[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 47 (Thursday, March 11, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11585-11589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5213]
[[Page 11585]]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No. 29168; File No. 812-13660]
Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust, et al.; Notice of
Application
March 5, 2010.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 12(d)(1)(J)
of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ``Act'') for an exemption
from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act, 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 6(c) of the Act for an exemption from rule 12d1-
2(a) under the Act.
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Summary of the Application: The requested order would (a) permit
certain registered open-end management investment companies that
operate as ``funds of funds'' to acquire shares of certain registered
open-end management investment companies and unit investment trusts
(``UITs'') that are within and outside the same group of investment
companies as the acquiring investment companies, and (b) permit funds
of funds relying on rule 12d1-2 under the Act to invest in certain
financial instruments.
Applicants: Lincoln Variable Insurance Products Trust (``Trust'') and
Lincoln Investment Advisors Corporation (``Adviser'').
DATES: Filing Dates:
The application was filed on May 22, 2009, and amended on October
5, 2009, and February 2, 2010. Applicants have agreed to file an
amendment during the notice period, the substance of which is reflected
in this notice.
Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the application
will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. Interested
persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's Secretary
and serving 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 March 30, 2010, and should be accompanied by proof of service
on applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a
certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the
writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues
contested. Persons who wish to be notified of a hearing may request
notification by writing to the Commission's Secretary.
ADDRESSES: Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants: 1300 South Clinton
Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Courtney S. Thornton, Senior Counsel,
at (202) 551-6812, 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 for an
applicant using the Company name box, at http://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm, or by calling (202) 551-8090.
Applicants' Representations
1. The Trust is an open-end management investment company
registered under the Act and organized as a Delaware business trust.
The Trust is comprised of separate series (``Funds'') that pursue
distinct investment objectives and strategies. Shares of the Funds are
not offered directly to the public. Shares of the Funds are offered to
separate accounts that are registered as investment companies under the
Act (``Registered Separate Accounts'') or that are not registered under
the Act (``Unregistered Separate Accounts,'' collectively with
Registered Separate Accounts, ``Separate Accounts'') of affiliated and
unaffiliated insurance companies (collectively, ``Insurance
Companies'') as the underlying investment vehicles for the variable
life insurance and variable annuity contracts (``Variable Contracts'')
issued by the Insurance Companies. Shares of the Funds are also offered
to qualified pension and retirement plans.
2. The Adviser, a Tennessee corporation, is registered as an
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
(``Advisers Act'') and serves as investment adviser to each of the
Funds.
3. Applicants request an order to permit (a) a Fund that operates
as a ``fund of funds'' (each a ``Fund of Funds'') to acquire shares of
(i) registered open-end management investment companies that are not
part of the same ``group of investment companies,'' within the meaning
of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act, as the Fund of Funds
(``Unaffiliated Investment Companies'') and UITs that are not part of
the same group of investment companies as the Fund of Funds
(``Unaffiliated Trusts,'' together with the Unaffiliated Investment
Companies, ``Unaffiliated Funds''),\1\ or (ii) registered open-end
management companies or UITs that are part of the same group of
investment companies as the Fund of Funds (collectively, ``Affiliated
Funds,'' together with the Unaffiliated Funds, ``Underlying Funds'')
and (b) each Underlying Fund, any principal underwriter for the
Underlying Fund, and any broker or dealer registered under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Broker'') to sell shares of the
Underlying Fund to the Fund of Funds.\2\ Applicants also request an
order under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act to exempt applicants
from section 17(a) to the extent necessary to permit Underlying Funds
to sell their shares to Funds of Funds and redeem their shares from
Funds of Funds.
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\1\ Certain of the Unaffiliated Funds may be registered under
the Act as either UITs or open-end management investment companies
and have received exemptive relief to permit their shares to be
listed and traded on a national securities exchange at negotiated
prices (``ETFs'').
\2\ All entities that currently intend to rely on the requested
order are named as applicants. Any other entity that relies on the
order in the future will comply with the terms and conditions of the
application.
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4. Applicants also request an exemption under section 6(c) from
rule 12d1-2 under the Act to permit any existing or future Fund of
Funds that relies on section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act (``Same Group Fund
of Funds'') and that otherwise complies with rule 12d1-2 to also
invest, to the extent consistent with its investment objective,
policies, strategies and limitations, in financial instruments that may
not be securities within the meaning of section 2(a)(36) of the Act
(``Other Investments'').\3\
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\3\ Applicants request that the relief apply to each existing
and future Fund and to each existing and future registered open-end
management investment company or series thereof that is advised by
the Adviser or any entity controlling, controlled by or under common
control with the Adviser and which is part of the same group of
investment companies (as defined in section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii)) as the
Trust.
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5. Consistent with its fiduciary obligations under the Act, the
board of directors or trustees (``Board'') of each Same Group Fund of
Funds will review the advisory fees charged by the Same Group Fund of
Fund's investment adviser to ensure that they are based on services
provided that are in addition to, rather than duplicative of, services
provided pursuant to the advisory agreement of any investment company
in which the Same Group Fund of Funds may invest.
[[Page 11586]]
Applicants' Legal Analysis
Investments in Underlying Funds
A. Section 12(d)(1)
1. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, in relevant part, prohibits a
registered investment company from acquiring shares of an investment
company if the securities represent more than 3% of the total
outstanding voting stock of the acquired company, more than 5% of the
total assets of the acquiring company, or, together with the securities
of any other investment companies, more than 10% of the total assets of
the acquiring company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act prohibits a
registered open-end investment company, its principal underwriter, and
any broker or dealer from selling the investment company's shares to
another investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring company
to own more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or if the
sale will cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting stock to
be owned by investment companies generally.
2. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act provides that the Commission may
exempt any person, security, or transaction, or any class or classes of
persons, securities or transactions, from any provision of section
12(d)(1) if the exemption is consistent with the public interest and
the protection of investors. Applicants seek an exemption under section
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act to permit a Funds of Funds to acquire shares of
the Underlying Funds in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(1)(A),
and an Underlying Fund, any principal underwriter for an Underlying
Fund, and any Broker to sell shares of an Underlying Fund to a Fund of
Funds in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act.
3. Applicants state that the terms and conditions of the proposed
arrangement will not give rise to the policy concerns underlying
sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B), which include concerns about undue
influence by a fund of funds over underlying funds, excessive layering
of fees, and overly complex fund structures. Accordingly, applicants
believe that the requested exemption is consistent with the public
interest and the protection of investors.
4. Applicants believe that neither a Fund of Funds nor a Fund of
Funds Affiliate would be able to exert undue influence over the
Unaffiliated Funds.\4\ To limit the control that a Fund of Funds may
have over an Unaffiliated Fund, applicants propose a condition
prohibiting the Fund of Funds Adviser, any person controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with the Fund of Funds Adviser,
and any investment company or issuer that would be an investment
company but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act that is advised
or sponsored by the Fund of Funds Adviser or any person controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with the Fund of Funds Adviser
(the ``Advisory Group'') from controlling (individually or in the
aggregate) an Unaffiliated Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9)
of the Act. The same prohibition would apply to any other investment
adviser within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act to a Fund
of Funds (``Subadviser''), any person controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the Fund of Funds Subadviser, and any
investment company or issuer that would be an investment company but
for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or portion of such
investment company or issuer) advised or sponsored by the Fund of Funds
Subadviser or any person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with the Fund of Funds Subadviser (the ``Subadvisory Group'').
Applicants propose other conditions to limit the potential for undue
influence over the Unaffiliated Funds, including that no Fund of Funds
or Fund of Funds Affiliate (except to the extent it is acting in its
capacity as an investment adviser to an Unaffiliated Investment Company
or sponsor to an Unaffiliated Trust) will cause an Unaffiliated Fund to
purchase a security in an offering of securities during the existence
of any underwriting or selling syndicate of which a principal
underwriter is an Underwriting Affiliate (``Affiliated Underwriting'').
An ``Underwriting Affiliate'' is a principal underwriter in any
underwriting or selling syndicate that is an officer, director, member
of an advisory board, investment adviser, Subadviser, or employee of
the Fund of Funds, or a person of which any such officer, director,
member of an advisory board, investment adviser, Subadviser, or
employee is an affiliated person. An Underwriting Affiliate does not
include any person whose relationship to an Unaffiliated Fund is
covered by section 10(f) of the Act.
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\4\ A ``Fund of Funds Affiliate'' is the Adviser, any
subadviser, promoter or principal underwriter of a Fund of Funds, as
well as any person controlling, controlled by, or under common
control with any of those entities. An ``Unaffiliated Fund
Affiliate'' is an investment adviser, sponsor, promoter, or
principal underwriter of an Unaffiliated Fund, as well as any person
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with any of
those entities.
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5. To further assure that an Unaffiliated Investment Company
understands the implications of an investment by a Fund of Funds under
the requested order, prior to a Fund of Funds' investment in the shares
of an Unaffiliated Investment Company in excess of the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the Fund of Funds and the Unaffiliated
Investment Company will execute an agreement stating, without
limitation, that their Boards and their investment advisers understand
the terms and conditions of the order and agree to fulfill their
responsibilities under the order (``Participation Agreement'').
Applicants note that an Unaffiliated Investment Company (other than an
ETF whose shares are purchased by a Fund of Funds in the secondary
market) will retain its right at all times to reject any investment by
a Fund of Funds.\5\
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\5\ An Unaffiliated Investment Company, including an ETF, would
retain its right to reject any initial investment by a Fund of Funds
in excess of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act by
declining to execute the Participation Agreement with the Fund of
Funds.
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6. Applicants do not believe that the proposed arrangement will
involve excessive layering of fees. The Board of each Fund of Funds,
including a majority of the trustees who are not ``interested persons''
(within the meaning of section 2(a)(19) of the Act) (``Independent
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 Underlying Fund in which the Fund of
Funds may invest. In addition, the Adviser will waive fees otherwise
payable to it by the Fund of Funds in an amount at least equal to any
compensation (including fees received pursuant to any plan adopted by
an Unaffiliated Investment Company under rule 12b-1 under the Act)
received from an Unaffiliated Fund by the Adviser or an affiliated
person of the Adviser, other than any advisory fees paid to the Adviser
or its affiliated person by an Unaffiliated Investment Company, in
connection with the investment by the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated
Fund. Applicants also state that with respect to Registered Separate
Accounts that invest in a Fund of Funds, no sales load will be charged
at the Fund of Funds level or at the Underlying Fund level.\6\
[[Page 11587]]
Other sales charges and service fees, as defined in Rule 2830 of the
Conduct Rules of the NASD (``NASD Conduct Rule 2830''), will only be
charged at the Fund of Funds level or at the Underlying Fund level, not
both. With respect to other investments in a Fund of Funds, any sales
charges and/or service fees charged with respect to shares of the Fund
of Funds will not exceed the limits applicable to a fund of funds as
set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.\7\
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\6\ Applicants represent that each Fund of Funds will represent
in the Participation Agreement that no Insurance Company sponsoring
a Registered Separate Account funding Variable Contracts will be
permitted to invest in the Fund of Funds unless the Insurance
Company has certified to the Fund of Funds that the aggregate of all
fees and charges associated with each contract that invests in the
Fund of Funds, including fees and charges at the Separate Account,
Fund of Funds, and Underlying Fund levels, are reasonable in
relation to the services rendered, the expenses expected to be
incurred, and the risks assumed by the Insurance Company.
\7\ Any references to NASD Conduct Rule 2830 include any
successor or replacement FINRA rule to NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
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7. Applicants submit that the proposed arrangement will not create
an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that no Underlying
Fund will acquire securities of any investment company or company
relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the
limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except in certain
circumstances identified in condition 12 below.
B. Section 17(a)
1. Section 17(a) of the Act generally prohibits sales or purchases
of securities between a registered investment company and any
affiliated person of the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act defines an
``affiliated person'' of another person to include (a) any person
directly or indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to
vote, 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the other
person; (b) any person 5% or more of whose outstanding voting
securities are directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or held with
power to vote by the other person; and (c) any person directly or
indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the
other person.
2. Applicants state that a Fund of Funds and the Affiliated Funds
might be deemed to be under common control of the Adviser and therefore
affiliated persons of one another. Applicants also state that a Fund of
Funds and the Unaffiliated Funds might be deemed to be affiliated
persons of one another if the Fund of Funds acquires 5% or more of an
Unaffiliated Fund's outstanding voting securities. In light of these
and other possible affiliations, section 17(a) could prevent an
Underlying Fund from selling shares to and redeeming shares from a Fund
of Funds.
3. Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to grant an
order permitting a transaction otherwise prohibited by section 17(a) if
it finds that (a) the terms of the proposed transaction are fair and
reasonable and do not involve overreaching on the part of any person
concerned; (b) the proposed transaction is consistent with the policies
of each registered investment company involved; and (c) the proposed
transaction is consistent with the general purposes of the Act. Section
6(c) of the Act permits the Commission to exempt any person or
transactions from any provision of the Act if such exemption is
necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the
protection of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policy
and provisions of the Act.
4. Applicants submit that the proposed transactions satisfy the
standards for relief under sections 17(b) and 6(c) of the Act.\8\
Applicants state that the terms of the transactions are reasonable and
fair and do not involve overreaching. Applicants state that the terms
upon which an Underlying Fund will sell its shares to or purchase its
shares from a Fund of Funds will be based on the net asset value of the
Underlying Fund.\9\ Applicants state that the proposed transactions
will be consistent with the policies of each Fund of Funds and each
Underlying Fund and with the general purposes of the Act.
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\8\ Applicants acknowledge that receipt of any compensation by
(a) an affiliated person of a Fund of Funds, or an affiliated person
of such person, for the purchase by a Fund of Funds of shares of an
Underlying Fund or (b) an affiliated person of an Underlying Fund,
or an affiliated person of such person, for the sale by the
Underlying Fund of its shares to a Fund of Funds may be prohibited
by section 17(e)(1) of the Act. The Participation Agreement also
will include this acknowledgement.
\9\ Applicants note that a Fund of Funds generally would
purchase and sell shares of an Unaffiliated Fund that operates as an
ETF through secondary market transactions rather than through
principal transactions with the Unaffiliated Fund. To the extent
that a Fund of Funds purchases or redeems shares from an ETF that is
an affiliated person of the Fund of Funds in exchange for a basket
of specified securities as described in the application for the
exemptive order upon which the ETF relies, applicants also request
relief from section 17(a) of the Act for those in-kind transactions.
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Other Investments by Same Group Funds of Funds
1. Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act provides that section 12(d)(1)
will not apply to securities of an acquired company purchased by an
acquiring company if: (i) The acquiring company and acquired company
are part of the same group of investment companies; (ii) the acquiring
company holds only securities of acquired companies that are part of
the same group of investment companies, government securities, and
short-term paper; (iii) the aggregate sales loads and distribution-
related fees of the acquiring company and the acquired company are not
excessive under rules adopted pursuant to section 22(b) or section
22(c) of the Act by a securities association registered under section
15A of the Exchange Act or by the Commission; and (iv) the acquired
company has a policy that prohibits it from acquiring securities of
registered open-end management investment companies or registered unit
investment trusts in reliance on section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) of the Act.
2. Rule 12d1-2 under the Act permits a registered open-end
investment company or a registered unit investment trust that relies on
section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act to acquire, in addition to securities
issued by another registered investment company in the same group of
investment companies, government securities, and short-term paper: (1)
Securities issued by an investment company that is not in the same
group of investment companies, when the acquisition is in reliance on
section 12(d)(1)(A) or 12(d)(1)(F) of the Act; (2) securities (other
than securities issued by an investment company); and (3) securities
issued by a money market fund, when the investment is in reliance on
rule 12d1-1 under the Act. For the purposes of rule 12d1-2,
``securities'' means any security as defined in section 2(a)(36) of the
Act.
3. Applicants state that the proposed arrangement would comply with
the provisions of rule 12d1-2 under the Act, but for the fact that a
Same Group Fund of Funds may invest a portion of its assets in Other
Investments. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act
for an exemption from rule 12d1-2(a) to allow the Same Group Funds of
Funds to invest in Other Investments. Applicants assert that permitting
Same Group Funds of Funds to invest in Other Investments as described
in the application would not raise any of the concerns that the
requirements of section 12(d)(1) were designed to address.
Applicants' Conditions
Investments by Funds of Funds in Underlying Funds
Applicants agree that the relief to permit Funds of Funds to invest
in Underlying Funds shall be subject to the following conditions:
1. The members of an Advisory Group will not control (individually
or in the aggregate) an Unaffiliated Fund within
[[Page 11588]]
the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The members of the
Subadvisory Group will not control (individually or in the aggregate)
an Unaffiliated Fund within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
If, as a result of a decrease in the outstanding voting securities of
an Unaffiliated Fund, the Advisory Group or a Subadvisory Group, each
in the aggregate, becomes a holder of more than 25 percent of the
outstanding voting securities of the Unaffiliated Fund, then the
Advisory Group or the Subadvisory Group (except for any member of the
Advisory Group or Subadvisory Group that is a Separate Account) will
vote its shares of the Unaffiliated Fund in the same proportion as the
vote of all other holders of the Unaffiliated Fund's shares. This
condition will not apply to a Subadvisory Group with respect to an
Unaffiliated Fund for which the Subadviser or a person controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with the Subadviser acts as the
investment adviser within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act
(in the case of an Unaffiliated Investment Company) or as the sponsor
(in the case of an Unaffiliated Trust).
A Registered Separate Account will seek voting instructions from
its Variable Contract holders and will vote its shares of an
Unaffiliated Fund in accordance with the instructions received and will
vote those shares for which no instructions were received in the same
proportion as the shares for which instructions were received. An
Unregistered Separate Account will either (i) vote its shares of the
Unaffiliated Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other
holders of the Unaffiliated Fund's shares; or (ii) seek voting
instructions from its Variable Contract holders and vote its shares in
accordance with the instructions received and vote those shares for
which no instructions were received in the same proportion as the
shares for which instructions were received.
2. No Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate will cause any
existing or potential investment by the Fund of Funds in shares of an
Unaffiliated Fund to influence the terms of any services or
transactions between the Fund of Funds or a Fund of Funds Affiliate and
the Unaffiliated Fund or an Unaffiliated Fund Affiliate.
3. The Board of each Fund of Funds, including a majority of the
Independent Trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to
assure that its Adviser and any Subadviser(s) to the Fund of Funds are
conducting the investment program of the Fund of Funds without taking
into account any consideration received by the Fund of Funds or Fund of
Funds Affiliate from an Unaffiliated Fund or an Unaffiliated Fund
Affiliate in connection with any services or transactions.
4. Once an investment by a Fund of Funds in the securities of an
Unaffiliated Investment Company exceeds the limit of section
12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the Board of the Unaffiliated Investment
Company, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, will
determine that any consideration paid by the Unaffiliated Investment
Company to a Fund of Funds or a Fund of Funds Affiliate in connection
with any services or transactions: (a) Is fair and reasonable in
relation to the nature and quality of the services and benefits
received by the Unaffiliated Investment Company; (b) is within the
range of consideration that the Unaffiliated Investment Company would
be required to pay to another unaffiliated entity in connection with
the same services or transactions; and (c) does not involve
overreaching on the part of any person concerned. This condition does
not apply with respect to any services or transactions between an
Unaffiliated Investment Company and its investment adviser(s) or any
person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such
investment adviser(s).
5. No Fund of Funds or Fund of Funds Affiliate (except to the
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to an
Unaffiliated Investment Company or sponsor to an Unaffiliated Trust)
will cause an Unaffiliated Fund to purchase a security in any
Affiliated Underwriting.
6. The Board of an Unaffiliated Investment Company, including a
majority of the Independent Trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably
designed to monitor any purchases of securities by the Unaffiliated
Investment Company in an Affiliated Underwriting once an investment by
a Fund of Funds in the securities of the Unaffiliated Investment
Company exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
including any purchases made directly from an Underwriting Affiliate.
The Board of the Unaffiliated Investment Company will review these
purchases periodically, but no less frequently than annually, to
determine whether the purchases were influenced by the investment by
the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated Investment Company. The Board of
the Unaffiliated Investment Company will consider, among other things,
(a) whether the purchases were consistent with the investment
objectives and policies of the Unaffiliated Investment Company; (b) how
the performance of securities purchased in an Affiliated Underwriting
compares to the performance of comparable securities purchased during a
comparable period of time in underwritings other than Affiliated
Underwritings or to a benchmark such as a comparable market index; and
(c) whether the amount of securities purchased by the Unaffiliated
Investment Company in Affiliated Underwritings and the amount purchased
directly from an Underwriting Affiliate have changed significantly from
prior years. The Board of the Unaffiliated Investment Company 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 interests of
shareholders.
7. Each Unaffiliated Investment Company shall 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 shall maintain and preserve for a period 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 an Affiliated Underwriting once an investment by a Fund
of Funds in the securities of an Unaffiliated Investment Company
exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, setting forth
the: (a) Party from whom the securities were acquired, (b) identity of
the underwriting syndicate's members, (c) terms of the purchase, and
(d) information or materials upon which the determinations of the Board
of the Unaffiliated Investment Company were made.
8. Prior to its investment in shares of an Unaffiliated Investment
Company in excess of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
the Fund of Funds and the Unaffiliated Investment Company will execute
a Participation Agreement stating, without limitation, that their
Boards and their investment advisers understand the terms and
conditions of the order and agree to fulfill their responsibilities
under the order. At the time of its investment in shares of an
Unaffiliated Investment Company in excess of the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Fund of Funds will notify the Unaffiliated Investment
Company of the investment. At such time, the Fund of Funds will also
transmit to the Unaffiliated Investment
[[Page 11589]]
Company a list of the names of each Fund of Funds Affiliate and
Underwriting Affiliate. The Fund of Funds will notify the Unaffiliated
Investment Company of any changes to the list of the names as soon as
reasonably practicable after a change occurs. The Unaffiliated
Investment Company and the Fund of Funds will maintain and preserve a
copy of the order, the Participation Agreement, and the list with any
updated information for the duration of the investment and for a period
of not less than six years thereafter, the first two years in an easily
accessible place.
9. Before approving any advisory contract under section 15 of the
Act, the Board of each Fund of Funds, including a majority of the
Independent Trustees, shall find that the advisory fees charged under
such advisory contract are based on services provided that are in
addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided under the
advisory contract(s) of any Underlying Fund in which the Fund of Funds
may invest. Such finding and the basis upon which the finding was made
will be recorded fully in the minute books of the appropriate Fund of
Funds.
10. The Adviser will waive fees otherwise payable to it by a Fund
of Funds in an amount at least equal to any compensation (including
fees received pursuant to any plan adopted by an Unaffiliated
Investment Company under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received from an
Unaffiliated Fund by the Adviser, or an affiliated person of the
Adviser, other than any advisory fees paid to the Adviser or its
affiliated person by an Unaffiliated Investment Company, in connection
with the investment by the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated Fund. Any
Subadviser will waive fees otherwise payable to the Subadviser,
directly or indirectly, by the Fund of Funds in an amount at least
equal to any compensation received by the Subadviser, or an affiliated
person of the Subadviser, from an Unaffiliated Fund, other than any
advisory fees paid to the Subadviser or its affiliated person by an
Unaffiliated Investment Company, in connection with the investment by
the Fund of Funds in the Unaffiliated Fund made at the direction of the
Subadviser. In the event that the Subadviser waives fees, the benefit
of the waiver will be passed through to the Fund of Funds.
11. With respect to Registered Separate Accounts that invest in a
Fund of Funds, no sales load will be charged at the Fund of Funds level
or at the Underlying Fund level. Other sales charges and service fees,
as defined in NASD Conduct Rule 2830, if any, will be charged at the
Fund of Funds level or at the Underlying Fund level, not both. With
respect to other investments in a Fund of Funds, any sales charges and/
or service fees charged with respect to shares of a Fund of Funds will
not exceed the limits applicable to a fund of funds set forth in NASD
Conduct Rule 2830.
12. No Underlying Fund will acquire securities of any other
investment company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of
the Act in excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the
Act, except to the extent that such Underlying Fund: (a) Receives
securities of another investment company as a dividend or as a result
of a plan of reorganization of a company (other than a plan devised for
the purpose of evading section 12(d)(1) of the Act); or (b) acquires
(or is deemed to have acquired) securities of another investment
company pursuant to exemptive relief from the Commission permitting
such Underlying Fund to (i) acquire securities of one or more
investment companies for short-term cash management purposes, or (ii)
engage in interfund borrowing and lending transactions.
Other Investments by Same Group Funds of Funds
Applicants agree that the relief to permit Same Group Funds 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.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-5213 Filed 3-10-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P