Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Filings and Information Services, Washington, DC 20549.

Extension: Form N-23C-1; SEC File No. 270-230; OMB Control No. 3235-0230.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) a request for extension and approval on the collection of information discussed below.

Section 23(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [15 U.S.C. 80a-23(c)] (“Investment Company Act” or “Act”) prohibits a registered closed-end investment company (“closed-end fund” or “fund”) from purchasing any security it issues except on a securities exchange, pursuant to tender offers, or under such other circumstances as the Commission may permit by rules or orders designed to ensure that purchases are made in a manner that does not unfairly discriminate against any holders of the securities to be purchased. Rule 23c-1 [17 CFR 270.23c-1] under the Act permits a closed-end fund that meets certain requirements to repurchase its securities other than on an exchange or pursuant to a tender.

A registered closed-end fund that relies on rule 23c-1 may purchase its securities for cash if, among other conditions set forth in the rule, certain conditions are met:

• Payment of the purchase price is accompanied or preceded by a written confirmation of the purchase;
• The purchase is made at a price not above the market value, if any, or the asset value of the security, whichever is lower, at the time of the purchase; and
• If the security is stock, the issuer has, within the preceding six months, informed stockholders of its intention to purchase stock of the class by letter or report addressed to all the stockholders of the class.

In addition, the issuer must file with the Commission, on or before the tenth day of the month following the date in which the purchase occurs, two copies of Form N-23C-1. The form requires the issuer to report all purchases in has made during the month, together with a copy of any written solicitation to purchase securities under rule 23c-1 sent or given during the month by or on behalf of the issuer to ten or more persons.

The purpose of rule 23c-1 is to protect shareholders of closed-end funds from fraud in connection with the repurchase by funds of their own securities. The purpose of the rule's requirement that the fund file Form N-23C-1 with the Commission is to allow the Commission to monitor funds' repurchase of securities as well as any written solicitation used by the fund to effect those repurchases, and to make that information available to the public. Investors may seek this information when determining whether to invest in certain funds.

The requirements to file Form N-23C-1 applies to a closed-end fund only when the fund has repurchased its securities. If the information provided in the form were collected less frequently than a month after repurchases occur, the Commission and investing public would lack current information about closed-end funds that repurchase their own securities.

Commission staff estimates that each year approximately 19 closed-end funds use the repurchase procedures under rule 23c-1, and that these funds file a total of 115 forms each year. The number of forms filed by each fund ranges from 1 to 12 depending on the number of months in which the fund repurchases its securities under rule 23c-1. Commission staff estimates that each response requires 1 burden hour to prepare and file Form N-23C-1 with a copy of any written solicitation to purchase securities under the rule (if necessary). Commission staff estimates each burden hour consists of 15 minutes of professional time and 45 minutes of support staff time. Commission staff further estimates that each of the 19 funds expends between 1 and 12 hours annually in filing Form N-23C-1. The total annual burden of the rule's paperwork requirements is estimated to be 115 hours.

These estimates represent an increase of 92 hours from the prior estimate of 23 hours. The increase results primarily from the increase in the number of funds relying on the rule to purchase their securities. At the time of the last submission the Commission estimated that 4 funds filed a total of 23 Form N-23C-1s annually with the Commission (with each fund filing between 1 and 12 forms during the year). In 1999, 19 funds filed 115 forms with the Commission.

The estimate of average burden hours is made solely for the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The estimate is not derived from a comprehensive or even a representative survey or study of the costs of Commission rules and forms.

Compliance with the collection of information requirements of the rule and form is necessary to obtain the benefit of relying on the rule and form. 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 control number.

Please direct general comments regarding the above information to the following persons: (i) Desk Officer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Room 3208, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503; and (ii) Michael E. Bartell, Associate Executive Director, Office of Information Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549. Comments must be submitted to OMB within 30 days of this notice.