Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Download PDF
Federal RegisterNov 18, 2021
86 Fed. Reg. 64575 (Nov. 18, 2021)

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-2736

Extension:

Rule 35d-1

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) a request for extension of the previously approved collection of information discussed below.

Rule 35d-1 (17 CFR 270.35d-1) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1 et seq. ) defines as “materially deceptive and misleading” for purposes of Section 35(d), among other things, a name suggesting that a registered investment company or series thereof (a “fund”) focuses its investments in a particular type of investment or investments, in investments in a particular industry or group of industries, or in investments in a particular country or geographic region, unless, among other things, the fund adopts a certain investment policy. Rule 35d-1 further requires either that the investment policy is fundamental or that the fund has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days prior notice of any change in the investment policy (“notice to shareholders”). The rule's notice to shareholders provision is intended to ensure that when shareholders purchase shares in a fund based, at least in part, on its name, and with the expectation that it will follow the investment policy suggested by that name, they will have sufficient time to decide whether to redeem their shares in the event that the fund decides to pursue a different investment policy.

The Commission estimates that there are approximately 11,502 open-end and closed-end funds that have names that are covered by the rule. The Commission estimates that of these 11,502 funds, approximately 38 will provide prior notice to shareholders pursuant to a policy adopted in accordance with this rule per year. The Commission estimates that the annual burden associated with the notice to shareholders requirement of the rule is 20 hours per response, for annual total of 760 hours per year.

Estimates of average burden hours are made solely for the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act and are not derived from a comprehensive or even representative survey or study of the costs of Commission rules and forms. Providing prior notice to shareholders under rule 35d-1 is not mandatory. An investment company may choose to have a name that does not indicate that the fund focuses its investments in a particular type of investment or investments, or in investments in a particular industry or group of industry. If an investment company does choose such a name, it will only need to provide prior notice to shareholders of a change in its 80% investment policy if it first has adopted a policy to provide notice and then has decided to change this investment policy. The information provided under rule 35d-1 will not be kept confidential. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The public may view background documentation for this information collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to (i) www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain and (ii) David Bottom, Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o John R. Pezzullo, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by sending an email to: PRA_Mailbox@sec.gov.

Dated: November 15, 2021.

J. Matthew DeLesDernier,

Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2021-25171 Filed 11-17-21; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8011-01-P