Federal Register: NOTICES Investment Company Act of 1940:: The UBS Funds, et al.; Notice of Application

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Securities and Exchange Commission

DOCUMENT ID: [Investment Company Act Release No. 28080; 812-13453]

NOTICE: NOTICES

ACTION: Investment Company Act of 1940:

DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice of an application under section 6(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from rule 12d12(a) under the Act.

SUBJECT CATEGORY: The UBS Funds, et al.; Notice of Application

DOCUMENT SUMMARY:

Summary of Application: Applicants request an order to permit funds of funds relying on rule 12d12 under the Act to invest in certain financial instruments.

Applicants: The UBS Funds, SMA Relationship Trust, UBS Investment Trust, UBS Index Trust, UBS Series Trust, and UBS Relationship Funds (collectively, the ``Trusts''); UBS Global Asset Management (Americas) Inc. (the ``Advisor''); and UBS Global Asset Management (US) Inc. (``UBS Global AM (US)'').

Filing Dates: The application was filed on November 23, 2007, and amended on December 14, 2007.

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 January 15, 2008 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.

SUMMARY: UBS Funds et al.,

DOCUMENT BODY:

Summary of Application: Applicants request an order to permit funds of funds relying on rule 12d12 under the Act to invest in certain financial instruments.

Filing Dates: The application was filed on November 23, 2007, and amended on December 14, 2007.

DOCUMENT BODY 2: December 19, 2007.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

The following is a summary of the application. The complete application may be obtained for a fee at the Commission's Public Reference Branch, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 205490104 (telephone (202) 5518090).

Applicants' Representations

1. Each Trust organized as a Delaware statutory trust or a Massachusetts business trust and is registered under the Act as an openend management investment company. The Trusts offer separate series (``Funds'') that may invest in other registered investment companies in reliance on section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act and rule 12d12 under the Act (``Underlying Funds'').\1\ Applicants propose that the Funds be permitted to invest in futures contracts, options on futures contracts, swap agreements, derivatives, and other financial instruments that may not be securities within the meaning of section 2(a)(36) of the Act (``Other Investments'') in addition to the Underlying Funds.\2\
\1\ Applicants request that the relief apply to all existing and future series of the Trusts and all other management investment companies and their series registered under the Act that are in the same group of investment companies, as defined in section
12(d)(1)(G) of the Act, as the Trusts. All Funds that currently intend to rely on the order have been named as applicants. Any other existing or future entity that relies on the order in the future will do so only in accordance with the terms and conditions in the application.
\2\ As part of its strategy to invest in securities, Other Investments and Underlying Funds, an Applicant Fund also may, pursuant to rule 12d12 under the Act, invest in securities issued by another registered investment company that is not in the same group of investment companies as the Fund (a ``NonGroup Fund'') consistent with section 12(d)(1)(A) or 12(d)(1)(F) of the Act.

2. The Advisor is a Delaware corporation and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of UBS AG, an internationally diversified organization with operations in many aspects of the financial services industry. The Advisor is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and serves as investment adviser to the Funds. UBS Global AM (US), also a Delaware corporation and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of UBS AG, is registered as a brokerdealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Act (``Exchange Act'') and serves as the principal underwriter to The UBS Funds, SMA Relationship Trust, UBS Investment Trust, UBS Index Trust, and UBS Series Trust.

Applicants' Legal Analysis

Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act provides that no registered investment company (``acquiring company'') may acquire securities of another investment company (``acquired company'') if such securities represent more than 3% of the acquired company's outstanding voting stock or more than 5% of the acquiring company's total assets, or if such securities, together with the securities of other investment companies, represent more than 10% of the acquiring company's total assets. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act provides that no registered openend investment company may sell its securities to
[[Page 74373]]
another investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring company to own more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting stock to be owned by investment companies.

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 shortterm 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 openend management investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) of the Act.

2. Rule 12d12 under the Act permits a registered openend 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 shortterm 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 12d11 under the Act. For the purposes of rule 12d12,
``securities'' means any security as defined in section 2(a)(36) of the Act.

3. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt any person, security, or transaction from any provisions of the Act, or from any rule under 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 policies and provisions of the Act.

4. Applicants state that the proposed arrangement would comply with the provisions of rule 12d12 under the Act, but for the fact that the Funds may invest a portion of their assets in Other Investments. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act for an exemption from rule 12d12(a) to allow the Funds to invest in Other Investments. Applicants assert that permitting the 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

Applicants agree that the order granting the requested relief will be subject to the following conditions:

1. Prior to approving any investment advisory agreement under section 15 of the Act, the board of trustees of the appropriate Fund, including a majority of the trustees who are not ``interested persons,'' as defined in section 2(a)(19) of the Act, will find that the advisory fees, if any, charged under the agreement are based on services provided that are in addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided pursuant to the advisory agreement of any Underlying Fund or any NonGroup Fund in which the Fund may invest. Such findings, and the basis upon which the findings are made, will be recorded fully in the minute books of the appropriate Fund.

2. Applicants will comply with all provisions of rule 12d12 under the Act, except for paragraph (a)(2), to the extent that it restricts any Fund from investing in Other Investments as described in the application.

For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, under delegated authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E725378 Filed 122807; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 801101P

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Lewis Reich, Senior Counsel, at (202) 5516919, or Nadya B. Roytblat, Assistant Director, at (202) 5516821 (Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company Regulation).