Massachusetts business trust and is
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registered under the Act as an open-end,
management investment company. Each
Limited Liability Company is a
Delaware limited liability company and
is registered as an open-end
management investment company. Each
Trust has issued one or more series,
each of which has shares having a
different investment objective and
different investment policies. Certain of
the Funds 1 either are or may be money
market funds that comply with rule 2a–
7 under the Act (each a ‘‘Money Market
Fund’’ and collectively, the ‘‘Money
Market Funds’’). JNAM and Curian are
each a Michigan limited liability
company that is registered as an
investment adviser under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940
(‘‘Advisers Act’’). Both are indirect,
wholly-owned subsidiaries of
Prudential plc, a publically traded
company incorporated in the United
Kingdom and act as investment adviser
to the Funds.2
2. The Funds may lend cash to banks
or other entities by entering into
repurchase agreements, purchasing
short-term instruments. In order to meet
an unexpected volume of redemptions
or to cover unanticipated cash
shortfalls, the Funds contracted for
committed lines of credit with JP
Morgan, N.A., and other lenders that are
currently included or may be added in
the future to the lending syndicate
(‘‘Bank Borrowing’’). The amount of
borrowing under each of these lines of
credit is limited to the amount specified
by fundamental investment restrictions,
the terms specified in the agreements,
and/or other policies of the applicable
Fund and section 18 of the Act.
3. If Funds that experience a cash
shortfall were to draw down on their
Bank Borrowing, they would pay
interest at a rate that is likely to be
higher than the rate that could be earned
by non-borrowing Funds on investments
in repurchase agreements and other
short-term money market instruments of
the same maturity as the Bank
1 Applicants request that the order apply to any
registered open-end management investment
company or series thereof for which JNAM, Curian
or any successor thereto or an investment adviser
controlling, controlled by, or under common
control (within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the
Act) with JNAM or Curian or any successor thereto
serves as investment adviser (each a ‘‘Fund’’ and
collectively the ‘‘Funds’’ or each such investment
adviser as ‘‘Adviser’’). For purposes of the
requested order, ‘‘successor’’ is limited to any entity
that results from a reorganization into another
jurisdiction or a change in the type of a business
organization.
2 All Funds that currently intend to rely on the
requested order have been named as applicants.
Any other Fund that relies on the requested order
in the future will comply with the terms and
conditions of the application.
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Borrowing (‘‘Short-Term Instruments’’).
Applicants assert the difference between
the higher rate paid on Bank Borrowing
and what the bank pays to borrow under
repurchase agreements or other
arrangements represents the bank’s
profit for serving as the middleperson
between a borrower and lender and is
not attributable to any material
difference in the credit quality or risk of
such transactions.
4. The Funds seek to enter into master
interfund lending agreements with each
other that would permit each Fund to
lend money directly to and borrow
money directly from other Funds for
temporary purposes through the
InterFund Program (an ‘‘Interfund
Loan’’). The Money Market Funds will
not participate as borrowers. Applicants
state that the requested will relief enable
the Funds to access an available source
of money and reduce costs incurred by
the Funds that need to obtain loans for
temporary purposes and permit those
Funds that have cash available: (i) To
earn a return on the money that they
might not otherwise be able to invest; or
(ii) to earn a higher rate of interest on
investment of their short-term balances.
Although the proposed InterFund
Program would reduce the Funds’ need
to borrow from banks or through
custodian drafts, the Funds would be
free to establish and/or continue
committed lines of credit or other
borrowing arrangements with banks.
5. Applicants anticipate that the
proposed InterFund Program would
provide a borrowing Fund with
significant savings at times when the
cash position of the Fund is insufficient
to meet temporary cash requirements.
This situation could arise when
shareholder redemptions exceed
anticipated cash volumes and certain
Funds have insufficient cash on hand to
satisfy such redemptions. When the
Funds liquidate portfolio securities to
meet redemption requests, they often do
not receive payment in settlement for up
to three days (or longer for certain
foreign transactions). However,
redemption requests normally are
effected on the day following the trade
date. The proposed InterFund Program
would provide a source of immediate,
short-term liquidity pending settlement
of the sale of portfolio securities.
6. Applicants also anticipate that a
Fund could use the InterFund Program
when a sale of securities ‘‘fails’’ due to
circumstances beyond the Fund’s
control, such as a delay in the delivery
of cash to the Fund’s custodian or
improper delivery instructions by the
broker effecting the transaction. ‘‘Sales
fails’’ may present a cash shortfall if the
Fund has undertaken to purchase a
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security using the proceeds from
securities sold. Alternatively, the Fund
could: (i) ‘‘fail’’ on its intended
purchase due to lack of funds from the
previous sale, resulting in additional
cost to the Fund; or (ii) sell a security
on a same-day settlement basis, earning
a lower return on the investment. Use of
the InterFund Program under these
circumstances would enable the Fund to
have access to immediate short-term
liquidity.
7. While Bank Borrowing and/or
custodian overdrafts generally could
supply Funds with needed cash to cover
unanticipated redemptions and sales
fails, under the proposed InterFund
Program, a borrowing Fund would pay
lower interest rates than those that
would be payable under short-term
loans offered by banks or custodian
overdrafts. In addition, Funds making
short-term cash loans directly to other
Funds would earn interest at a rate
higher than they otherwise could obtain
from investing their cash in Short-Term
Instruments. Thus, applicants assert that
the proposed InterFund Program would
benefit both borrowing and lending
Funds.
8. The interest rate to be charged to
the Funds on any Interfund Loan (the
‘‘Interfund Loan Rate’’) would be the
average of the ‘‘Repo Rate’’ and the
‘‘Bank Loan Rate,’’ both as defined
below. The Repo Rate would be the
highest current overnight repurchase
agreement rate available to a lending
Fund. The Bank Loan Rate for any day
would be calculated by the InterFund
Program, as defined below, on each day
an Interfund Loan is made according to
a formula established by each Fund’s
board of trustees (the ‘‘Board’’) intended
to approximate the lowest interest rate
at which a bank short-term loan would
be available to the Fund. The formula
would be based upon a publicly
available rate (e.g., Federal funds rate
and/or LIBOR) plus an additional
spread of basis points and would vary
with this rate so as to reflect changing
bank loan rates. The initial formula and
any subsequent modifications to the
formula would be subject to the
approval of each Fund’s Board. In
addition, the Board of each Fund would
periodically review the continuing
appropriateness of reliance on the
formula used to determine the Bank
Loan Rate, as well as the relationship
between the Bank Loan Rate and current
bank loan rates that would be available
to the Fund.
9. Certain members of the Adviser’s
fund administration personnel (other
than investment advisory personnel)
(the ‘‘InterFund Program Team’’) would
administer the InterFund Program. No
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portfolio manager of any Fund will
serve as a member of the InterFund
Program. Under the proposed InterFund
Program, the portfolio managers for each
participating Fund could provide
standing instructions to participate
daily as a borrower or lender. The
InterFund Program Team on each
business day would collect data on the
uninvested cash and borrowing
requirements of all participating Funds.
Once the InterFund Program Team has
determined the aggregate amount of
cash available for loans and borrowing
demand, the InterFund Program Team
would allocate loans among borrowing
Funds without any further
communication from the portfolio
managers of the Funds. Applicants
anticipate that there typically will be far
more available uninvested cash each
day than borrowing demand. Therefore,
after the InterFund Program Team has
allocated cash for Interfund Loans, the
InterFund Program Team will invest any
remaining cash in accordance with the
standing instructions of the relevant
portfolio manager or such remaining
amounts will be invested directly by the
portfolio managers of the Funds.
10. The InterFund Program Team
would allocate borrowing demand and
cash available for lending among the
Funds on what the InterFund Program
Team believes to be an equitable basis,
subject to certain administrative
procedures applicable to all Funds, such
as the time of filing requests to
participate, minimum loan lot sizes, and
the need to minimize the number of
transactions and associated
administrative costs. To reduce
transaction costs, each Interfund Loan
normally would be allocated in a
manner intended to minimize the
number of participants necessary to
complete the loan transaction. The
method of allocation and related
administrative procedures would be
approved by the Boards of the Funds,
including a majority of the Board
members who are not ‘‘interested
persons,’’ as defined in section 2(a)(19)
of the Act (‘‘Independent Board
Members’’), to ensure that both
borrowing and lending Funds
participate on an equitable basis.
11. The InterFund Program Team, on
behalf of the Advisers. would: (a)
Monitor the Interfund Loan Rate and the
other terms and conditions of the
Interfund Loans; (b) limit the
borrowings and loans entered into by
each Fund to ensure that they comply
with the Fund’s investment policies and
limitations; (c) ensure equitable
treatment of each Fund; and (d) make
quarterly reports to the Board of each
Fund concerning any transactions by
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the applicable Fund under the
InterFund Program and the Interfund
Loan Rate.
12. The Advisers, through the
InterFund Program Team, would
administer the InterFund Program as a
disinterested fiduciary as part of its
duties under the investment
management and administrative
agreements with each Fund and would
receive no additional fee as
compensation for its services in
connection with the administration of
the InterFund Program.
13. No Fund may participate in the
InterFund Program unless: (a) The Fund
has obtained shareholder approval for
its participation, if such approval is
required by law; (b) the Fund has fully
disclosed all material information
concerning the InterFund Program in its
registration statement on form N–1A;
and (c) the Fund’s participation in the
InterFund Program is consistent with its
investment objectives, limitations and
organizational documents.
14. In connection with the InterFund
Program, applicants request an order
under section 6(c) of the Act exempting
them from the provisions of sections
18(f) and 21(b) of the Act; under section
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act exempting them
from section 12(d)(1) of the Act; under
sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act
exempting them from sections 17(a)(1),
17(a)(2), and 17(a)(3) of the Act; and
under section 17(d) of the Act and rule
17d–1 under the Act to permit certain
joint arrangements and transactions.
Applicants’ Legal Analysis
1. Section 17(a)(3) of the Act generally
prohibits any affiliated person of a
registered investment company, or
affiliated person of an affiliated person,
from borrowing money or other property
from the registered investment
company. Section 21(b) of the Act
generally prohibits any registered
management company from lending
money or other property to any person,
directly or indirectly, if that person
controls or is under common control
with that company. Section 2(a)(3)(C) of
the Act defines an ‘‘affiliated person’’ of
another person, in part, to be any person
directly or indirectly controlling,
controlled by, or under common control
with, such 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,’’ but excludes
circumstances in which ‘‘such power is
solely the result of an official position
with such company.’’ Applicants state
that the Funds may be under common
control by virtue of having common
investment advisers and/or by having
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common trustees, managers and/or
officers.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that
an exemptive order may be granted
where an 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)
provided that the terms of the
transaction, including the consideration
to be paid or received, are fair and
reasonable and do not involve
overreaching on the part of any person
concerned, and the transaction is
consistent with the policy of the
investment company as recited in its
registration statement and with the
general purposes of the Act. Applicants
believe that the proposed arrangements
satisfy these standards for the reasons
discussed below.
3. Applicants assert that sections
17(a)(3) and 21(b) of the Act were
intended to prevent a party with strong
potential adverse interests to, and some
influence over the investment decisions
of, a registered investment company
from causing or inducing the investment
company to engage in lending
transactions that unfairly inure to the
benefit of such party and that are
detrimental to the best interests of the
investment company and its
shareholders. Applicants assert that the
proposed transactions do not raise these
concerns because: (a) The Advisers,
through the InterFund Program Team
members, would administer the
InterFund Program as disinterested
fiduciaries as part of their duties under
the investment management and
administrative agreements with each
Fund; (b) all Interfund Loans would
consist only of uninvested cash reserves
that the Fund otherwise would invest in
short-term repurchase agreements or
other short-term investments; (c) the
Interfund Loans would not involve a
greater risk than such other investments;
(d) the lending Fund would receive
interest at a rate higher than it could
otherwise obtain through such other
investments; and (e) the borrowing
Fund would pay interest at a rate lower
than otherwise available to it under its
bank loan agreements or through
custodian overdrafts and avoid the
commitment fees associated with lines
of credit. Moreover, applicants assert
that the other terms and conditions that
applicants propose also would
effectively preclude the possibility of
any Fund obtaining an undue advantage
over any other Fund.
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58839
4. Section 17(a)(1) of the Act generally
prohibits an affiliated person of a
registered investment company, or any
affiliated person of such a person, from
selling securities or other property to
the investment company. Section
17(a)(2) of the Act generally prohibits an
affiliated person of a registered
investment company, or any affiliated
person of such a person, from
purchasing securities or other property
from the investment company. Section
12(d)(1) of the Act generally prohibits a
registered investment company from
purchasing or otherwise acquiring any
security issued by any other investment
company except in accordance with the
limitations set forth in that section.
5. Applicants state that the obligation
of a borrowing Fund to repay an
Interfund Loan could be deemed to
constitute a security for the purposes of
sections 17(a)(1) and 12(d)(1).
Applicants also state that any pledge of
securities to secure an Interfund Loan
by the borrowing Fund to the lending
Fund could constitute a purchase of
securities for purposes of section
17(a)(2) of the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of
the Act provides that the Commission
may exempt persons or transactions
from any provision of section 12(d)(1) if
and to the extent that such exemption
is consistent with the public interest
and the protection of investors.
Applicants contend that the standards
under sections 6(c), 17(b), and
12(d)(1)(J) are satisfied for all the
reasons set forth above in support of
their request for relief from sections
17(a)(3) and 21(b) and for the reasons
discussed below. Applicants state that
the requested relief from section 17(a)(2)
of the Act meets the standards of section
6(c) and 17(b) because any collateral
pledged to secure an Interfund Loan
would be subject to the same conditions
imposed by any other lender to a Fund
that imposes conditions on the quality
of or access to collateral for a borrowing
(if the lender is another Fund) or the
same or better conditions (in any other
circumstance).
6. Applicants state that section
12(d)(1) was intended to prevent the
pyramiding of investment companies in
order to avoid imposing on investors
additional and duplicative costs and
fees attendant upon multiple layers of
investment companies. Applicants
submit that the proposed InterFund
Program does not involve these abuses.
Applicants note that there will be no
duplicative costs or fees to the Funds or
their shareholders, and that each
Adviser will receive no additional
compensation for its services in
administering the InterFund Program.
Applicants also note that the purpose of
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the proposed InterFund Program is to
provide economic benefits for all the
participating Funds and their
shareholders. Section 18(f)(1) of the Act
prohibits open-end investment
companies from issuing any senior
security except that a company is
permitted to borrow from any bank,
provided, that immediately after the
borrowing, there is asset coverage of at
least 300 per centum for all borrowings
of the company. Under section 18(g) of
the Act, the term ‘‘senior security’’
generally includes any bond, debenture,
note or similar obligation or instrument
constituting a security and evidencing
indebtedness. Applicants request
exemptive relief under section 6(c) from
section 18(f)(1) to the limited extent
necessary to implement the InterFund
Program (because the lending Funds are
not banks).
7. Applicants believe that granting
relief under section 6(c) is appropriate
because the Funds would remain
subject to the requirement of section
18(f)(1) that all borrowings of a Fund,
including combined Interfund Loans
and bank borrowings, have at least
300% asset coverage. Based on the
conditions and safeguards described in
the application, applicants also submit
that to allow the Funds to borrow from
other Funds pursuant to the proposed
InterFund Program is consistent with
the purposes and policies of section
18(f)(1).
8. Section 17(d) of the Act and rule
17d–1 under the Act generally prohibit
an affiliated person of a registered
investment company, or any affiliated
person of such a person, when acting as
principal, from effecting any joint
transaction in which the investment
company participates, unless, upon
application, the transaction has been
approved by the Commission. Rule 17d–
1(b) under the Act provides that in
passing upon an application filed under
the rule, the Commission will consider
whether the participation of the
registered investment company in a
joint enterprise, joint arrangement or
profit sharing plan on the basis
proposed is consistent with the
provisions, policies and purposes of the
Act and the extent to which such
participation is on a basis different from
or less advantageous than that of the
other participants.
9. Applicants assert that the purpose
of section 17(d) is to avoid overreaching
by and unfair advantage to insiders.
Applicants assert that the InterFund
Program is consistent with the
provisions, policies and purposes of the
Act in that it offers both reduced
borrowing costs and enhanced returns
on loaned funds to all participating
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Funds and their shareholders.
Applicants note that each Fund would
have an equal opportunity to borrow
and lend on equal terms consistent with
its investment policies and fundamental
investment limitations. Applicants
assert that each Fund’s participation in
the proposed InterFund Program would
be on terms that are no different from
or less advantageous than that of other
participating Funds.
Applicants’ Conditions
Applicants agree that any order
granting the requested relief will be
subject to the following conditions:
1. The Interfund Loan Rate will be the
average of the Repo Rate and the Bank
Loan Rate.
2. On each business day, when an
interfund loan is to be made, the
InterFund Program Team will compare
the Bank Loan Rate with the Repo Rate
and will make cash available for
Interfund Loans only if the Interfund
Loan Rate is: (a) More favorable to the
lending Fund than the Repo Rate; and
(b) more favorable to the borrowing
Fund than the Bank Loan Rate.
3. If a Fund has outstanding Bank
Borrowings, any Interfund Loan to the
Fund will: (a) Be at an interest rate
equal to or lower than the interest rate
of any outstanding bank loan; (b) be
secured at least on an equal priority
basis with at least an equivalent
percentage of collateral to loan value as
any outstanding bank loan that requires
collateral; (c) have a maturity no longer
than any outstanding bank loan (and in
any event not over seven days); and (d)
provide that, if an event of default
occurs under any agreement evidencing
an outstanding bank loan to the Fund,
that the event of default by the Fund,
will automatically (without need for
action or notice by the lending Fund)
constitute an immediate event of default
under the interfund lending agreement
which both (i) entitles the lending Fund
to call the Interfund Loan immediately
and exercise all rights with respect to
any collateral and (ii) causes the call to
be made if the lending bank exercises its
right to call its loan under its agreement
with the borrowing Fund.
4. A Fund may borrow on an
unsecured basis through the InterFund
Program only if the relevant borrowing
Fund’s outstanding borrowings from all
sources immediately after the interfund
borrowing total 10% or less of its total
assets, provided that if the borrowing
Fund has a secured loan outstanding
from any other lender, including but not
limited to another, the lending Fund’s
Interfund Loan will be secured on at
least an equal priority basis with at least
an equivalent percentage of collateral to
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loan value as any outstanding loan that
requires collateral. If a borrowing
Fund’s total outstanding borrowings
immediately after an Interfund Loan
would be greater than 10% of its total
assets, the Fund may borrow through
the InterFund Program only on a
secured basis. A Fund may not borrow
through the InterFund Program or from
any other source if its total outstanding
borrowings immediately after the
borrowing would be more than 331⁄3%
of its total assets or any lower threshold
provided for by a Fund’s fundamental
restriction or non-fundamental policy.
5. Before any Fund that has
outstanding interfund borrowings may,
through additional borrowings, cause its
outstanding borrowings from all sources
to exceed 10% of its total assets, it must
first secure each outstanding Interfund
Loan to a Fund by the pledge of
segregated collateral with a market
value at least equal to 102% of the
outstanding principal value of the loan.
If the total outstanding borrowings of a
Fund with outstanding Interfund Loans
exceed 10% of its total assets for any
other reason (such as a decline in net
asset value or because of shareholder
redemptions), the Fund will within one
business day thereafter either: (a) Repay
all its outstanding Interfund Loans to
Funds; (b) reduce its outstanding
indebtedness to Funds to 10% or less of
its total assets; or (c) secure each
outstanding Interfund Loan to other
Funds by the pledge of segregated
collateral with a market value at least
equal to 102% of the outstanding
principal value of the loan until the
Fund’s total outstanding borrowings
cease to exceed 10% of its total assets,
at which time the collateral called for by
this condition 5 shall no longer be
required. Until each Interfund Loan that
is outstanding at any time that a Fund’s
total outstanding borrowings exceed
10% of its total assets is repaid or the
Fund’s total outstanding borrowings
cease to exceed 10% of its total assets,
the Fund will mark the value of the
collateral to market each day and will
pledge such additional collateral as is
necessary to maintain the market value
of the collateral that secures each
outstanding Interfund Loan to Funds at
least equal to 102% of the outstanding
principal value of the Interfund Loans.
6. No Fund may lend to another Fund
through the InterFund Program if the
loan would cause the lending Fund’s
aggregate outstanding loans through the
InterFund Program to exceed 15% of its
current net assets at the time of the loan.
7. A Fund’s Interfund Loans to any
one Fund shall not exceed 5% of the
lending Fund’s net assets.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 189 / Tuesday, September 30, 2014 / Notices
8. The duration of Interfund Loans
will be limited to the time required to
receive payment for securities sold, but
in no event more than seven days. Loans
effected within seven days of each other
will be treated as separate loan
transactions for purposes of this
condition.
9. A Fund’s borrowings through the
InterFund Program, as measured on the
day when the most recent loan was
made, will not exceed the greater of
125% of the Fund’s total net cash
redemptions for the preceding seven
calendar days or 102% of the Fund’s
sales fails for the preceding seven
calendar days.
10. Each Interfund Loan may be called
on one business day’s notice by a
lending Fund and may be repaid on any
day by a borrowing Fund.
11. A Fund’s participation in the
InterFund Program must be consistent
with its investment restrictions,
policies, limitations and organizational
documents.
12. The InterFund Program Team will
calculate total Fund borrowing and
lending demand through the InterFund
Program, and allocate Interfund Loans
on an equitable basis among the Funds,
without the intervention of any portfolio
manager. The InterFund Program Team
will not solicit cash for the InterFund
Program from any Fund or prospectively
publish or disseminate loan demand
data to portfolio managers. The
InterFund Program Team will invest all
amounts remaining after satisfaction of
borrowing demand in accordance with
the standing instructions of the relevant
portfolio manager or such remaining
amounts will be invested directly by the
portfolio managers of the Funds.
13. The InterFund Program Team will
monitor the Interfund Loan Rate and the
other terms and conditions of the
Interfund Loans and will make a
quarterly report to the Boards
concerning the participation of the
Funds in the InterFund Program and the
terms and other conditions of any
extensions of credit under the InterFund
Program.
14. Each Board, including a majority
of the Independent Board Members,
will:
(a) Review, no less frequently than
quarterly, the participation of each
Fund’s it oversees in the InterFund
Program during the preceding quarter
for compliance with the conditions of
any order permitting such participation;
(b) establish the Bank Loan Rate
formula used to determine the interest
rate on Interfund Loans;
(c) review, no less frequently than
annually, the continuing
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:09 Sep 29, 2014
Jkt 232001
appropriateness of the Bank Loan Rate
formula; and
(d) review, no less frequently than
annually, the continuing
appropriateness of the participation in
the InterFund Program by each Fund it
oversees.
15. Each Fund will maintain and
preserve for a period of not less than six
years from the end of the fiscal year in
which any transaction by it under the
InterFund Program occurred, the first
two years in an easily accessible place,
written records of all such transactions
setting forth a description of the terms
of the transaction, including the
amount, the maturity and the Interfund
Loan Rate, the rate of interest available
at the time each Interfund Loan is made
on overnight repurchase agreements and
Bank Borrowings, and such other
information presented to the Boards of
the Funds in connection with the
review required by conditions 13 and
14.
16. In the event an Interfund Loan is
not paid according to its terms and the
default is not cured within two business
days from its maturity or from the time
the lending Fund makes a demand for
payment under the provisions of the
interfund lending agreement, the
Adviser to the lending Fund promptly
will refer the loan for arbitration to an
independent arbitrator selected by the
Board of any Fund involved in the loan
who will serve as arbitrator of disputes
concerning Interfund Loans.3 The
arbitrator will resolve any problem
promptly, and the arbitrator’s decision
will be binding on both Funds. The
arbitrator will submit, at least annually,
a written report to the Board of each
Fund setting forth a description of the
nature of any dispute and the actions
taken by the Funds to resolve the
dispute.
17. The Advisers will prepare and
submit to the Board for review an initial
report describing the operations of the
InterFund Program and the procedures
to be implemented to ensure that all
Funds are treated fairly. After the
commencement of the InterFund
Program, the Advisers will report on the
operations of the InterFund Program at
the Board’s quarterly meetings. Each
Fund’s chief compliance officer, as
defined in rule 38a–1(a)(4) under the
Act, shall prepare an annual report for
its Board each year that the Fund
participates in the InterFund Program,
that evaluates the Fund’s compliance
with the terms and conditions of the
application and the procedures
established to achieve such compliance.
Each Fund’s chief compliance officer
will also annually file a certification
pursuant to Item 77Q3 of Form N–SAR
as such Form may be revised, amended
or superseded from time to time, for
each year that the Fund participates in
the InterFund Program, that certifies
that the Fund and its Adviser have
implemented procedures reasonably
designed to achieve compliance with
the terms and conditions of the order. In
particular, such certification will
address procedures designed to achieve
the following objectives:
(a) That the Interfund Loan Rate will
be higher than the Repo Rate but lower
than the Bank Loan Rate;
(b) compliance with the collateral
requirements as set forth in the
application;
(c) compliance with the percentage
limitations on interfund borrowing and
lending;
(d) allocation of interfund borrowing
and lending demand in an equitable
manner and in accordance with
procedures established by the Board;
and
(e) that the Interfund Loan Rate does
not exceed the interest rate on any third
party borrowings of a borrowing Fund at
the time of the Interfund Loan.
Additionally, each Fund’s
independent public accountants, in
connection with their audit examination
of the Fund, will review the operation
of the InterFund Program for
compliance with the conditions of the
application and their review will form
the basis, in part, of the auditor’s report
on internal accounting controls in Form
N–SAR.
18. No Fund will participate in the
InterFund Program, upon receipt of
requisite regulatory approval, unless it
has fully disclosed in its registration
statement on Form N–1A (or any
successor form adopted by the
Commission) all material facts about its
intended participation.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, under delegated
authority.
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–23226 Filed 9–29–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
3 If the dispute involves Funds that do not have
a common Board, the Board of each affected Fund
will select an independent arbitrator that is
satisfactory to each Fund.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 189 (Tuesday, September 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58837-58841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-23226]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No. 31261; File No. 812-14270]
JNL Series Trust, et al.; Notice of Application
September 24, 2014.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice of an application for an order pursuant to: (a) Section
6(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') granting an
exemption from sections 18(f) and 21(b) of the Act; (b) section
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act granting an exemption from section 12(d)(1) of
the Act; (c) sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act granting an exemption
from sections 17(a)(1), 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Act; and (d)
section 17(d) of the Act and rule 17d-1 under the Act to permit certain
joint arrangements and transactions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of the Application: Applicants request an order that would
permit certain registered open-end management investment companies to
participate in a joint lending and borrowing facility.
Applicants: JNL Series Trust, JNL Investors Series Trust, Curian
Series Trust, and Curian Variable Series Trust (each a ``Trust'' and
collectively the ``Trusts''), JNL Variable Fund LLC and JNL Strategic
Income Fund LLC (each a ``Limited Liability Company''), Jackson
National Asset Management, LLC (``JNAM'') and Curian Capital, LLC
(``Curian'') (each, an ``Adviser,'' and such entities together, the
``Advisers'').
DATES: Filing Dates: The application was filed on January 24, 2014, and
amended on May 29, 2104, and September 22, 2014.
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.
on October 17, 2014 and should be accompanied by proof of service on
the applicants, in the form of an affidavit, or, for lawyers, a
certificate of service. Pursuant to Rule 0-5 under the Act, hearing
requests should state the nature of the writer's interest, any facts
bearing upon the desirability of a hearing on the matter, 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: Brent J. Fields, Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC, 20549-1090; Applicants:
c/o Eric S. Purple, Esq., K&L Gates LLP, 1601 K Street NW., Washington,
DC 20006-1600.
For Further Information Contact: Emerson S. Davis, Senior Counsel,
at (202) 551-6868 or Daniele Marchesani, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-
6821 (Division of Investment Management, Chief Counsel's Office).
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. Each Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust and is
registered under the Act as an open-end, management investment company.
Each Limited Liability Company is a Delaware limited liability company
and is registered as an open-end management investment company. Each
Trust has issued one or more series, each of which has shares having a
different investment objective and different investment policies.
Certain of the Funds \1\ either are or may be money market funds that
comply with rule 2a-7 under the Act (each a ``Money Market Fund'' and
collectively, the ``Money Market Funds''). JNAM and Curian are each a
Michigan limited liability company that is registered as an investment
adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (``Advisers Act'').
Both are indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Prudential plc, a
publically traded company incorporated in the United Kingdom and act as
investment adviser to the Funds.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Applicants request that the order apply to any registered
open-end management investment company or series thereof for which
JNAM, Curian or any successor thereto or an investment adviser
controlling, controlled by, or under common control (within the
meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act) with JNAM or Curian or any
successor thereto serves as investment adviser (each a ``Fund'' and
collectively the ``Funds'' or each such investment adviser as
``Adviser''). For purposes of the requested order, ``successor'' is
limited to any entity that results from a reorganization into
another jurisdiction or a change in the type of a business
organization.
\2\ All Funds that currently intend to rely on the requested
order have been named as applicants. Any other Fund that relies on
the requested order in the future will comply with the terms and
conditions of the application.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. The Funds may lend cash to banks or other entities by entering
into repurchase agreements, purchasing short-term instruments. In order
to meet an unexpected volume of redemptions or to cover unanticipated
cash shortfalls, the Funds contracted for committed lines of credit
with JP Morgan, N.A., and other lenders that are currently included or
may be added in the future to the lending syndicate (``Bank
Borrowing''). The amount of borrowing under each of these lines of
credit is limited to the amount specified by fundamental investment
restrictions, the terms specified in the agreements, and/or other
policies of the applicable Fund and section 18 of the Act.
3. If Funds that experience a cash shortfall were to draw down on
their Bank Borrowing, they would pay interest at a rate that is likely
to be higher than the rate that could be earned by non-borrowing Funds
on investments in repurchase agreements and other short-term money
market instruments of the same maturity as the Bank
[[Page 58838]]
Borrowing (``Short-Term Instruments''). Applicants assert the
difference between the higher rate paid on Bank Borrowing and what the
bank pays to borrow under repurchase agreements or other arrangements
represents the bank's profit for serving as the middleperson between a
borrower and lender and is not attributable to any material difference
in the credit quality or risk of such transactions.
4. The Funds seek to enter into master interfund lending agreements
with each other that would permit each Fund to lend money directly to
and borrow money directly from other Funds for temporary purposes
through the InterFund Program (an ``Interfund Loan''). The Money Market
Funds will not participate as borrowers. Applicants state that the
requested will relief enable the Funds to access an available source of
money and reduce costs incurred by the Funds that need to obtain loans
for temporary purposes and permit those Funds that have cash available:
(i) To earn a return on the money that they might not otherwise be able
to invest; or (ii) to earn a higher rate of interest on investment of
their short-term balances. Although the proposed InterFund Program
would reduce the Funds' need to borrow from banks or through custodian
drafts, the Funds would be free to establish and/or continue committed
lines of credit or other borrowing arrangements with banks.
5. Applicants anticipate that the proposed InterFund Program would
provide a borrowing Fund with significant savings at times when the
cash position of the Fund is insufficient to meet temporary cash
requirements. This situation could arise when shareholder redemptions
exceed anticipated cash volumes and certain Funds have insufficient
cash on hand to satisfy such redemptions. When the Funds liquidate
portfolio securities to meet redemption requests, they often do not
receive payment in settlement for up to three days (or longer for
certain foreign transactions). However, redemption requests normally
are effected on the day following the trade date. The proposed
InterFund Program would provide a source of immediate, short-term
liquidity pending settlement of the sale of portfolio securities.
6. Applicants also anticipate that a Fund could use the InterFund
Program when a sale of securities ``fails'' due to circumstances beyond
the Fund's control, such as a delay in the delivery of cash to the
Fund's custodian or improper delivery instructions by the broker
effecting the transaction. ``Sales fails'' may present a cash shortfall
if the Fund has undertaken to purchase a security using the proceeds
from securities sold. Alternatively, the Fund could: (i) ``fail'' on
its intended purchase due to lack of funds from the previous sale,
resulting in additional cost to the Fund; or (ii) sell a security on a
same-day settlement basis, earning a lower return on the investment.
Use of the InterFund Program under these circumstances would enable the
Fund to have access to immediate short-term liquidity.
7. While Bank Borrowing and/or custodian overdrafts generally could
supply Funds with needed cash to cover unanticipated redemptions and
sales fails, under the proposed InterFund Program, a borrowing Fund
would pay lower interest rates than those that would be payable under
short-term loans offered by banks or custodian overdrafts. In addition,
Funds making short-term cash loans directly to other Funds would earn
interest at a rate higher than they otherwise could obtain from
investing their cash in Short-Term Instruments. Thus, applicants assert
that the proposed InterFund Program would benefit both borrowing and
lending Funds.
8. The interest rate to be charged to the Funds on any Interfund
Loan (the ``Interfund Loan Rate'') would be the average of the ``Repo
Rate'' and the ``Bank Loan Rate,'' both as defined below. The Repo Rate
would be the highest current overnight repurchase agreement rate
available to a lending Fund. The Bank Loan Rate for any day would be
calculated by the InterFund Program, as defined below, on each day an
Interfund Loan is made according to a formula established by each
Fund's board of trustees (the ``Board'') intended to approximate the
lowest interest rate at which a bank short-term loan would be available
to the Fund. The formula would be based upon a publicly available rate
(e.g., Federal funds rate and/or LIBOR) plus an additional spread of
basis points and would vary with this rate so as to reflect changing
bank loan rates. The initial formula and any subsequent modifications
to the formula would be subject to the approval of each Fund's Board.
In addition, the Board of each Fund would periodically review the
continuing appropriateness of reliance on the formula used to determine
the Bank Loan Rate, as well as the relationship between the Bank Loan
Rate and current bank loan rates that would be available to the Fund.
9. Certain members of the Adviser's fund administration personnel
(other than investment advisory personnel) (the ``InterFund Program
Team'') would administer the InterFund Program. No portfolio manager of
any Fund will serve as a member of the InterFund Program. Under the
proposed InterFund Program, the portfolio managers for each
participating Fund could provide standing instructions to participate
daily as a borrower or lender. The InterFund Program Team on each
business day would collect data on the uninvested cash and borrowing
requirements of all participating Funds. Once the InterFund Program
Team has determined the aggregate amount of cash available for loans
and borrowing demand, the InterFund Program Team would allocate loans
among borrowing Funds without any further communication from the
portfolio managers of the Funds. Applicants anticipate that there
typically will be far more available uninvested cash each day than
borrowing demand. Therefore, after the InterFund Program Team has
allocated cash for Interfund Loans, the InterFund Program Team will
invest any remaining cash in accordance with the standing instructions
of the relevant portfolio manager or such remaining amounts will be
invested directly by the portfolio managers of the Funds.
10. The InterFund Program Team would allocate borrowing demand and
cash available for lending among the Funds on what the InterFund
Program Team believes to be an equitable basis, subject to certain
administrative procedures applicable to all Funds, such as the time of
filing requests to participate, minimum loan lot sizes, and the need to
minimize the number of transactions and associated administrative
costs. To reduce transaction costs, each Interfund Loan normally would
be allocated in a manner intended to minimize the number of
participants necessary to complete the loan transaction. The method of
allocation and related administrative procedures would be approved by
the Boards of the Funds, including a majority of the Board members who
are not ``interested persons,'' as defined in section 2(a)(19) of the
Act (``Independent Board Members''), to ensure that both borrowing and
lending Funds participate on an equitable basis.
11. The InterFund Program Team, on behalf of the Advisers. would:
(a) Monitor the Interfund Loan Rate and the other terms and conditions
of the Interfund Loans; (b) limit the borrowings and loans entered into
by each Fund to ensure that they comply with the Fund's investment
policies and limitations; (c) ensure equitable treatment of each Fund;
and (d) make quarterly reports to the Board of each Fund concerning any
transactions by
[[Page 58839]]
the applicable Fund under the InterFund Program and the Interfund Loan
Rate.
12. The Advisers, through the InterFund Program Team, would
administer the InterFund Program as a disinterested fiduciary as part
of its duties under the investment management and administrative
agreements with each Fund and would receive no additional fee as
compensation for its services in connection with the administration of
the InterFund Program.
13. No Fund may participate in the InterFund Program unless: (a)
The Fund has obtained shareholder approval for its participation, if
such approval is required by law; (b) the Fund has fully disclosed all
material information concerning the InterFund Program in its
registration statement on form N-1A; and (c) the Fund's participation
in the InterFund Program is consistent with its investment objectives,
limitations and organizational documents.
14. In connection with the InterFund Program, applicants request an
order under section 6(c) of the Act exempting them from the provisions
of sections 18(f) and 21(b) of the Act; under section 12(d)(1)(J) of
the Act exempting them from section 12(d)(1) of the Act; under sections
6(c) and 17(b) of the Act exempting them from sections 17(a)(1),
17(a)(2), and 17(a)(3) of the Act; and under section 17(d) of the Act
and rule 17d-1 under the Act to permit certain joint arrangements and
transactions.
Applicants' Legal Analysis
1. Section 17(a)(3) of the Act generally prohibits any affiliated
person of a registered investment company, or affiliated person of an
affiliated person, from borrowing money or other property from the
registered investment company. Section 21(b) of the Act generally
prohibits any registered management company from lending money or other
property to any person, directly or indirectly, if that person controls
or is under common control with that company. Section 2(a)(3)(C) of the
Act defines an ``affiliated person'' of another person, in part, to be
any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under
common control with, such 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,'' but excludes
circumstances in which ``such power is solely the result of an official
position with such company.'' Applicants state that the Funds may be
under common control by virtue of having common investment advisers
and/or by having common trustees, managers and/or officers.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that an exemptive order may be
granted where an 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) provided that the terms of the
transaction, including the consideration to be paid or received, are
fair and reasonable and do not involve overreaching on the part of any
person concerned, and the transaction is consistent with the policy of
the investment company as recited in its registration statement and
with the general purposes of the Act. Applicants believe that the
proposed arrangements satisfy these standards for the reasons discussed
below.
3. Applicants assert that sections 17(a)(3) and 21(b) of the Act
were intended to prevent a party with strong potential adverse
interests to, and some influence over the investment decisions of, a
registered investment company from causing or inducing the investment
company to engage in lending transactions that unfairly inure to the
benefit of such party and that are detrimental to the best interests of
the investment company and its shareholders. Applicants assert that the
proposed transactions do not raise these concerns because: (a) The
Advisers, through the InterFund Program Team members, would administer
the InterFund Program as disinterested fiduciaries as part of their
duties under the investment management and administrative agreements
with each Fund; (b) all Interfund Loans would consist only of
uninvested cash reserves that the Fund otherwise would invest in short-
term repurchase agreements or other short-term investments; (c) the
Interfund Loans would not involve a greater risk than such other
investments; (d) the lending Fund would receive interest at a rate
higher than it could otherwise obtain through such other investments;
and (e) the borrowing Fund would pay interest at a rate lower than
otherwise available to it under its bank loan agreements or through
custodian overdrafts and avoid the commitment fees associated with
lines of credit. Moreover, applicants assert that the other terms and
conditions that applicants propose also would effectively preclude the
possibility of any Fund obtaining an undue advantage over any other
Fund.
4. Section 17(a)(1) of the Act generally prohibits an affiliated
person of a registered investment company, or any affiliated person of
such a person, from selling securities or other property to the
investment company. Section 17(a)(2) of the Act generally prohibits an
affiliated person of a registered investment company, or any affiliated
person of such a person, from purchasing securities or other property
from the investment company. Section 12(d)(1) of the Act generally
prohibits a registered investment company from purchasing or otherwise
acquiring any security issued by any other investment company except in
accordance with the limitations set forth in that section.
5. Applicants state that the obligation of a borrowing Fund to
repay an Interfund Loan could be deemed to constitute a security for
the purposes of sections 17(a)(1) and 12(d)(1). Applicants also state
that any pledge of securities to secure an Interfund Loan by the
borrowing Fund to the lending Fund could constitute a purchase of
securities for purposes of section 17(a)(2) of the Act. Section
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt persons
or transactions from any provision of section 12(d)(1) if and to the
extent that such exemption is consistent with the public interest and
the protection of investors. Applicants contend that the standards
under sections 6(c), 17(b), and 12(d)(1)(J) are satisfied for all the
reasons set forth above in support of their request for relief from
sections 17(a)(3) and 21(b) and for the reasons discussed below.
Applicants state that the requested relief from section 17(a)(2) of the
Act meets the standards of section 6(c) and 17(b) because any
collateral pledged to secure an Interfund Loan would be subject to the
same conditions imposed by any other lender to a Fund that imposes
conditions on the quality of or access to collateral for a borrowing
(if the lender is another Fund) or the same or better conditions (in
any other circumstance).
6. Applicants state that section 12(d)(1) was intended to prevent
the pyramiding of investment companies in order to avoid imposing on
investors additional and duplicative costs and fees attendant upon
multiple layers of investment companies. Applicants submit that the
proposed InterFund Program does not involve these abuses. Applicants
note that there will be no duplicative costs or fees to the Funds or
their shareholders, and that each Adviser will receive no additional
compensation for its services in administering the InterFund Program.
Applicants also note that the purpose of
[[Page 58840]]
the proposed InterFund Program is to provide economic benefits for all
the participating Funds and their shareholders. Section 18(f)(1) of the
Act prohibits open-end investment companies from issuing any senior
security except that a company is permitted to borrow from any bank,
provided, that immediately after the borrowing, there is asset coverage
of at least 300 per centum for all borrowings of the company. Under
section 18(g) of the Act, the term ``senior security'' generally
includes any bond, debenture, note or similar obligation or instrument
constituting a security and evidencing indebtedness. Applicants request
exemptive relief under section 6(c) from section 18(f)(1) to the
limited extent necessary to implement the InterFund Program (because
the lending Funds are not banks).
7. Applicants believe that granting relief under section 6(c) is
appropriate because the Funds would remain subject to the requirement
of section 18(f)(1) that all borrowings of a Fund, including combined
Interfund Loans and bank borrowings, have at least 300% asset coverage.
Based on the conditions and safeguards described in the application,
applicants also submit that to allow the Funds to borrow from other
Funds pursuant to the proposed InterFund Program is consistent with the
purposes and policies of section 18(f)(1).
8. Section 17(d) of the Act and rule 17d-1 under the Act generally
prohibit an affiliated person of a registered investment company, or
any affiliated person of such a person, when acting as principal, from
effecting any joint transaction in which the investment company
participates, unless, upon application, the transaction has been
approved by the Commission. Rule 17d-1(b) under the Act provides that
in passing upon an application filed under the rule, the Commission
will consider whether the participation of the registered investment
company in a joint enterprise, joint arrangement or profit sharing plan
on the basis proposed is consistent with the provisions, policies and
purposes of the Act and the extent to which such participation is on a
basis different from or less advantageous than that of the other
participants.
9. Applicants assert that the purpose of section 17(d) is to avoid
overreaching by and unfair advantage to insiders. Applicants assert
that the InterFund Program is consistent with the provisions, policies
and purposes of the Act in that it offers both reduced borrowing costs
and enhanced returns on loaned funds to all participating Funds and
their shareholders. Applicants note that each Fund would have an equal
opportunity to borrow and lend on equal terms consistent with its
investment policies and fundamental investment limitations. Applicants
assert that each Fund's participation in the proposed InterFund Program
would be on terms that are no different from or less advantageous than
that of other participating Funds.
Applicants' Conditions
Applicants agree that any order granting the requested relief will
be subject to the following conditions:
1. The Interfund Loan Rate will be the average of the Repo Rate and
the Bank Loan Rate.
2. On each business day, when an interfund loan is to be made, the
InterFund Program Team will compare the Bank Loan Rate with the Repo
Rate and will make cash available for Interfund Loans only if the
Interfund Loan Rate is: (a) More favorable to the lending Fund than the
Repo Rate; and (b) more favorable to the borrowing Fund than the Bank
Loan Rate.
3. If a Fund has outstanding Bank Borrowings, any Interfund Loan to
the Fund will: (a) Be at an interest rate equal to or lower than the
interest rate of any outstanding bank loan; (b) be secured at least on
an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of
collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires
collateral; (c) have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank
loan (and in any event not over seven days); and (d) provide that, if
an event of default occurs under any agreement evidencing an
outstanding bank loan to the Fund, that the event of default by the
Fund, will automatically (without need for action or notice by the
lending Fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the
interfund lending agreement which both (i) entitles the lending Fund to
call the Interfund Loan immediately and exercise all rights with
respect to any collateral and (ii) causes the call to be made if the
lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement
with the borrowing Fund.
4. A Fund may borrow on an unsecured basis through the InterFund
Program only if the relevant borrowing Fund's outstanding borrowings
from all sources immediately after the interfund borrowing total 10% or
less of its total assets, provided that if the borrowing Fund has a
secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not
limited to another, the lending Fund's Interfund Loan will be secured
on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent
percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that
requires collateral. If a borrowing Fund's total outstanding borrowings
immediately after an Interfund Loan would be greater than 10% of its
total assets, the Fund may borrow through the InterFund Program only on
a secured basis. A Fund may not borrow through the InterFund Program or
from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately
after the borrowing would be more than 33\1/3\% of its total assets or
any lower threshold provided for by a Fund's fundamental restriction or
non-fundamental policy.
5. Before any Fund that has outstanding interfund borrowings may,
through additional borrowings, cause its outstanding borrowings from
all sources to exceed 10% of its total assets, it must first secure
each outstanding Interfund Loan to a Fund by the pledge of segregated
collateral with a market value at least equal to 102% of the
outstanding principal value of the loan. If the total outstanding
borrowings of a Fund with outstanding Interfund Loans exceed 10% of its
total assets for any other reason (such as a decline in net asset value
or because of shareholder redemptions), the Fund will within one
business day thereafter either: (a) Repay all its outstanding Interfund
Loans to Funds; (b) reduce its outstanding indebtedness to Funds to 10%
or less of its total assets; or (c) secure each outstanding Interfund
Loan to other Funds by the pledge of segregated collateral with a
market value at least equal to 102% of the outstanding principal value
of the loan until the Fund's total outstanding borrowings cease to
exceed 10% of its total assets, at which time the collateral called for
by this condition 5 shall no longer be required. Until each Interfund
Loan that is outstanding at any time that a Fund's total outstanding
borrowings exceed 10% of its total assets is repaid or the Fund's total
outstanding borrowings cease to exceed 10% of its total assets, the
Fund will mark the value of the collateral to market each day and will
pledge such additional collateral as is necessary to maintain the
market value of the collateral that secures each outstanding Interfund
Loan to Funds at least equal to 102% of the outstanding principal value
of the Interfund Loans.
6. No Fund may lend to another Fund through the InterFund Program
if the loan would cause the lending Fund's aggregate outstanding loans
through the InterFund Program to exceed 15% of its current net assets
at the time of the loan.
7. A Fund's Interfund Loans to any one Fund shall not exceed 5% of
the lending Fund's net assets.
[[Page 58841]]
8. The duration of Interfund Loans will be limited to the time
required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event more
than seven days. Loans effected within seven days of each other will be
treated as separate loan transactions for purposes of this condition.
9. A Fund's borrowings through the InterFund Program, as measured
on the day when the most recent loan was made, will not exceed the
greater of 125% of the Fund's total net cash redemptions for the
preceding seven calendar days or 102% of the Fund's sales fails for the
preceding seven calendar days.
10. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day's notice
by a lending Fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing Fund.
11. A Fund's participation in the InterFund Program must be
consistent with its investment restrictions, policies, limitations and
organizational documents.
12. The InterFund Program Team will calculate total Fund borrowing
and lending demand through the InterFund Program, and allocate
Interfund Loans on an equitable basis among the Funds, without the
intervention of any portfolio manager. The InterFund Program Team will
not solicit cash for the InterFund Program from any Fund or
prospectively publish or disseminate loan demand data to portfolio
managers. The InterFund Program Team will invest all amounts remaining
after satisfaction of borrowing demand in accordance with the standing
instructions of the relevant portfolio manager or such remaining
amounts will be invested directly by the portfolio managers of the
Funds.
13. The InterFund Program Team will monitor the Interfund Loan Rate
and the other terms and conditions of the Interfund Loans and will make
a quarterly report to the Boards concerning the participation of the
Funds in the InterFund Program and the terms and other conditions of
any extensions of credit under the InterFund Program.
14. Each Board, including a majority of the Independent Board
Members, will:
(a) Review, no less frequently than quarterly, the participation of
each Fund's it oversees in the InterFund Program during the preceding
quarter for compliance with the conditions of any order permitting such
participation;
(b) establish the Bank Loan Rate formula used to determine the
interest rate on Interfund Loans;
(c) review, no less frequently than annually, the continuing
appropriateness of the Bank Loan Rate formula; and
(d) review, no less frequently than annually, the continuing
appropriateness of the participation in the InterFund Program by each
Fund it oversees.
15. Each Fund will maintain and preserve for a period of not less
than six years from the end of the fiscal year in which any transaction
by it under the InterFund Program occurred, the first two years in an
easily accessible place, written records of all such transactions
setting forth a description of the terms of the transaction, including
the amount, the maturity and the Interfund Loan Rate, the rate of
interest available at the time each Interfund Loan is made on overnight
repurchase agreements and Bank Borrowings, and such other information
presented to the Boards of the Funds in connection with the review
required by conditions 13 and 14.
16. In the event an Interfund Loan is not paid according to its
terms and the default is not cured within two business days from its
maturity or from the time the lending Fund makes a demand for payment
under the provisions of the interfund lending agreement, the Adviser to
the lending Fund promptly will refer the loan for arbitration to an
independent arbitrator selected by the Board of any Fund involved in
the loan who will serve as arbitrator of disputes concerning Interfund
Loans.\3\ The arbitrator will resolve any problem promptly, and the
arbitrator's decision will be binding on both Funds. The arbitrator
will submit, at least annually, a written report to the Board of each
Fund setting forth a description of the nature of any dispute and the
actions taken by the Funds to resolve the dispute.
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\3\ If the dispute involves Funds that do not have a common
Board, the Board of each affected Fund will select an independent
arbitrator that is satisfactory to each Fund.
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17. The Advisers will prepare and submit to the Board for review an
initial report describing the operations of the InterFund Program and
the procedures to be implemented to ensure that all Funds are treated
fairly. After the commencement of the InterFund Program, the Advisers
will report on the operations of the InterFund Program at the Board's
quarterly meetings. Each Fund's chief compliance officer, as defined in
rule 38a-1(a)(4) under the Act, shall prepare an annual report for its
Board each year that the Fund participates in the InterFund Program,
that evaluates the Fund's compliance with the terms and conditions of
the application and the procedures established to achieve such
compliance. Each Fund's chief compliance officer will also annually
file a certification pursuant to Item 77Q3 of Form N-SAR as such Form
may be revised, amended or superseded from time to time, for each year
that the Fund participates in the InterFund Program, that certifies
that the Fund and its Adviser have implemented procedures reasonably
designed to achieve compliance with the terms and conditions of the
order. In particular, such certification will address procedures
designed to achieve the following objectives:
(a) That the Interfund Loan Rate will be higher than the Repo Rate
but lower than the Bank Loan Rate;
(b) compliance with the collateral requirements as set forth in the
application;
(c) compliance with the percentage limitations on interfund
borrowing and lending;
(d) allocation of interfund borrowing and lending demand in an
equitable manner and in accordance with procedures established by the
Board; and
(e) that the Interfund Loan Rate does not exceed the interest rate
on any third party borrowings of a borrowing Fund at the time of the
Interfund Loan.
Additionally, each Fund's independent public accountants, in
connection with their audit examination of the Fund, will review the
operation of the InterFund Program for compliance with the conditions
of the application and their review will form the basis, in part, of
the auditor's report on internal accounting controls in Form N-SAR.
18. No Fund will participate in the InterFund Program, upon receipt
of requisite regulatory approval, unless it has fully disclosed in its
registration statement on Form N-1A (or any successor form adopted by
the Commission) all material facts about its intended participation.
For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management,
under delegated authority.
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-23226 Filed 9-29-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P