This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE:
To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.
SEC issues fee rate advisory September 30, 2001 12:54 PM The 2001 fiscal year for the SEC ended on September 30, 2001. The fee for filings made pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 is dependent on the enactment of an appropriation for the SEC for the new fiscal year. As of October 3, 2001, no such appropriation has been made. The SEC has issued a statement that pursuant to a continuing resolution, filing fees will remain at the current rate of $250 per $1,000,000 until October 16, 2001. |
SEC announces latest administrative proceedings against investment advisers and investment companies September 28, 2001 1:00 PM On September 27 and 28, 2001, the SEC announced the results of its latest administrative proceedings instituted and settled against various investment advisers and investment companies concerning the violations summarized below: Advertising. The SEC instituted administrative proceedings against an investment advisory firm and its principal for alleged misrepresentation of the firm's performance history to current and prospective clients. In particular, the SEC alleges that the firm and its principal overstated the number of clients and the amount of client assets under management. SEC File No. 3-10594. In a related proceeding, the SEC settled administrative proceedings against another investment advisory firm for providing its clients with the first firm's allegedly fraudulent performance information. In the settled action, the SEC found that the second investment adviser willfully violated Section 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Advisers Act") by providing reports that it should have known were inaccurate. SEC File No. 3-10595.
The SEC and CFTC also proposed rules designed to eliminate duplicative and conflicting regulations that apply to firms that are fully registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and with the CFTC as a futures commission merchant. The proposed rule changes would govern the applicability of the customer protection, recordkeeping, reporting and bankruptcy rules to accounts that hold security futures products. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Extends Compliance Date for Rules on Mutual Fund After-Tax Return Information September 26, 2001 2:04 PM The SEC has extended the compliance date for amendments to rule 482 under the 1933 Act and rule 34b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which require certain funds to include standardized after-tax returns in advertisements and other sales material, from October 1, 2001 to December 1, 2001. The rule amendments require that mutual fund advertisements and sales literature include standardized after-tax returns if the sales material either (i) includes after-tax performance information; or (ii) includes any performance information together with representations that the fund is managed to limit taxes. The SEC stated that representatives of four major fund groups requested an extension of the October 1, 2001 compliance date. They argued that an extension was necessary to allow funds and third-party providers of performance information to request and obtain clarification from the SEC staff on a number of technical issues about the methodology for calculating after-tax returns, and to program their systems accordingly. The fund groups stated that they only recently became aware of a lack of agreement within the fund industry, as well as with the third-party providers, on several components of the after-tax return calculation. In addition, the fund groups argued that the October 1, 2001 compliance date would have been particularly problematic for fund supermarkets, which must rely upon third-party providers for the after-tax returns they publish for non-proprietary funds. Because the fund supermarkets' websites are in most cases deemed to be sales literature, the after-tax numbers that they post on their websites would have had to comply with the after-tax return rule by October 1, 2001. The SEC stated that it granted the limited extension to give funds and third-party providers sufficient time to seek clarification from the SEC staff about the appropriate methodology to be used in computing after-tax returns and to modify their systems accordingly. SEC Release No. 34-44852 (September 26, 2001) This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Requests Broad Records Search by Securities-Related Entities September 26, 2001 12:51 PM The Federal Bureau of Investigation has published list of people and organizations who are under investigation for the September 11th terrorist attacks. (click here to review the list). On September 23, President Bush signed an executive order freezing the United States assets of and blocking transactions with those persons and organizations on the list. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC and State Regulators Launch Investment Advisory Website September 25, 2001 2:15 PM The SEC and the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) announced the launch of a website that will allow investors to electronically access information about investment advisers. The Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (“IAPD”) website provides instant access to Form ADVs, the registration statement for investment advisers, filed by more than 9,000 registered investment advisers. Of the 9,000, 7,300 are SEC-registered advisers and more than 1,700 are state-registered advisers. Currently, only Part I of Form ADV is available on the website. The SEC has proposed but has not yet adopted amendments to Part II of Form ADV. (See the Industry News Summary for the weeks of 8/20 – 9/3/01 ). Investors can get copies of the Form ADVs by calling the SEC Public Reference Room at (202) 942-8090 or their state securities regulator. SEC Press Release 2001-99 (September 25, 2001). This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Extends Temporary Relief Orders and Issues Three Exemptive Letters September 24, 2001 1:52 PM The SEC has extended for five business days ending September 28, 2001 the temporary relief granted by emergency orders issued the prior week. Issuers may continue to repurchase their securities without meeting the volume and timing restrictions that ordinarily would apply, and without adverse accounting consequences under pooling of interests provisions. Directors, officers and 10% shareholders may purchase shares of their companies without becoming liable for any "short-swing profits" tied to sales during the past six months pursuant to Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act. Mutual funds may continue to borrow from and lend to related parties. The SEC also issued three exemptive letters on September 21, 2001. The first letter, issued to the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., changed the deadline under rule 11Ac1-5 under the 1934 Act. That rule requires market centers that trade or market systems securities to report monthly on the quality of trade executions. The first reports for NASDAQ securities, originally due in September, are now due by November 30, 2001 and will cover October trades. The second letter, issued to the Securities Industry Association, extended a deadline for reports from broker-dealers on order routing practices. Under rule 11Ac1-6 under the 1934 Act, brokers that route orders on behalf of customers must make quarterly disclosures concerning the identity of the market centers to which they route a significant percentage of their orders, as well as information concerning the nature of their relationships with such market centers. The first reports, for the quarter July through September 2001, will now be due in November 2001. The third letter, issued to the NASD Small Firm Advisory Board, granted an exemption from the disclosure requirements of rule 11Ac1-6 to small broker-dealers. Small broker-dealers that have routed on an average 500 or fewer customer orders per month during the preceding calendar quarter are exempt from quarterly reporting requirements. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Chairman Pitt Testifies Before Senate Hearing on the Condition of the U.S. Financial Markets September 24, 2001 1:40 PM Speaking at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on September 20, 2001, SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt stated that he may ask Congress for an extension of the SEC’s emergency powers beyond the maximum of ten days provided in the securities laws. The SEC invoked its emergency powers under Section 12(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) for the first time when the nation’s stock markets resumed trading after a 4-day hiatus September 17. (See Industry News Summary for the weeks of 9/3/01 – 9/17/01). Commissioner Pitt stated that the cornerstone of the SEC’s emergency orders was facilitating the ability of public companies to repurchase their own shares to provide greater liquidity to the market. Mr. Pitt commented that the special rule governing corporate repurchases has been working very well, noting that on the first day trading resumed more than ten times the usual amount of corporate repurchasing took place. Mr. Pitt also commented that a multi-agency task force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is investigating whether terrorists used the financial markets to gain from the September 11th attacks. He said the SEC is working with the task force and is devoting substantial resources to probe whether terrorists used short sales or put options to profit from post - September 11th downturns in airline or other stocks. BNA Securities Regulation and Law Report, Vol. 33, No. 37 (September 24, 2001.) This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
The SEC has extended the compliance date for rule amendments requiring mutual funds to include standardized after-tax returns in advertisements and other sales material in certain situations September 24, 2001 1:26 PM The SEC has extended the compliance date for rule amendments requiring mutual funds to include standardized after-tax returns in advertisements and other sales material in certain situations from October 1, 2001 to December 1, 2001. The release is summarized below. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
President Bush Intends to Nominate Newsome as Permanent CFTC Chairman September 20, 2001 2:17 PM The White House announced on September 20, 2001 that President Bush intends to nominate Acting CFTC Chairman James Newsome as the permanent head of the CFTC to serve for a term expiring in 2006. The CFTC has been without a permanent Chairman since William Rainer resigned in January. Mr. Newsome, a Republican who was appointed by President Clinton in 1998, took over as Acting Chairman upon Mr. Rainer’s departure. Mr. Newsome’s term as Commissioner and his position as Chairman will need to be approved by the Senate. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Grants Order Encouraging Company Repurchases When Markets Reopen September 17, 2001 8:38 AM Noting that purchases by registrants of their own securities can represent an important source of liquidity during times of market volatility, the SEC ordered the relaxation of certain rules relating to purchases by issuers and affiliates of their own securities for five business days beginning September 17, 2001. These rules include the "time of day" and volume limits of rule 10b-18 under the 1934 Act, limitations on share repurchases in connection with pooling of interests accounting and the short-swing profit recovery rules of Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act. The SEC also determined that a registrant's failure to comply with internal timing policies or "window periods" in repurchasing its securities during the five-day period will not be considered by itself as any indication of violation of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, which otherwise remain in effect. Rule 10b-18: Most companies structure their buyback programs to comply with the safe harbor of rule 10b-18. This rule shields a company from market manipulation claims if its repurchases comply with certain conditions regarding the number of brokers, timing, volume and price of repurchases. For five business days beginning September 17, 2001, the timing and volume requirements of 10b-18 are modified. With respect to timing, the ban on buying at opening of a session and the last half hour of a session is suspended. With respect to volume, the limitation that purchases on any given day (other than block purchases) cannot exceed 25% of the average daily trading volume during the past four calendar weeks has been modified. The new limitation is that purchases on any given day (other than block purchases) cannot exceed more than 100% of the average daily trading volume during the past four calendar weeks (beginning prior to the week of September 10). Please note that the other conditions of Rule 10b-18 -- the conditions regarding the number of brokers used and the price at which repurchases are made -- are unaffected by the emergency order and must be complied with. Section 16(b): Section 16(b) subjects directors, certain officers and greater than 10% stockholders of public companies to liability claims for any profit from purchases and sales within less than six months of each other. Any purchases during the next five business days beginning September 17, 2001 will not be matchable with any sales in the past six months. These purchases will, however, be matchable with any nonexempt sales that occur within the next six months. Net Capital requirements: broker-dealers need not treat the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th of September, 2001 as business or calendar days for purposes of calculating charges or taking actions under Rules 15c3-1 and 15c3-3 under the 1934 Act arising from failed transactions or imbalances in securities accounting systems, or for the purposes of FOCUS reporting. Broker-dealers that are required to do a reserve computation for the week ending September 14, 2001 under Rule 15c3-3 will not be required to do such a computation, provided they do not withdraw money from their reserve bank account without first doing a computation. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
We in the Investment Management Group at Hale and Dorr LLP extend our thoughts and prayers to all who have been touched by the tragic events on September 11, 2001 September 14, 2001 2:25 PM We in the Investment Management Group at Hale and Dorr LLP extend our thoughts and prayers to all who have been touched by the tragic events on September 11, 2001. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Issues Order Granting Exemptions from Certain Investment Company Act Provisions September 14, 2001 8:26 AM The SEC granted an order temporarily exempting mutual funds from the following requirements:
This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Takes Several Actions to Facilitate the Reopening of Fair and Orderly Equity Markets September 14, 2001 8:21 AM The SEC announced that it took several steps to facilitate the planned reopening of U.S. equity markets on Monday, September 17, 2001. The SEC used its emergency powers for the first time to ease temporarily certain regulatory restrictions in the following areas:
The SEC noted that it will monitor the situation and that the SEC and its staff will be available to respond to issues raised by the extraordinary circumstances of the prior week. SEC Press Release 2001-91 (September 14, 2001).
This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
SEC Permits Auditors to Provide Bookkeeping Services to Audit Clients In and Around the World Trade Center September 12, 2001 8:44 AM The SEC issued a release stating that auditors of the financial statements of SEC registrants may provide certain bookkeeping services to those audit clients directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001. The release notes that several accounting firms and registrants have asked the Commission whether accounting firms may assist audit clients that had offices in and around the World Trade Center by participating in the recovery process to facilitate a timely, effective and efficient revitalization of their audit clients’ records and systems that were destroyed in the events of September 11, 2001 without impairing the auditor’s independence from those clients. The SEC stated that accounting firms may perform such services without impairing their independence. Rule 2-01(c)(4)(i)(A) of Regulation S-X, which addresses auditor’s independence from their audit clients filing statements with the SEC, provides that, among other things, maintaining or preparing an audit client’s accounting records or preparing or originating source data underlying an audit client’s financial statements will impair an auditor’s independence from that client. However, subparagraph (b)(1) under the rule permits such bookkeeping services "in emergency or other unusual situations, provided the accountant does not undertake any managerial actions or make any managerial decisions." The SEC concluded that the events of September 11, 2001 meet the definition of an emergency and unusual situation for those companies that have been directly affected by the destruction of the World Trade Center and damage to surrounding buildings. The SEC noted that services under this exemption may continue until the client’s lost or destroyed records are reconstructed and its financial statements are fully operational, and the client can effect an orderly and efficient transition to management or other service providers. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
Fund Activist Sues SEC for Decision Approving Manager-of-Managers Exemptive Applications September 10, 2001 8:52 AM In late August, Mercer Bullard, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Fund Democracy, LLC, filed a petition before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asking the court to review and set aside the SEC’s decision to deny Fund Democracy’s hearing request and grant an exemptive order to Hillview Capital Management and Hillview Investment Trust II (collectively, "Hillview"). In July, the SEC denied a hearing request submitted by Fund Democracy on an application submitted by Hillview. The application was a routine "manager of managers" application, seeking relief from Section 15(a) of the1940 Act and Rule 18f-2 thereunder to permit the fund to hire new subadvisers and materially amend subadvisory agreements without shareholder approval. (See the Industry News Summary for the week of 7/2 to 7/9/01). In the petition, Mr. Bullard argued that the SEC had abused its discretion by denying the hearing request and granting Hillview’s exemptive application. He added that Fund Democracy was prepared to provide the court with substantial evidence that directly contradicts the SEC’s findings and further that a hearing is necessary and appropriate in the public interest. Fund Action, Vol. XII, No. 36 (September 10, 2001). This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
Staff Grants No-action Relief for Investment by Social Index Fund September 4, 2001 8:48 AM The staff of the SEC has assured the Calvert Social Index Fund (the "Fund") in response to a no-action request that it will not recommend enforcement for violations of section 12(d)(3) under the 1940Act if the Fund invests in securities issued by an affiliated person of its subadviser. The fund is a pure index fund which uses a passive management strategy to track the performance of the Calvert Social Index (the "Index") by investing in each stock in the Index in the same proportion as represented in the Index. The Index is a new broad-based index created and maintained by subsidiaries of the Fund’s sponsor. The Index measures the performance of companies that meet the social investment criteria established by the Calvert Social Research Department ("CSRD") which is a department within the Fund’s investment adviser. CSRD employs a four-step process to select companies for the Index, including reviews of the issuer’s activities with respect to the environment, labor relations, product safety, animal welfare, military weapons, community relations, human rights and indigenous peoples’ rights. The Fund’s adviser has retained a subadviser whose indirect parent company (the "Parent") is currently included in the Index. Section 12(d)(3) generally prohibits a registered investment company from purchasing securities issued by a broker-dealer, registered investment adviser or underwriter. Section 12(d)(3) thus prohibits the Fund from purchasing the securities of the Parent because the Parent is indirectly engaged in a securities-related business through the subadviser. Rule 12d3-1 under the 1940 Act exempts purchasers of certain securities from the prohibitions of section 12(d)(3) under certain circumstances. However, Rule 12d3-1(c) explicitly excludes from the exemption provided under Rule 12d3-1 any purchase by a fund of securities issued by its investment adviser, promoter or principal underwriter, or any affiliated person thereof. Accordingly, the fund cannot rely on the exemption to purchase securities issued by the Parent because the Parent is an affiliated person of the subadviser. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |
NASDR files a proposal to extend the effectiveness of NASD IM-2210-5 September 1, 2001 1:08 PM On August 10, 2001, NASDR filed a proposal to extend the effectiveness of NASD IM-2210-5 which permits NASD members and associated persons, subject to certain conditions, to include bond fund volatility ratings in supplemental sales literature. The SEC had originally approved use of bond fund volatility ratings on an interim 18-month pilot period which expired on August 31, 2001. The SEC permitted NASDR, upon the filing of a proposal, to extend the pilot period for an additional two years until August 31, 2003. The rule filing is immediately effective. IM-2210-5 permits the use of bond fund volatility ratings subject to the following conditions:
NASD Conduct Rule 2210(c)(3) requires members to file sales literature that includes volatility ratings at least 10 days before first use. NASD Notice to Members 01-58, September 2001. This Summary, which draws from a wide range of sources, endeavors to condense important investment management regulatory news of the preceding week into one, easily digestible source. This Summary is not intended as legal advice. Readers should not act upon information contained in this Summary without professional legal counsel. This Summary may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. |