AS FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
File No. 033-42484
File No. 811-06400
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 158 /X/
AND
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
AMENDMENT NO. 159 /X/
Copies to:
Timothy W. Levin, Esquire Christopher D. Menconi Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 1701 Market Street 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 Washington, DC 20004 |
It is proposed that this filing become effective (check appropriate box)
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
Preliminary Prospectus Dated _____________, 2011
Cambiar Global Select Fund
Ticker Symbol: _______
Investor Class Shares Prospectus
___________, 2011
The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund
[CAMBIAR INVESTORS LOGO]
MANAGER FOR ALL SEASONS
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE CAMBIAR GLOBAL SELECT FUND ............................................... 1 FUND INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE ................................................ 1 FUND FEES AND EXPENSES ................................................... 1 PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES .......................................... 2 PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND ................................. 3 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION .................................................. 4 INVESTMENT ADVISER ....................................................... 4 PORTFOLIO MANAGERS ....................................................... 4 PURCHASING AND SELLING FUND SHARES ....................................... 4 TAX INFORMATION .......................................................... 5 PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES ........................................................... 5 INVESTING WITH THE FUND .................................................. 5 BUYING FUND SHARES ....................................................... 5 REDEEMING FUND SHARES .................................................... 6 EXCHANGING FUND SHARES ................................................... 7 TRANSACTION POLICIES ..................................................... 8 ACCOUNT POLICIES .........................................................12 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND ....................................16 OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES ................................16 INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT ....................................................17 SHAREHOLDER SERVICING ARRANGEMENTS .......................................18 PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES .....................................18 |
CAMBIAR GLOBAL SELECT FUND
The Cambiar Global Select Fund (the "Fund") seeks long-term capital appreciation.
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Investor Class Shares of the Fund.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (FEES PAID DIRECTLY FROM YOUR INVESTMENT)
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if shares redeemed have been held for less than 90 days) 2.00%
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE
OF THE VALUE OF YOUR INVESTMENT) Management Fees 1.00% Other Expenses(1) 5.29% Shareholder Service Fees 0.25% Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 6.54% Less Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements (5.24)% Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Reductions and/or Expense Reimbursements(2) 1.30% |
(1) Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal
year.
(2) Cambiar Investors LLC (the "Adviser") has contractually agreed to
reduce fees and reimburse expenses in order to keep net operating
expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses, and extraordinary expenses (collectively,
"excluded expenses")) from exceeding 1.30% of the Fund's Investor Class
Shares' average daily net assets until September 1, 2013. In addition,
if at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser to reduce fees
or make expense reimbursements, the Adviser may retain the difference
between the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (not including
excluded expenses) and 1.30% to recover all or a portion of its prior
fee reductions or expense reimbursements made during the preceding
three-year period during which this agreement (or any prior agreement)
was in place.This Agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Board, for
any reason at any time; or (ii) by the Adviser, upon ninety (90) days'
prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of
business on September 1, 2013.
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses (including capped expenses for the period described in the fee table) remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years $132 $1,468
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located throughout the world. The equity securities in which the Fund generally invests are common stocks and American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"). The Fund may invest in securities of companies of any market capitalization and expects, under normal market conditions, to invest at least 40% of its assets in non-U.S. companies. The majority of these companies operate in "established" markets; however, when opportunities warrant, the Adviser may invest up to 25% of its assets in securities of companies in "emerging market" countries. An "emerging market" country is any country determined by the Adviser to have an emerging market economy, considering factors such as the country's credit rating, its political and economic stability and the development of its financial and capital markets. Typically, emerging markets are in countries that are in the process of industrialization, with lower gross national products than more developed countries. In many circumstances, the Fund purchases ADRs of foreign companies on U.S. exchanges, rather than foreign shares on foreign exchanges, to facilitate greater liquidity and lower custodial expenses.
Cambiar Investors LLC's ("Cambiar" or the "Adviser") investment professionals work as a team to develop investment ideas by analyzing company and industry statements, monitoring Wall Street and other research sources and interviewing company management. The Adviser also evaluates economic conditions and fiscal and monetary policies. The Adviser's approach focuses first on individual stocks and then on industries or sectors. The Adviser does not attempt to time the market. The Adviser tries to select quality companies:
o Possessing above-average financial characteristics;
o Having seasoned management;
o Enjoying product or market advantages;
o Whose stock is selling at a low relative historical valuation based on ratios such as price-to-earnings, price-to-book, price-to-sales and price-to-cash flow;
o Experiencing positive developments not yet recognized by the markets, such as positive changes in management, improved margins, corporate restructuring or new products; and/or
o Possessing significant appreciation potential within 12 to 18 months.
The Adviser may sell a stock because:
o It realizes positive developments and achieves its target price;
o It experiences exaggerated price moves relative to actual developments;
o It becomes overweighted in the portfolio; or
o It experiences a change in or deteriorating fundamentals.
As with all mutual funds, a shareholder is subject to the risk that his or her investment could lose money. A Fund share is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency. The principal risk factors affecting shareholders' investments in the Fund are set forth below.
Since it purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund's equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is the principal risk of investing in the Fund.
The Fund is also subject to the risk that the mid- and small capitalization stocks may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. The mid- and small-capitalization companies that the Fund invests in may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, these mid-and small-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, mid- and small-cap stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.
When the Fund invests in foreign securities, it will be subject to risks not typically associated with domestic securities. Although ADRs and European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs") are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies, they are also subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. Foreign investments, especially investments in emerging markets, can be riskier and more volatile than investments in the United States. Adverse political and economic developments or changes in the value of foreign currency can make it difficult for the Fund to sell its securities and could reduce the value of your shares. Differences in tax and accounting standards and difficulties in obtaining information about foreign companies can negatively affect investment decisions.
Investments in emerging markets securities are considered speculative and subject to heightened risks in addition to the general risks of investing in non-U.S. securities. Unlike more established markets, emerging markets may have governments that are less stable, markets that are less liquid and economies that are less developed. In addition, the securities markets of emerging market countries may consist of companies with smaller market capitalizations and may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and possible restrictions on repatriation of investment income and capital. Furthermore, foreign investors may
be required to register the proceeds of sales, and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization or creation of government monopolies.
Fund investments in foreign currencies and securities denominated in foreign currencies are subject to currency risk. As a result, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. Additionally, the value of a Fund's assets measured in U.S. dollars may be affected by exchange control regulations. The Fund will generally incur transaction costs in connection with conversions between various currencies which will negatively impact performance.
The Fund pursues a "value style" of investing. Value investing focuses on companies whose stock appears undervalued in light of factors such as the company's earnings, book value, revenues or cash flow. If the Adviser's assessment of a company's value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations or market conditions is inaccurate, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor performance relative to other funds. In addition, "value stocks" can continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time.
The Fund is new, and therefore has no performance history. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund's return based on net assets and comparing the Fund's performance to a broad measure of market performance.
Cambiar Investors LLC
Ania A. Aldrich, CFA, Principal, joined the Adviser in 1999 and has served on the portfolio team for the Fund since its inception.
Todd L. Edwards, PhD, International Investment Analyst, joined the Adviser in 2007 and has served on the portfolio team for the Fund since its inception.
Alvaro Shiraishi, International Investment Analyst, joined the Adviser in 2007 and has served on the portfolio team for the Fund since its inception.
To purchase shares of the Fund for the first time, you must invest at least $100,000 ($25,000 for individual retirement accounts ("IRAs") and $12,500 for Spousal IRAs). Thereafter your investments must be at least $100.
If you own your shares directly, you may sell your shares on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for business by contacting the Fund directly by mail or telephone at 1-866-777-8227.
If you own your shares through an account with an investment professional or other institution, contact that investment professional or institution to sell your shares.
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) or individual retirement account.
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's web site for more information.
INVESTING WITH THE FUND
To purchase Investor Class Shares directly from the Fund through its transfer agent, complete and send in the account application. If you need an account application or have questions, please call 1-866-777-8227.
All investments must be made by check or wire. All checks must be payable in U.S. dollars and drawn on U.S. financial institutions. The Fund does not accept purchases made by third-party checks, credit cards, credit card checks, cash, traveler's checks, money orders or cashier's checks.
The Fund does not generally accept investments by non-U.S. persons. Non-U.S. persons may be permitted to invest in the Fund subject to the satisfaction of enhanced due diligence. Please contact the Fund for more information.
BY MAIL
You can open an account with the Fund by sending a check and your account application to the address below. You can add to an existing account by sending the Fund a check and, if possible, the "Invest by Mail" stub that accompanies your statement. Be sure your check identifies clearly your name, your account number and the name of the Fund.
REGULAR MAIL ADDRESS
The Cambiar Funds
P.O. Box 219009
Kansas City, MO 64121-9009
EXPRESS MAIL ADDRESS
DST Systems, Inc.
c/o The Cambiar Funds
430 West 7th Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
BY WIRE
To open an account by wire, call 1-866-777-8227 for details. To add to an existing account by wire, wire your money using the wiring instructions set forth below (be sure to include the Fund name and your account number).
WIRING INSTRUCTIONS
UMB Bank, N.A.
ABA # 101000695
The Cambiar Funds
DDA Acct. # 9871063178
Ref: Fund name/account number/account name
BY AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN (VIA AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE OR ACH)
You may not open an account via ACH. However, once you have established an
account, you can set up an automatic investment plan by mailing a completed
application to the Fund. To cancel or change a plan, write to the Fund at: The
Cambiar Funds, P.O. Box 219009, Kansas City, MO 64121 (Express Mail Address:
430 West 7th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105). Allow up to 15 days to create the
plan and 3 days to cancel or change it.
MINIMUM INVESTMENTS
You can open an account with the Fund with a minimum initial investment of $100,000 ($25,000 for individual retirement accounts ("IRAs") and $12,500 for Spousal IRAs). Thereafter your investments must be at least $100. The Fund reserves the right to waive the minimum initial investment amounts in its sole discretion.
FUND CODES
The Fund's reference information, which is listed below, will be helpful to you when you contact the Fund to purchase or exchange Investor Class Shares, check the Fund's daily net asset value per share ("NAV") or obtain additional information.
FUND NAME TRADING SYMBOL CUSIP FUND CODE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cambiar Global Select Fund XX XX XX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
BY MAIL
You may contact the Fund directly by mail at: The Cambiar Funds, P.O. Box 219009, KansasCity, MO 64121 (Express Mail Address: DST Systems, Inc. c/o The Cambiar Funds, 430 West 7th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105). Send a letter to the Fund signed by all registered parties on the account specifying:
o The Fund name;
o The account number;
o The dollar amount or number of shares you wish to redeem;
o The account name(s); and
o The address to which redemption (sale) proceeds should be sent.
All registered share owner(s) must sign the letter in the exact name(s) in which their account is registered and must designate any special capacity in which they are registered.
Certain shareholders may need to include additional documents to redeem shares. Certain redemption requests require signature guarantees by a bank or member firm of a national securities exchange. For example, signature guarantees are required if your address of record or banking instructions have been changed in the last 30 days, or if you ask that the proceeds be sent to a different person or address. Signature guarantees are for the protection of the shareholders. Before granting a redemption request, the Fund may require a shareholder to furnish additional legal documents to insure proper authorization.
BY TELEPHONE
You must first establish the telephone redemption privilege (and, if desired, the wire or ACH redemption privilege) by completing the appropriate sections of the account application.
Call 1-866-777-8227 to redeem your shares. Based on your instructions, the Fund will mail your proceeds to you or send them to your bank by either Fed wire or ACH.
BY SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN (VIA ACH)
If your account balance is at least $10,000, you may transfer as little as $100 per month from your account to another financial institution through a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (via ACH). To participate in this service, you must complete the appropriate sections of the account application and mail it to the Fund.
At no charge, you may exchange Investor Class Shares of one Cambiar Fund for Investor Class Shares of another Cambiar Fund by writing to or calling the Fund, subject to any applicable minimum investment requirements. You may only exchange shares between accounts with identical registrations (i.e., the same names and addresses).
The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-term or excessive trading. The Fund may suspend or terminate your exchange privilege if you engage in a pattern of exchanges that is excessive, as determined at the sole discretion of the Fund. For more information about the Fund's policy on excessive trading, see "Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures."
For information regarding the federal income tax consequences of transactions in shares of the Fund, including information about cost basis reporting, see "Federal Taxes."
CALCULATING YOUR SHARE PRICE
You may buy, sell or exchange shares of the Fund on each day the NYSE is open for business (a "Business Day") at a price equal to its net asset value ("NAV") next computed after the Fund receives your order in good form. The Fund calculates NAV once each Business Day as of the close of normal trading on the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time). To receive the current Business Day's NAV, the Fund or an authorized institution must receive your order in good form (meaning that it is complete, contains all necessary information, and has all supporting documentation such as proper signature guarantees, IRA rollover forms, etc.) before the close of trading on the NYSE that day. Otherwise, you will receive the NAV that is calculated at the close of trading on the following Business Day. If the NYSE closes early - such as on days in advance of certain generally observed holidays - the Fund will calculate NAV as of the earlier closing time. The Fund will not accept orders that request a particular day or price for the transaction or any other special conditions.
Shares will not be priced on days that the NYSE is closed for trading, including nationally observed holidays. Since securities that are traded on foreign exchanges may trade on days when the NYSE is closed, the value of the Fund may change on days when you are unable to purchase or redeem shares.
The Fund calculates its NAV by adding the total value of its assets, subtracting its liabilities and then dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding. In calculating NAV, the Fund generally values its investment portfolios at market price. If market prices are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, such as in the case of a security value that has been materially affected by events occurring after the relevant market closes, but before the time as of which the Fund calculates NAV, the Fund is required to price those securities at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Board of Trustees (the "Board"). Pursuant to the policies adopted by, and under the ultimate supervision of the Board, these methods are implemented through the Fund's Fair Value Pricing Committee, members of which are appointed by the Board. The Fund's determination of a security's fair value price often involves the consideration of a number of subjective factors, and is therefore subject to the unavoidable risk that the value that the Fund assigns to a security may be higher or lower than the security's value would be if a reliable market quotation for the security was readily available.
With respect to non-U.S. securities held by the Fund, the Fund may take factors influencing specific markets or issuers into consideration in determining the fair value of a non-U.S. security. International securities markets may be open on days when the U.S. markets are closed. In such cases, the value of any international securities owned by the Fund may be significantly affected on days when investors cannot buy or sell shares. In addition, due to the difference in times between the close of the international markets and the time as of which the Fund prices its shares, the value the Fund assigns to securities may not be the same as the quoted or published prices of those securities on their primary markets or exchanges. In determining fair value prices, the Fund may consider the performance of securities on their primary exchanges, foreign currency appreciation/depreciation, securities market movements in the United States, or other relevant information related to the securities.
There may be limited circumstances in which the Fund would price securities at fair value for stocks of U.S. companies that are traded on U.S. exchanges -- for example, if the exchange on which a portfolio security is principally traded closed early or if trading in a particular security was halted during the day and did not resume prior to the time the Fund calculated its NAV.
When valuing fixed income securities with remaining maturities of more than 60 days, the Fund uses the value of the security provided by pricing services. The values provided by a pricing service may be based upon market quotations for the same security if a quotation is readily available, or may be based upon the values of securities expected to trade in a similar manner or a pricing matrix. When valuing fixed income securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, the Fund uses the security's amortized cost. Amortized cost and the use of a pricing matrix in valuing fixed income securities are forms of fair value pricing.
Securities, options, futures contracts and other assets (including swap agreements) for which market quotations are not readily available will be valued at their fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of the Board.
BUYING OR SELLING SHARES THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY
In addition to being able to buy and sell Fund shares directly from the Fund through its transfer agent, you may also buy or sell shares of the Fund through accounts with financial intermediaries such as brokers and other institutions that are authorized to place trades in Fund shares for their customers. When you purchase or sell Fund shares through a financial intermediary (rather than directly from the Fund), you may have to transmit your purchase and sale requests to the financial intermediary at an earlier time for your transaction to become effective that day. This allows the financial intermediary time to process your requests and transmit them to the Fund prior to the time the Fund calculates its NAV that day. Your financial intermediary is responsible for transmitting all purchase and redemption requests, investment information, documentation and money to the Fund on time. If your financial intermediary fails to do so, it may be responsible for any resulting fees or losses. Unless your financial intermediary is an authorized institution (defined below), orders transmitted by the financial intermediary and received by the Fund after the time NAV is calculated for a particular day will receive the following day's NAV.
Certain financial intermediaries, including certain broker-dealers and shareholder organizations, are authorized to act as agent on behalf of the Fund with respect to the receipt of purchase and redemption requests for Fund shares ("authorized institutions"). These requests are executed at the NAV next determined after the authorized institution receives the request. To determine whether your financial intermediary is an authorized institution such that it may act as agent on behalf of the Fund with respect to purchase and redemption requests for Fund shares, you should contact them directly.
If you deal directly with a financial intermediary, you will have to follow their procedures for transacting with the Fund. Your financial intermediary may charge a fee for your purchase and/or redemption transactions. For more information about how to purchase or sell Fund shares through a financial intermediary, you should contact your authorized institution directly.
IN-KIND TRANSACTIONS
Under certain conditions and at the Fund's discretion, you may pay for shares of the Fund with securities instead of cash. In addition, the Fund may pay part of your redemption proceeds (in excess of $250,000) with securities instead of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind, but if they were you would have to pay transaction costs to sell the securities distributed to you, as well as taxes on any capital gains from the sale as with any redemption. In addition, you would continue to be subject to the risks of any market fluctuation in the value of the securities you receive in kind until they are sold.
REDEMPTION FEE
In an effort to discourage short-term trading and defray costs incurred by shareholders as a result of short-term trading, the Fund charges a 2.00% redemption fee on redemptions of shares that have been held for less than 90 days. The fee is deducted from the sale proceeds and cannot be paid separately, and any proceeds of the fee are credited to the assets of the Fund. The fee does not apply to shares purchased with reinvested dividends or distributions. In determining how long shares of the Fund have been held, the Fund assumes that shares held by the investor the longest period of time will be sold first.
The redemption fee is applicable to Fund shares purchased either directly from the Fund or through a financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer. Transactions through financial intermediaries typically are placed with the Fund on an omnibus basis and include both purchase and sale transactions placed on behalf of multiple investors. The Fund requests that financial intermediaries assess the redemption fee on customer accounts and collect and remit the proceeds to the Fund. However, the Fund recognizes that due to operational and systems limitations, intermediaries' methods for tracking and calculating the fee may be inadequate or differ in some respects from the Fund's. Therefore, to the extent that financial intermediaries are unable to collect the redemption fee, the Fund may not be able to defray the expenses associated with those short-term trades made by that financial intermediary's customers.
The Fund reserves the right to waive its redemption fee at its discretion when
it believes such waiver is in the best interests of the Fund, including with
respect to certain categories of redemptions that the Fund reasonably believes
may not raise frequent trading or market timing concerns or where the financial
intermediary's processing systems are unable to properly apply the redemption
fee. These categories currently include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) participants in certain group retirement plans whose processing systems are
incapable of properly applying the redemption fee to underlying shareholders;
(ii) redemptions resulting from certain transfers upon the death of a
shareholder; (iii) redemptions by certain pension plans as required by law or
by regulatory authorities; (iv) systematic withdrawals; and (v) retirement
loans and withdrawals.
PAYMENT OF REDEMPTION PROCEEDS
Your proceeds can be wired to your bank account (may be subject to a $10 fee), sent to you by check or sent via ACH to your bank account once you have established banking instructions with the Fund. The Fund will pay for all shares redeemed within seven days after they receive a redemption request in proper form, meaning that it is complete and contains all necessary information and has all supporting documentation (such as proper signature guarantees, IRA rollover forms, etc.).
The Fund may require that signatures be guaranteed by a bank or member firm of a national securities exchange. Signature guarantees are for the protection of shareholders. Before they grant a redemption request, the Fund may require a shareholder to furnish additional legal documents to insure proper authorization.
If you redeem shares that were purchased by check or through ACH, you will not receive your redemption proceeds until the check has cleared or the ACH transaction has been completed, which may take up to 15 days from the purchase date.
TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS
The Fund will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. Therefore, the Fund will not be responsible for any loss, liability, cost or expense for following instructions received by telephone reasonably believed to be genuine.
RIGHTS RESERVED BY THE FUND
PURCHASES
At any time and without notice, the Fund may:
o Stop offering shares;
o Reject any purchase order; or
o Bar an investor engaged in a pattern of excessive trading from buying shares. (Excessive trading can adversely impact performance by disrupting management and by increasing expenses. ) The Fund will consider various factors in determining whether an investor has engaged in excessive trading. These factors include, but are not limited to, the investor's historic trading patterns, the number of transactions, the size of the transactions, the time between transactions and the percentage of the investor's account involved in each transaction. For more information about the Fund's policies on excessive trading, see "Excessive Trading Policies and Procedures. "
REDEMPTIONS
At any time and without notice, the Fund may change or eliminate any of the redemption methods described above, except redemption by mail. The Fund may suspend your right to redeem if:
o Trading on the NYSE is restricted or halted; or
o The U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission allows the Fund to delay redemptions.
EXCHANGES
The Fund may:
o Modify or cancel the exchange program at any time on 60 days' written notice to shareholders;
o Reject any request for an exchange; or
o Limit or cancel a shareholder's exchange privilege, especially when an investor is engaged in a pattern of excessive trading.
EXCESSIVE TRADING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Fund is intended for long-term investment purposes only and discourages shareholders from engaging in "market timing" or other types of excessive short-term trading. This frequent trading into and out of the Fund may present risks to the Fund's long-term shareholders, and could adversely affect shareholder returns. The risks posed by frequent trading include interfering with the efficient implementation of the Fund's investment strategies, triggering the recognition of taxable gains and losses on the sale of Fund investments, requiring the Fund to maintain higher cash balances to meet redemption requests, and experiencing increased transaction costs.
In addition, because the Fund invests in foreign securities traded primarily on markets that close prior to the time the Fund determines its NAV, the risks posed by frequent trading may have a greater potential to dilute the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders than funds investing exclusively in U.S. securities. In instances where a significant event that affects the value of one or more foreign securities held by the Fund takes place after the close of the primary foreign market, but before the time that the Fund determines its NAV, certain investors may seek to take advantage of the fact that there will be a delay in the adjustment of the market price for a security caused by this event until the foreign market reopens (sometimes referred to as "price" or "time zone" arbitrage). Shareholders who attempt this type of arbitrage may dilute the value of the Fund's shares if the price of the Fund's foreign securities do not reflect their fair value. Although the Fund has procedures designed to determine the fair value of foreign securities for purposes of calculating its NAV when such an event has occurred, fair value pricing, because it involves judgments which are inherently subjective, may not always eliminate the risk of price arbitrage. For more information on how the Fund uses fair value pricing, see "Calculating Your Share Price."
Because the Fund may invest in mid- and small-capitalization securities which often trade in lower volumes and may be less liquid, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks posed by frequent trading because frequent transactions in the Fund's shares may have a greater impact on the market prices of these types of securities. In addition, because frequent trading may cause the Fund to attempt to maintain higher cash positions, changes to the Fund's holdings in response to frequent trading may impact the market prices of such relatively thinly traded securities held by the Fund.
The Fund's service providers will take steps reasonably designed to detect and deter frequent trading by shareholders pursuant to the Fund's policies and procedures described in this prospectus and approved by the Fund's Board. For purposes of applying these policies, the Fund's service providers may consider the trading history of accounts under common ownership or control. The Fund's policies and procedures include:
o Shareholders are restricted from making more than 3 "round trips" into or out of the Fund per year. If, to the knowledge of the Fund, a shareholder exceeds this amount, the Fund and/or its service providers may, at its discretion, reject any additional purchase or exchange orders. The Fund defines a "round trip" as a purchase into the Fund by a shareholder, followed by a subsequent redemption out of the Fund, of an amount the Adviser reasonably believes would be harmful or disruptive to the Fund.
o The Fund assesses a redemption fee of 2.00% on redemptions by shareholders of Fund shares held for less than 90 days (subject to certain exceptions as discussed in "Redemption Fee").
o The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase or exchange request by any investor or group of investors for any reason without prior notice, including, in particular, if the Fund or its Adviser reasonably believes that the trading activity would be harmful or disruptive to the Fund.
The Fund and/or its service providers seek to apply these policies to the best of their abilities uniformly and in a manner they believe is consistent with the interests of the Fund's long-term shareholders. The Fund does not knowingly accommodate frequent purchases and redemptions by Fund shareholders. Although these policies are designed to deter frequent trading, none of these measures alone nor all of them taken together eliminate the possibility that frequent trading in the Fund will occur. Systematic purchases and redemptions are exempt from these policies.
Financial intermediaries (such as investment advisers and broker-dealers) often establish omnibus accounts in the Fund for their customers through which transactions are placed. In accordance with Rule 22c-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Fund has entered into information sharing agreements with certain financial intermediaries. Under these agreements, a financial intermediary is obligated to: (1) enforce during the term of the agreement, the Fund's, or in certain instances, the financial intermediary's, market-timing policy; (2) furnish the Fund, upon its request, with information regarding customer trading activities in shares of the Fund; and (3) enforce the Fund's, or in certain instances, the financial intermediary's, market-timing policy with respect to customers identified by the Fund as having engaged in market timing. When information regarding transactions in the Fund's shares is requested by the Fund and such information is in the possession of a person that is itself a financial intermediary to a financial intermediary (an "indirect intermediary"), any financial intermediary with whom the Fund has an information sharing agreement is obligated to obtain transaction information from the indirect intermediary or, if directed by the Fund, to restrict or prohibit the indirect intermediary from purchasing shares of the Fund on behalf of other persons. Please contact your financial intermediary for more information.
CUSTOMER IDENTIFICATION AND VERIFICATION
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.
What this means to you: When you open an account, the Fund will ask your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow the Fund to identify you. This information is subject to verification to ensure the identity of all persons opening a mutual fund account.
The Fund is required by law to reject your new account application if the required identifying information is not provided.
In certain instances, the Fund is required to collect documents to fulfill its legal obligation. Documents provided in connection with your application will be used solely to establish and verify a customer's identity.
Attempts to collect the missing information required on the application will be performed by either contacting you or, if applicable, your broker. If this information cannot be obtained within a timeframe established in the sole discretion of the Fund, your application will be rejected.
Upon receipt of your application in proper form (meaning that it is complete and contains all necessary information, and has all supporting documentation such as proper signature guarantees, IRA rollover forms, etc.), or upon receipt of all identifying information required on the application, your investment will be received and your order will be processed at the NAV next-determined.
The Fund reserves the right to close or liquidate your account at the NAV next-determined and remit proceeds to you via check if it is unable to verify your identity. Attempts to verify your identity will be performed within a timeframe established in the sole discretion of the Fund. Further, the Fund reserves the right to hold your proceeds until your original check clears the bank, which may take up to 15 days from the date of purchase. In such an instance, you may be subject to a gain or loss on Fund shares and will be subject to corresponding tax implications.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAM
Customer identification and verification is part of the Fund's overall obligation to deter money laundering under federal law. The Fund has adopted an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Program designed to prevent the Fund from being used for money laundering or the financing of illegal activities. In this regard, the Fund reserves the right to: (i) refuse, cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order; (ii) freeze any account and/or suspend account services; or (iii) involuntarily close your account in cases of threatening conduct or suspected fraudulent or illegal activity. These actions will be taken when, in the sole discretion of Fund management, they are deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund or in cases when the Fund is requested or compelled to do so by governmental or law enforcement authority. If your account is closed at the request of governmental or law enforcement authority, you may not receive proceeds of the redemption if the Fund is required to withhold such proceeds.
SMALL ACCOUNTS
The Fund may redeem your shares without your permission if the value of your account falls below 50% of the required minimum initial investment. (See "Buying Shares-Minimum Investments" for minimum initial investment amounts.) This provision does not apply:
o To retirement accounts and certain other accounts; or
o When the value of your account falls because of market fluctuations and not your redemptions.
The Fund will provide you at least 30 days' written notice to allow you sufficient time to add to your account and avoid the sale of your shares.
DISTRIBUTIONS
Normally, the Fund distributes its net investment income and its net capital gains, if any, at least once a year. The Fund will automatically reinvest dividends and distributions in additional shares of the Fund, unless you elect on your account application to receive them in cash.
FEDERAL TAXES
The following is a summary of the federal income tax consequences of investing in the Fund. This summary does not apply to shares held in an individual retirement account or other tax-
qualified plan, which are not subject to current tax. Transactions relating to shares held in such accounts may, however, be taxable at some time in the future. You should always consult your tax advisor for specific guidance regarding the federal, state and local tax effect of your investment in the Fund.
TAXES ON DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund will distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its net realized capital gains, if any. The dividends and distributions you receive, whether in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund, may be subject to federal, state, and local taxation, depending upon your tax situation. Income distributions, including distributions of net short-term capital gains but excluding distributions of qualified dividend income, are generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates. Capital gains distributions and distributions that are designated by the Fund as qualified dividend income are generally taxable at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains. Absent further legislation, the reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income will not apply to dividends received in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. Once a year, the Fund will send you a statement showing the types and total amount of distributions you received during the previous year.
Recent legislation effective beginning in 2013 provides that U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) will be subject to a new 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on their "net investment income," including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of shares).
You should note that if you purchase shares just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as "buying a dividend" and should be avoided by taxable investors. Call 1-866-777-8227 to find out when the Fund expects to make a distribution to shareholders.
TAXES ON THE SALE OR EXCHANGE OF FUND SHARES
Each sale or exchange of shares of the Fund may be a taxable event. For tax purposes, an exchange of shares of one Cambiar Fund for another is the same as a sale.
A sale of Fund shares may result in a capital gain or loss to you. The gain or loss generally will be treated as short term if you held the shares 12 months or less, long term if you held the shares for longer.
The Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and furnish to Fund shareholders cost basis information for Fund shares purchased on or after January 1, 2012, and sold on or after that date. In addition to reporting the gross proceeds from the sale of Fund shares, the Fund will also be required to report the cost basis information for such shares and indicate whether these shares had a short-term or long-term holding period. For each sale of Fund shares, the Fund will permit shareholders to elect from among several IRS-accepted cost basis methods, including average cost. In the absence of an election, the Fund will use the average basis method as the default cost basis method. The cost basis method elected by the Fund shareholder (or the cost basis method applied by default) for each sale of Fund shares may not be changed after the settlement date of each such sale of Fund shares. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted cost basis method for
their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the new cost basis reporting law applies to them.
INVESTMENTS IN FOREIGN SECURITIES
To the extent that the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund consists of foreign securities, the Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT TAXES
More information about taxes is in the SAI.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
The investment objective of the Fund is to seek long-term capital appreciation. The investment objective may be changed without shareholder approval.
The Fund may employ non-principal investment practices that this prospectus does not describe, such as when-issued and forward commitment transactions, lending of securities, borrowing and other techniques. In addition, the Fund may use the investment strategies described below. For more information concerning any of the Fund's investment practices and risks, please read the SAI.
SHORT-TERM INVESTING
The investments and strategies described in this prospectus are those that are used under normal circumstances. During unusual economic, market, political or other circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in short-term, high quality debt instruments, such as U.S. government securities. These instruments would not ordinarily be consistent with the Fund's principal investment strategies, and may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. The Fund will use a temporary strategy if the Adviser believes that pursuing the Fund's investment objective will subject them to a significant risk of loss.
When the Adviser pursues a temporary defensive strategy, the Fund may not profit from favorable developments that they would have otherwise profited from if they were pursuing its normal strategies.
INFORMATION ABOUT PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Fund generally posts a detailed list of its securities (portfolio holdings) as of the most recent calendar month end, 30 days after the end of the calendar month. In addition, the Fund generally posts its ten largest portfolio holdings, and the percentage that each of these holdings represents of the Fund's total assets, as of the most recent calendar month end, 10 calendar days after the end of the calendar month. These postings can be found on the internet at http://aicfundholdings.com/cambiar and generally remain until replaced by new postings as described above. The Adviser may exclude any portion of the Fund's portfolio holdings from
publication when deemed in the best interest of the Fund. Please consult the Fund's SAI for a description of the policies and procedures that govern disclosure of the Fund's portfolio holdings.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Cambiar Investors LLC, a Delaware limited liability corporation located at 2401 East Second Avenue, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80206, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Cambiar manages and supervises the investment of the Fund's assets on a discretionary basis, subject to oversight by the Board. For its services, the Adviser is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 1.05% the average daily net assets of the Fund. As of July 31, 2011, the Adviser had approximately $7.3 billion in assets under management. Cambiar has provided investment management services to corporations, foundations, endowments, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates and other institutions and individuals since 1973.
The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and reimburse expenses of the Investor Class Shares of the Fund in order to keep net operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses (collectively, "excluded expenses")) from exceeding 1.30% of the Fund's Investor Shares' average daily net assets until September 1, 2013. To maintain these expense limits, the Adviser may reduce a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse certain expenses of the Fund. In addition, if at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser to reduce fees or make expense reimbursements, the Adviser may retain the difference between the Fund's total annual Fund operating expenses (not including excluded expenses) and its expense cap to recover all or a portion of its prior fee reductions or expense reimbursements made during the preceding three year period during which the agreement was in place.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board's approval of the Fund's investment advisory agreement can be found in the Fund's April 30, 2012 Annual Report to Shareholders.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The Fund is managed by a team of investment professionals that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers' compensation, other accounts managed, and ownership of Fund shares.
Ania A. Aldrich, CFA, Principal, joined the Adviser in 1999 and has over 21 years of investment experience. She co-manages the Fund, with a focus on the financial services and consumer products sectors. Prior to joining the Adviser, Ms. Aldrich was a global equity analyst at Bankers Trust, a New York based investment company, covering the financial services and transportation sectors. She began her career as a senior investor relations professional at BET PLC, a New York based communications firm. Ms. Aldrich holds an MBA in Finance from Fordham University and a BA in Computer Science from Hunter College. She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Todd L. Edwards, PhD, joined the Adviser in 2007 and has over 16 years of investment experience. He co-manages the Fund with a focus on non-U.S. company coverage in the financial services and consumer staple sectors. In addition, Mr. Edwards is responsible for the Adviser's
macroeconomic and policy research efforts. Prior to joining the Adviser, he was a Director in the Global Emerging Markets Group at Citigroup. Before that, he served as Director of Research and Equity Strategist at BBVA Securities. Mr. Edwards began his investment career as a research analyst at Salomon Brothers. An accomplished author, he has written books on Brazil and Argentina. Mr. Edwards received a PhD and MA from Tulane University and a BA from Colorado College.
Alvaro Shiraishi, International Investment Analyst, joined the Adviser in 2007 and has over 18 years of investment experience. He is responsible for non-U.S. company coverage in the basic materials and consumer discretionary sectors. Prior to joining the Adviser, he worked at Aon Corporation in Chicago, where he conducted risk management research for the industrials and construction industries. Mr. Shiraishi began his investment career as an equity analyst for UBS. Mr. Shiraishi received a BA in Economics from Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City.
The Fund may compensate financial intermediaries for providing a variety of services to shareholders. Financial intermediaries include brokers, dealers, banks (including bank trust departments), trust companies, registered investment advisers, financial planners, retirement plan administrators, insurance companies, and any other institution having a service, administration, or any similar arrangement with the Fund, its service providers or their respective affiliates. This section and the following section briefly describe how financial intermediaries may be paid for providing these services.
The Fund generally pays financial intermediaries a fee that is based on the assets of the Fund that are attributable to investments by customers of the financial intermediary. These shareholder services for which financial intermediaries are compensated, which do not include distribution related services, may include record-keeping, transaction processing for shareholders' accounts and certain shareholder services not currently offered to shareholders that deal directly with the Fund. In addition to these payments, your financial intermediary may charge you account fees, transaction fees for buying or redeeming shares of the Fund or other fees for servicing your account. Your financial intermediary should provide a schedule of its fees and services to you upon request.
The Fund has adopted a shareholder servicing plan that provides that the Fund may pay financial intermediaries for shareholder services in an annual amount not to exceed 0.25% based on the Fund's Investor Class Shares' average daily net assets. The Fund does not pay these service fees on shares purchased directly. In addition to payments made directly to financial intermediaries by the Fund, the Adviser or its affiliates may, at their own expense, pay financial intermediaries for these and other services to Fund shareholders, as described in the section below.
From time to time, the Adviser and/or its affiliates, in their discretion, may make payments to certain affiliated or unaffiliated financial intermediaries to compensate them for the costs associated with distribution, marketing, administration and shareholder servicing support. These payments may be in addition to any shareholder servicing payments that are reflected in the fee table sections of this prospectus. These payments are sometimes characterized as "revenue sharing" payments and are made out of the Adviser's and/or its affiliates' own legitimate profits or other resources, and are not paid by the Fund.
A financial intermediary may provide these services with respect to Fund shares sold or held through programs such as retirement plans, qualified tuition programs, fund supermarkets, fee-based advisory or wrap fee programs, bank trust programs, and insurance (e.g., individual or group annuity) programs. In addition, financial intermediaries may receive payments for making shares of the Fund available to their customers or registered representatives, including providing the Fund with "shelf space," placing it on a preferred or recommended fund list, or promoting the Fund in certain sales programs that are sponsored by financial intermediaries. To the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") rules and other applicable laws and regulations, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may pay or allow other promotional incentives or payments to financial intermediaries. For more information please see "Payments to Financial Intermediaries" in the Fund's SAI.
The level of payments to individual financial intermediaries varies in any given year and may be negotiated on the basis of sales of Fund shares, the amount of Fund assets serviced by the financial intermediary or the quality of the financial intermediary's relationship with the Adviser and/or its affiliates. These payments may be more or less than the payments received by the financial intermediaries from other mutual funds and may influence a financial intermediary to favor the sales of certain funds or share classes over others. In certain instances, the payments could be significant and may cause a conflict of interest for your financial intermediary. Any such payments will not change the NAV or price of the Fund's shares. Please contact your financial intermediary for information about any payments it may receive in connection with the sale of Fund shares or the provision of services to the Fund, as well as information about any fees and/or commissions it charges.
THE CAMBIAR GLOBAL SELECT FUND
Investors who want more information about the Fund should read the Fund's Annual/Semi-Annual Reports and the SAI. The Annual/Semi-Annual Reports of the Fund provides additional information about their investments. In the Annual Report, you will also find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the performance of the Fund during the last fiscal year. The SAI contains additional detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into (is legally a part of) this prospectus.
Investors can receive free copies of the SAI, shareholder reports, the Fund's privacy policy and other information about the Fund and can make shareholder inquiries on the Fund's website at www.cambiar.com or by writing to or calling:
The Cambiar Funds P.O. Box 219009 Kansas City, MO 64121 (Toll free) 1-866-777-8227
You can review and copy information about the Fund (including the SAI) at the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Public Reference Room in Washington,
D.C. You can obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room
by calling the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at 202-942-8090.
Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR
Database on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Internet site at
http://www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of this information, after paying a
duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address:
publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's
Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.
The Trust's Investment Company Act of 1940 file number is 811-06400.
[INSERT CODE]
[CAMBIAR INVESTORS LOGO]
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED _______________, 2011
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
CAMBIAR GLOBAL SELECT FUND
(Ticker Symbol: _________)
each, a series of THE ADVISORS' INNER CIRCLE FUND
___________, 2011
INVESTMENT ADVISER:
CAMBIAR INVESTORS LLC
This Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") is not a prospectus. This SAI relates to the following series of the Trust:
CAMBIAR GLOBAL SELECT FUND (THE "FUND")
This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Fund's prospectus dated ___________, 2011. Capitalized terms not defined herein are defined in the prospectus. Shareholders may obtain copies of the Fund's prospectus or Annual Report free of charge by calling the Fund at 1-866-777-8227.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE TRUST ..................................................................S-1 DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS .......................................S-1 INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUND ............................................S-27 INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES .....................................S-29 PORTFOLIO MANAGERS .........................................................S-30 THE ADMINISTRATOR ..........................................................S-31 THE DISTRIBUTOR ............................................................S-32 SHAREHOLDER SERVICES .......................................................S-32 TRANSFER AGENT .............................................................S-33 CUSTODIAN ..................................................................S-34 INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM ..............................S-34 LEGAL COUNSEL ..............................................................S-34 TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST .........................................S-34 PURCHASING AND REDEEMING SHARES ............................................S-43 |
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE ...........................................S-44 TAXES ......................................................................S-45 BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES ...................................S-51 DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS ...........................................S-53 DESCRIPTION OF SHARES ......................................................S-54 SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY ......................................................S-54 LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY ..........................................S-55 PROXY VOTING ...............................................................S-55 CODES OF ETHICS ............................................................S-55 5% AND 25% SHAREHOLDERS ....................................................S-55 APPENDIX A -- DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS .......................................A-1 APPENDIX B - PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ..........................B-1 _____________, 2011 [INSERT CODE] |
THE TRUST
General. The Fund is a separate series of the Trust, an open-end investment management company established under Massachusetts law as a Massachusetts voluntary association (commonly known as a business trust) under a Declaration of Trust dated July 18, 1991, as amended February 18, 1997. The Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to offer separate series ("funds") of shares of beneficial interest ("shares"). The Trust reserves the right to create and issue shares of additional funds. Each fund is a separate mutual fund, and each share of each fund represents an equal proportionate interest in that fund. All consideration received by the Trust for shares of any fund, and all assets of such fund, belong solely to that fund and would be subject to any liabilities related thereto. The Fund pays its (i) operating expenses, including fees of its service providers, expenses of preparing prospectuses, proxy solicitation material and reports to shareholders, costs of custodial services and registering its shares under federal and state securities laws, pricing and insurance expenses, brokerage costs, interest charges, taxes and organization expenses and (ii) pro rata share of the Fund's other expenses, including audit and legal expenses. Expenses attributable to a specific fund shall be payable solely out of the assets of that fund. Expenses not attributable to a specific fund are allocated across all of the funds on the basis of relative net assets. The other funds of the Trust are described in one or more separate Statements of Additional Information.
VOTING RIGHTS. Each shareholder of record is entitled to one vote for each share held on the record date for the meeting. The Fund will vote separately on matters relating solely to it. As a Massachusetts voluntary association, the Trust is not required, and does not intend, to hold annual meetings of shareholders. Shareholders' approval will be sought, however, for certain changes in the operation of the Trust and for the election of trustees under certain circumstances. Under the Declaration of Trust, the trustees have the power to liquidate the Fund without shareholder approval. While the trustees have no present intention of exercising this power, they may do so if the Fund fails to reach a viable size within a reasonable amount of time or such other reasons as may be determined by the Trust's Board of Trustees (each, a "Trustee" and collectively, the "Board").
In addition, a Trustee may be removed by the remaining Trustees or by shareholders at a special meeting called upon written request of shareholders owning at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the Trust. In the event that such a meeting is requested, the Trust will provide appropriate assistance and information to the shareholders requesting the meeting.
WHAT INVESTMENT STRATEGIES MAY THE FUNDS USE?
The Fund's investment objectives and principal investment strategies are described in the prospectus. The Fund is classified as "diversified" investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The following information supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, the prospectus. The Fund will only invest in any of the following instruments, or engage in any of the following investment practices, if such investment or activity is consistent with the Fund's investment objective and as permitted by its stated investment policies. For a description of certain permitted investments discussed below, see "Description of Permitted Investments" in this SAI.
DESCRIPTION OF PERMITTED INVESTMENTS
DEBT SECURITIES
Corporations and governments use debt securities to borrow money from investors. Most debt securities promise a variable or fixed rate of return and repayment of the amount borrowed at maturity. Some debt securities, such as zero-coupon bonds, do not pay current interest and are purchased at a discount from their face value.
TYPES OF DEBT SECURITIES:
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES - The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities. Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities include U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury and which differ only in their interest rates, maturities, and times of issuance. U.S. Treasury bills have initial maturities of one-year or less; U.S. Treasury notes have initial maturities of one to ten years; and U.S. Treasury bonds generally have initial maturities of greater than ten years. Certain U.S. government securities are issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government including, but not limited to, obligations of U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities such as Fannie Mae, the Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae"), the Small Business Administration, the Federal Farm Credit Administration, the Federal Home Loan Banks, Banks for Cooperatives (including the Central Bank for Cooperatives), the Federal Land Banks, the Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Federal Financing Bank, the Student Loan Marketing Association, the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac).
Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, including, for example, Ginnie Mae pass-through certificates, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those securities issued by Fannie Mae, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the federal agency, while other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. While the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored federal agencies, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will always do so, since the U.S. government is not so obligated by law. U.S. Treasury notes and bonds typically pay coupon interest semi-annually and repay the principal at maturity.
On September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced a federal takeover of Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, placing the two federal instrumentalities in conservatorship. Under the takeover, the U.S. Treasury agreed to acquire $1 billion of senior preferred stock of each instrumentality and obtained warrants for the purchase of common stock of each instrumentality (the "Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement" or "Agreement"). Under the Agreement, the U.S. Treasury pledged to provide up to $200 billion per instrumentality as needed, including the contribution of cash capital to the instrumentalities in the event their liabilities exceed their assets. This was intended to ensure that the instrumentalities maintain a positive net worth and meet their financial obligations, preventing mandatory triggering of receivership. On December 24, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was amending the Agreement to allow the $200 billion cap on the U.S. Treasury's funding commitment to increase as necessary to accommodate any cumulative reduction in net worth over the next three years. As a result of this Agreement, the investments of holders, including the Fund, of mortgage-backed securities and other obligations issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are protected.
CORPORATE BONDS - Corporations issue bonds and notes to raise money for working capital or for capital expenditures such as plant construction, equipment purchases and expansion. In return for the money loaned to the corporation by investors, the corporation promises to pay investors interest, and repay the principal amount of the bond or note.
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES - Mortgage-backed securities are interests in pools of mortgage loans that various governmental, government-related and private organizations assemble as securities for sale to investors. Unlike most debt securities, which pay interest periodically and repay principal at maturity or on specified call dates, mortgage-backed securities make monthly payments that consist of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a "pass-through" of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Since homeowners usually have
the option of paying either part or all of the loan balance before maturity, the effective maturity of a mortgage-backed security is often shorter than is stated.
Governmental entities, private insurers and mortgage poolers may insure or guarantee the timely payment of interest and principal of these pools through various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit. The Adviser will consider such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets its investment quality standards. It is possible that the private insurers or guarantors will not meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements.
Although the market for such securities is becoming increasingly liquid, securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable.
COMMERCIAL BANKS, SAVINGS AND LOAN INSTITUTIONS, PRIVATE MORTGAGE INSURANCE COMPANIES, MORTGAGE BANKERS AND OTHER SECONDARY MARKET ISSUERS - Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional mortgage loans. In addition to guaranteeing the mortgage-related security, such issuers may service and/or have originated the underlying mortgage loans. Pools created by these issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than pools created by GNMA, FNMA and Freddie Mac because they are not guaranteed by a government agency.
RISKS OF MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES - Yield characteristics of mortgage-backed securities differ from those of traditional debt securities in a variety of ways. The most significant differences of mortgage-backed securities are: 1) payments of interest and principal are more frequent (usually monthly) and 2) falling interest rates generally cause individual borrowers to pay off their mortgage earlier than expected, which results in prepayments of principal on the securities, thus forcing the Fund to reinvest the money at a lower interest rate. In addition to risks associated with changes in interest rates described in "Factors Affecting the Value of Debt Securities," a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors, such as the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, can cause investors to repay the loans underlying a mortgage-backed security sooner than expected. When prepayment occurs, the Fund may have to reinvest its principal at a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on existing mortgage-backed securities.
OTHER ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES - These securities are interests in pools of a broad range of assets other than mortgages, such as automobile loans, computer leases and credit card receivables. Like mortgage-backed securities, these securities are pass-through. In general, the collateral supporting these securities is of shorter maturity than mortgage loans and is less likely to experience substantial prepayments with interest rate fluctuations, but may still be subject to prepayment risk.
Asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. Primarily, these securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets, which raises the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities. For example, credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which allow debtors to reduce their balances by offsetting certain amounts owed on the credit cards. Most issuers of asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables permit the servicers of such receivables to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related asset-backed securities. Due to the quantity of vehicles involved and requirements under state laws, asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables.
To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, the entity administering the pool of assets may agree to ensure the receipt of payments on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion ("liquidity protection"). In addition, asset-backed securities may obtain insurance, such as guarantees, policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, for some or all of the assets in the pool ("credit support"). Delinquency or loss more than that anticipated or failure of the credit support could adversely affect the return on an investment in such a security.
The Fund may also invest in residual interests in asset-backed securities, which consist of the excess cash flow remaining after making required payments on the securities and paying related administrative expenses. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a particular issue of asset-backed securities depends in part on the characteristics of the underlying assets, the coupon rates on the securities, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the actual prepayment experience on the underlying assets.
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS - To earn a return on uninvested assets, meet anticipated redemptions, or for temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in the short-term securities listed below, U.S. government securities and investment-grade corporate debt securities. Unless otherwise specified, a short-term debt security has a maturity of one year or less.
BANK OBLIGATIONS - The Fund will only invest in a security issued by a commercial bank if the bank:
o Has total assets of at least $1 billion, or the equivalent in other currencies (based on the most recent publicly available information about the bank);
o Is a U.S. bank and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and
o Is a foreign branch of a U.S. bank and the Adviser believes the security is of an investment quality comparable with other debt securities that the Fund may purchase.
TIME DEPOSITS - Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits, such as savings accounts or certificates of deposit, held by a financial institution for a fixed term with the understanding that the depositor can withdraw its money only by giving notice to the institution. However, there may be early withdrawal penalties depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. The Fund may only purchase time deposits maturing from two business days through seven calendar days.
CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT - Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank or savings and loan association for a definite period of time and earning a specified return.
BANKERS' ACCEPTANCE - A bankers' acceptance is a time draft drawn on a commercial bank by a borrower, usually in connection with an international commercial transaction (to finance the import, export, transfer or storage of goods).
COMMERCIAL PAPER - Commercial paper is a short-term obligation with a maturity ranging from 1 to 270 days issued by banks, corporations and other borrowers. Such investments are unsecured and usually discounted. The Fund may invest in commercial paper rated A-1 or A-2 by Standard and Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") or Prime-1 or Prime-2 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or, if not rated, issued by a corporation having an outstanding unsecured debt issue rated A or better by Moody's or by S&P. See "Appendix A - Ratings" for a description of commercial paper ratings.
STRIPPED MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES - Stripped mortgage-backed securities are derivative multiple-class mortgage-backed securities. Stripped mortgage-backed securities usually have two classes that receive different proportions of interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. Typically, one class will receive
some of the interest and most of the principal, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remaining principal. In extreme cases, one class will receive all of the interest ("interest only" or "IO" class) while the other class will receive the entire principal ("principal only" or "PO" class). The cash flow and yields on IOs and POs are extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage loans or mortgage-backed securities. A rapid rate of principal payments may adversely affect the yield to maturity of IOs and could cause the total loss of investment. Slower than anticipated prepayments of principal may adversely affect the yield to maturity of a PO. The yields and market risk of interest only and principal only stripped mortgage-backed securities, respectively, may be more volatile than those of other fixed income securities, including traditional mortgage-backed securities.
YANKEE BONDS - Yankee bonds are dollar-denominated bonds issued inside the United States by foreign entities. Investments in these securities involve certain risks that are not typically associated with investing in domestic securities. See "Foreign Securities."
ZERO COUPON BONDS - These securities make no periodic payments of interest, but instead are sold at a discount from their face value. When held to maturity, their entire income, which consists of accretion of discount, comes from the difference between the issue price and their value at maturity. The amount of the discount rate varies depending on factors including the time remaining until maturity, prevailing interest rates, the security's liquidity and the issuer's credit quality. The market value of zero coupon securities may exhibit greater price volatility than ordinary debt securities because a stripped security will have a longer duration than an ordinary debt security with the same maturity. The Fund's investments in pay-in-kind, delayed and zero coupon bonds may require it to sell certain of its portfolio securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements.
These securities may include treasury securities that have had their interest
payments ("coupons") separated from the underlying principal ("corpus") by
their holder, typically a custodian bank or investment brokerage firm. Once the
holder of the security has stripped or separated corpus and coupons, it may
sell each component separately. The principal or corpus is then sold at a deep
discount because the buyer receives only the right to receive a future fixed
payment on the security and does not receive any rights to periodic interest
(cash) payments. Typically, the coupons are sold separately or grouped with
other coupons with like maturity dates and sold bundled in such form. The
underlying treasury security is held in book-entry form at the Federal Reserve
Bank or, in the case of bearer securities (i.e., unregistered securities which
are owned ostensibly by the bearer or holder thereof), in trust on behalf of
the owners thereof. Purchasers of stripped obligations acquire, in effect,
discount obligations that are economically identical to the zero coupon
securities that the U.S. Treasury sells itself.
The U.S. Treasury has facilitated transfers of ownership of zero coupon securities by accounting separately for the beneficial ownership of particular interest coupon and corpus payments on Treasury securities through the Federal Reserve book-entry record keeping system. Under a Federal Reserve program known as "STRIPS" or "Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities," the Fund may record its beneficial ownership of the coupon or corpus directly in the book-entry record-keeping system.
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND:
MATURITY - Every debt security has a stated maturity date when the issuer must repay the amount it borrowed (principal) from investors. Some debt securities, however, are callable, meaning the issuer can repay the principal earlier, on or after specified dates (call dates). Debt securities are most likely to be called when interest rates are falling because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate, similar to a homeowner refinancing a mortgage. The effective maturity of a debt security is usually its nearest call date.
Mutual funds that invest in debt securities have no real maturity. Instead, they calculate their weighted average maturity. This number is an average of the effective or anticipated maturity of each debt security held by the
mutual fund, with the maturity of each security weighted by the percentage of the assets of the mutual fund it represents.
DURATION - Duration is a calculation that seeks to measure the price sensitivity of a debt security, or of a mutual fund that invests in debt securities, to changes in interest rates. It measures sensitivity more accurately than maturity because it takes into account the time value of cash flows generated over the life of a debt security. Future interest payments and principal payments are discounted to reflect their present value and then are multiplied by the number of years they will be received to produce a value expressed in years -- the duration. Effective duration takes into account call features and sinking fund prepayments that may shorten the life of a debt security.
An effective duration of four years, for example, would suggest that for each 1% reduction in interest rates at all maturity levels, the price of a security is estimated to increase by 4%. An increase in rates by the same magnitude is estimated to reduce the price of the security by 4%. By knowing the yield and the effective duration of a debt security, one can estimate total return based on an expectation of how much interest rates, in general, will change. While serving as a good estimator of prospective returns, effective duration is an imperfect measure.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE VALUE OF DEBT SECURITIES - The total return of a debt instrument is composed of two elements: the percentage change in the security's price and interest income earned. The yield to maturity of a debt security estimates its total return only if the price of the debt security remains unchanged during the holding period and the coupon interest is reinvested at the same yield to maturity. The total return of a debt instrument, therefore, will be determined not only by how much interest is earned, but also by how much the price of the security and interest rates change.
INTEREST RATES
The price of a debt security generally moves in the opposite direction from interest rates (i.e., if interest rates go up, the value of the bond will go down, and vice versa).
o PREPAYMENT RISK
This risk affects mainly mortgage-backed securities. Unlike other debt securities, falling interest rates can adversely affect the value of mortgage-backed securities, which may cause your share price to fall. Lower rates motivate borrowers to pay off the instruments underlying mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities earlier than expected, resulting in prepayments on the securities. The Fund may then have to reinvest the proceeds from such prepayments at lower interest rates, which can reduce its yield. The unexpected timing of mortgage and asset-backed prepayments caused by the variations in interest rates may also shorten or lengthen the average maturity of the Fund. If left unattended, drifts in the average maturity of the Fund can have the unintended effect of increasing or reducing the effective duration of the Fund, which may adversely affect the expected performance of the Fund.
o EXTENSION RISK
The other side of prepayment risk occurs when interest rates are rising. Rising interest rates can cause the Fund's average maturity to lengthen unexpectedly due to a drop in mortgage prepayments. This would increase the sensitivity of the Fund to rising rates and its potential for price declines. Extending the average life of a mortgage-backed security increases the risk of depreciation due to future increases in market interest rates. For these reasons, mortgage-backed securities may be less effective than other types of U.S. government securities as a means of "locking in" interest rates.
o CREDIT RATING
Coupon interest is offered to investors of debt securities as compensation for assuming risk, although short-term Treasury securities, such as three-month treasury bills, are considered "risk-free." Corporate securities offer higher yields than Treasury securities because their payment of interest and complete repayment of principal is less certain. The credit rating or financial condition of an issuer may affect the value of a debt security. Generally, the lower the quality rating of a security, the greater the risks that the issuer will fail to pay interest and return principal. To compensate investors for taking on increased risk, issuers with lower credit ratings usually offer their investors a higher "risk premium" in the form of higher interest rates than those available from comparable Treasury securities.
Changes in investor confidence regarding the certainty of interest and principal payments of a corporate debt security will result in an adjustment to this "risk premium." Since an issuer's outstanding debt carries a fixed coupon, adjustments to the risk premium must occur in the price, which affects the yield to maturity of the bond. If an issuer defaults or becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, the bond may lose some or all of its value.
A security rated within the four highest rating categories by a rating agency is called investment-grade because its issuer is more likely to pay interest and repay principal than an issuer of a lower rated bond. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances, however, may weaken the capacity of the issuer to pay interest and repay principal. If a security is not rated or is rated under a different system, the Adviser may determine that it is of investment-grade. The Adviser may retain securities that are downgraded, if it believes that keeping those securities is warranted.
Debt securities rated below investment-grade ("junk bonds") are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller, less credit worthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted) companies. A corporation may issue a junk bond because of a corporate restructuring or other similar event. Compared with investment-grade bonds, junk bonds carry a greater degree of risk and are less likely to make payments of interest and principal. Market developments and the financial and business condition of the corporation issuing these securities influence their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade debt securities. Insufficient liquidity in the junk bond market may make it more difficult to dispose of junk bonds and may cause the Fund to experience sudden and substantial price declines. A lack of reliable, objective data or market quotations may make it more difficult to value junk bonds accurately.
Rating agencies are organizations that assign ratings to securities based primarily on the rating agency's assessment of the issuer's financial strength. The Fund currently uses ratings compiled by Moody's, S&P, and Fitch. Credit ratings are only an agency's opinion, not an absolute standard of quality, and they do not reflect an evaluation of market risk. The section "Appendix A -- Description of Ratings" contains further information concerning the ratings of certain rating agencies and their significance.
The Adviser may use ratings produced by rating agencies as guidelines to determine the rating of a security at the time the Fund buys it. A rating agency may change its credit ratings at any time. The Adviser monitors the rating of the security and will take appropriate actions if a rating agency reduces the security's rating. The Fund is not obligated to dispose of securities whose issuers subsequently are in default or which are downgraded. The Fund may invest in securities of any rating.
DERIVATIVES
Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is based on an underlying asset, such as a stock or a bond, or an underlying economic factor, such as an interest rate or a market benchmark. Unless otherwise stated in the Fund's prospectus, the Fund may use derivatives for risk management purposes, including to gain exposure to
various markets in a cost efficient manner, to reduce transaction costs or to remain fully invested. The Fund may also invest in derivatives to protect it from broad fluctuations in market prices, interest rates or foreign currency exchange rates (a practice known as "hedging"). When hedging is successful, the Fund will have offset any depreciation in the value of its portfolio securities by the appreciation in the value of the derivative position. Although techniques other than the sale and purchase of derivatives could be used to control the exposure of the Fund to market fluctuations, the use of derivatives may be a more effective means of hedging this exposure.
Because many derivatives have a leverage or borrowing component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Accordingly, certain derivative transactions may be considered to constitute borrowing transactions for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"). Such a derivative transaction will not be considered to constitute the issuance of a "senior security" by the Fund, and therefore such transaction will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund, if the Fund covers the transaction or segregates sufficient liquid assets in accordance with the requirements and interpretations of the SEC and its staff.
TYPES OF DERIVATIVES:
FUTURES - A futures contract is an agreement between two parties whereby one party sells and the other party agrees to buy a specified amount of a financial instrument at an agreed upon price and time. The financial instrument underlying the contract may be a stock, stock index, bond, bond index, interest rate, foreign exchange rate or other similar instrument. Agreeing to buy the underlying financial information is called buying a futures contract or taking a long position in the contract. Likewise, agreeing to sell the underlying financial instrument is called selling a futures contract or taking a short position in the contract.
Futures contracts are traded in the United States on commodity exchanges or boards of trade - known as "contract markets" - approved for such trading and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"). These contract markets standardize the terms, including the maturity date and underlying financial instrument, of all futures contracts.
Unlike other securities, the parties to a futures contract do not have to pay for or deliver the underlying financial instrument until some future date (the delivery date). Contract markets require both the purchaser and seller to deposit "initial margin" with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant or custodian bank, when they enter into the contract. Initial margin deposits are typically equal to a percentage of the contract's value. After they open a futures contract, the parties to the transaction must compare the purchase price of the contract to its daily market value. If the value of the futures contract changes in such a way that a party's position declines, that party must make additional "variation margin" payments so that the margin payment is adequate. On the other hand, the value of the contract may change in such a way that there is excess margin on deposit, possibly entitling the party that has a gain to receive all or a portion of this amount. This process is known as "marking to the market."
Although the actual terms of a futures contract call for the actual delivery of and payment for the underlying security, in many cases the parties may close the contract early by taking an opposite position in an identical contract. If the sale price upon closing out the contract is less than the original purchase price, the person closing out the contract will realize a loss. If the sale price upon closing out the contract is more than the original purchase price, the person closing out the contract will realize a gain. If the purchase price upon closing out the contract is more than the original sale price, the person closing out the contract will realize a loss. If the purchase price upon closing out the contract is less than the original sale price, the person closing out the contract will realize a gain.
The Fund may incur commission expenses when it opens or closes a futures position.
OPTIONS - An option is a contract between two parties for the purchase and sale of a financial instrument for a specified price (known as the "strike price" or "exercise price") at any time during the option period. Unlike a futures contract, an option grants a right (not an obligation) to buy or sell a financial instrument. Generally, a seller of an option can grant a buyer two kinds of rights: a "call" (the right to buy the security) or a "put" (the right to sell the security). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific securities, indices of securities prices, foreign currencies, interest rates and futures contracts. Options may be traded on an exchange (exchange-traded-options) or may be customized agreements between the parties (over-the-counter or "OTC" options). Like futures, a financial intermediary, known as a clearing corporation, financially backs exchange-traded options. However, OTC options have no such intermediary and are subject to the risk that the counter-party will not fulfill its obligations under the contract.
o PURCHASING PUT AND CALL OPTIONS
When the Fund purchases a put option, it buys the right to sell the instrument underlying the option at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the Fund pays the current market price for the option (known as the "option premium"). The Fund may purchase put options to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of its securities ("protective puts") or to benefit from a decline in the price of securities that it does not own. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs. However, if the price of the underlying instrument does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer would lose the premium and related transaction costs.
Call options are similar to put options, except that the Fund obtains the right to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option's strike price. The Fund would normally purchase call options in anticipation of an increase in the market value of securities it owns or wants to buy. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying instrument exceeded the exercise price plus the premium paid and related transaction costs. Otherwise, the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
The purchaser of an option may terminate its position by:
o Allowing it to expire and losing its entire premium;
o Exercising the option and either selling (in the case of a put option) or buying (in the case of a call option) the underlying instrument at the strike price; or
o Closing it out in the secondary market at its current price.
o SELLING (WRITING) PUT AND CALL OPTIONS
When the Fund writes a call option it assumes an obligation to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. Similarly, when the Fund writes a put option it assumes an obligation to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. The Fund may terminate its position in an exchange-traded put option before exercise by buying an option identical to the one it has written. Similarly, it may cancel an OTC option by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counter-party to the option.
The Fund could try to hedge against an increase in the value of securities it would like to acquire by writing a put option on those securities. If security prices rise, the Fund would expect the put option to expire and the premium
it received to offset the increase in the security's value. If security prices remain the same over time, the Fund would hope to profit by closing out the put option at a lower price. If security prices fall, the Fund may lose an amount of money equal to the difference between the value of the security and the premium it received. Writing covered put options may deprive the Fund of the opportunity to profit from a decrease in the market price of the securities it would like to acquire.
The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that call writers expect to profit if prices remain the same or fall. The Fund could try to hedge against a decline in the value of securities it already owns by writing a call option. If the price of that security falls as expected, the Fund would expect the option to expire and the premium it received to offset the decline of the security's value. However, the Fund must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument in return for the strike price, which may deprive it of the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the securities it holds.
The Fund is permitted only to write covered options. At the time of selling the call option, the Fund may cover the option by owning, among other things:
o The underlying security (or securities convertible into the underlying security without additional consideration), index, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract;
o A call option on the same security or index with the same or lesser exercise price;
o A call option on the same security or index with a greater exercise price and segregating cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise prices;
o Cash or liquid securities equal to at least the market value of the optioned securities, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract; or
o In the case of an index, the portfolio of securities that corresponds to the index.
At the time of selling a put option, the Fund may cover the put option by, among other things:
o Entering into a short position in the underlying security;
o Purchasing a put option on the same security, index, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract with the same or greater exercise price;
o Purchasing a put option on the same security, index, interest rate, foreign currency or futures contract with a lesser exercise price and segregating cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise prices; or
o Maintaining the entire exercise price in liquid securities.
O OPTIONS ON SECURITIES INDICES
Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash settlement payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
* OPTIONS ON FUTURES
An option on a futures contract provides the holder with the right to buy a futures contract (in the case of a call option) or sell a futures contract (in the case of a put option) at a fixed time and price. Upon exercise of the option by the holder, the contract market clearing house establishes a corresponding short position for the writer of the option (in the case of a call option) or a corresponding long position (in the case of a put option). If the option is exercised, the parties will be subject to the futures contracts. In addition, the writer of an option on a futures contract is subject to initial and variation margin requirements on the option position. Options on futures contracts are traded on the same contract market as the underlying futures contract.
The buyer or seller of an option on a futures contract may terminate the option early by purchasing or selling an option of the same series (i.e., the same exercise price and expiration date) as the option previously purchased or sold. The difference between the premiums paid and received represents the trader's profit or loss on the transaction.
The Fund may purchase put and call options on futures contracts instead of selling or buying futures contracts. The Fund may buy a put option on a futures contract for the same reasons it would sell a futures contract. It also may purchase such put options in order to hedge a long position in the underlying futures contract. The Fund may buy call options on futures contracts for the same purpose as the actual purchase of the futures contracts, such as in anticipation of favorable market conditions.
The Fund may write a call option on a futures contract to hedge against a decline in the prices of the instrument underlying the futures contracts. If the price of the futures contract at expiration were below the exercise price, the Fund would retain the option premium, which would offset, in part, any decline in the value of its portfolio securities.
The writing of a put option on a futures contract is similar to the purchase of the futures contracts, except that, if the market price declines, the Fund would pay more than the market price for the underlying instrument. The premium received on the sale of the put option, less any transaction costs, would reduce the net cost to the Fund.
o COMBINED POSITIONS
The Fund may purchase and write options in combination with each other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts, to adjust the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, the Fund could construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract by purchasing a put option and writing a call option on the same underlying instrument. Alternatively, the Fund could write a call option at one strike price and buy a call option at a lower price to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
o FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS
A forward foreign currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific amount of currency at a future date or date range at a specific price. In the case of a cancelable forward contract, the holder has the unilateral right to cancel the contract at maturity by paying a specified fee. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts differ from foreign currency futures contracts in certain respects. Unlike futures contracts, forward contracts:
o Do not have standard maturity dates or amounts (i.e., the parties to the contract may fix the maturity date and the amount);
o Are traded in the inter-bank markets conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers, as opposed to futures contracts which are traded only on exchanges regulated by the CFTC;
o Do not require an initial margin deposit; and
o May be closed by entering into a closing transaction with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract, as opposed to a commodities exchange.
FOREIGN CURRENCY HEDGING STRATEGIES - A "settlement hedge" or "transaction hedge" is designed to protect the Fund against an adverse change in foreign currency values between the date a security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in an underlying security transaction for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars "locks in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. The Fund may also use forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency when it anticipates purchasing or selling securities denominated in foreign currency, even if it has not yet selected the specific investments.
The Fund may use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in foreign currency. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a "position hedge," would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund could also hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the currency in which the Fund's investment is denominated. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.
Transaction and position hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities that the Fund owns or intends to purchase or sell. They simply establish a rate of exchange that one can achieve at some future point in time. Additionally, these techniques tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency and to limit any potential gain that might result from the increase in value of such currency.
The Fund may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another. Such transactions may call for the delivery of one foreign currency in exchange for another foreign currency, including currencies in which its securities are not then denominated. This may include shifting exposure from U.S. dollars to a foreign currency, or from one foreign currency to another foreign currency. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-hedge," will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased. Cross-hedges may protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency, but will cause the Fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases. Cross-hedging transactions also involve the risk of imperfect correlation between changes in the values of the currencies involved.
It is difficult to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward or futures contract. Accordingly, the Fund may have to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market if the market value of a security it is hedging is less than the amount of foreign currency it is obligated to deliver. Conversely, the Fund may have to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency it received upon the sale of a security if the market value of such security exceeds the amount of foreign currency it is obligated to deliver.
SWAPS, CAPS, COLLARS AND FLOORS
SWAP AGREEMENTS - A swap is a financial instrument that typically involves the exchange of cash flows between two parties on specified dates (settlement dates), where the cash flows are based on agreed-upon prices, rates, indices, etc. The nominal amount on which the cash flows are calculated is called the notional amount. Swaps are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors, such as interest rates, foreign currency rates, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, security prices or inflation rates.
Swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the investments of the Fund and its share price. The performance of swap agreements may be affected by a change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund. If a swap agreement calls for payments by the Fund, the Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counter-party's creditworthiness declined, the value of a swap agreement would be likely to decline, potentially resulting in losses.
Generally, swap agreements have a fixed maturity date that will be agreed upon by the parties. The agreement can be terminated before the maturity date under certain circumstances, such as default by one of the parties or insolvency, among others, and can be transferred by a party only with the prior written consent of the other party. The Fund may be able to eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or by other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party. If the counter-party is unable to meet its obligations under the contract, declares bankruptcy, defaults or becomes insolvent, the Fund may not be able to recover the money it expected to receive under the contract. The Fund will not enter into any swap agreement unless the Adviser believes that the other party to the transaction is creditworthy.
A swap agreement can be a form of leverage, which can magnify the Fund's gains or losses. In order to reduce the risk associated with leveraging, the Fund may cover its current obligations under swap agreements according to guidelines established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on a net basis, it will segregate assets with a daily value at least equal to the excess, if any, of the Fund's accrued obligations under the swap agreement over the accrued amount the Fund is entitled to receive under the agreement. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on other than a net basis, it will segregate assets with a value equal to the full amount of the Fund's accrued obligations under the agreement.
o EQUITY SWAPS
In a typical equity swap, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a
stock, stock index or basket of stocks in return for a specified interest rate.
By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can
gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually
purchasing those stocks. Equity index swaps involve not only the risk
associated with investment in the securities represented in the index, but also
the risk that the performance of such securities, including dividends, will not
exceed the return on the interest rate that the Fund will be committed to pay.
o TOTAL RETURN SWAPS
Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from a reference instrument -- which may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets -- during a specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another underlying reference instrument. The total return includes appreciation or depreciation on the underlying asset, plus any interest or dividend payments. Payments under the swap are based upon an agreed upon principal amount but, since the principal amount is not exchanged, it represents neither an asset nor a liability to either counterparty, and
is referred to as notional. Total return swaps are marked to market daily using different sources, including quotations from counterparties, pricing services, brokers or market makers. The unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to the change in the valuation of the notional amount of the swap is combined with the amount due to a Fund at termination or settlement. The primary risks associated with total return swaps are credit risks (if the counterparty fails to meet its obligations) and market risk (if there is no liquid market for the agreement or unfavorable changes occur to the underlying reference instrument).
o INTEREST RATE SWAPS
Interest rate swaps are financial instruments that involve the exchange of one type of interest rate for another type of interest rate cash flow on specified dates in the future. Some of the different types of interest rate swaps are "fixed-for floating rate swaps," "termed basis swaps" and "index amortizing swaps." Fixed-for floating rate swaps involve the exchange of fixed interest rate cash flows for floating rate cash flows. Termed basis swaps entail cash flows to both parties based on floating interest rates, where the interest rate indices are different. Index amortizing swaps are typically fixed-for floating swaps where the notional amount changes if certain conditions are met.
Like a traditional investment in a debt security, the Fund could lose money by investing in an interest rate swap if interest rates change adversely. For example, if the Fund enters into a swap where it agrees to exchange a floating rate of interest for a fixed rate of interest, the Fund may have to pay more money than it receives. Similarly, if the Fund enters into a swap where it agrees to exchange a fixed rate of interest for a floating rate of interest, the Fund may receive less money than it has agreed to pay.
o CURRENCY SWAPS
A currency swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make interest rate payments in one currency and the other promises to make interest rate payments in another currency. The Fund may enter into a currency swap when it has one currency and desires a different currency. Typically, the interest rates that determine the currency swap payments are fixed, although occasionally one or both parties may pay a floating rate of interest. Unlike an interest rate swap, however, the principal amounts are exchanged at the beginning of the contract and returned at the end of the contract. Changes in foreign exchange rates and changes in interest rates, as described above may negatively affect currency swaps.
CAPS, COLLARS AND FLOORS - Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specified interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level. The seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. An interest rate collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.
RISKS OF DERIVATIVES:
While transactions in derivatives may reduce certain risks, these transactions
themselves entail certain other risks. For example, unanticipated changes in
interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a
poorer overall performance of the Fund than if it had not entered into any
derivatives transactions. Derivatives may magnify the Fund's gains or losses,
causing it to make or lose substantially more than it invested.
When used for hedging purposes, increases in the value of the securities the Fund holds or intends to acquire should offset any losses incurred with a derivative. Purchasing derivatives for purposes other than hedging could expose the Fund to greater risks.
CORRELATION OF PRICES - The Fund's ability to hedge its securities through derivatives depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying index or instrument correlate with price movements in the relevant securities. In the case of poor correlation, the price of the securities the Fund is hedging may not move in the same amount, or even in the same direction as the hedging instrument. The Adviser will try to minimize this risk by investing only in those contracts whose behavior it expects to resemble with the portfolio securities it is trying to hedge. However, if the Fund's prediction of interest and currency rates, market value, volatility or other economic factors is incorrect, the Fund may lose money, or may not make as much money as it expected.
Derivative prices can diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the characteristics of the underlying instruments are very similar to the derivative. Listed below are some of the factors that may cause such a divergence:
o current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract;
o a difference between the derivatives and securities markets, including different levels of demand, how the instruments are traded, the imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading of an instrument stops; and
o differences between the derivatives, such as different margin requirements, different liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.
Derivatives based upon a narrower index of securities, such as those of a particular industry group, may present greater risk than derivatives based on a broad market index. Since narrower indices are made up of a smaller number of securities, they are more susceptible to rapid and extreme price fluctuations because of changes in the value of those securities.
While currency futures and options values are expected to correlate with exchange rates, they may not reflect other factors that affect the value of the investments of the Fund. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a yen-denominated security from a decline in the yen, but will not protect the Fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer's creditworthiness. Because the value of the Fund's foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the Fund's investments precisely over time.
LACK OF LIQUIDITY - Before a futures contract or option is exercised or expires, the Fund can terminate it only by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction. Moreover, the Fund may close out a futures contract only on the exchange the contract was initially traded. Although the Fund intends to purchase options and futures only where there appears to be an active market, there is no guarantee that such a liquid market will exist. If there is no secondary market for the contract, or the market is illiquid, the Fund may not be able to close out its position. In an illiquid market, the Fund may:
o have to sell securities to meet its daily margin requirements at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so;
o have to purchase or sell the instrument underlying the contract;
o not be able to hedge its investments; and/or
o not be able to realize profits or limit its losses.
Derivatives may become illiquid (i.e., difficult to sell at a desired time and price) under a variety of market conditions. For example:
o an exchange may suspend or limit trading in a particular derivative instrument, an entire category of derivatives or all derivatives, which sometimes occurs because of increased market volatility;
o unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations of an exchange;
o the facilities of the exchange may not be adequate to handle current trading volume;
o equipment failures, government intervention, insolvency of a brokerage firm or clearing house or other occurrences may disrupt normal trading activity; or
o investors may lose interest in a particular derivative or category of derivatives.
MANAGEMENT RISK - If the Adviser incorrectly predicts stock market and interest rate trends, the Fund may lose money by investing in derivatives. For example, if the Fund were to write a call option based on the Adviser's expectation that the price of the underlying security would fall, but the price were to rise instead, the Fund could be required to sell the security upon exercise at a price below the current market price. Similarly, if the Fund were to write a put option based on the Adviser's expectation that the price of the underlying security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, the Fund could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a price higher than the current market price.
PRICING RISK - At times, market conditions might make it hard to value some investments. For example, if the Fund has valued its securities too high, you may end up paying too much for Fund shares when you buy into the Fund. If the Fund underestimates its price, you may not receive the full market value for your Fund shares when you sell.
MARGIN - Because of the low margin deposits required upon the opening of a derivative position, such transactions involve an extremely high degree of leverage. Consequently, a relatively small price movement in a derivative may result in an immediate and substantial loss (as well as gain) to the Fund and it may lose more than it originally invested in the derivative.
If the price of a futures contract changes adversely, the Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so to meet its minimum daily margin requirement. The Fund may lose its margin deposits if a broker-dealer with whom it has an open futures contract or related option becomes insolvent or declares bankruptcy.
VOLATILITY AND LEVERAGE - The prices of derivatives are volatile (i.e., they may change rapidly, substantially and unpredictably) and are influenced by a variety of factors, including:
o actual and anticipated changes in interest rates;
o fiscal and monetary policies; and
o national and international political events.
Most exchanges limit the amount by which the price of a derivative can change during a single trading day. Daily trading limits establish the maximum amount that the price of a derivative may vary from the settlement price of that derivative at the end of trading on the previous day. Once the price of a derivative reaches this value, the Fund may not trade that derivative at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a given day and does not limit potential gains or losses. Derivative prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days, preventing prompt liquidation of the derivative.
Because many derivatives have a leverage or borrowing component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Accordingly, certain derivative transactions may be considered to constitute borrowing transactions for purposes of the 1940 Act. Such a derivative transaction will not be considered to constitute the issuance of a "senior security" by the Fund, and therefore such a transaction will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund, if the Fund covers the transaction or segregates sufficient liquid assets in accordance with these requirements, and subject to certain risks.
Equity Securities
TYPES OF EQUITY SECURITIES:
COMMON STOCKS - Common stocks represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred stocks, which are described below, dividends on common stocks are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the company's board of directors.
PREFERRED STOCKS - Preferred stocks are also units of ownership in a company. Preferred stocks normally have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of the company. However, in all other respects, preferred stocks are subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer. Unlike common stocks, preferred stocks are generally not entitled to vote on corporate matters. Types of preferred stocks include adjustable-rate preferred stock, fixed dividend preferred stock, perpetual preferred stock, and sinking fund preferred stock. Generally, the market values of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element varies inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk.
CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES - Convertible securities are securities that may be exchanged for, converted into, or exercised to acquire a predetermined number of shares of the issuer's common stock at the Fund's option during a specified time period (such as convertible preferred stocks, convertible debentures and warrants). A convertible security is generally a fixed income security that is senior to common stock in an issuer's capital structure, but is usually subordinated to similar non-convertible securities. In exchange for the conversion feature, many corporations will pay a lower rate of interest on convertible securities than debt securities of the same corporation. In general, the market value of a convertible security is at least the higher of its "investment value" (i.e., its value as a fixed income security) or its "conversion value" (i.e., its value upon conversion into its underlying common stock).
Convertible securities are subject to the same risks as similar securities without the convertible feature. The price of a convertible security is more volatile during times of steady interest rates than other types of debt securities. The price of a convertible security tends to increase as the market value of the underlying stock rises, whereas it tends to decrease as the market value of the underlying common stock declines.
A synthetic convertible security is a combination investment in which the Fund purchases both (i) high-grade cash equivalents or a high grade debt obligation of an issuer or U.S. government securities and (ii) call options or warrants on the common stock of the same or different issuer with some or all of the anticipated interest income from the associated debt obligation that is earned over the holding period of the option or warrant.
While providing a fixed income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar non-convertible security), a convertible security also affords an investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation attendant upon a market price advance in the convertible security's underlying common stock. A synthetic convertible position has similar investment characteristics, but may differ with respect to credit quality, time to maturity, trading characteristics, and other factors. Because the Fund will create synthetic convertible positions only out of high grade fixed
income securities, the credit rating associated with the Fund's synthetic convertible investments is generally expected to be higher than that of the average convertible security, many of which are rated below high grade. However, because the options used to create synthetic convertible positions will generally have expirations between one month and three years of the time of purchase, the maturity of these positions will generally be shorter than average for convertible securities. Since the option component of a convertible security or synthetic convertible position is a wasting asset (in the sense of losing "time value" as maturity approaches), a synthetic convertible position may lose such value more rapidly than a convertible security of longer maturity; however, the gain in option value due to appreciation of the underlying stock may exceed such time value loss, the market price of the option component generally reflects these differences in maturities, and the Adviser takes such differences into account when evaluating such positions. When a synthetic convertible position "matures" because of the expiration of the associated option, the Fund may extend the maturity by investing in a new option with longer maturity on the common stock of the same or different issuer. If the Fund does not so extend the maturity of a position, it may continue to hold the associated fixed income security.
RIGHTS AND WARRANTS - A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life of usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price. Warrants are securities that are usually issued together with a debt security or preferred stock and that give the holder the right to buy proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price. Warrants are freely transferable and are traded on major exchanges. Unlike rights, warrants normally have a life that is measured in years and entitles the holder to buy common stock of a company at a price that is usually higher than the market price at the time the warrant is issued. Corporations often issue warrants to make the accompanying debt security more attractive.
An investment in warrants and rights may entail greater risks than certain other types of investments. Generally, rights and warrants do not carry the right to receive dividends or exercise voting rights with respect to the underlying securities, and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. In addition, their value does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities, and they cease to have value if they are not exercised on or before their expiration date. Investing in rights and warrants increases the potential profit or loss to be realized from the investment as compared with investing the same amount in the underlying securities.
RISKS OF INVESTING IN EQUITY SECURITIES:
GENERAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN STOCKS - While investing in stocks allows investors to participate in the benefits of owning a company, such investors must accept the risks of ownership. Unlike bondholders, who have preference to a company's earnings and cash flow, preferred stockholders, followed by common stockholders in order of priority, are entitled only to the residual amount after a company meets its other obligations. For this reason, the value of a company's stock will usually react more strongly to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects than its debt obligations. Stockholders of a company that fares poorly can lose money.
Stock markets tend to move in cycles with short or extended periods of rising and falling stock prices. The value of a company's stock may fall because of:
o Factors that directly relate to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company's products or services;
o Factors affecting an entire industry, such as increases in production costs; and
o Changes in general financial market conditions that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates or inflation rates.
Because preferred stock is generally junior to debt securities and other obligations of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred stock than in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield characteristics.
SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED COMPANIES - Investors in small- and medium-sized companies typically take on greater risk and price volatility than they would by investing in larger, more established companies. This increased risk may be due to the greater business risks of their small or medium size, limited markets and financial resources, narrow product lines and frequent lack of management depth. The securities of small- and medium-sized companies are often traded in the over-the-counter market and might not be traded in volumes typical of securities traded on a national securities exchange. Thus, the securities of small and medium capitalization companies are likely to be less liquid, and subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements, than securities of larger, more established companies.
TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES - Stocks of technology companies have tended to be subject to greater volatility than securities of companies that are not dependent upon or associated with technological issues. Technology companies operate in various industries. Since these industries frequently share common characteristics, an event or issue affecting one industry may significantly influence other, related industries. For example, technology companies may be strongly affected by worldwide scientific or technological developments and their products and services may be subject to governmental regulation or adversely affected by governmental policies.
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS ("IPOs") - The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of companies offering shares in IPOs. IPOs may have a magnified performance impact on the Fund with a small asset base. The impact of IPOs on the Fund's performance likely will decrease as the Fund's asset size increases, which could reduce the Fund's total returns. IPOs may not be consistently available to the Fund for investing, particularly as the Fund's asset base grows. Because IPO shares frequently are volatile in price, the Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of the Fund's portfolio and may lead to increased expenses for the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. By selling IPO shares, the Fund may realize taxable gains it will subsequently distribute to shareholders. In addition, the market for IPO shares can be speculative and/or inactive for extended periods of time. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without an unfavorable impact on prevailing prices. Holders of IPO shares can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders.
The Fund's investment in IPO shares may include the securities of unseasoned companies (companies with less than three years of continuous operations), which presents risks considerably greater than common stocks of more established companies. These companies may have limited operating histories and their prospects for profitability may be uncertain. These companies may be involved in new and evolving businesses and may be vulnerable to competition and changes in technology, markets and economic conditions. They may be more dependent on key managers and third parties and may have limited product lines.
Foreign Securities
Foreign securities are debt and equity securities that are traded in markets outside of the U.S. The markets in which these securities are located can be developed or emerging. Investors can invest in foreign securities in a number of ways:
o They can invest directly in foreign securities denominated in a foreign currency;
o They can invest in American Depositary Receipts, European Depositary Receipts and other similar global instruments; and
o They can invest in investment funds.
TYPES OF FOREIGN SECURITIES:
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ("ADRs") -- ADRs, as well as other "hybrid" forms of ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs") and Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the U.S. or elsewhere. A custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country holds the underlying shares in trust. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. ADRs are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. EDRs are similar to ADRs, except that they are typically issued by European banks or trust companies.
Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may subject the Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, possible imposition of withholding taxes on income, possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of foreign deposits, possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source or greater fluctuation in value due to changes in exchange rates. Foreign issuers of securities often engage in business practices different from those of domestic issuers of similar securities, and there may be less information publicly available about foreign issuers. In addition, foreign issuers are, generally speaking, subject to less government supervision and regulation and different accounting treatment than are those in the U.S.
ADRs can be sponsored or unsponsored. While these types are similar, there are differences regarding a holder's rights and obligations and the practices of market participants. A depository may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by (or acquiescence of) the underlying issuer; typically, however, the depository requests a letter of non-objection from the underlying issuer prior to establishing the facility. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of the facility. The depository usually charges fees upon the deposit and withdrawal of the underlying securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars or other currency, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services. Sponsored depositary receipt facilities are created in generally the same manner as unsponsored facilities, except that sponsored depositary receipts are established jointly by a depository and the underlying issuer through a deposit agreement. The deposit agreement sets out the rights and responsibilities of the underlying issuer, the depository, and the depositary receipt holders. With sponsored facilities, the underlying issuer typically bears some of the costs of the depositary receipts (such as dividend payment fees of the depository), although most sponsored depositary receipts holders may bear costs such as deposit and withdrawal fees. Depositories of most sponsored depositary receipts agree to distribute notices of shareholder meetings, voting instructions, and other shareholder communications and information to the depositary receipt holders at the underlying issuer's request. The depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through, to the holders of the receipts, voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.
EMERGING MARKETS - An "emerging market country" is generally a country that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) and the International Finance Corporation would consider to be an emerging or developing country. Typically, emerging markets are in countries that are in the process of industrialization, with lower gross national products (GNP) than more developed countries. There are currently over 130 countries that the international financial community generally considers to be emerging or developing countries, approximately 40 of which currently have stock markets. These countries generally include every
nation in the world except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most nations located in Western Europe.
INVESTMENT FUNDS - Some emerging countries currently prohibit direct foreign investment in the securities of their companies. Certain emerging countries, however, permit indirect foreign investment in the securities of companies listed and traded on their stock exchanges through investment funds that they have specifically authorized. Investment in these investment funds are subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act. If the Fund invests in such investment funds, shareholders will bear not only their proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund (including operating expenses and the fees of the Adviser), but also will indirectly bear similar expenses of the underlying investment funds. In addition, these investment funds may trade at a premium over their net asset value.
RISKS OF FOREIGN SECURITIES:
Foreign securities, foreign currencies, and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.
Political and Economic Factors - Local political, economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments may affect the value of foreign investments. Listed below are some of the more important political and economic factors that could negatively affect an investment in foreign securities:
o The economies of foreign countries may differ from the economy of the United States in such areas as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, budget deficits and national debt;
o Foreign governments sometimes participate to a significant degree, through ownership interests or regulation, in their respective economies. Actions by these governments could significantly influence the market prices of securities and payment of dividends;
o The economies of many foreign countries are dependent on international trade and their trading partners and they could be severely affected if their trading partners were to enact protective trade barriers and economic conditions;
o The internal policies of a particular foreign country may be less stable than in the United States. Other countries face significant external political risks, such as possible claims of sovereignty by other countries or tense and sometimes hostile border clashes; and
o A foreign government may act adversely to the interests of U.S. investors, including expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation and other restrictions on U.S. investment. A country may restrict or control foreign investments in its securities markets. These restrictions could limit a fund's ability to invest in a particular country or make it very expensive for the Fund to invest in that country. Some countries require prior governmental approval, limit the types or amount of securities or companies in which a foreigner can invest. Other countries may restrict the ability of foreign investors to repatriate their investment income and capital gains.
INFORMATION AND SUPERVISION - There is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than companies based in the United States. For example, there are often no reports and ratings published about foreign companies comparable to the ones written about U.S. companies. Foreign companies are typically not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable
to those applicable to U.S. companies. The lack of comparable information makes investment decisions concerning foreign companies more difficult and less reliable than those concerning domestic companies.
STOCK EXCHANGE AND MARKET RISK - The Adviser anticipates that, in most cases, an exchange or over-the-counter ("OTC") market located outside of the United States will be the best available market for foreign securities. Foreign stock markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as the markets in the United States. Foreign stock markets tend to differ from those in the United States in a number of ways.
Foreign stock markets:
o Are generally more volatile than, and not as developed or efficient as, those in the United States;
o Have substantially less volume;
o Trade securities that tend to be less liquid and experience rapid and erratic price movements;
o Have generally higher commissions and are subject to set minimum rates, as opposed to negotiated rates;
o Employ trading, settlement and custodial practices less developed than those in U.S. markets; and
o May have different settlement practices, which may cause delays and increase the potential for failed settlements.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to shareholders than U.S. markets because:
o Foreign accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements may render a foreign corporate balance sheet more difficult to understand and interpret than one subject to U.S. law and standards;
o Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available, and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding corporate actions on a timely basis;
o In general, there is less overall governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers, and listed companies than in the United States;
o OTC markets tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain countries, may be totally unregulated;
o Economic or political concerns may influence regulatory enforcement and may make it difficult for shareholders to enforce their legal rights; and
o Restrictions on transferring securities within the United States or to U.S. persons may make a particular security less liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject to such restrictions.
FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK - While the Fund denominates its net asset value in U.S. dollars, the securities of foreign companies are frequently denominated in foreign currencies. Thus, a change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in value of securities denominated in that currency. Some of the factors that may impair the investments denominated in a foreign currency are:
o It may be expensive to convert foreign currencies into U.S. dollars and vice versa;
o Complex political and economic factors may significantly affect the values of various currencies, including the U.S. dollar, and their exchange rates;
o Government intervention may increase risks involved in purchasing or selling foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures contracts, since exchange rates may not be free to fluctuate in response to other market forces;
o There may be no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies or regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis;
o Available quotation information is generally representative of very large round-lot transactions in the inter- bank market and thus may not reflect exchange rates for smaller odd-lot transactions (less than $1 million) where rates may be less favorable; and
o The inter-bank market in foreign currencies is a global, around-the-clock market. To the extent that a market is closed while the markets for the underlying currencies remain open, certain markets may not always reflect significant price and rate movements.
TAXES - Certain foreign governments levy withholding taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries it is possible for the Fund to recover a portion of these taxes, the portion that cannot be recovered will reduce the income the Fund receives from its investments. The Fund does not expect such foreign withholding taxes to have a significant impact on performance.
EMERGING MARKETS - Investing in emerging markets may magnify the risks of foreign investing. Security prices in emerging markets can be significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets, reflecting the greater uncertainties of investing in less established markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets may:
o Have relatively unstable governments;
o Present greater risks of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets;
o Offer less protection of property rights than more developed countries; and
o Have economies that are based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.
Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times.
INVESTMENT COMPANIES
The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies, to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions. These investment companies typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by the Fund. The Fund's purchase of such investment company securities results in the layering of expenses, such that shareholders would indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such investment companies, including advisory fees, in addition to paying the Fund's expenses. Unless an exception is available, Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act prohibits a fund from (i) acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any one investment company, (ii) investing more than 5% of its total assets in any one investment
company, and (iii) investing more than 10% of its total assets in all investment companies combined, including its ETF investments.
For hedging or other purposes, the Fund may invest in investment companies that seek to track the composition and/or performance of specific indexes or portions of specific indexes. Certain of these investment companies, known as exchange-traded funds, are traded on a securities exchange. The market prices of index-based investments will fluctuate in accordance with changes in the underlying portfolio securities of the investment company and also due to supply and demand of the investment company's shares on the exchange upon which the shares are traded. Index-based investments may not replicate or otherwise match the composition or performance of their specified index due to transaction costs, among other things.
Pursuant to orders issued by the SEC to each of certain iShares, Market Vectors, Vanguard, ProShares, PowerShares, Claymore, Direxion, Wisdom Tree, Rydex, First Trust and SPDR exchange-traded funds (collectively, the "ETFs") and procedures approved by the Board, the Fund may invest in the ETFs in excess of the 3% limit described above, provided that the Fund otherwise complies with the conditions of the SEC order, as it may be amended, and any other applicable investment limitations. Neither the ETFs nor their investment advisers make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in the ETFs.
RESTRICTED AND ILLIQUID SECURITIES
While the Fund does not anticipate doing so, it may purchase illiquid securities, including securities that are not readily marketable and securities that are not registered ("restricted securities") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), but which can be offered and sold to "qualified institutional buyers" under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. The Fund will not hold more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. If the percentage of the Fund's net assets held in illiquid securities exceeds 15% due to market activity, the Fund will take appropriate measures to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are securities that can not be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven business days at approximately the value at which they are being carried on the Fund's books. Illiquid securities may include a wide variety of investments, such as repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days, OTC options contracts and certain other derivatives (including certain swap agreements), fixed time deposits that are not subject to prepayment or do not provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), participation interests in loans, commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(2) of the 1933 Act), and securities whose disposition is restricted under the federal securities laws. Illiquid securities include restricted, privately placed securities that, under the federal securities laws, generally may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers. If a substantial market develops for a restricted security (or other illiquid investment) held by the Fund, it may be treated as a liquid security, in accordance with procedures and guidelines approved by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board"). This generally includes securities that are unregistered that can be sold to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act or securities that are exempt from registration under the 1933 Act, such as commercial paper. While the Adviser monitors the liquidity of restricted securities on a daily basis, the Board oversees and retains ultimate responsibility for the Adviser's liquidity determinations. Several factors that the Board considers in monitoring these decisions include the valuation of a security, the availability of qualified institutional buyers, brokers and dealers that trade in the security, and the availability of information about the security's issuer.
SECURITIES LENDING
The Fund may lend portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial organizations that meet capital and other credit requirements or other criteria established by the Board. These loans, if and when made, may not exceed 33 1/3% of the total asset value of the Fund (including the loan collateral). The Fund will not lend portfolio securities to its Adviser or its affiliates unless permissible under the 1940 Act and the rules and
promulgations thereunder. Loans of portfolio securities will be fully collateralized by cash, letters of credit or U.S. government securities, and the collateral will be maintained in an amount equal to at least 100% of the current market value of the loaned securities by marking to market daily. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would be for the account of the Fund.
The Fund may pay a part of the interest earned from the investment of collateral, or other fee, to an unaffiliated third party for acting as the Fund's securities lending agent, but will bear all of any losses from the investment of collateral.
By lending its securities, the Fund may increase its income by receiving payments from the borrower that reflect the amount of any interest or any dividends payable on the loaned securities as well as by either investing cash collateral received from the borrower in short-term instruments or obtaining a fee from the borrower when U.S. government securities or letters of credit are used as collateral. The Fund will adhere to the following conditions whenever its portfolio securities are loaned: (i) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral or equivalent securities of the type discussed in the preceding paragraph from the borrower; (ii) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (iii) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan on demand; (iv) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities and any increase in market value; (v) the Fund may pay only reasonable fees in connection with the loan (which fees may include fees payable to the lending agent, the borrower, the Fund's administrator and the custodian); and (vi) voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, provided, however, that if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, the Fund must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities. The Board has adopted procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the foregoing criteria will be met. Loan agreements involve certain risks in the event of default or insolvency of the borrower, including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund's ability to recover the loaned securities or dispose of the collateral for the loan, which could give rise to loss because of adverse market action, expenses and/or delays in connection with the disposition of the underlying securities.
SHORT SALES
DESCRIPTION OF SHORT SALES:
Selling a security short is when an investor sells a security it does not own. To sell a security short an investor must borrow the security from someone else to deliver to the buyer. The investor then replaces the security it borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at or before the time of replacement. Until it replaces the security, the investor repays the person that lent it the security for any interest or dividends that may have accrued during the period of the loan.
Investors typically sell securities short to:
o Take advantage of an anticipated decline in prices.
o Protect a profit in a security it already owns.
The Fund can lose money if the price of the security it sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. Because the market price of the security sold short could increase without limit, the Fund could also be subject to a theoretically unlimited loss. Likewise, the Fund can profit if the price of the security declines between those dates. Because the market price of the security sold short could increase without limit, the Fund could also be subject to a theoretically unlimited loss.
To borrow the security, the Fund may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The Fund will also incur transaction costs in effecting short sales. The Fund's gains and losses will be decreased or increased, as the case may be, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest, or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale.
The broker will retain the net proceeds of the short sale, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out.
SHORT SALES AGAINST THE BOX - In addition, the Fund may engage in short sales "against the box." In a short sale against the box, the Fund agrees to sell at a future date a security that it either currently owns or has the right to acquire at no extra cost. The Fund will incur transaction costs to open, maintain and close short sales against the box. For tax purposes, a short sale against the box may be a taxable event to the Fund.
RESTRICTIONS ON SHORT SALES:
The Fund will not short sell a security if:
o After giving effect to such short sale, the total market value of all securities sold short would exceed 25% of the value of the Fund's net assets;
o The market value of the securities of any single issuer that have been sold short by the Fund would exceed two percent (2%) of the value of the Fund's net assets; or
o Any security sold short would constitute more than two percent (2%) of any class of the issuer's securities.
Whenever the Fund sells a security short, its custodian segregates an amount of cash or liquid securities equal to the difference between: (a) the market value of the securities sold short at the time they were sold short; and (b) any cash or U.S. government securities the Fund is required to deposit with the broker in connection with the short sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale). The segregated assets are marked to market daily in an attempt to ensure that the amount deposited in the segregated account plus the amount deposited with the broker is at least equal to the market value of the securities at the time they were sold short.
WHEN -ISSUED, DELAYED -- DELIVERY AND FORWARD TRANSACTIONS
A when-issued security is one whose terms are available and for which a market exists, but which have not been issued. In a forward delivery transaction, the Fund contracts to purchase securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time. "Delayed-delivery" refers to securities transactions on the secondary market where settlement occurs in the future. In each of these transactions, the parties fix the payment obligation and the interest rate that they will receive on the securities at the time the parties enter the commitment; however, they do not pay money or deliver securities until a later date. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase before the securities are delivered, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has in a segregated account to cover its position. The Fund will only enter into these types of transactions with the intention of actually acquiring the securities, but may sell them before the settlement date.
The Fund uses when-issued, delayed-delivery and forward delivery transactions to secure what it considers an advantageous price and yield at the time of purchase. When the Fund engages in when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward delivery transactions, it relies on the other party to consummate the sale. If the other party fails to complete the sale, the Fund may miss the opportunity to obtain the security at a favorable price or yield.
When purchasing a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward delivery basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield changes. At the time of
settlement, the market value of the security may be more or less than the purchase price. The yield available in the market when the delivery takes place also may be higher than those obtained in the transaction itself. Because the Fund does not pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with its other investments.
The Fund will segregate cash or liquid securities equal in value to commitments for the when-issued, delayed delivery or forward delivery transactions. The Fund will segregate additional liquid assets daily so that the value of such assets is equal to the amount of the commitments.
INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUND
The Fund will determine compliance with the investment limitation percentages below (with the exception of a limitation relating to borrowing and illiquid securities) and other applicable investment requirements in this SAI immediately after and as a result of its acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, the Fund generally will not consider changes in values, net assets or other circumstances when determining whether the investment complies with its investment limitations.
FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES:
The following investment limitations are fundamental, which means that the Fund cannot change them without approval by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The phrase "majority of the outstanding shares" means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Fund's shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares, whichever is less.
The Fund may not:
o Make any investment inconsistent with its classification as a diversified series of an open-end investment company under the 1940 Act.
o Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by applicable law, as amended and interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction and the guidelines set forth in the Fund's prospectus and SAI as they may be amended from time to time.
o Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by applicable law, as amended and interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction.
o Underwrite securities of other issuers, except insofar as the Fund may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act in connection with the purchase or sale of its portfolio securities.
o Concentrate (invest 25% of its assets) its investments in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry or group of industries (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities).
o Purchase or sell real estate, except: (1) to the extent permitted by applicable law, as amended and interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction; (2) that the Fund may invest in, securities of issuers that deal or invest in real estate; and (3) that the Fund may purchase securities secured by real estate or interests therein.
o Purchase or sell commodities or contracts on commodities except that the Fund may engage in financial futures contracts and related options and currency contracts and related options and may otherwise do so in
accordance with applicable law and without registering as a commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act.
o Make loans to other persons, except that the Fund may lend its portfolio securities in accordance with applicable law, as amended and interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction and the guidelines set forth in the Fund's prospectus and SAI as they may be amended from time to time. The acquisition of investment securities or other investment instruments shall not be deemed to be the making of a loan.
NON-FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES:
In addition to the Fund's investment objective, the following limitations are non-fundamental, which means the Fund may change them without shareholder approval. The Fund may:
o Not (i) purchase securities of any issuer (except securities of other investment companies, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements involving such securities) if, as a result, more than 5% of the total assets of the Fund would be invested in the securities of such issuer; or (ii) acquire more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer. This restriction applies to 75% of the Fund's total assets.
o Not borrow money in an amount exceeding 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets, provided that investment strategies which either obligate the Fund to purchase securities or require the Fund to cover a position by segregating assets or entering into an offsetting position shall not be subject to this limitation. To the extent that its borrowings exceed 5% of its assets: (i) all borrowings will be repaid before the Fund makes additional investments; and (ii) asset coverage of at least 300% is required.
o Purchase and sell currencies or securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward-commitment basis.
o Purchase and sell foreign currency, purchase options on foreign currency and foreign currency exchange contracts.
o Invest in the securities of foreign issuers.
o Purchase shares of other investment companies to the extent permitted by applicable law.
o Notwithstanding any fundamental policy or other limitation, invest all of its investable assets in securities of a single open-end management investment company with substantially the same investment objectives, policies and limitations.
o Hold illiquid and restricted securities to the extent permitted by applicable law. The Fund intends to follow the policies of the SEC as they are adopted from time to time with respect to illiquid securities, including: (1) treating as illiquid securities that may not be disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value at which the Fund has valued the investment on its books; and (2) investing no more than 15% of its net assets in such securities.
o Write covered call options and may buy and sell put and call options.
o Enter into repurchase agreements.
o Lend portfolio securities to registered broker-dealers or other institutional investors. These loans may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund's total assets taken at market value. In addition, the Fund must receive at least 100% collateral.
o Sell securities short and engage in short sales "against the box."
o Enter into swap transactions.
The following descriptions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above policies and restrictions:
DIVERSIFICATION. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified investment management company, as to 75% of its total assets, may not purchase securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agents or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer, or more than 10% of the issuer's outstanding voting securities would be held by the fund.
CONCENTRATION. The SEC staff has defined concentration as investing 25% or more of an investment company's net assets in an industry or group of industries, with certain exceptions.
BORROWING. The 1940 Act presently allows a fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
SENIOR SECURITIES. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligation.
LENDING. Under the 1940 Act, a fund may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies. The Fund's current investment policy on lending is as follows: the Fund may not make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements; and (iii) engage in securities lending as described in its Statement of Additional Information.
UNDERWRITING. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves a fund purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.
COMMODITIES AND REAL ESTATE. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company's ability to invest in commodities and real estate, but does require that every investment company have a fundamental investment policy governing such investments.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES
INVESTMENT ADVISER. Cambiar Investors LLC (the "Adviser"), a Delaware limited liability corporation located at 2401 East Second Avenue, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80206, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The
Adviser manages and supervises the investment of the Fund's assets on a discretionary basis. As of July 31, 2011, the Adviser had approximately $7.3 billion in assets under management. The Adviser and its predecessor, Cambiar Investors, Inc., which was an affiliate of Old Mutual (US) Holdings, Inc. (formerly United Asset Management Company) ("Old Mutual"), have provided investment management services to corporations, foundations, endowments, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates and other institutions as well as individuals since 1973. The Adviser is owned by Cambiar LLP. Cambiar LLP is controlled by 16 partners of Cambiar LLP who were formerly senior officers of Cambiar Investors, Inc.
ADVISORY AGREEMENT WITH THE TRUST. The Trust and the Adviser have entered into an investment advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement"). Under the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser serves as the investment adviser and makes the investment decisions for the Fund and continuously reviews, supervises and administers the investment program of the Fund, subject to the supervision of, and policies established by, the Trustees of the Trust. After the initial two year term, the continuance of the Advisory Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually: (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or "interested persons" of any party thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or, with respect to the Fund, by a majority of the outstanding shares of that Fund, on not less than 30 days' nor more than 60 days' written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser on 90 days' written notice to the Trust. The Advisory Agreement provides that the Adviser shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder. As used in this Advisory Agreement, the terms "majority of the outstanding voting securities," "interested persons" and "assignment" have the same meaning as such terms in the 1940 Act.
ADVISORY FEES PAID TO THE ADVISER. For its services, the Fund pays the Adviser a fee calculated at an annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund's average net assets.
The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses for the Fund in order to keep net operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses (collectively, "excluded expenses")) from exceeding the 1.30%, as a percentage of average net assets, until September 1, 2013. The Adviser may renew these contractual fee waivers for subsequent periods. In addition, if at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser to reduce fees or make expense reimbursements, the Adviser may retain the difference between the total annual fund operating expenses (not including excluded expenses) and 1.30% for the Fund to recover all or a portion of its prior fee reductions or expense reimbursements made during the preceding three-year period during which this agreement was in place. To maintain these expense limits, the Adviser may reduce a portion of its management fees and/or reimburse certain expenses of the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
This section includes information about the Fund's portfolio managers, including information about other accounts managed, the dollar range of Fund shares owned and how the portfolio manager is compensated.
COMPENSATION. The Adviser compensates the Fund's portfolio managers for their management of the Fund and the Adviser's other accounts. The portfolio managers' compensation consists of an industry competitive base salary, discretionary cash bonus, and a profit-sharing contribution at year-end. While Cambiar's investment professionals receive a competitive salary plus a bonus tied to firm and individual performance, contributions are also measured through performance attribution which details individual stock and sector selection as well as overall "value added" for the firm. This would include assistance with product development and client service.
Company equity is also available to reward key employees. The following table represents the benchmarks against which each portfolio manager's pre-tax performance results are compared:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INVESTMENT STRATEGY BENCHMARK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cambiar Global Select Fund MSCI ACWI Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
FUND SHARES OWNED BY THE PORTFOLIO MANAGERS. The Fund is required to show the dollar amount range of each portfolio manager's "beneficial ownership" of shares of the Fund as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. "Beneficial ownership" is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"). Because the Fund is new, as of the date of this SAI, the portfolio managers did not beneficially own shares of the Fund.
OTHER ACCOUNTS. In addition to the Fund, the portfolio managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as follows. The information below is provided as of July 31, 2011.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REGISTERED INVESTMENT OTHER POOLED INVESTMENT COMPANIES VEHICLES OTHER ACCOUNTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NUMBER OF TOTAL ASSETS NUMBER OF TOTAL ASSETS NUMBER OF TOTAL ASSETS NAME ACCOUNTS (IN MILLIONS) ACCOUNTS (IN MILLIONS) ACCOUNTS (IN MILLIONS) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ania A. Aldrich 0 $0 0 $0 90 $152.8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Todd L. Edwards 0 $0 0 $0 1 $0.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alvaro |
CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS. The portfolio managers' management of "other accounts" may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in connection with his or her management of the Fund's investments, on the one hand, and the investments of the other accounts, on the other. The other accounts may have the same investment objective as the Fund. Therefore, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the identical investment objectives, whereby the portfolio manager could favor one account over another. Another potential conflict could include the portfolio manager's knowledge about the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades, whereby the portfolio manager could use this information to the advantage of other accounts and to the disadvantage of the Fund.
THE ADMINISTRATOR
GENERAL. SEI Investments Global Funds Services (the "Administrator"), a Delaware statutory trust, has its principal business offices at One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456. SEI Investments Management Corporation ("SIMC"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEI Investments Company ("SEI Investments"), is the owner of all beneficial interest in the Administrator. SEI Investments and its subsidiaries and affiliates, including the Administrator, are leading providers of fund evaluation services, trust accounting systems, and brokerage and information services to financial institutions, institutional investors, and money managers. The Administrator and its affiliates also serve as administrator or sub-administrator to other mutual funds.
ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT WITH THE TRUST. The Trust and the Administrator have entered into an administration agreement (the "Administration Agreement") dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated November 12,
2002. Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides the Trust with administrative services, including regulatory reporting and all necessary office space, equipment, personnel and facilities. Pursuant to a schedule to the Administration Agreement, the Administrator also serves as the shareholder servicing agent for the Fund whereby the Administrator provides certain shareholder services to the Fund.
The Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the matters to which the Administration Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Administrator in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its duties and obligations thereunder.
ADMINISTRATION FEES PAID TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. For its services under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator is entitled to the greater of its Basis Point Fee or its Portfolio Minimum Fee. The Basis Point Fee will be calculated as follows: 0.08% for the first $500 million in assets, 0.06% for the next $500 million in assets, 0.045% for the next $2 billion in assets, and 0.035% for all assets greater than $3 billion. The Basis Point Fee is calculated based on the aggregate total average daily net assets of the Cambiar Funds administered during the period. Basis Point fees so calculated shall be allocated to each Cambiar Fund on a pro rata basis based on the average daily net assets of each such Cambiar Fund during the period. The Portfolio Minimum Fee shall be $50,000 for each Cambiar Fund plus $10,000 for each class of shares, not including the first class, of each Cambiar Fund.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
The Trust and SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the "Distributor"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEI Investments and an affiliate of the Administrator, are parties to a distribution agreement dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated November 14, 2005 (the "Distribution Agreement") whereby the Distributor acts as principal underwriter for the Trust's shares. The principal business address of the Distributor is One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456.
The continuance of the Distribution Agreement must be specifically approved at least annually: (i) by the vote of the Trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operations of the Distribution Agreement or any related agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act), and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or, with respect to any Fund, by a majority of the outstanding shares of that Fund, upon not more than 60 days' written notice by either party. The Distribution Agreement provides that the Distributor shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties thereunder.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING PLAN. The Fund has adopted a shareholder servicing plan (the "Service Plan") under which a shareholder servicing fee of up to 0.25% of average daily net assets attributable to the Investor Class Shares of the Fund will be paid to other service providers. Under the Service Plan, other service providers may perform, or may compensate other service providers for performing certain shareholder and administrative services as discussed below.
DESCRIPTION OF SHAREHOLDER SERVICES. Shareholder services may include: (i) maintaining accounts relating to clients that invest in shares; (ii) arranging for bank wires; (iii) responding to client inquiries relating to the services performed by the services provider; (iv) responding to inquiries from clients concerning their investment
in shares; (v) assisting clients in changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; (vi) providing information periodically to clients showing their position in shares; (vii) forwarding shareholder communications from the Fund such as proxies, shareholder reports, annual reports, and dividend distribution and tax notices to clients; and (viii) processing dividend payments from the Fund on behalf of clients.
PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES. Financial intermediaries may receive payments from the own resources of the Adviser and/or its affiliates as incentives to market the Fund, to cooperate with the promotional efforts of the Fund, and/or in recognition of their marketing, administrative services, and/or processing support. Such services include, but are not limited to: process and mail trade confirmations to clients; process and mail monthly client statements for fund shareholders; capture, process and mail tax data to fund shareholders; issue and mail dividend checks to shareholders that select cash distributions; prepare record date lists of shareholders for proxy solicitations and mail proxy materials to shareholders; trade execution via FundSERV; proper settlement of all transactions; collect and post distributions to shareholder accounts; automated sweep of proceeds from redemptions; handle organizational actions such as fund mergers and name changes; provide a dedicated shareholder service center that addresses all client and broker inquiries regarding operational issuers and fund investment performance; establish, maintain and process systematic withdrawals and automated investment plans; establish and maintain shareholder account registrations and distribution options; process purchases, liquidations, exchanges, transfers, dividend options and maintain address changes; and process 12b-1 payments.
Marketing support and/or administrative services payments may be made to financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares or provide services to the Fund, the Distributor or shareholders of the Fund through the financial intermediary's retail distribution channel and/or through programs such as retirement programs, qualified tuition programs, fund supermarkets, fee-based advisory or wrap fee programs, bank trust programs, and insurance (e.g., individual or group annuity) programs. In addition to the opportunity to participate in a financial intermediary's retail distribution channel or program, payments may include one or more of the following: business planning assistance; educating financial intermediary personnel about the Fund; assistance with Fund shareholder financial planning; placement on the financial intermediary's preferred or recommended fund list; access to sales representatives and management representatives of the financial intermediary; program administration; fund/investment selection and monitoring; enrollment; and education. A financial intermediary may perform the services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform the services.
The Adviser and/or its affiliates may also make payments out of their own resources to certain financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares to help offset the financial intermediaries' costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement preparation, and transaction processing. From time to time, out of the own resources of the Adviser and/or its affiliates, additional payments may be made to financial intermediaries that sell or provide services in connection with the sale of Fund shares or the servicing of shareholder accounts. Such payments may include payment or reimbursement to, or on behalf of, financial intermediaries for costs associated with the purchase of products or services used in connection with sales and marketing, participation in and/or presentation at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs, client and investor entertainment and events, and other sponsored events, and travel expenses, including lodging incurred by registered representatives and other employees in connection with training and educational meetings, client prospecting, retention, and due diligence trips.
TRANSFER AGENT
DST Systems, Inc., 333 W. 11th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105 (the "Transfer Agent"), serves as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund under a transfer agency agreement with the Trust.
CUSTODIAN
Union Bank, N.A., 475 Sansome Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, California 94111 (the "Custodian") serves as the custodian of the Fund. The Custodian holds cash, securities and other assets of the Fund as required by the 1940 Act.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Ernst & Young LLP, Two Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, serves as independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 1701 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2921, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS OF THE TRUST
BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES. The management and affairs of the Trust and its series, including the Fund described in this SAI, are overseen by the Trustees. The Board has approved contracts, as described above, under which certain companies provide essential management services to the Trust.
Like most mutual funds, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the management of risk, is performed by third party service providers, such as the Adviser, Distributor and Administrator. The Trustees are responsible for overseeing the Trust's service providers and, thus, have oversight responsibility with respect to risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the funds. The funds and their service providers employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust's business (e.g., the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that business. The Board has emphasized to the funds' service providers the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management.
The Trustees' role in risk oversight begins before the inception of a fund, at which time certain of the fund's service providers present the Board with information concerning the investment objectives, strategies and risks of the fund as well as proposed investment limitations for the fund. Additionally, the fund's adviser provides the Board with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board continues its oversight function as various personnel, including the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer, as well as personnel of the adviser and other service providers such as the fund's independent accountants, make periodic reports to the Audit Committee or to the Board with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board and the Audit Committee oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which the funds may be exposed.
The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the funds by the adviser and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew the advisory agreement with the adviser, the Board meets with the adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the adviser's adherence to the funds' investment restrictions and compliance with various fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the funds' investments,
including, for example, portfolio holdings schedules and reports on the adviser's use of derivatives in managing the funds, if any, as well as reports on the funds' investments in ETFs, if any.
The Trust's Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Board to review and discuss compliance issues and fund and adviser risk assessments. At least annually, the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust's policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the adviser. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; any material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and any material compliance matters since the date of the last report.
The Board receives reports from the funds' service providers regarding operational risks and risks related to the valuation and liquidity of portfolio securities. The Trust's Fair Value Pricing Committee makes regular reports to the Board concerning investments for which market quotations are not readily available. Annually, the independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the Audit Committee its audit of the funds' financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the funds and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the funds' internal controls. Additionally, in connection with its oversight function, the Board oversees fund management's implementation of disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in its periodic reports with the SEC are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods. The Board also oversees the Trust's internal controls over financial reporting, which comprise policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the Trust's financial reporting and the preparation of the Trust's financial statements.
From their review of these reports and discussions with the adviser, the Chief Compliance Officer, the independent registered public accounting firm and other service providers, the Board and the Audit Committee learn in detail about the material risks of the funds, thereby facilitating a dialogue about how management and service providers identify and mitigate those risks.
The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the funds can be identified and/or quantified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the funds' goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. Most of the funds' investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the funds' adviser and other service providers each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the funds' and each other's in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board's ability to monitor and manage risk, as a practical matter, is subject to limitations.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. There are eight members of the Board of Trustees, six of whom are not interested persons of the Trust, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act ("independent Trustees"). Robert Nesher, an interested person of the Trust, serves as Chairman of the Board. George Sullivan, an independent Trustee, serves as the lead independent Trustee. The Trust has determined its leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Trust. The Trust made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the independent Trustees constitute a super-majority (75%) of the Board, the fact that the chairperson of each Committee of the Board is an independent Trustee, the amount of assets under management in the Trust, and the number of funds (and classes of shares) overseen by the Board. The Board also
believes that its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the independent Trustees from fund management.
The Board of Trustees has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, Governance Committee and Fair Value Pricing Committee. The Audit Committee and Governance Committee are chaired by an independent Trustee and composed of all of the independent Trustees. In addition, the Board of Trustees has a lead independent Trustee.
In his role as lead independent Trustee, Mr. Sullivan, among other things:
presides over board meetings in the absence of the Chairman of the Board;
presides over executive sessions of the independent Trustees; along with the
Chairman of the Board, oversees the development of agendas for Board meetings;
facilitates communication between the independent Trustees and management, and
among the independent Trustees; serves as a key point person for dealings
between the independent Trustees and management; and has such other
responsibilities as the Board or independent Trustees determine from time to
time.
Set forth below are the names, dates of birth, position with the Trust, length of term of office, and the principal occupations and other directorships held during at least the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as a Trustee of the Trust. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each Trustee is SEI Investments Company, One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSITION NAME AND WITH TRUST PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS OTHER DIRECTORSHIPS HELD IN THE PAST 5 YEARS DATE OF AND LENGTH IN THE PAST 5 YEARS BIRTH OF TERM ------------ ------------ -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- INTERESTED TRUSTEES ------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Robert Chairman of SEI employee 1974 to Trustee of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II, Nesher the Board of present; currently Bishop Street Funds, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI (08/17/46) Trustees(1) performs various services Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional (since 1991) on behalf of SEI Investments Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, Investments for which Mr. SEI Liquid Asset Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust Nesher is compensated. and SEI Tax Exempt Trust. Director of SEI Global President and Director of Master Fund plc, SEI Global Assets Fund plc, SEI SEI Opportunity Fund, Global Investments Fund plc, SEI Investments-- L.P. and SEI Structured Global Funds Services, Limited, SEI Investments Credit Fund, LP. President Global, Limited, SEI Investments (Europe) Ltd., SEI and Chief Executive Investments--Unit Trust Management (UK) Officer of SEI Alpha Limited, SEI Multi-Strategy Funds PLC, SEI Global Strategy Portfolios, LP, Nominee Ltd. and SEI Alpha Strategy Portfolios, LP. June 2007 to present. ------------ ------------ -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- William M. Trustee(1) Self-Employed Consultant Trustee of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II, Doran (since 1991) since 2003. Partner at Bishop Street Funds, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI (05/26/40) Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional LLP (law firm) from 1976 Investments Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, to 2003, counsel to the SEI Liquid Asset Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust Trust, SEI Investments, and SEI Tax Exempt Trust. Director of SEI Alpha SIMC, the Administrator Strategy Portfolios, LP since June 2007. Director of and the Distributor. SEI Investments (Europe), Limited, SEI Investments--Global Funds Services, Limited, SEI Investments Global, Limited, SEI Investments (Asia), Limited and SEI Asset Korea Co., Ltd. Director of the Distributor since 2003. ------------ ------------ -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES ------------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Charles E. Trustee Self-Employed Business Trustee of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II and Carlbom (since 2005) Consultant, Business Bishop Street Funds; Director of Oregon Transfer (08/20/34) Projects Inc. since 1997. Co. ------------ ------------ -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- John K. Darr Trustee Retired. CEO, Office of Trustee of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II and (08/17/44) (since 2008) Finance, Federal Home Bishop Street Funds. Director, Federal Home Loan Loan Bank, from 1992 to Bank of Pittsburgh. Director, Manna, Inc. (non- 2007. profit developer of affordable housing for ownership). Director, MortgageIT Holdings, Inc. (December 2005 -- January 2007). ------------ ------------ -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Mitchell A. Trustee Private investor and self- Trustee of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II, Johnson (since 2005) employed consultant Bishop Street Funds, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI (03/01/42) (strategic investments). Daily Income Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Liquid Asset Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust and SEI Alpha Strategy Portfolios, LP. Director, Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) since 1997. ------------ ------------ -------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- S-37 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSITION NAME AND WITH TRUST PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS OTHER DIRECTORSHIPS HELD IN THE PAST 5 YEARS DATE OF AND LENGTH IN THE PAST 5 YEARS BIRTH OF TERM ------------- ------------ -------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Trustee, Citizens Funds (1998 -- 2006). Director, The FBR Rushmore Funds (2002 -- 2005). Trustee, Diversified Investors Portfolios (2006 -- 2008). ------------- ------------ -------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Betty L. Trustee Vice President, Trustee of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II and Krikorian (since 2005) Compliance, AARP Bishop Street Funds. (01/23/43) Financial Inc. since 2008. Self-Employed Legal and Financial Services Consultant since 2003. Counsel (in-house) for State Street Bank from 1995 to 2003. ------------- ------------ -------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- James M. Trustee Attorney, Solo Trustee/Director of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund Storey (since 1994) Practitioner since 1994. II, Bishop Street Funds, U.S. Charitable Gift Trust, (04/12/31) SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Liquid Asset Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust and SEI Alpha Strategy Portfolios, L.P. ------------- ------------ -------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- George J. Trustee Self-employed Trustee/Director of State Street Navigator Securities Sullivan, Jr. (since 1999) Consultant, Newfound Lending Trust, The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II, (11/13/42) Lead Consultants Inc. since Bishop Street Funds, SEI Opportunity Fund, L.P., Independent April 1997. SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP, SEI Daily Income Trustee Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Liquid Asset Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust and SEI Alpha Strategy Portfolios, LP; member of the independent review committee for SEI's Canadian- registered mutual funds. ------------- ------------ -------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- |
(1) Denotes Trustees who may be deemed to be "interested" persons of the Fund as that term is defined in the 1940 Act by virtue of their affiliation with the Distributor and/or its affiliates.
Individual Trustee Qualifications
The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve on the Board
because of their ability to review and understand information about the Fund
provided to them by management, to identify and request other information they
may deem relevant to the performance of their duties, to question management
and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the
management and administration of the Fund, and to exercise their business
judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Fund's shareholders.
The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees should serve as a Trustee
based on their own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as
described below.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Nesher should serve as Trustee because of the experience he has gained in his various roles with SEI Investments Company, which he joined in 1974, his knowledge of and experience in the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 1991.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Doran should serve as Trustee because of the experience he gained serving as a Partner in the Investment Management and Securities Industry Practice of a large law firm, his experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 1991.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Carlbom should serve as Trustee because of the business experience he gained as President and CEO of a large distribution cooperative and Chairman of a consulting company, his knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 2005.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Darr should serve as Trustee because of his background in economics, the business experience he gained in a variety of roles with different financial and banking institutions and as a founder of a money management firm, his knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 2008.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Johnson should serve as Trustee because of the experience he gained as a senior vice president, corporate finance, of a Fortune 500 company, his experience in and knowledge of the financial services and banking industries, the experience he gained serving as a director of other mutual funds, and the experience he has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 2005.
The Trust has concluded that Ms. Krikorian should serve as Trustee because of the experience she gained serving as a legal and financial services consultant, in-house counsel to a large custodian bank and Vice President of Compliance of an investment adviser, her background in fiduciary and banking law, her experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience she has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 2005.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Storey should serve as Trustee because of the mutual fund governance experience he gained as an Investment Management attorney, both in private practice and with the SEC, his background serving as counsel to numerous mutual fund boards of trustees, his knowledge of the 1940 Act, his experience in and knowledge of the financial services industry, and the experience he has gained serving as trustee of the Trust since 1994.
The Trust has concluded that Mr. Sullivan should serve as Trustee because of the experience he gained as a certified public accountant and financial consultant, his experience in and knowledge of public company accounting and auditing and the financial services industry, the experience he gained as an officer of a large financial services firm in its operations department and his experience from serving as trustee of the Trust since 1999.
In its periodic assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board's overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the funds.
BOARD COMMITTEES. The Board has established the following standing committees:
o AUDIT COMMITTEE. The Board has a standing Audit Committee that is composed of each of the independent Trustees of the Trust. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter approved by
the Board. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee include: recommending which firm to engage as each fund's independent registered public accounting firm and whether to terminate this relationship; reviewing the independent registered public accounting firm's compensation, the proposed scope and terms of its engagement, and the firm's independence; pre-approving audit and non-audit services provided by each fund's independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust and certain other affiliated entities; serving as a channel of communication between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trustees; reviewing the results of each external audit, including any qualifications in the independent registered public accounting firm's opinion, any related management letter, management's responses to recommendations made by the independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the audit, reports submitted to the Committee by the internal auditing department of the Trust's Administrator that are material to the Trust as a whole, if any, and management's responses to any such reports; reviewing each fund's audited financial statements and considering any significant disputes between the Trust's management and the independent registered public accounting firm that arose in connection with the preparation of those financial statements; considering, in consultation with the independent registered public accounting firm and the Trust's senior internal accounting executive, if any, the independent registered public accounting firms' reports on the adequacy of the Trust's internal financial controls; reviewing, in consultation with each fund's independent registered public accounting firm, major changes regarding auditing and accounting principles and practices to be followed when preparing each fund's financial statements; and other audit related matters. Messrs. Carlbom, Darr, Johnson, Storey, Sullivan and Ms. Krikorian currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Sullivan serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee meets periodically, as necessary, and met XX (XX) times during the most recently completed fiscal year.
o FAIR VALUE PRICING COMMITTEE. The Board has a standing Fair Value Pricing Committee that is composed of at least one Trustee and various representatives of the Trust's service providers, as appointed by the Board. The Fair Value Pricing Committee operates under procedures approved by the Board. The principal responsibility of the Fair Value Pricing Committee is to determine the fair value of securities for which current market quotations are not readily available. The Fair Value Pricing Committee's determinations are reviewed by the Board. Mr. Nesher, interested trustee, currently serves as the Board's delegate on the Fair Value Pricing Committee. The Fair Value Pricing Committee meets periodically, as necessary, and met XX (XX) times during the most recently completed fiscal year.
o GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE. The Board has a standing Governance Committee (formerly the Nominating Committee) that is composed of each of the independent Trustees of the Trust. The Governance Committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board. The principal responsibilities of the Governance Committee include: considering and reviewing Board governance and compensation issues; conducting a self-assessment of the Board's operations; selecting and nominating all persons to serve as Independent Trustees and evaluating the qualifications of "interested" Trustee candidates; and reviewing shareholder recommendations for nominations to fill vacancies on the Board if such recommendations are submitted in writing and addressed to the Committee at the Trust's office. Ms. Krikorian and Messrs. Carlbom, Darr, Johnson, Storey and Sullivan, currently serve as members of the Governance Committee. Ms. Krikorian serves as the Chairman of the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee meets periodically, as necessary, and met XX (XX) times during the most recently completed fiscal year.
FUND SHARES OWNED BY BOARD MEMBERS. The following table shows the dollar amount range of each Trustee's "beneficial ownership" of shares of the Fund as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. "Beneficial ownership" is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act. The Trustees and officers of the Trust own less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Trust.
DOLLAR RANGE OF FUND SHARES AGGREGATE DOLLAR RANGE OF SHARES NAME (FUND)(1) (ALL FUNDS)(2,3) -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- INTERESTED TRUSTEES -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Doran None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Nesher None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Carlbom None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Darr None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Johnson None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Krikorian None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Storey None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- Sullivan None None -------------------- --------------------------- -------------------------------- |
1 Because the Fund is new, as of the date of this SAI, none of the Trustees owned shares of the Fund. 2 Valuation date is December 31, 2010. 3 The Trust is the only investment company in the "Fund Complex." |
Board Compensation. The Trust paid the following fees to the Trustees during its most recently completed fiscal year.
PENSION OR RETIREMENT BENEFITS ESTIMATED ANNUAL AGGREGATE ACCRUED AS PART OF BENEFITS UPON TOTAL COMPENSATION FROM THE TRUST NAME COMPENSATION FUND EXPENSES RETIREMENT AND FUND COMPLEX(*) --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- INTERESTED TRUSTEES ---------------------- ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Doran $0 n/a n/a $0 for service on one (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Nesher $0 n/a n/a $0 for service on one (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES ---------------------- ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Carlbom $41,817 n/a n/a $41,817 for service on (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Darr $41,817 n/a n/a $41,817 for service on (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Johnson $41,817 n/a n/a $41,817 for service on (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Krikorian $41,817 n/a n/a $41,817 for service on (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Storey $41,817 n/a n/a $41,817 for service on (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- Sullivan $41,817 n/a n/a $41,817 for service on (1) board --------- ------------ ------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------- |
* The Trust is the only investment company in the "Fund Complex."
TRUST OFFICERS. Set forth below are the names, dates of birth, position with the Trust, length of term of office, and the principal occupations for the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as executive officers of the Trust. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each officer is SEI Investments Company, One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456. The Chief Compliance Officer is the only officer who receives compensation from the Trust for his services.
Certain officers of the Trust also serve as officers of one or more mutual funds for which SEI Investments Company or its affiliates act as investment manager, administrator or distributor.
NAME AND POSITION WITH PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS IN PAST 5 OTHER DIRECTORSHIPS HELD DATE OF BIRTH TRUST AND LENGTH YEARS OF TERM ------------- ---------- -------- -------- ---- ---------- --------------- ------------------------ Philip T. President Managing Director of SEI Investments None. Masterson (since 2008) since 2005. Vice President and (03/12/64) Assistant Secretary of the Administrator from 2004 to 2006. General Counsel of Citco Mutual Fund Services from 2003 to 2004. Vice President and Senior Counsel for the Oppenheimer Funds from 1998 to 2003. ------------- ---------- -------- ------------------------ --------------- ------------------------ Michael Treasurer, Director, SEI Investments, Fund None. Lawson Controller and Accounting since July 2005. Manager, (10/08/60) Chief Financial SEI Investments, Fund Accounting at Officer SEI Investments AVP from April 1995 (since 2005) to February 1998 and November 1998 to July 2005. ------------- ---------- -------- ------------- ---------- --------------- ------------------------ Russell Emery Chief Compliance Chief Compliance Officer of SEI None. (12/18/62) Officer Structured Credit Fund, LP and SEI (since 2006) Alpha Strategy Portfolios, LP since June 2007. Chief Compliance Officer of SEI Opportunity Fund, L.P., SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Liquid Asset Trust and SEI Tax Exempt Trust since March 2006. Director of Investment Product Management and Development, SEI Investments, since February 2003; Senior Investment Analyst -- Equity Team, SEI Investments, from March 2000 to February 2003. ------------- ---------- -------- ------------------------ --------------- ------------------------ Timothy D. Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary of None. Barto Assistant Secretary SIMC and the Administrator since (03/28/68) (since 1999) 2004. Vice President of SIMC and the Administrator since 1999. Vice President and Assistant Secretary of SEI Investments since 2001. Assistant Secretary of SIMC, the Administrator and the Distributor, and Vice President of the Distributor from 1999 to 2003. ------------- ---------- -------- ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ James Ndiaye Vice President Vice President and Assistant Secretary None. (09/11/68) and Assistant of SIMC since 2005. Vice President at ------------- ------------------- ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ S-42 |
NAME AND POSITION WITH PRINCIPAL OCCUPATIONS IN PAST 5 OTHER DIRECTORSHIPS HELD DATE OF BIRTH TRUST AND LENGTH YEARS OF TERM --------------- --------- ------ --------------------------------------- ------------------------ Secretary Deutsche Asset Management from 2003 (since 2004) to 2004. Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP from 2000 to 2003. --------------- --------- ------ --------------------------------------- ------------------------ Dianne M. Vice President Counsel at SEI Investments since 2010. None. Sulzbach and Secretary Associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (07/18/77) (since 2011) LLP from 2006 to 2010. Associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP from 2003 to 2006. Associate at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP from 2002 to 2003. --------------- --------- ------ --------------------------------------- ------------------------ Keri Rohn Privacy Officer Compliance Officer at SEI Investments None. (8/24/80) (since 2009) since 2003. AML Officer (since 2011) --------------- ---------------- --------------------------------------- ------------------------ Michael Beattie Vice President Director of Client Service at SEI since None. (03/13/65) (since 2009) 2004. --------------- ---------------- --------------------------------------- ------------------------ |
PURCHASING AND REDEEMING SHARES
Purchases and redemptions may be made through the Transfer Agent on any day the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") is open for business. Shares of the Fund are offered and redeemed on a continuous basis. Currently, the Trust is closed for business when the following holidays are observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It is currently the Trust's policy to pay all redemptions in cash. The Trust retains the right, however, to alter this policy to provide for redemptions in whole or in part by a distribution in-kind of securities held by the Fund in lieu of cash. Shareholders may incur brokerage charges on the sale of any such securities so received in payment of redemptions. A shareholder will at all times be entitled to aggregate cash redemptions from all funds of the Trust up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Trust's net assets during any 90-day period. The Trust has obtained an exemptive order from the SEC that permits the Trust to make in-kind redemptions to those shareholders of the Trust that are affiliated with the Trust solely by their ownership of a certain percentage of the Trust's investment portfolios.
The Trust reserves the right to suspend the right of redemption and/or to postpone the date of payment upon redemption for any period on which trading on the NYSE is restricted, or during the existence of an emergency (as determined by the SEC by rule or regulation) as a result of which disposal or valuation of the Fund's securities is not reasonably practicable, or for such other periods as the SEC has by order permitted. The Trust also reserves the right to suspend sales of shares of any Fund for any period during which the NYSE, the Adviser, the Administrator, the Transfer Agent and/or the Custodian are not open for business.
The Fund has no current intention to allow purchases in-kind, but under certain circumstances they may allow investors to purchase shares by contributing securities in-kind to the Fund, provided that the securities used to purchase Fund shares are appropriate investments for the Fund, are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies, and meet any other applicable criteria established by the Adviser, such as liquidity. The Fund will value the securities in accordance with its policies and procedures with respect to the valuation of portfolio securities, as of the time at which the Fund determines its net asset value per share of the Fund (the
"NAV") on the day that the securities are contributed to the Fund in-kind. The Adviser has the sole discretion with respect to determining whether particular securities may be used as payment in-kind for Fund shares.
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
SECURITY VALUATION. Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on NASDAQ) are valued at the last quoted sale price on the primary exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded, or, if there is no such reported sale, at the most recent quoted bid price. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. The prices for foreign securities are reported in local currency and converted to U.S. dollars using currency exchange rates. Prices for most securities held by the Fund are provided daily by recognized independent pricing agents. If a security price cannot be obtained from an independent, third-party pricing agent, the Fund seeks to obtain a bid price from at least one independent broker.
FAIR VALUE PROCEDURES. Securities for which market prices are not "readily available" are valued in accordance with Fair Value Procedures established by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board"). The Fund's Fair Value Procedures are implemented through a Fair Value Committee (the "Committee") designated by the Board. Some of the more common reasons that may necessitate that a security be valued using Fair Value Procedures include: the security's trading has been halted or suspended; the security has been de-listed from a national exchange; the security's primary trading market is temporarily closed at a time when under normal conditions it would be open; or the security's primary pricing source is not able or willing to provide a price. When a security is valued in accordance with the Fair Value Procedures, the Committee will determine the value after taking into consideration relevant information reasonably available to the Committee.
USE OF THIRD-PARTY INDEPENDENT PRICING AGENTS. The Fund uses FT Interactive ("FT") as a third party fair valuation vendor. FT provides a fair value for foreign securities held by the Fund based on certain factors and methodologies (involving, generally, tracking valuation correlations between the U.S. market and each non-U.S. security) applied by FT in the event that there is a movement in the U.S. market that exceeds a specific threshold that has been established by the Committee. The Committee has also established a "confidence interval" which is used to determine the level of correlation between the value of a foreign security and movements in the U.S. market before a particular security is fair valued when the threshold is exceeded. In the event that the threshold established by the Committee is exceeded on a specific day, the Fund values the non-U.S. securities in its portfolio that exceed the applicable "confidence interval" based upon the fair values provided by FT. In such event, it is not necessary to hold a Committee meeting. In the event that the Adviser believes that the fair values provided by FT are not reliable, the Adviser contacts the Fund's Administrator and requests that a meeting of the Committee be held.
Options for which the primary market is a national securities exchange are valued at the last quoted sale price on the primary exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded, or, if there is no such reported sale, at the most recent quoted bid price for long options, and the most recent ask price for written options. Options not traded on a national securities exchange are valued in accordance with Fair Value Procedures established by the Funds' Board of Trustees.
For securities that principally trade on a foreign market or exchange, a significant gap in time can exist between the time of a particular security's last trade and the time at which the Fund calculates its net asset value. The closing prices of such securities may no longer reflect their market value at the time the Fund calculates net asset value if an event that could materially affect the value of those securities (a "Significant Event") has occurred between the time of the security's last close and the time that the Fund calculates net asset value. A Significant Event may relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector. If the adviser of the Fund becomes aware of a Significant Event that has occurred with respect to a security or group of securities after the closing of the
exchange or market on which the security or securities principally trade, but before the time at which the Fund calculates net asset value, it may request that a Committee Meeting be called.
In addition, the Fund's administrator monitors price movements among certain selected indices, securities and/or baskets of securities that may be an indicator that the closing prices received earlier from foreign exchanges or markets may not reflect market value at the time the Fund calculates net asset value. If price movements in a monitored index or security exceed levels established by the administrator, the administrator notifies the adviser if the Fund is holding the relevant security that such limits have been exceeded. In such event, the adviser makes the determination whether a Committee Meeting should be called based on the information provided.
TAXES
The following is only a summary of certain additional federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders that is intended to supplement the discussion contained in the Fund's prospectus. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders, and the discussion here and in the Fund's prospectus is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Shareholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with specific reference to their own tax situations, including their state, local, and foreign tax liabilities.
The following general discussion of certain federal income tax consequences is based on the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
Congress passed the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act on December 22, 2010 (the "RIC Mod Act") which makes certain beneficial changes for Regulated Investment Companies ("RICs") and their shareholders, some of which are referenced below. In general, the RIC Mod Act contains simplification provisions effective for taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010, which are aimed at preventing disqualification of a RIC for "inadvertent" failures of the asset diversification and/or qualifying income tests. Additionally, the RIC Mod Act allows capital losses to be carried forward indefinitely, and retain the character of the original loss, exempts RICs from the preferential dividend rule, and repealed the 60-day designation requirement for certain types of income and gains.
QUALIFICATIONS AS A RIC. The Fund intends to qualify and elects to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. By following such a policy, the Fund expects to eliminate or reduce to a nominal amount the federal taxes to which it may be subject. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
In order to be taxable as a RIC, the Fund must distribute annually to its shareholders at least 90% of its net investment income (generally net investment income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses, less operating expenses) and at least 90% of its net tax exempt interest income, for each tax year, if any, to its shareholders ("Distribution Requirement") and also must meet several additional requirements. Among these requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund's gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, and certain other related income, including, generally, certain gains from options, futures, and forward contracts derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership; (ii) at the end of each fiscal quarter of the Fund's taxable year, at least 50% of the market value of its total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect to any one issuer, to an amount not greater
than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, including the equity securities of a qualified publicly traded partnership; and (iii) at the end of each fiscal quarter of the Fund's taxable year, not more than 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.
If the Fund fails to satisfy the qualifying income or diversification requirements in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for any year, and these relief provisions are not available, all of its income will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders. In such case, its shareholders would be taxed as if they received ordinary dividends, although corporate shareholders could be eligible for the dividends received deduction and individuals may be able to benefit from the lower tax rates available to qualified dividend income (for tax years ending prior to December 31, 2012). In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a RIC.
For taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010, the Fund may elect to treat part or all of any "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund's taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar. A "qualified late year loss" generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as "post-October losses") and certain other late-year losses.
The RIC Mod Act changed the treatment of capital loss carryovers for RICs. The new rules are similar to those that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals are made applicable to RICs and provide that such losses are carried over by the Fund indefinitely. Thus, if the Fund has a "net capital loss" (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains) for a taxable year beginning after December 22, 2010, the excess of the Fund's net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of such Fund's next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund's net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year. Different rules apply to pre-enactment net capital losses which can only be carried forward to offset capital gains realized during the eight years following the year of the loss and are treated as a short-term capital loss in the year to which it is carried. Certain transition rules require post-enactment capital losses to be utilized first, which, depending on the circumstances for the Fund, may result in the expiration of unused pre-enactment losses. In addition, the carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
Federal Excise Tax. Notwithstanding the Distribution Requirement described above, which only requires the Fund to distribute at least 90% of its annual investment company income and does not require any minimum distribution of net capital gain, the Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax to the extent it fails to distribute, by the end of any calendar year, at least 98% of its ordinary income for that year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income (the excess of short- and long-term capital gain over short- and long-term capital loss) for the one-year period ending on October 31 of that year, plus certain other amounts. The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions to avoid liability for federal excise tax, but can make no assurances that such tax will be completely eliminated. The Fund may in certain circumstances be required to liquidate Fund investments in order to make sufficient distributions to avoid federal excise tax liability at a time when the investment adviser might
not otherwise have chosen to do so, and liquidation of investments in such circumstances may affect the ability of the Fund to satisfy the requirement for qualification as a RIC.
SHAREHOLDER TREATMENT. The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and interest on investments. This income, plus net short-term capital gains, if any, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund's net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. Any distributions by the Fund from such income will be taxable to you as ordinary income or at the lower capital gains rates that apply to individuals receiving qualified dividend income, whether you take them in cash or in additional shares.
Distributions by the Fund will be eligible for the reduced maximum tax rate to
individuals of 15% (lower rates apply to individuals in lower tax brackets) to
the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities
it holds and the Fund designates the distributions as qualified dividend
income. ABSENT FURTHER LEGISLATION, THE REDUCED TAX RATES APPLICABLE TO
QUALIFIED DIVIDEND INCOME WILL NOT APPLY TO DIVIDENDS RECEIVED IN TAXABLE YEARS
BEGINNING AFTER DECEMBER 31, 2012. Qualified dividend income is, in general,
dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain foreign
corporations (e.g., foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the
United States or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the
United States, or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established
securities market in the United States). A dividend will not be treated as
qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the shareholder has not held
the shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the
121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which
the shares become "ex-dividend" (which is the day on which declared
distributions (dividends or capital gains) are deducted from the Fund's assets
before it calculates the net asset value) with respect to such dividend, (ii)
the Fund has not satisfied similar holding period requirements with respect to
the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder,
(iii) the shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale
or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or
related property, or (iv) the shareholder elects to treat such dividend as
investment income under section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Code. Distributions by the
Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.
Capital gain distributions consisting of the Fund's net capital gains will be
taxable as long-term capital gains. The Fund will report annually to its
shareholders the amount of the Fund's distributions that qualify for the
reduced tax rates on qualified dividend income.
The Fund's dividends that are paid to their corporate shareholders and are designated by the Fund as attributable to qualifying dividends it received from U.S. domestic corporations may be eligible, in the hands of such shareholders, for the 70% corporate dividends received deduction, subject to certain holding period requirements and debt financing limitations. Generally, and subject to certain limitations (including certain holding period limitations), a dividend will be treated as a qualifying dividend if it has been received from a domestic corporation. All dividends (including the deducted portion) must be included in your alternative minimum taxable income calculation.
Recent legislation effective beginning in 2013 provides that U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly) will be subject to a new 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on their "net investment income," including interest, dividends, and capital gains (including capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of Fund shares).
If the Fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to the shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.
A dividend or distribution received shortly after the purchase of shares reduces the net asset value of the shares by the amount of the dividend or distribution and, although in effect a return of capital, will be taxable to the shareholder. If the net asset value of shares were reduced below the shareholder's cost by dividends or distributions representing gains realized on sales of securities, such dividends or distributions would be a return of investment though taxable to the shareholder in the same manner as other dividends or distributions.
Dividends declared to shareholders of record in October, November or December and actually paid in January of the following year will be treated as having been received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which declared. Under this rule, therefore, a shareholder may be taxed in one year on dividends or distributions actually received in January of the following year.
Any gain or loss recognized on a sale, exchange, or redemption of shares of the Fund by a shareholder who is not a dealer in securities will generally, for individual shareholders, be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than twelve months and otherwise will be treated as a short-term capital gain or loss. However, if shares on which a shareholder has received a net capital gain distribution are subsequently sold, exchanged, or redeemed and such shares have been held for six months or less, any loss recognized will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the net capital gain distribution. In addition, the loss realized on a sale or other disposition of shares will be disallowed to the extent a shareholder repurchases (or enters into a contract to or option to repurchase) shares within a period of 61 days (beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the shares). This loss disallowance rule will apply to shares received through the reinvestment of dividends during the 61-day period.
Legislation passed by Congress in 2008 requires the Fund (or its administrative agent) to report to the Internal Revenue Services ("IRS") and furnish to Fund shareholders the cost basis information for Fund shares purchased on or after January 1, 2012, and sold on or after that date. In addition to the present law requirement to report the gross proceeds from the sale of Fund shares, the Fund will also be required to report the cost basis information for such shares and indicate whether these shares had a short-term or long-term holding period. For each sale of Fund shares the Fund will permit Fund shareholders to elect from among several IRS-accepted cost basis methods, including average cost. In the absence of an election, the Fund will use the average basis method as their default cost basis method. The cost basis method elected by the Fund shareholder (or the cost basis method applied by default) for each sale of Fund shares may not be changed after the settlement date of each such sale of Fund shares. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best IRS-accepted cost basis method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the new cost basis reporting law applies to them. The current law requirement to report only the gross proceeds from the sale of Fund shares will continue to apply to all Fund shares acquired through December 31, 2011, and sold on and after that date.
FOREIGN TAXES. Dividends and interest received by a Fund from foreign sources may be subject to income, withholding or other taxes imposed by foreign countries and United States possessions that would reduce the yield on such securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate these taxes. Foreign countries generally do not impose taxes on capital gains with respect to investments by foreign investors. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to, and will, file an election with the IRS that may enable shareholders, in effect, to receive either the benefit of a foreign tax credit, or a deduction from such taxes, with respect to any foreign and U.S. possessions income taxes paid by the Fund, subject to certain limitations. Pursuant to the election, the Fund will treat those taxes as dividends paid to its shareholders. Each such shareholder will be required to include a proportionate share of those taxes in gross income as income received from a foreign source and must treat the amount so included as if the shareholder had paid the foreign tax directly. The shareholder may then either deduct the taxes deemed paid by him or her in computing his or her taxable income or, alternatively, use the foregoing information in calculating any foreign tax credit (subject to significant limitations) they may be entitled to use against their federal income tax. If the Fund makes the
election, such Fund will report annually to its shareholders the respective amounts per share of the Fund's income from sources within, and taxes paid to, foreign countries and U.S. possessions.
Foreign tax credits, if any, received by a Fund as a result of an investment in another RIC (including an ETF which is taxable as a RIC) will not be passed through to you unless the Fund qualifies as a "qualified fund of funds" under the Code. If a Fund is a "qualified fund of funds" it will be eligible to file an election with the IRS that will enable the Fund to pass along these foreign tax credits to its shareholders. A Fund will be treated as a "qualified fund of funds" under the Code if at least 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets (at the close of each quarter of the Fund's taxable year) is represented by interests in other RICs.
TAX TREATMENT OF COMPLEX SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in complex securities. These investments may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules. These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gain, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund and/or defer the Fund's ability to recognize losses, and, in limited cases, subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain of its foreign securities. In turn, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Fund.
The Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark-to-market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures and options contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. It is anticipated that any net gain realized from the closing out of futures or options contracts will be considered gain from the sale of securities and therefore will be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% requirement described above in the paragraph discussing the requirements for qualification as a RIC. The Fund distributes to shareholders at least annually any net capital gains which have been recognized for federal income tax purposes, including unrealized gains at the end of the Fund's fiscal year on futures or options transactions. Such distributions are combined with distributions of capital gains realized on the Fund's other investments and shareholders are advised on the nature of the distributions.
As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. Such Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments, if positive, will generally constitute taxable ordinary income and, if negative, will reduce net tax-exempt income, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.
Investments by the Fund in zero coupon or other discount securities will result in income to the Fund equal to a portion of the excess face value of the securities over their issue price (the "original issue discount" or "OID") each year that the securities are held, even though the Fund receives no cash interest payments. In other circumstances, whether pursuant to the terms of a security or as a result of other factors outside the control of the Fund, the Fund may recognize income without receiving a commensurate amount of cash. Such income is included in determining the amount of income that the Fund must distribute to maintain its status as a RIC and to avoid the payment of federal income tax, including the excise tax discussed above. Because such income may not be matched by a corresponding cash distribution to the Fund, the Fund may be required to borrow money or dispose of other securities to be able to make distributions to its shareholders.
Any market discount recognized on a bond is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value or adjusted issue price if issued with original
issue discount. Absent an election by the Fund to include the market discount in income as it accrues, gain on the Fund's disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gain to the extent of the accrued market discount.
A Fund's transactions in foreign currencies and forward currency contracts will be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount, and timing of distributions to shareholders. Most foreign exchange gains realized on the sale of foreign stocks and securities are treated as ordinary income by the Fund. Similarly, foreign exchange losses realized by the Fund on the sale of stocks and securities are generally treated as ordinary losses by the Fund. These gains, when distributed, will be taxed to you as ordinary dividends, and any losses will reduce the Fund's ordinary income otherwise available for distribution to you. This treatment could increase or reduce the Fund's ordinary income distributions to you and may cause some or all of the Fund's previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. These provisions also may require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the RIC distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes discussed above. Accordingly in order to avoid certain income and excise taxes the Fund may be required to liquidate Fund investments at a time when the investment advisor might not otherwise have chosen to do so.
If a Fund owns shares in certain foreign investment entities, referred to as "passive foreign investment companies" or "PFICs", the Fund will be subject to one of the following special tax regimes: (i) the Fund would be liable for U.S. federal income tax, and an additional interest charge, on a portion of any "excess distribution" from such foreign entity or any gain from the disposition of such shares, even if the entire distribution or gain is paid out by the Fund as a dividend to its shareholders; (ii) if the Fund were able and elected to treat a PFIC as a "qualified electing fund" or "QEF", the Fund would be required each year to include in income, and distribute to shareholders in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above, the Fund's pro rata share of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the PFIC, whether or not such earnings or gains are distributed to the Fund; or (iii) the Fund may be entitled to mark-to-market annually shares of the PFIC, and in such event would be required to distribute to shareholders any such mark-to-market gains in accordance with the distribution requirements set forth above.
BACKUP WITHHOLDING. In certain cases, each Fund will be required to withhold at the applicable withholding rate, and remit to the U.S. Treasury such withheld amounts, on any distributions paid to a shareholder who (1) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS, (3) has not certified to that Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person or U.S. resident alien.
TAX SHELTER REPORTING REGULATIONS. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC such as a Fund are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
NON-U.S. SHAREHOLDERS. NON-U.S. investors in the Fund may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax and may be subject to additional reporting obligations and are therefore strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisors prior to investing in the Fund.
STATE TAXES. No Fund is liable for any income or franchise tax in Massachusetts if it qualifies as a RIC for federal income tax purposes.
Depending upon state and local law, distributions by a Fund to its shareholders and the ownership of such shares may be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains distributions from RICs often differ from rules for federal income taxation described above.
Many states grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government, subject in some states to minimum investment requirements that must be met by a fund. Investment in GNMA or FNMA securities, banker's acceptances, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities do not generally qualify for such tax-free treatment.
Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect of federal, state and local taxes on an investment in Fund shares.
BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS. Generally, equity securities, both listed and over the counter, are bought and sold through brokerage transactions for which commissions are payable. Purchases from underwriters will include the underwriting commission or concession, and purchases from dealers serving as market makers will include a dealer's mark-up or reflect a dealer's mark-down. Money market securities and other debt securities are usually bought and sold directly from the issuer or an underwriter or market maker for the securities. Generally, the Fund will not pay brokerage commissions for such purchases. When a debt security is bought from an underwriter, the purchase price will usually include an underwriting commission or concession. The purchase price for securities bought from dealers serving as market makers will similarly include the dealer's mark up or reflect a dealer's mark down. When the Fund executes transactions in the OTC market, it will generally deal with primary market makers unless prices that are more favorable are otherwise obtainable.
In addition, the Adviser may place a combined order for two or more accounts it manages, including the Fund engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security if, in its judgment, joint execution is in the best interest of each participant and will result in best price and execution. Transactions involving commingled orders are allocated in a manner deemed equitable to each account or fund. Although it is recognized that, in some cases, the joint execution of orders could adversely affect the price or volume of the security that a particular account or the Fund may obtain, it is the opinion of the Adviser and the Board that the advantages of combined orders outweigh the possible disadvantages of separate transactions. Nonetheless, the Adviser believes that the ability of the Fund to participate in higher volume transactions will generally be beneficial to the Fund.
BROKERAGE SELECTION. The Trust does not expect to use one particular broker or dealer, and when one or more brokers is believed capable of providing the best combination of price and execution, the Adviser may select a broker based upon brokerage or research services provided to the Adviser. The Adviser may pay a higher commission than otherwise obtainable from other brokers in return for such services only if a good faith determination is made that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act permits the Adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause the Fund to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by the broker or dealer. In addition to agency transactions, the Adviser may receive brokerage and research services in connection with certain riskless principal transactions, in accordance with applicable SEC guidance. Brokerage and research services include: (1) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the
advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (2) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (3) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). In the case of research services, the Adviser believes that access to independent investment research is beneficial to their investment decision-making processes and, therefore, to the Fund.
To the extent that research services may be a factor in selecting brokers, such services may be in written form or through direct contact with individuals and may include information as to particular companies and securities as well as market, economic, or institutional areas and information which assists in the valuation and pricing of investments. Examples of research-oriented services for which the adviser might utilize Fund commissions include research reports and other information on the economy, industries, sectors, groups of securities, individual companies, statistical information, political developments, technical market action, pricing and appraisal services, credit analysis, risk measurement analysis, performance and other analysis. The Adviser may use research services furnished by brokers in servicing all client accounts and not all services may necessarily be used in connection with the account that paid commissions to the broker providing such services. Information so received by the Adviser will be in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by the Fund's Adviser under the Advisory Agreement. Any advisory or other fees paid to the Adviser are not reduced as a result of the receipt of research services.
In some cases the Adviser may receive a service from a broker that has both a "research" and a "non-research" use. When this occurs, the Adviser makes a good faith allocation, under all the circumstances, between the research and non-research uses of the service. The percentage of the service that is used for research purposes may be paid for with client commissions, while the Adviser will use its own funds to pay for the percentage of the service that is used for non-research purposes. In making this good faith allocation, the Adviser faces a potential conflict of interest, but the Adviser believes that its allocation procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that it appropriately allocates the anticipated use of such services to their research and non-research uses.
From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of securities for clients in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the seller may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide the Adviser with research services. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the seller will provide research "credits" in these situations at a rate that is higher than that which is available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
Because the Fund is new, the Fund did not pay any commissions on brokerage transactions directed to brokers pursuant to an agreement or understanding whereby the broker provides research or other brokerage services to the Adviser.
BROKERAGE WITH FUND AFFILIATES. The Fund may execute brokerage or other agency transactions through registered broker-dealer affiliates of either the Fund, the Adviser or the Distributor for a commission in conformity with the 1940 Act, the 1934 Act and rules promulgated by the SEC. Under the 1940 Act and the 1934 Act, affiliated broker-dealers are permitted to receive and retain compensation for effecting portfolio transactions for the Fund on an exchange if a written contract is in effect between the affiliate and the Fund expressly permitting the affiliate to receive and retain such compensation. These rules further require that commissions paid to the affiliate by the Fund for exchange transactions not exceed "usual and customary" brokerage commissions. The rules define "usual and customary" commissions to include amounts which are "reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time." The Trustees, including those who are not "interested persons" of
the Fund, have adopted procedures for evaluating the reasonableness of commissions paid to affiliates and review these procedures periodically.
Because the Fund is new, the Fund paid no brokerage commissions on portfolio transactions effected by affiliated brokers.
SECURITIES OF "REGULAR BROKER-DEALERS." The Fund is required to identify any securities of its "regular brokers and dealers" (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) which the Fund may hold at the close of its most recent fiscal year. Because the Fund is new, the Fund did not hold any securities of "regular broker-dealers".
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATE. Portfolio turnover rate is defined under SEC rules as the value of the securities purchased or securities sold, excluding all securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one-year or less, divided by the average monthly value of such securities owned during the year. Based on this definition, instruments with remaining maturities of less than one-year are excluded from the calculation of the portfolio turnover rate. The Fund may at times hold investments in short-term instruments, which are excluded for purposes of computing portfolio turnover.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Board has approved a policy and procedures that govern the timing and circumstances regarding the disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings information to shareholders and third parties. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that disclosure of information regarding the Fund's portfolio securities is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and include procedures to address conflicts between the interests of the Fund's shareholders and those of the Fund's Adviser, principal underwriter, or any affiliated person of the Fund, the Adviser, or the principal underwriter, on the other. Pursuant to such procedures, the Board has authorized the Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer ("Adviser CCO") to authorize the release of the Fund's portfolio holdings, as necessary, in conformity with the foregoing principles. The Adviser CCO, either directly or through reports by the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer reports quarterly to the Board regarding the operation and administration of such policies and procedures.
Pursuant to applicable law, the Fund is required to disclose its complete portfolio holdings quarterly, within 60 days of the end of each fiscal quarter (currently, each January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31). The Fund will disclose a complete or summary schedule of investments (which includes the Fund's 50 largest holdings in unaffiliated issuers and each investment in unaffiliated issuers that exceeds one percent of the Fund's net asset value ("Summary Schedule")) in its semi-annual and annual reports which are distributed to Fund shareholders. The Fund's complete schedule of investments following the first and third fiscal quarters is available in quarterly holdings reports filed with the SEC on Form N-Q, and is available in semi-annual and annual reports filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR.
Fund filings on Form N-Q and Form N-CSR are not distributed to Fund shareholders but are available, free of charge, on the EDGAR database on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Should the Fund include only a Summary Schedule rather than a complete schedule of investments in its semi-annual and annual reports, its Form N-CSR will be available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-866-777-8227. These reports are also available, free of charge, on the Adviser's website at www.cambiar.com.
The Fund provides information about its complete portfolio holdings, updated as of the most recent calendar month on the internet at http://aicfundholdings.com/cambiar. This information is provided with a lag of at least 30 days and is publicly available to shareholders.
In addition to information provided to shareholders and the general public, portfolio holdings information may be disclosed as frequently as daily to certain service providers, such as the custodian, administrator, the financial printer or transfer agent, in connection with their services to the Fund. From time to time rating and ranking organizations, such as S&P, Lipper and Morningstar, Inc., may request non-public portfolio holdings information in connection with rating the Fund. Similarly, institutional investors, financial planners, pension plan sponsors and/or their consultants or other third-parties may request portfolio holdings information in order to assess the risks of the Fund's portfolio along with related performance attribution statistics. The lag time for such disclosures will vary. The Fund believes that these third parties have legitimate objectives in requesting such portfolio holdings information.
The Fund's policies and procedures provide that the Adviser's CCO may authorize disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information to such parties at differing times and/or with different lag times. Prior to making any disclosure to a third party the Adviser's CCO must determine that such disclosure serves a reasonable business purpose, is in the best interests of the Fund's shareholders and that conflicts between the interests of the Fund's shareholders and those of the Fund's Adviser, principal underwriter, or any affiliated person of the Fund are addressed. Complete portfolio holdings information may be disclosed no more frequently than monthly to ratings agencies, consultants and other qualified financial professionals or individuals. The monthly disclosures will not be made sooner than three days after the date of the information.
With the exception of disclosures to rating and ranking organizations as described above, the Fund requires any third party receiving non-public holdings information to enter into a confidentiality agreement with the Fund or the Adviser. The confidentiality agreement provides, among other things, that non-public portfolio holdings information will be kept confidential and that the recipient has a duty not to trade on the non-public information and will use such information solely to analyze and rank the Fund, or to perform due diligence and asset allocation, depending on the recipient of the information.
The Fund's policies and procedures prohibit any compensation or other consideration from being paid to or received by any party in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information, including the Fund, Adviser and its affiliates or recipient of the Fund's portfolio holdings information.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of portfolios and shares of each portfolio. Each share of a portfolio represents an equal proportionate interest in that portfolio with each other share. Shares are entitled upon liquidation to a pro rata share in the net assets of the portfolio. Shareholders have no preemptive rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees of the Trust may create additional series or classes of shares. All consideration received by the Fund for shares of any portfolio and all assets in which such consideration is invested would belong to that portfolio and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Share certificates representing shares will not be issued. The Trust has received a legal opinion to the effect that the Fund's shares are fully paid and non-assessable.
SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY
The Trust is an entity of the type commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations of the trust. Even if, however, the Trust were held to be a partnership, the possibility of the shareholders incurring financial loss for that reason appears remote because the Trust's Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by or on behalf of the
Trust or the Trustees, and because the Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of the Trust property for any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust.
LIMITATION OF TRUSTEES' LIABILITY
The Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee shall be liable only for his or her own willful defaults and, if reasonable care has been exercised in the selection of officers, agents, employees or investment advisers, shall not be liable for any neglect or wrongdoing of any such person. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Trust will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with actual or threatened litigation in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Trust, unless it is determined in the manner provided in the Declaration of Trust that they have not acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in the best interests of the Trust. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust shall protect or indemnify a Trustee against any liability for his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. Nothing contained in this section attempts to disclaim a Trustee's individual liability in any manner inconsistent with the federal securities laws.
PROXY VOTING
The Board has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund to the Adviser. The Adviser will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which are included in Appendix B to this SAI. The Board will periodically review the Fund's proxy voting record.
A description of the policies and procedures that the Adviser uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities, as well as information relating to how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available on Form N-PX (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-673-9950; and (ii) on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
CODES OF ETHICS
The Board, on behalf of the Trust, has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. In addition, the Adviser, Distributor and the Administrator have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1. These Codes of Ethics (each a "Code of Ethics" and together the "Codes of Ethics") apply to the personal investing activities of trustees, officers and certain employees ("access persons"). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes of Ethics are designed to prevent unlawful practices in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by access persons. Under each Code of Ethics, access persons are permitted to engage in personal securities transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions for monitoring purposes. The Codes of Ethics further require certain access persons to obtain approval before investing in initial public offerings and limited offerings. Copies of these Codes of Ethics are on file with the SEC, and are available to the public.
5% AND 25% SHAREHOLDERS
Because the Fund is new, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund does not have any beneficial owners to report.
APPENDIX A -- DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
PREFERRED STOCK RATINGS
Because of the fundamental differences between preferred stocks and bonds, a variation of Moody's familiar bond rating symbols is used in the quality ranking of preferred stock. The symbols, presented below, are designed to avoid comparison with bond quality in absolute terms. It should always be borne in mind that preferred stock occupies a junior position to bonds within a particular capital structure and that these securities are rated within the universe of preferred stocks.
aaa An issue rated "aaa" is considered to be a top-quality preferred stock. This rating indicates good asset protection and the least risk of dividend impairment within the universe of preferred stocks.
aa An issue rated "aa" is considered a high-grade preferred stock. This rating indicates that there is a reasonable assurance the earnings and asset protection will remain relatively well maintained in the foreseeable future.
a An issue rated "a" is considered to be an upper-medium grade preferred stock. While risks are judged to be somewhat greater than in the "aaa" and "aa" classification, earnings and asset protection are, nevertheless, expected to be maintained at adequate levels.
baa An issue rated "baa" is considered to be a medium-grade preferred stock, neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Earnings and asset protection appear adequate at present but may be questionable over any great length of time.
ba An issue rated "ba" is considered to have speculative elements and its future cannot be considered well assured. Earnings and asset protection may be very moderate and not well safeguarded during adverse periods. Uncertainty of position characterizes preferred stocks in this class.
b An issue rated "b" generally lacks the characteristics of a desirable investment. Assurance of dividend payments and maintenance of other terms of the issue over any long period of time may be small.
caa An issue rated "caa" is likely to be in arrears on dividend payments.
This rating designation does not purport to indicate the future
status of payments.
ca An issue rated "ca" is speculative in a high degree and is likely to be in arrears on dividends with little likelihood of eventual payments.
c This is the lowest rated class of preferred or preference stock.
Issues so rated can thus be regarded as having extremely poor
prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
Note: plus (+) or minus (-): Moody's applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each rating classification: the modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking and the modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.
DEBT RATINGS - TAXABLE DEBT & DEPOSITS GLOBALLY
Aaa Bonds rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as "gilt edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa Bonds rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards.
Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as
high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because
margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or
fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or
there may be other elements present which make the long-term risk
appear somewhat larger than the Aaa securities.
A Bonds rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper- medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment some time in the future.
Baa Bonds rated Baa are considered as medium-grade obligations (i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured). Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present, but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.
Ba Bonds rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well-assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate, and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class.
B Bonds rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa Bonds rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.
Ca Bonds rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
C Bonds rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
Moody's bond ratings, where specified, are applied to senior bank obligations and insurance company senior policyholder and claims obligations with an original maturity in excess of one year. Obligations relying upon support mechanisms such as letters-of-credit and bonds of indemnity are excluded unless explicitly rated. Obligations of a branch of a bank are considered to be domiciled in the country in which the branch is located.
Unless noted as an exception, Moody's rating on a bank's ability to repay senior obligations extends only to branches located in countries which carry a Moody's Sovereign Rating for Bank Deposits. Such branch
obligations are rated at the lower of the bank's rating or Moody's Sovereign Rating for the Bank Deposits for the country in which the branch is located. When the currency in which an obligation is denominated is not the same as the currency of the country in which the obligation is domiciled, Moody's ratings do not incorporate an opinion as to whether payment of the obligation will be affected by the actions of the government controlling the currency of denomination. In addition, risk associated with bilateral conflicts between an investor's home country and either the issuer's home country or the country where an issuer branch is located are not incorporated into Moody's ratings.
Moody's makes no representation that rated bank obligations or insurance company obligations are exempt from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or issued in conformity with any other applicable law or regulation. Nor does Moody's represent that any specific bank or insurance company obligation is legally enforceable or a valid senior obligation of a rated issuer.
Note: Moody's applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
SHORT-TERM PRIME RATING SYSTEM - TAXABLE DEBT & DEPOSITS GLOBALLY
Moody's short-term debt ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to repay punctually senior debt obligations. These obligations have an original maturity not exceeding one year, unless explicitly noted.
Moody's employs the following three designations, all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
Prime-1 Issuers rated Prime-1 (or supporting institutions) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following |
characteristics:
o Leading market positions in well-established industries.
o High rates of return on funds employed.
o Conservative capitalization structure with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection.
o Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation.
o Well-established access to a range of financial markets and
assured sources of alternate liquidity. Prime-2 Issuers rated Prime-2 (or supporting institutions) have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained. Prime-3 Issuers rated Prime-3 (or supporting institutions) have an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term obligations. The effect of industry characteristics and market compositions may be more pronounced. Variability in earnings and profitability may result in changes in the level of debt protection measurements and may require relatively high financial leverage. Adequate alternate liquidity is maintained. |
Not Prime Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Obligations of a branch of a bank are considered to be domiciled in the country in which the branch is located. Unless noted as an exception, Moody's rating on a bank's ability to repay senior obligations extends only to branches located in countries which carry a Moody's Sovereign Rating for Bank Deposits. Such branch obligations are rated at the lower of the bank's rating or Moody's Sovereign Rating for Bank Deposits for the country in which the branch is located.
When the currency in which an obligation is denominated is not the same as the currency of the country in which the obligation is domiciled, Moody's ratings do not incorporate an opinion as to whether payment of the obligation will be affected by actions of the government controlling the currency of denomination. In addition, risks associated with bilateral conflicts between an investor's home country and either the issuer's home country or the country where an issuer's branch is located are not incorporated into Moody's short-term debt ratings.
Moody's makes no representation that rated bank or insurance company obligations are exempt from the registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or issued in conformity with any other applicable law or regulation. Nor does Moody's represent that any specific bank or insurance company obligation is legally enforceable or a valid senior obligation of a rated issuer.
If an issuer represents to Moody's that its short-term debt obligations are supported by the credit of another entity or entities, then the name or names of such supporting entity or entities are listed within the parenthesis beneath the name of the issuer, or there is a footnote referring the reader to another page for the name or names of the supporting entity or entities. In assigning ratings to such issuers, Moody's evaluates the financial strength of the affiliated corporations, commercial banks, insurance companies, foreign governments or other entities, but only as one factor in the total rating assessment. Moody's makes no representation and gives no opinion on the legal validity or enforceability of any support arrangement.
Moody's ratings are opinions, not recommendations to buy or sell, and their accuracy is not guaranteed. A rating should be weighed solely as one factor in an investment decision and you should make your own study and evaluation of any issuer whose securities or debt obligations you consider buying or selling.
STANDARD & POOR'S RATING SERVICES
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:
o Likelihood of payment--capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;
o Nature of and provisions of the obligation;
o Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.
The issue rating definitions are expressed in terms of default risk. As such, they pertain to senior obligations of an entity. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation applies when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.) Accordingly, in the case of junior debt, the rating may not conform exactly with the category definition.
AAA An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest rated obligations only in small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB An obligation rated 'BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated 'BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.
C A subordinated debt or preferred stock obligation rated 'C' is CURRENTLY HIGHLY VULNERABLE to nonpayment. The 'C' rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed or similar action taken, but payments on this obligation are being continued. A 'C' also will be assigned to a preferred stock issue in arrears on dividends or sinking fund payments, but that is currently paying.
D An obligation rated 'D' is in payment default. The 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
r This symbol is attached to the ratings of instruments with significant noncredit risks. It highlights risks to principal or volatility of expected returns which are not addressed in the credit rating.
N.R. This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
Plus (+) or minus(-): The ratings from 'AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1 A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2 A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3 A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
C A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D A short-term obligation rated 'D' is in payment default. The 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
LOCAL CURRENCY AND FOREIGN CURRENCY RISKS
Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor's analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor's capacity to repay Foreign Currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government's own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign Currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.
FITCH INC. RATINGS
INTERNATIONAL LONG-TERM CREDIT RATINGS
Investment Grade
AAA Highest credit quality. 'AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA Very high credit quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A High credit quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB Good credit quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that there are currently expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse changes in circumstances and economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment grade category.
Speculative Grade
BB Speculative. 'BB' ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
B Highly speculative: (i) For issuers and performing obligations, 'B' ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment, and (ii) For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of 'RR1' (outstanding).
CCC High default risk: (i) for issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions; (ii) for individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for average to superior levels of recovery. Differences in credit quality may be denoted by plus/minus distinctions. Such obligations typically would possess a Recovery Rating of 'RR2' (superior), or 'RR3' (good) or 'RR4' (average);
CC High default risk: (i) for issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable; and (ii) for individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with a Recovery Rating of 'RR4' (average) or 'RR5' (below average).
C High default risk: (i) for issuers and performing obligations, default is imminent; and (ii) For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for below- average to poor recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of 'RR6' (poor).
RD Indicates an entity that has failed to make due payments (within the applicable grace period) on some but not all material financial obligations, but continues to honor other classes of obligations.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations. Default generally is defined as one of the following: failure of an obligor to make timely payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of any financial obligation; the bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of business of an obligor; or the distressed or other coercive exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation.
Default ratings are not assigned prospectively; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period.
Issuers will be rated 'D' upon a default. Defaulted and distressed obligations typically are rated along the continuum of 'C' to 'B' ratings categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. Additionally, in structured finance transactions, where analysis indicates that an instrument is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to meet pay interest and/or principal in full in accordance with the terms of the obligation's documentation during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default in accordance with the terms of the documentation is imminent, the obligation may be rated in the 'B' or 'CCC-C' categories.
Default is determined by reference to the terms of the obligations' documentation. Fitch will assign default ratings where it has reasonably determined that payment has not been made on a material obligation in accordance with the requirements of the obligation's documentation, or where it believes that default ratings consistent with Fitch's published definition of default are the most appropriate ratings to assign.
INTERNATIONAL SHORT-TERM CREDIT RATINGS
F1 Highest credit quality. Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 Good credit quality. A satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3 Fair credit quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non investment grade.
B Speculative. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C High default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
D Default. Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
Notes:
The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the 'AAA' Long-term rating category, to categories below 'CCC', or to Short-term ratings other than 'F1'. (The +/- modifiers are only used to denote issues within the CCC category, whereas issuers are only rated CCC without the use of modifiers.)
Rating Watch: Ratings are placed on Rating Watch to notify investors that there is a reasonable probability of a rating change and the likely direction of such change. These are designated as "Positive", indicating a potential upgrade, "Negative", for a potential downgrade, or "Evolving", if ratings may be raised, lowered or maintained. Rating Watch is typically resolved over a relatively short period.
Rating Outlook: An Outlook indicates the direction a rating is likely to move over a one to two-year period. Outlooks may be positive, stable or negative. A positive or negative Rating Outlook does not imply a rating change is inevitable. Similarly, ratings for which outlooks are 'stable' could be upgraded or downgraded before an outlook moves to positive or negative if circumstances warrant such an action. Occasionally, Fitch Ratings may be unable to identify the fundamental trend. In these cases, the Rating Outlook may be described as evolving.
Program ratings (such as those assigned to MTN shelf registrations) relate only to standard issues made under the program concerned; it should not be assumed that these ratings apply to every issue made under the program. In particular, in the case of non-standard issues, i.e. those that are linked to the credit of a third party or linked to the performance of an index, ratings of these issues may deviate from the applicable program rating.
Variable rate demand obligations and other securities which contain a short-term 'put' or other similar demand feature will have a dual rating, such as AAA/F1+. The first rating reflects the ability to meet long-term principal and interest payments, whereas the second rating reflects the ability to honor the demand feature in full and on time.
Interest Only: Interest Only ratings are assigned to interest strips. These ratings do not address the possibility that a security holder might fail to recover some or all of its initial investment due to voluntary or involuntary principal repayments.
Principal Only: Principal Only ratings address the likelihood that a security holder will receive their initial principal investment either before or by the scheduled maturity date.
Rate of Return: Ratings also may be assigned to gauge the likelihood of an investor receiving a certain predetermined internal rate of return without regard to the precise timing of any cash flows.
'PIF': The tranche has reached maturity and has been "paid-in-full", regardless of whether it was amortized or called early. As the issue no longer exists, it is therefore no longer rated.
'NR': Denotes that Fitch Ratings does not publicly rate the associated issue or issuer.
'WD': Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
APPENDIX B - PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
CAMBIAR INVESTORS, LLC PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
OBJECTIVE: The objective of Cambiar Investors, LLC's proxy voting process is to maximize the long-term investment performance of our clients.
POLICY: Cambiar will typically vote all proxy proposals in accordance with management recommendations unless the effect of particular resolutions could adversely affect shareholder value. In such cases, it is Cambiar's policy to vote against these proposals. If Cambiar sees it necessary to become further involved, the Analyst will directly engage management.
PROCEDURE: The procedure for processing proxy ballots is as follows:
1. Custodians are directed to send all proxy material to Cambiar Investors, LLC. Cambiar has retained Glass Lewis & Co. to provide independent research. Cambiar votes the proxies through Broadridge's Proxy Edge platform.
2. The Proxy Administrator reviews the research provided by Glass Lewis & Co. for each company meeting and each proposal. If Glass Lewis' recommendations agree and favor management Cambiar votes according to management's recommendations.
3. If non-routine proposals or proposals considered to have a potential negative investment performance impact are discovered or Glass Lewis & Co. recommends a vote against a management recommendation, the Proxy Administrator will review the particular resolutions with the Portfolio Manager responsible for the investment and vote per the Portfolio Manager's recommendations.
Where a material conflict of interest has been identified, Cambiar will notify its clients of the conflict and vote based on the PMs recommendations to ensure the best economic interests of its clients are met.
4. Cambiar keeps a record of all accounts and companies voted and provides monthly and/or quarterly reports as required through the Proxy Edge platform.
5. On a regular basis, the Proxy Administrator reviews the proxy voting record with the Portfolio Managers.
6. Copies of this procedure can be obtained free of charge by:
o calling Cambiar Investors, LLC toll-free at 888-673-9950 or
o by visiting our web site at http://www. cambiar. com or
o by writing us at: 2401 E. Second Ave. #500, Denver, CO 80206
7. By August 31, each year Cambiar's annual proxy voting record for the previous 12 months ending June 30 may be obtained free of charge by:
o calling 888-673-9950 or
o by visiting our web site at http://www. cambiar. com or
o by writing us at: 2401 E. Second Ave. #500, Denver, CO 80206
CLASS ACTION PROCEDURES: Cambiar has engaged a third party class action claims service, Class Actions Claims Management, to provide securities class action research and proof of claim filing services for our clients. Class Action Claims Management shall participate in all relevant class actions.
GLASS LEWIS & CO. PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES
I. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Boards are put in place to represent shareholders and protect their interests. Glass Lewis seeks boards with a proven record of protecting shareholders and delivering value over the medium- and long-term. We believe that boards working to protect and enhance the best interests of shareholders are independent, have directors with diverse backgrounds, have a record of positive performance, and have members with a breadth and depth of relevant experience.
BOARD COMPOSITION
We look at each individual on the board and examine his or her relationships with the company, the company's executives and with other board members. The purpose of this inquiry is to determine whether pre-existing personal, familial or financial relationships are likely to impact the decisions of that board member.
We vote in favor of governance structures that will drive positive performance and enhance shareholder value. The most crucial test of a board's commitment to the company and to its shareholders is the performance of the board and its members. The performance of directors in their capacity as board members and as executives of the company, when applicable, and in their roles at other companies where they serve is critical to this evaluation.
We believe a director is independent if he or she has no material financial, familial or other current relationships with the company, its executives or other board members except for service on the board and standard fees paid for that service. Relationships that have existed within the five years prior to the inquiry are usually considered to be "current" for purposes of this test.
In our view, a director is affiliated if he or she has a material financial, familial or other relationship with the company or its executives, but is not an employee of the company. This includes directors whose employers have a material financial relationship with the Company. This also includes a director who owns or controls 20% or more of the company's voting stock.
We define an inside director as one who simultaneously serves as a director and as an employee of the company. This category may include a chairman of the board who acts as an employee of the company or is paid as an employee of the company.
Although we typically vote for the election of directors, we will recommend voting against directors (or withholding where applicable, here and following) for the following reasons:
o A director who attends less than 75% of the board and applicable committee meetings.
o A director who fails to file timely form(s) 4 or 5 (assessed on a case-by-case basis).
o A director who is also the CEO of a company where a serious restatement has occurred after the CEO certified the pre-restatement financial statements.
o All board members who served at a time when a poison pill was adopted without shareholder approval within the prior twelve months.
We also feel that the following conflicts of interest may hinder a director's performance and will therefore recommend voting against a:
o CFO who presently sits on the board.
o Director who presently sits on an excessive number of boards
o Director, or a director whose immediate family member, provides material professional services to the company at any time during the past five years.
o Director, or a director whose immediate family member, engages in airplane, real estate or other similar deals, including perquisite type grants from the company.
o Director with an interlocking directorship.
BOARD COMMITTEE COMPOSITION
All key committees including audit, compensation, governance, and nominating committees should be composed solely of independent directors and each committee should be focused on fulfilling its specific duty to shareholders. We typically recommend that shareholders vote against any affiliated or inside director seeking appointment to an audit, compensation, nominating or governance committee or who has served in that capacity in the past year.
REVIEW OF THE COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS REPORT
1. We review the CD&A in our evaluation of the overall compensation practices of a company, as overseen by the compensation committee. In our evaluation of the CD&A, we examine, among other factors, the extent to which the company has used performance goals in determining overall compensation, how well the company has disclosed performance metrics and goals and the extent to which the performance metrics, targets and goals are implemented to enhance company performance. We would recommend voting against the chair of the compensation committee where the CD&A provides insufficient or unclear information about performance metrics and goals, where the CD&A indicates that pay is not tied to performance, or where the compensation committee or management has excessive discretion to alter performance terms or increase amounts of awards in contravention of previously defined targets. However, if a company provides shareholders with an advisory vote on compensation, we will recommend that shareholders only vote against the advisory compensation vote proposal unless the compensation practices are particularly egregious or persistent.
REVIEW OF RISK MANAGEMENT CONTROLS
We believe companies, particularly financial firms, should have a dedicated risk committee, or a committee of the board charged with risk oversight, as well as a chief risk officer who reports directly to that committee, not to the CEO or another executive. In cases where a company has disclosed a sizable loss or writedown, and where a reasonable analysis indicates that the company's board-level risk committee should be held accountable for poor oversight, we would recommend that shareholders vote against such committee members on that basis. In addition, in cases where a company maintains a significant level of financial risk exposure but fails to disclose any explicit form of board-level risk oversight (committee or otherwise), we will consider recommending to vote against the chairman of the board on that basis.
SEPARATION OF THE ROLES OF CHAIRMAN AND CEO
Glass Lewis believes that separating the roles of corporate officers and the chairman of the board is a better governance structure than a combined executive/chairman position. The role of executives is to manage the business on the basis of the course charted by the board. Executives should be in the position of reporting and
answering to the board for their performance in achieving the goals set out by such board. This becomes much more complicated when management actually sits on, or chairs, the board.
We view an independent chairman as better able to oversee the executives of the company and set a pro-shareholder agenda without the management conflicts that a CEO and other executive insiders often face. This, in turn, leads to a more proactive and effective board of directors that is looking out for the interests of shareholders above all else.
We do not recommend voting against CEOs who serve on or chair the board. However, we do support a separation between the roles of chairman of the board and CEO, whenever that question is posed in a proxy.
In the absence of an independent chairman, we support the appointment of a presiding or lead director with authority to set the agenda for the meetings and to lead sessions outside the presence of the insider chairman.
MAJORITY VOTING FOR THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Glass Lewis will generally support proposals calling for the election of directors by a majority vote in place of plurality voting. If a majority vote standard were implemented, a nominee would have to receive the support of a majority of the shares voted in order to assume the role of a director. Thus, shareholders could collectively vote to reject a director they believe will not pursue their best interests. We think that this minimal amount of protection for shareholders is reasonable and will not upset the corporate structure nor reduce the willingness of qualified shareholder-focused directors to serve in the future.
CLASSIFIED BOARDS
Glass Lewis favors the repeal of staggered boards in favor of the annual election of directors. We believe that staggered boards are less accountable to shareholders than annually elected boards. Furthermore, we feel that the annual election of directors encourages board members to focus on protecting the interests of shareholders.
MUTUAL FUND BOARDS
Mutual funds, or investment companies, are structured differently than regular public companies (i.e., operating companies). Members of the fund's adviser are typically on the board and management takes on a different role than that of other public companies. As such, although many of our guidelines remain the same, the following differences from the guidelines at operating companies apply at mutual funds:
1. We believe three-fourths of the boards of investment companies should be made up of independent directors, a stricter standard than the two-thirds independence standard we employ at operating companies.
2. We recommend voting against the chairman of the nominating committee at an investment company if the chairman and CEO of a mutual fund is the same person and the fund does not have an independent lead or presiding director.
II. FINANCIAL REPORTING
AUDITOR RATIFICATION
We believe that role of the auditor is crucial in protecting shareholder value. In our view, shareholders should demand the services of objective and well-qualified auditors at every company in which they hold an interest. Like directors, auditors should be free from conflicts of interest and should assiduously avoid situations that require them to make choices between their own interests and the interests of the shareholders.
Glass Lewis generally supports management's recommendation regarding the selection of an auditor. However, we recommend voting against the ratification of auditors for the following reasons:
o When audit fees added to audit-related fees total less than one-third of total fees.
o When there have been any recent restatements or late filings by the company where the auditor bears some responsibility for the restatement or late filing (e. g. , a restatement due to a reporting error).
o When the company has aggressive accounting policies.
o When the company has poor disclosure or lack of transparency in financial statements.
o When there are other relationships or issues of concern with the auditor that might suggest a conflict between the interest of the auditor and the interests of shareholders.
o When the company is changing auditors as a result of a disagreement between the company and the auditor on a matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedures.
AUDITOR ROTATION
We typically support audit related proposals regarding mandatory auditor rotation when the proposal uses a reasonable period of time (usually not less than 5-7 years).
PENSION ACCOUNTING ISSUES
Proxy proposals sometimes raise the question as to whether pension accounting should have an effect on the company's net income and therefore be reflected in the performance of the business for purposes of calculating payments to executives. It is our view that pension credits should not be included in measuring income used to award performance-based compensation. Many of the assumptions used in accounting for retirement plans are subject to the discretion of a company, and management would have an obvious conflict of interest if pay were tied to pension income.
III. COMPENSATION
EQUITY BASED COMPENSATION PLANS
Glass Lewis evaluates option and other equity-based compensation on a case-by-case basis. We believe that equity compensation awards are a useful tool, when not abused, for retaining and incentivizing employees to engage in conduct that will improve the performance of the company.
We evaluate option plans based on ten overarching principles:
o Companies should seek additional shares only when needed.
o The number of shares requested should be small enough that companies need shareholder approval every three to four years (or more frequently).
o If a plan is relatively expensive, it should not be granting options solely to senior executives and board members.
o Annual net share count and voting power dilution should be limited.
o Annual cost of the plan (especially if not shown on the income statement) should be reasonable as a percentage of financial results and in line with the peer group.
o The expected annual cost of the plan should be proportional to the value of the business.
o The intrinsic value received by option grantees in the past should be reasonable compared with the financial results of the business.
o Plans should deliver value on a per-employee basis when compared with programs at peer companies.
o Plans should not permit re-pricing of stock options.
OPTION EXCHANGES
Option exchanges are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, although they are approached with great skepticism. Repricing is tantamount to a re-trade. We will support a repricing only if the following conditions are true:
o Officers and board members do not participate in the program.
o The stock decline mirrors the market or industry price decline in terms of timing and approximates the decline in magnitude.
o The exchange is value neutral or value creative to shareholders with very conservative assumptions and a recognition of the adverse selection problems inherent in voluntary programs.
o Management and the board make a cogent case for needing to incentivize and retain existing employees, such as being in a competitive employment market.
PERFORMANCE BASED OPTIONS
We generally recommend that shareholders vote in favor of performance-based option requirements. We feel that executives should be compensated with equity when their performance and that of the company warrants such rewards. We believe that boards can develop a consistent, reliable approach, as boards of many companies have, that would attract executives who believe in their ability to guide the company to achieve its targets.
LINKING PAY WITH PERFORMANCE
Executive compensation should be linked directly with the performance of the business the executive is charged with managing. Glass Lewis grades companies on an A to F scale based on our analysis of executive compensation relative to performance and that of the company's peers and will recommend voting against the election of compensation committee members at companies that receive a grade of F.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION PLANS
Non-employee directors should receive compensation for the time and effort they spend serving on the board and its committees. In particular, we support compensation plans that include equity-based awards, which help to align the interests of outside directors with those of shareholders. Director fees should be competitive in order to retain and attract qualified individuals.
ADVISORY VOTES ON COMPENSATION
We closely review companies' compensation practices and disclosure as outlined in their CD&As and other company filings to evaluate management-submitted advisory compensation vote proposals. In evaluating these non-binding proposals, we examine how well the company has disclosed information pertinent to its compensation programs, the extent to which overall compensation is tied to performance, the performance metrics selected by the company and the levels of compensation in comparison to company performance and that of its peers. Glass Lewis will generally recommend voting in favor of shareholder proposals to allow shareholders an advisory vote on compensation.
LIMITS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Proposals to limit executive compensation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. As a general rule, we believe that executive compensation should be left to the board's compensation committee. We view the election of directors, and specifically those who sit on the compensation committee, as the appropriate mechanism for shareholders to express their disapproval or support of board policy on this issue.
LIMITS ON EXECUTIVE STOCK OPTIONS
We favor the grant of options to executives. Options are a very important component of compensation packages designed to attract and retain experienced executives and other key employees. Tying a portion of an executive's compensation to the performance of the company also provides an excellent incentive to maximize share values by those in the best position to affect those values. Accordingly, we typically vote against caps on executive stock options.
IV. GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
ANTI-TAKEOVER MEASURES
POISON PILLS (SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLANS)
Glass Lewis believes that poison pill plans generally are not in the best interests of shareholders. Specifically, they can reduce management accountability by substantially limiting opportunities for corporate takeovers. Rights plans can thus prevent shareholders from receiving a buy-out premium for their stock.
We believe that boards should be given wide latitude in directing the activities of the company and charting the company's course. However, on an issue such as this where the link between the financial interests of shareholders and their right to consider and accept buyout offers is so substantial, we believe that shareholders should be allowed to vote on whether or not they support such a plan's implementation.
In certain limited circumstances, we will support a limited poison pill to accomplish a particular objective, such as the closing of an important merger, or a pill that contains what we believe to be a reasonable 'qualifying offer' clause.
RIGHT OF SHAREHOLDERS TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING
We will vote in favor of proposals that allow shareholders to call special meetings. In order to prevent abuse and waste of corporate resources by a very small minority of shareholders, we believe that such rights should be limited to a minimum threshold of at least 15% of the shareholders requesting such a meeting.
SHAREHOLDER ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT
We will vote in favor of proposals that allow shareholders to act by written consent. In order to prevent abuse and waste of corporate resources by a very small minority of shareholders, we believe that such rights should be limited to a minimum threshold of at least 15% of the shareholders requesting action by written consent.
AUTHORIZED SHARES
Proposals to increase the number of authorized shares will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Adequate capital stock is important to the operation of a company. When analyzing a request for additional shares, we typically review four common reasons why a company might need additional capital stock beyond what is currently available:
1. Stock split
2. Shareholder defenses
3. Financing for acquisitions
4. Financing for operations
Unless we find that the company has not disclosed a detailed plan for use of the proposed shares, or where the number of shares far exceeds those needed to accomplish a detailed plan, we typically recommend in favor of the authorization of additional shares.
VOTING STRUCTURE
CUMULATIVE VOTING
Glass Lewis will vote for proposals seeking to allow cumulative voting unless the company has majority voting for the election of directors in which case we will vote against. Cumulative voting is a voting process that maximizes the ability of minority shareholders to ensure representation of their views on the board. Cumulative voting generally operates as a safeguard for by ensuring that those who hold a significant minority of shares are able to elect a candidate of their choosing to the board.
SUPERMAJORITY VOTE REQUIREMENTS
Glass Lewis favors a simple majority voting structure. Supermajority vote requirements act as impediments to shareholder action on ballot items that are critical to our interests. One key example is in the takeover context where supermajority vote requirements can strongly limit shareholders' input in making decisions on such crucial matters as selling the business.
SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS
Shareholder proposals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We generally favor proposals that are likely to increase shareholder value and/or promote and protect shareholder rights. We typically prefer to leave decisions regarding day-to-day management of the business and policy decisions related to political, social or environmental issues to management and the board except when we see a clear and direct link between the proposal and some economic or financial issue for the company.
PART C: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits: (a) Agreement and Declaration of Trust of The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund (the "Registrant") dated July 18, 1991, as amended and restated February 18, 1997, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (1)(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-97-001691 on February 27, 1997. (b) Registrant's Amended and Restated By-Laws adopted as of December 12, 1996, and as amended August 12, 2009, are incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (b) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09- 000641 on December 18, 2009. (c) Not Applicable. (d)(1) Investment Advisory Agreement dated August 15, 1994 between the Registrant and HGK Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (5)(e) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-96- 001199 on February 28, 1996. (d)(2) Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 1, 2008 between the Registrant and HGK Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(2) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09- 000276 on July 2, 2009. (d)(3) Revised Schedule A dated March 1, 2010 to the Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 1, 2008 between the Registrant and HGK Asset Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000245 on June 30, 2010. (d)(4) Investment Advisory Agreement dated November 21, 1994 between the Registrant and AIG Global Investment Corp. (now, AIG Asset Management (U.S.), LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (5)(f) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-97-001691 on February 27, 1997. (d)(5) Assignment and Assumption Agreement dated December 31, 2003 between AIG Capital Management Corp. and AIG Global Investment Corp. (now, AIG Asset Management (U.S.), LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(31) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 69 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-04-000095 on March 1, 2004. (d)(6) Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 3, 1995 between the Registrant and First Manhattan Co. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (5)(g) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-96-001199 on February 28, 1996. (d)(7) Amended and Restated Schedule dated May 19, 1998 to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 3, 1995 between the Registrant and First Manhattan Co. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(9) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 to 1 |
the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001047469-98-021496 on May 21, 1998. (d)(8) Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 15, 1999 between the Registrant and LSV Asset Management is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(8) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 46 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-01-500070 on June 22, 2001. (d)(9) Revised Schedule to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 15, 1999 between the Registrant and LSV Asset Management is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(8) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 107 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-08-000342 on August 28, 2008. (d)(10) Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 1, 2010 between the Registrant and LSV Asset Management is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(9) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 123 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10- 000173 on April 30, 2010. (d)(11) Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Acadian Asset Management, Inc. (now, Acadian Asset Management LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(17) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02-000263 on August 30, 2002. (d)(12) Amended Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Acadian Asset Management, Inc. (now Acadian Asset Management, LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(12) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 127 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10- 000392 on September 3, 2010. (d)(13) Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Acadian Asset Management LLC to be filed by amendment. (d)(14) Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Analytic Investors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(12) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 90 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-06- 000164 on April 26, 2006. (d)(15) Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Cambiar Investors LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(19) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02- 000263 on August 30, 2002. (d)(16) Amended Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Cambiar Investors LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(16) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 151 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000300 on May 31, 2011. (d)(17) Form of Expense Limitation Agreement dated September 1, 2010 between the Registrant and Cambiar Investors LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(17) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 157 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11- 000484 on August 31, 2011. 2 |
(d)(18) Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Investment Counselors of Maryland, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(23) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02-000263 on August 30, 2002. (d)(19) Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and C.S. McKee, L.P. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(24) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02-000263 on August 30, 2002. (d)(20) Investment Advisory Agreement dated August 8, 2008 between the Registrant and Rice, Hall James & Associates LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(16) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428- 09-000641 on December 18, 2009. (d)(21) Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 1, 2008 between the Registrant and Rice Hall James & Associates, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(17) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428- 09-000641 on December 18, 2009. (d)(22) Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley, Inc. (now, Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(27) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02-000263 on August 30, 2002. (d)(23) Amendment and Revised Schedule A dated June 1, 2010 to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated June 24, 2002 between the Registrant and Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley, Inc. (now, Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(21) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000336 on August 30, 2010. (d)(24) Investment Advisory Agreement dated January 29, 2010 between the Registrant and PNC Capital Advisors, LLC to be filed by amendment. (d)(25) Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 28, 2004 between the Registrant and Haverford Investment Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(30) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-05-000093 on February 25, 2005. (d)(26) Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 1, 2008 between the Registrant and Haverford Investment Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(23) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09-000276 on July 2, 2009. (d)(27) Investment Advisory Agreement dated December 16, 2005 between the Registrant and Westwood Management Corp. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(28) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 88 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N- 1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-06- 000081 on February 28, 2006. (d)(28) Schedule A dated December 16, 2005, as last amended February 15, 2011, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated December 16, 2005 between the Registrant and Westwood Management Corp. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(30) of 3 |
Post-Effective Amendment No. 140 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428- 11-000194 on March 28, 2011. (d)(29) Form of Expense Limitation Agreement dated August 12, 2008, as amended and restated February 4, 2011, between the Registrant and Westwood Management Corp., relating to each series of the WHG Family of Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(29) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000071 on February 8, 2011. (d)(30) Investment Advisory Agreement dated February 27, 2006 between the Registrant and Edgewood Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(33) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 95 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N- 1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07- 000007 on January 12, 2007. (d)(31) Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 1, 2008 between the Registrant and Edgewood Management LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(28) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428- 10-000245 on June 30, 2010. (d)(32) Investment Advisory Agreement dated September 21, 2009 between the Registrant and Pennant Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(30) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 115 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09- 000594 on November 30, 2009. (d)(33) Investment Advisory Agreement dated March 31, 2010 between the Registrant and Sands Capital Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(30) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 123 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10- 000173 on April 30, 2010. (d)(34) Expense Limitation Agreement dated March 10, 2010 between the Registrant and Sands Capital Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(31) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 123 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10- 000173 on April 30, 2010. (d)(35) Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 7, 2010 between the Registrant and Aviva Investors North America, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(33) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 124 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428- 10-000245 on June 30, 2010. (d)(36) Revised Schedule A, as last revised August 11, 2010, to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 7, 2010 between the Registrant and Aviva Investors North America, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(35) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000336 on August 30, 2010. (d)(37) Form of Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Aviva Investors North America, Inc., with respect to the Aviva Investors High Yield Bond Fund and Aviva Investors Core Aggregate Fixed Income Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(37) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000336 on August 30, 2010. 4 |
(d)(38) Revised Schedule A to the Investment Advisory Agreement dated May 7, 2010 between the Registrant and Aviva Investors North America, Inc., with respect to the Aviva Investors Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(40) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000239 on April 19, 2011. (d)(39) Form of Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and Aviva Investors North America, Inc., with respect to the Aviva Investors Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(41) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11- 000239 on April 19, 2011. (d)(40) Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC, relating to the AlphaOne Family of Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(42) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 141 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000199 on March 30, 2011. (d)(41) Expense Limitation Agreement between the Registrant and AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC, relating to the AlphaOne Family of Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(43) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 154 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000353 on June 29, 2011. (d)(42) Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P., relating to the Loomis Sayles Full Discretion Institutional Securitized Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (d)(44) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 156 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000382 on July 29, 2011. (e)(1) Distribution Agreement dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated August 8, 1994, between the Registrant and SEI Financial Services Company (now, SEI Investments Distribution Co.) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (6) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-96- 001199 on February 28, 1996. (e)(2) Distribution Agreement dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated November 12, 2002, between the Registrant and SEI Investments Distribution Co. (formerly, SEI Financial Services Company) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (e)(4) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03- 000108 on February 28, 2003. (e)(3) Amendment No. 1 effective as of August 30, 2010 to the Distribution Agreement dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated November 12, 2002 between the Registrant and SEI Investments Distribution Co. (formerly, SEI Financial Services Company), is filed herewith. (e)(4) Amended and Restated Sub-Distribution and Servicing Agreement dated November 10, 1997 between SEI Investments Company and AIG Equity Sales Corporation is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (6)(c) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001047469-98-008087 on February 27, 1998. (e)(5) Revised Form of Amended Sub-Distribution and Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and SEI Investments Distribution Co. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (e)(2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 76 to the Registration Statement of The 5 |
Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II (File No. 33-50718), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-08-000222 on May 30, 2008. (f) Not Applicable. (g)(1) Custodian Agreement dated August 12, 1991 between the Registrant and CoreStates Bank N.A. (now, US Bank, National Association) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (6) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-97-001691 on February 27, 1997. (g)(2) Amendment dated May 21, 2001 to the Custodian Agreement dated August 12, 1991 between the Registrant and First Union National Bank (now, U.S. Bank, National Association) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(4) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02-000175 on June 14, 2002. (g)(3) Amended Fee Schedule dated February 18, 2004 to the Custodian Agreement dated August 12, 1991 between the Registrant and Wachovia Bank, National Association (now U.S. Bank, National Association) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(7) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 69 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N- 1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-04- 000095 on March 1, 2004. (g)(4) Amendment and Assignment dated August 8, 2006 to the Custodian Agreement dated August 12, 1991 between the Registrant and Wachovia Bank, N.A., (now U.S. Bank, National Association) assigning the Custodian Agreement to U.S. Bank, National Association is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(5) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 92 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-06-000367 on August 28, 2006. (g)(5) Amendment dated March 14, 2007 to the Custodian Agreement dated August 12, 1991 between the Registrant and U.S. Bank, National Association is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(8) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (g)(6) Custodian Agreement dated June 26, 2001 between the Registrant and Union Bank of California, N.A. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-02-000175 on June 14, 2002. (g)(7) Custodian Agreement dated November 13, 2007 between the Registrant and Union Bank of California, N.A. to be filed by amendment. (g)(8) Custody Agreement dated February 3, 2003 between the Registrant and National City Bank is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(5) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 66 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03-000264 on April 30, 2003. (g)(9) Amended Fee Schedule dated February 19, 2003 to the Custody Agreement dated February 3, 2003 between the Registrant and National City Bank is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (g)(6) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03-000630 on December 29, 2003. (g)(10) Custody Agreement between the Registrant and The Northern Trust Company to be filed by amendment. 6 |
(h)(1) Administration Agreement dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated November 12, 2002, between the Registrant and SEI Investments Global Funds Services is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(50) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03-000108 on February 28, 2003. (h)(2) Consent to Assignment and Assumption of Administration Agreement dated June 1, 1996 between the Registrant and SEI Financial Management Corporation (now, SEI Investments Global Funds Services) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (9)(f) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109- 97-001691 on February 27, 1997. (h)(3) Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2000, as amended and restated February 21, 2001, between the Registrant and Forum Shareholder Services, LLC (now, Citi Fund Services, LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(24) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 98 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000218 on June 15, 2007. (h)(4) AML Delegation Amendment dated May 20, 2003 to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2000, as amended and restated February 21, 2001, between the Registrant and Forum Shareholder Services, LLC (now, Citi Fund Services, LLC) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(64) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03-000630 on December 29, 2003. (h)(5) Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated January 15, 2003 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(62) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03-000495 on August 28, 2003. (h)(6) AML Delegation Amendment dated May 20, 2003 to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated January 15, 2003 between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(65) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-03-000630 on December 29, 2003. (h)(7) Agency Agreement dated April 1, 2006 between the Registrant and DST Systems, Inc. to be filed by amendment. (h)(8) Amendment dated April 1, 2009 to the Agency Agreement dated July 1, 2006 between the Registrant and DST Systems, Inc. to be filed by amendment. (h)(9) Transfer Agency Agreement dated May 31, 2007 between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(30) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 99 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000376 on August 28, 2007. (h)(10) Shareholder Services Plan, relating to the Investor Class Shares of the Cambiar Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (m)(6) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 71 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-04-000154 on April 16, 2004. (h)(11) Revised Exhibit A to the Shareholder Services Plan, relating to Investor Class Shares of the Cambiar Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(13) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 151 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A 7 |
(File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11- 000300 on May 31, 2011. (h)(12) Shareholder Services Plan, relating to the Retail Class Shares of the Edgewood Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(42) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-06-000148 on April 14, 2006. (h)(13) Shareholder Services Plan, relating to Institutional Shares of the WHG Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(36) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to the Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000518 on November 15, 2007. (h)(14) Exhibit A to the Shareholder Services Plan, relating to the Institutional Shares of the WHG Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(14) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 140 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000194 on March 28, 2011. (h)(15) Shareholder Services Plan, relating to the Investor Class Shares of the Sands Capital Global Growth Fund, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(30) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 120 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010. (h)(16) Shareholder Services Plan, relating to the R Class Shares of the AlphaOne Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(17) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 141 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000199 on March 30, 2011. (i) Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to Shares of the Cambiar Global Select Fund, to be filed by amendment. (j) Not Applicable. (k) Not Applicable. (l) Not Applicable. (m)(1) Distribution Plan dated August 8, 1994, as amended August 14, 2000, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (m) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0000950109-00-004829 on December 13, 2000. (m)(2) Schedule A, as last amended March 24, 2011, to the Distribution Plan dated August 8, 1994, as amended August 14, 2000, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (m)(2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000239 on April 19, 2011. (m)(3) Distribution Plan dated September 17, 2002 and Schedule A dated September 17, 2002, as amended, relating to Investor Shares of the Rice Hall James Mid Cap Portfolio, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (m)(6) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 74 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-04-000242 on June 1, 2004. (m)(4) Amended Schedule A dated November 13, 2007 to the Distribution Plan dated September 17, 2002, relating to Investor Shares of the Rice Hall James Mid Cap Portfolio, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (m)(4) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09-000276 on July 2, 2009. (n)(1) Registrant's Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Plan dated February 21, 2007 (including Schedules and Certificates of Class Designation thereto) is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (n) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 127 to the Registrant's 8 |
Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000392 on September 3, 2010. (n)(2) Revised Schedule F to the Registrant's Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Plan dated February 21, 2007, relating to the WHG Family of Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (n)(2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 140 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000194 on March 28, 2011. (n)(3) Revised Schedule G and Certificates of Class Designation to the Registrant's Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan dated February 21, 2007, relating to the Aviva Investors Family of Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (n)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428- 11-000239 on April 19, 2011. (n)(4) Schedule I and Certificates of Class Designation to the Registrant's Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan dated February 21, 2007, relating to the AlphaOne Family of Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (n)(4) of Post- Effective Amendment No. 141 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11- 000199 on March 30, 2011. (n)(5) Revised Schedule C to the Registrant's Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Plan dated February 21, 2007, relating to the Cambiar Funds, is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (n)(5) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 151 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000300 on May 31, 2011. (o) Not Applicable. (p)(1) Registrant's Code of Ethics dated November 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(36) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000518 on November 15, 2007. (p)(2) HGK Asset Management, Inc. Revised Code of Ethics dated October 23, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(30) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 120 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010. (p)(3) LSV Asset Management Revised Code of Ethics dated January 19, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (p)(4) Analytic Investors, LLC Revised Code of Ethics dated September 30, 2005 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(6) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (p)(5) Cambiar Investors, LLC Revised Code of Ethics dated April 2008 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(6) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 107 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-08-000342 on August 28, 2008. (p)(6) Investment Counselors of Maryland, LLC Revised Code of Ethics dated March 13, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(8) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (p)(7) C.S. McKee, LLP Revised Code of Ethics dated February 1, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(9) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's 9 |
Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (p)(8) Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley, LLC Revised Code of Ethics to be filed by amendment. (p)(9) First Manhattan Co. Revised Code of Ethics dated December 2006 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(11) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (p)(10) Haverford Investment Management, Inc. Revised Code of Ethics dated June 2006 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(12) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000146 on April 30, 2007. (p)(11) AIG Asset Management (U.S.), LLC Revised Code of Ethics dated September 13, 2007 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(12) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000518 on November 15, 2007. (p)(12) Rice Hall James & Associates, LLC Revised Code of Ethics is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(12) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000336 on August 30, 2010. (p)(13) Acadian Asset Management, LLC Revised Code of Ethics is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(13) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 126 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000336 on August 30, 2010. (p)(14) Westwood Management Corp. Revised Code of Ethics dated March 1, 2006 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(19) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 96 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-07-000065 on February 28, 2007. (p)(15) Edgewood Management LLC Revised Code of Ethics dated March 14, 2011 is filed herewith. (p)(16) PNC Capital Advisors, LLC Code of Ethics dated October 8, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (h)(30) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 120 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC on March 1, 2010. (p)(17) Pennant Management, Inc. Code of Ethics is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(19) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09-000365 on August 21, 2009. (p)(18) Sands Capital Management, LLC Code of Ethics is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(19) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 117 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-10-000009 on January 15, 2010. (p)(19) Aviva Investors North America, Inc. Code of Ethics, as approved by the Board of Trustees on November 10, 2011, is filed herewith. (p)(20) AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC Code of Ethics dated May 1, 2011, is filed herewith. (p)(21) SEI Investments Distribution Co. Code of Ethics dated January 12, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (p)(18) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-09-000641 on December 18, 2009. (p)(22) Loomis, Sayles & Company L.P. Code of Ethics to be filed by amendment. 10 |
(q) Powers of Attorney dated February 2011 for Ms. Betty L. Krikorian and Messrs. Robert A. Nesher, Michael Lawson, William M. Doran, John K. Darr, George J. Sullivan, Jr., Charles E. Carlbom, James M. Storey, Philip T. Masterson and Mitchell A. Johnson are incorporated herein by reference to exhibit (q) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 145 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-42484), filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001135428-11-000239 on April 19, 2011. |
ITEM 29. PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH REGISTRANT:
Not Applicable.
ITEM 30. INDEMNIFICATION:
Article VIII of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust filed as Exhibit (a) to the Registrant's Registration Statement is incorporated herein by reference. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") may be permitted to trustees, directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and, therefore, is unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by trustees, directors, officers or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustees, directors, officers or controlling persons in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.
ITEM 31. BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF INVESTMENT ADVISERS:
The following lists any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each investment adviser, and each director, officer or partner of that investment adviser, is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner, or trustee. Unless noted below, none of the investment advisers, and/or director, officer or partner of each investment adviser, is or has been engaged within the last two fiscal years in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
ACADIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC
Acadian Asset Management LLC ("Acadian") serves as the investment adviser to
the Acadian Emerging Markets Portfolio and Acadian Emerging Markets Debt Fund.
The principal address of Acadian is One Post Office Square, 20th Floor, Boston,
Massachusetts 02109. Acadian is an investment adviser registered under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal
years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gary Bergstrom, Chairman, Acadian Asset Management Member of Board of (Singapore) Pte Ltd Director, asset management Managers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John Chisholm, Executive Acadian Asset Management Vice President, CIO, Member (UK) Ltd Director, asset management of Board of Managers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Churchill Franklin, Executive Acadian Asset Management Vice President, Member of (UK) Ltd Director, asset management Board of Managers Acadian Asset Management (Australia) Ltd Director, asset management ----------------------------------------------------------- Acadian Cayman Limited G.P. Director, asset management ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ronald Frashure, Chief Acadian Asset Management Executive Officer, President, (Singapore) Pte Ltd Director, asset management Member of Board of ----------------------------------------------------------- Managers Acadian Cayman Limited G.P. Director, asset management ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mark Minichiello, Senior Vice President, Chief Acadian Asset Management Financial Officer, Treasurer, (UK) Ltd Director, asset management Secretary, Member of Board of Managers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Raymond Mui, Senior Vice President, Member of Board Acadian Cayman Limited G.P. Director, asset management of Managers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ross Dowd, Senior Vice Acadian Asset Management Director, asset management President, Head of Client (UK) Ltd Service, Member of Board of Acadian Cayman Limited G.P. Director, asset management Managers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Linda Gibson, Member of Director, Executive Vice Linda Gibson, Member of Board of Board of Managers President and Chief Operating Managers Officer and acting CEO - Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc. (a holding company); Larch Lane Advisors, LLC (an investment advisor); 2100 Xenon Group LLC (an investment advisor); Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor); 300 North Capital, LLC (f/k/a Provident Investment Counsel, Inc.) (an investment advisor); Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC (an investment advisor); Dwight Asset Management Company LLC (an investment advisor; Investment Counselors of Maryland, LLC (an investment advisor) Lincluden Management Limited (an investment advisor) Old Mutual Asset Management International , Ltd. (an investment advisor) Old Mutual Asset Managers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (UK) Ltd. (an investment advisor); Copper Rock Capital Partners, LLC (an investment advisor); Old Mutual Capital, Inc. (an investment advisor); Ashfield Capital Partners, LLC (an investment advisor); Old Mutual Asset Management Trust Company (a trust company) Old Mutual Fund Managers Limited (a fund manager) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matthew Berger, Member of Chief Financial Officer, Senior Board of Managers Vice President and Director Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc. (a holding company); Affiliated Directorships Acadian Asset Management LLC (investment advisor) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stephen Clarke, Member of Senior Vice President, Board of Managers Relationship Manager - Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc. (a holding company); Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor); Affiliated Directorships Lincluden Management Limited (an investment advisor) 300 North Capital, LLC (an investment advisor) Larch Lane Advisors LLC (an investment advisor) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ James Mikolaichik, Member Executive Vice President, Head of Board of Managers of Strategy, Product and Corporate Development - Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc. (a holding company); Acadian Asset Management LLC (an investment advisor); 2100 Xenon Group LLC (an investment advisor) Old Mutual Capital, Inc. (an investment advisor) Affiliated Directorships ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matthew Appelstein, Member Executive Vice President, Head of Board of Managers of Sales and Marketing - Old Mutual (US) Holdings Inc. (a Affiliated Directorships holding company); Acadian Asset Management LLC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (an investment advisor); Old Mutual Investment Partners; Old Mutual Global Funds, plc; Old Mutual Absolute Return Funds; Old Mutual Emerging Managers Funds; TS&W/Claymore Tax- Advantaged Balanced Fund; Old Mutual Capital Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
AIG ASSET MANAGEMENT (U.S.), LLC
AIG Asset Management (U.S.), LLC ("AMG") serves as the investment adviser for
the AIG Money Market Fund. The principal address of AMG is 80 Pine Street, New
York, New York 10005. AMG is an investment adviser registered under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal
years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of AMG is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC ("AlphaOne") serves as the investment adviser
for the AlphaOne Small Cap Growth Fund, AlphaOne Micro Cap Equity Fund and
AlphaOne U.S. Equity Long Short Fund. The principal address of AlphaOne is One
Tower Bridge, 100 Front Street, Suite 1250, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.
AlphaOne is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940. [To be completed by amendment.]
NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- |
ANALYTIC INVESTORS, LLC
Analytic Investors, LLC ("Analytic") serves as the investment adviser to the
Analytic Short Term Income Fund. The principal address of Analytic is 555 West
Fifth Street, 50th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Analytic is an investment
adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information
listed below is for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2009 and 2010.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Roger Glen Clarke, Ensign Peak Advisors President (September 1997 -- Chairman present) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Bonneville Holding Corporation Director (January 2000 -- present) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Deseret Trust Company Director (September 1996 -- present) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Deseret Mutual Benefit Director (March 2006 -- present) Administrators ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harindra de Silva, Analytic Total Return Volatility Director (April 2010 -- present) Director and President Fund, Ltd. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marie Nastasi Arlt, Analytic Total Return Volatility Director (April 2010 -- present) Director, Treasurer, Vice Fund, Ltd. President, Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Linda Tilton Gibson, Old Mutual US Holdings, Inc. Chief Operating Officer (October Director 2008 -- present) Executive Vice President (September 2004-present) Director (November 2009- present) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Williamson Old Mutual US Holdings, Inc. Senior Vice President (June 1997 Clarke -- present) Director ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
AVIVA INVESTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Aviva Investors North America, Inc. ("Aviva") serves as the investment adviser
to the Aviva Investors High Yield Bond Fund, Aviva Investors Core Aggregate
Fixed Income Fund and Aviva Investors Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond
Fund. The principal address of Aviva is 699 Walnut Street, Suite 1700, Des
Moines, Iowa 50309. Aviva is an investment adviser registered under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is provided as of
December 31, 2010.
As of December 31, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of Aviva is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
CAMBIAR INVESTORS LLC
Cambiar Investors LLC ("Cambiar") serves as the investment adviser to the
Cambiar Opportunity Fund, the Cambiar International Equity Fund, the Cambiar
Small Cap Fund, the Cambiar Aggressive Value Fund and the Cambiar Smid 30 Fund.
The principal address of Cambiar is 2401 East Second Street, Suite 400, Denver,
Colorado 80206. Cambiar is an investment adviser registered under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal
years ended April 30, 2010 and 2011.
For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2010 and 2011, none of the directors, officers or partners of Cambiar is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
C.S. MCKEE, L.P.
C.S. McKee, L.P. ("C.S. McKee") serves as the investment adviser to the McKee
International Equity Portfolio. The principal address of C.S. McKee is One
Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222. C.S. McKee is an investment
adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information
listed below is for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory M. Melvin Dartmouth Capital, Inc. President Chief Investment Officer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
EDGEWOOD MANAGEMENT LLC
Edgewood Management LLC ("Edgewood") serves as the investment adviser to the
Edgewood Growth Fund. The principal address of Edgewood is 350 Park Avenue,
18th Floor, New York, New York 10022-6057. Edgewood is an investment adviser
registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed
below is for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alan Whitman Breed, President, EMC Tidemark Partners LLC Managing Member & Managing Member of the Board of Managers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Donna Marie Colon, Secretary & EMC Tidemark Partners, LLC Member Member of the Board of Managers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
FIRST MANHATTAN CO.
First Manhattan Co. ("FMC") serves as the investment adviser for the FMC Select
Fund and FMC Strategic Value Fund. The principal address of FMC is 437 Madison
Avenue, New York, New York 10022. FMC is an investment adviser registered under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the
fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Sanford Gottesman, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Member, Board of Directors Senior Managing Director -------------------------------------------------------------- American Museum of Natural Trustee History -------------------------------------------------------------- Mount Sinai Center Trustee -------------------------------------------------------------- Yeshiva University Trustee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel Rosenbloom, Senior NYU Medical Center Trustee Managing Director -------------------------------------------------------------- National Foundation for Facial Trustee Reconstruction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles M. Rosenthal, Senior Brown University Trustee Emeritus Managing Director -------------------------------------------------------------- Marine Biological Laboratory Trustee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arthur Joel Stainman, Senior Ark Restaurants Corp. Member, Board of Directors Managing Director Rider University Trustee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert W. Gottesman, Chief Gruss Foundation Trustee Executive Officer and Senior Managing Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William F. Guardenier, John Hart Hunter Foundation Trustee Senior Managing Director -------------------------------------------------------------- New Hampton School Trustee ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
HAVERFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
Haverford Financial Services, Inc. ("Haverford") serves as the investment
adviser for the Haverford Quality Growth Stock Fund. The principal address of
Haverford is Three Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 450, Radnor, Pennsylvania
19087-4546. Haverford is an investment adviser registered under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal years
ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- George W. Connell The Haverford Trust Company Vice Chairman & Owner Vice Chairman & Owner Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. Vice Chairman & Owner Drexel Morgan & Company, LLC CEO & President ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joseph J. McLaughlin The Haverford Trust Company Chairman & CEO Chairman, CEO & President Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. Registered Representative ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Binney H. C. Wietlisbach The Haverford Trust Company President Executive Vice President Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. CEO & President ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Henry B. Smith The Haverford Trust Company Vice President & CIO Vice President and CIO Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. Registered Representative ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Brune The Haverford Trust Company Vice President Vice President Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. Registered Representative ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John H. Donaldson The Haverford Trust Company Vice President Vice President ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timothy A. Hoyle The Haverford Trust Company Vice President Vice President Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. Registered Representative ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeffrey M. Bagley The Haverford Trust Company Vice President Vice President ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MarieElena V. Ness The Haverford Trust Company Chief Compliance Officer Chief Compliance Officer Haverford Trust Securities, Inc. Chief Compliance Officer Drexel Morgan & Co. Chief Compliance Officer Regulatory Compliance Assistance, Sole Member LLC ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
HGK ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC.
HGK Asset Management, Inc. ("HGK") serves as the investment adviser for the HGK
Equity Value Fund. The principal address of HGK is Newport Tower, 525
Washington Boulevard, Suite 2000, Jersey City, New Jersey 07310. HGK is an
investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The
information listed below is for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and
2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 30, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of HGK is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
INVESTMENT COUNSELORS OF MARYLAND, LLC
Investment Counselors of Maryland, LLC ("ICM") serves as the investment adviser
to the ICM Small Company Portfolio. The principal address of ICM is 803
Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. ICM is an investment adviser
registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed
below is for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 30, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of ICM is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
LOOMIS, SAYLES & COMPANY, L.P.
Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. ("Loomis Sayles") serves as the investment
adviser to the Loomis Sayles Full Discretion Institutional Securitized Fund.
The address of Loomis Sayles is One Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts
02111. Loomis Sayles is an investment adviser registered under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is provided as of [date].
[To be updated by amendment]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ |
LSV ASSET MANAGEMENT
LSV Asset Management ("LSV") serves as the investment adviser to the LSV Value
Equity Fund, the LSV Conservative Core Equity Fund and the LSV Conservative
Value Equity Fund. The address of LSV is 155 North Wacker Drive, Chicago,
Illinois 60606. LSV is an investment adviser registered under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal years
ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of LSV is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
PENNANT MANAGEMENT, INC.
Pennant Management, Inc. ("Pennant") serves as the investment adviser to the
USFS Funds Limited Duration Government Fund and USFS Funds Tactical Asset
Allocation Fund. The address of Pennant is 11270 West Park Place, Suite 1025,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53224. Pennant is an investment adviser registered under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2009 and 2010.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY CONNECTION WITH OTHER COMPANY --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark A. Elste Senior Executive Vice President, President, CEO and CIO U.S. Fiduciary Services Treasurer and Director -------------------------------------------------------------- GreatBanc Trust Company Director -------------------------------------------------------------- Salem Trust Company Director -------------------------------------------------------------- USF Affiliate Services, Inc. Director -------------------------------------------------------------- Waretech, Inc. Director --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lauren E. McAfee U.S. Fiduciary Services Secretary Chief Compliance Officer ------------------------------------------------------------ and Secretary GreatBanc Trust Company Secretary -------------------------------------------------------------- Salem Trust Company Secretary -------------------------------------------------------------- Legal and Compliance Officer, USF Affiliate Services, Inc. Secretary -------------------------------------------------------------- Waretech, Inc. Secretary --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James E. Habanek Senior Vice President Senior Vice President The Ziegler Companies, Inc. and Portfolio Manager --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pam C. Dix Senior Vice President Vice President M&I Bank and Portfolio Manager --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scott R Harding Amcore Bank, NA Vice President & Manager SVP --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY CONNECTION WITH OTHER COMPANY --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Welgat U.S. Fiduciary Services CEO, President, Director Director GreatBanc Trust Company Director Salem Trust Company Director USF Affiliate Services, Inc. Director Waretech, Inc. Director --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Todd C. Johnson U.S. Fiduciary Services Director Director Todd C. Johnson CPA Affinity, Inc. Director DigiTenna, Inc. Director Jaws, Inc. Director & Officer PB Properties, LLC Managing Partner ALJ Family Partnership General Partner Carl & Irma Swenson Director & Officer Foundation Director & Officer RAJ Ministries Director / Officer New Beginnings Are Possible --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
PNC CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC
PNC Capital Advisors, LLC ("PNC Capital") serves as adviser to the UA S&P 500
Fund. PNC Capital was formed as a result of the merger of Allegiant Asset
Management Company, the former investment adviser to the UA S&P 500 Fund, with
its affiliate, PNC Capital Advisors, Inc. PNC Capital is a Delaware limited
liability company and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of The PNC Financial
Services Group, Inc., a publicly-held bank holding company, and is registered
as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Effective
January 1, 2009, Allegiant Asset Management Company became an indirect wholly
owned subsidiary of PNC. Prior to such date, Allegiant Asset Management Company
was an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of National City Corporation. PNC
Capital also provides investment advisory to other institutions and individuals
and provides investment advisory and administrative services to other
investment companies. The information required by this Item 31 with respect to
each director and officer of PNC Capital is incorporated herein by reference to
Form ADV and Schedules A and B filed by PNC Capital with the SEC.
RICE HALL JAMES & ASSOCIATES, LLC
Rice Hall James & Associates, LLC ("Rice Hall") serves as the investment
adviser to the Rice Hall James Micro Cap Portfolio, Rice Hall James Mid Cap
Portfolio and Rice Hall James Small Cap Portfolio. The principal address of
Rice Hall is 600 West Broadway, Suite 1000, San Diego, California 92101-3383.
Rice Hall is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal years ended October
31, 2009 and 2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of Rice Hall is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
SANDS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC
Sands Capital Management, LLC ("Sands") serves as the investment adviser to the
Sands Capital Global Growth Fund. The principal address of Sands is 1101 Wilson
Boulevard, Suite 2300, Arlington, VA 22209. Sands is an investment adviser
registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed
below is provided as of October 31, 2009 and October 31, 2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of Sands is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
THOMPSON, SIEGEL & WALMSLEY LLC
Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC ("TS&W") serves as the investment adviser to
the TS&W Equity Portfolio, and TS&W Fixed Income Portfolio. The principal
address of TS&W is 6806 Paragon Place, Suite 300, P.O. Box 6883, Richmond,
Virginia 23230. TS&W is an investment adviser registered under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the fiscal years
ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010, none of the directors, officers or partners of TS&W is or has been engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee.
WESTWOOD MANAGEMENT CORP.
Westwood Management Corp. ("Westwood") serves as the investment adviser for the
WHG Income Opportunity Fund, WHG SMidCap Fund, WHG SMidCap Plus Fund, WHG
LargeCap Value Fund, WHG SmallCap Value Fund, WHG Dividend Growth Fund, and WHG
Balanced Fund. The principal address of Westwood is 200 Crescent Court, Suite
1200, Dallas, Texas 75201. Westwood is an investment adviser registered under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The information listed below is for the
fiscal years ended October 31, 2009 and 2010.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAME AND POSITION CONNECTION WITH WITH INVESTMENT ADVISER NAME OF OTHER COMPANY OTHER COMPANY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Susan Byrne Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.* Chief Investment Officer and Chief Investment Officer and (NYSE: WHG) Chairman of the Board Chairman of the Board ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Casey Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.* President and Chief Executive President and Chief Executive (NYSE: WHG) Officer and Director Officer and Director ------------------------------ ----------------------------- Westwood Trust** President and Director ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William R. Hardcastle Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.* Chief Financial Officer Chief Financial Officer (NYSE: WHG) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sylvia L. Fry Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.* Chief Compliance Officer Chief Compliance Officer (NYSE: WHG) ------------------------------ ----------------------------- Westwood Trust** Chief Compliance Officer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
* Westwood Management Corp. and Westwood Trust are wholly owned subsidiaries of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc., a publicly traded company on the NYSE (NYSE: WHG).
** Westwood Trust provides trust and custodial services and participation in common trust funds that it sponsors to institutions and high net worth individuals.
ITEM 32. PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITERS:
(a) Furnish the name of each investment company (other than the Registrant) for which each principal underwriter currently distributing the securities of the Registrant also acts as a principal underwriter, distributor or investment adviser.
Registrant's distributor, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the "Distributor"), acts as distributor for:
SEI Daily Income Trust July 15, 1982 SEI Liquid Asset Trust November 29, 1982 SEI Tax Exempt Trust December 3, 1982 SEI Institutional Managed Trust January 22, 1987 SEI Institutional International Trust August 30, 1988 The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund November 14, 1991 The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund II January 28, 1993 Bishop Street Funds January 27, 1995 SEI Asset Allocation Trust April 1, 1996 SEI Institutional Investments Trust June 14, 1996 CNI Charter Funds April 1, 1999 iShares Inc. January 28, 2000 iShares Trust April 25, 2000 Optique Funds, Inc. (f/k/a JohnsonFamily Funds, Inc.) November 1, 2000 Causeway Capital Management Trust September 20, 2001 BlackRock Funds III (f/k/a Barclays Global Investors Funds) March 31, 2003 SEI Opportunity Fund, LP October 1, 2003 The Arbitrage Funds May 17, 2005 ProShares Trust November 14, 2005 Community Reinvestment Act Qualified Investment Fund January 8, 2007 SEI Alpha Strategy Portfolios, LP June 29, 2007 TD Asset Management USA Funds July 25, 2007 SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP July 31, 2007 Wilshire Mutual Funds, Inc. July 12, 2008 Wilshire Variable Insurance Trust July 12, 2008 Global X Funds October 24, 2008 ProShares Trust II November 17, 2008 FaithShares Trust August 7, 2009 Schwab Strategic Trust October 12, 2009 RiverPark Funds September 8, 2010 |
The Distributor provides numerous financial services to investment managers, pension plan sponsors, and bank trust departments. These services include portfolio evaluation, performance measurement and consulting services ("Funds Evaluation") and automated execution, clearing and settlement of securities transactions ("MarketLink").
(b) Furnish the Information required by the following table with respect to each director, officer or partner of each principal underwriter named in the answer to Item 20 of Part B. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each director or officer is Oaks, PA 19456.
Position and Office Positions and Offices Name with Underwriter with Registrant ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- William M. Doran Director -- Edward D. Loughlin Director -- 21 |
Wayne M. Withrow Director -- Kevin P. Barr President & Chief Executive Officer -- Maxine J. Chou Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer & Treasurer -- Karen E. LaTourette Chief Compliance Officer, Anti-Money Laundering Officer & Assistant Secretary -- John C. Munch General Counsel & Secretary -- Mark J. Held Senior Vice President -- Lori L. White Vice President & Assistant Secretary -- John P. Coary Vice President & Assistant Secretary -- John J. Cronin Vice President -- Robert M. Silvestri Vice President -- |
ITEM 33. LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS:
Books or other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the rules promulgated thereunder, are maintained as follows:
(a) With respect to Rules 31a-1(a); 31a-1(b)(1); (2)(a) and (b); (3); (6);
(8); (12); and 31a-1 (d), the required books and records are maintained
at the offices of Registrant's custodians:
U.S. Bank, National Association Union Bank of California, N.A. 800 Nicollett Mall 475 Sansome Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-4302 15(th) Floor San Francisco, California 94111 National City Bank The Northern Trust Company National City Center 50 LaSalle Street 1900 East Ninth Street Chicago, Illinois 60675 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 |
(b)/(c) With respect to Rules 31a-1(a); 31a-1 (b)(1),(4); (2)(C) and (D); (4);
(5); (6); (8); (9); (10); (11); and 31a-1(f), the required books and
records are maintained at the offices of Registrant's administrator:
SEI Investments Global Funds Services
One Freedom Valley Drive
Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456
(c) With respect to Rules 31a-1 (b)(5), (6), (9) and (10) and 31a-1 (f), the required books and records are maintained at the offices of the Registrant's investment advisers:
Acadian Asset Management LLC One Post Office Square, 8th Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02109
AIG Asset Management (U.S.), LLC 70 Pine Street, 20th Floor New York, New York 10270
AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC
One Tower Bridge
100 Front Street, Suite 1250
West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Analytic Investors, LLC
555 West Fifth Street, 50th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Aviva Investors North America, Inc. 699 Walnut Street, Suite 1700 Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Cambiar Investors LLC
2401 East Second Street, Suite 400
Denver, Colorado 80206
C.S. McKee, LLP
One Gateway Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Edgewood Management LLC
305 Park Avenue, 18th Floor
New York, New York 10022-6057
First Manhattan Co.
437 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022-7022
Haverford Investment Management, Inc.
Three Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 450 Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087-4546
HGK Asset Management, Inc.
Newport Tower
525 Washington Blvd.
Jersey City, New Jersey 07310
Investment Counselors of Maryland, LLC
803 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P.
One Financial Center
Boston, Massachusetts 02111-2621
LSV Asset Management
1 North Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Pennant Management, Inc.
11270 West Park Place, Suite 1025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53224
PNC Capital Advisors, LLC
200 Public Square
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Rice Hall James & Associates, LLC 600 West Broadway, Suite 1000 San Diego, California 92101-3383
Sands Capital Management, LLC 1101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 2300 Arlington, VA 22209
Thompson, Siegel & Walmsley LLC 5000 Monument Avenue, P.O. Box 6883 Richmond, Virginia 23230
Westwood Management Corp.
200 Crescent Court, Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75201
ITEM 34. MANAGEMENT SERVICES: None.
ITEM 35. UNDERTAKINGS: None.
NOTICE
A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust for The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund (the "Trust") is on file with the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and notice is hereby given that this registration statement has been executed on behalf of the Trust by an officer of the Trust as an officer and by its trustees as trustees and not individually and the obligations of or arising out of this registration statement are not binding upon any of the trustees, officers, or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 158 to Registration Statement No. 033-42484 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Oaks, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the 16th day of September, 2011.
THE ADVISORS' INNER CIRCLE FUND
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacity and on the dates indicated.
NAME POSITION DATE ---- -------- ---- * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- Charles E. Carlbom * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- John K. Darr * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- William M. Doran * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- Mitchell A. Johnson * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- Betty L. Krikorian * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- Robert A. Nesher * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- James M. Storey * Trustee September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- George J. Sullivan, Jr. * President September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- Philip T. Masterson * Treasurer, Controller & September 16, 2011 ---------------------------- Chief Financial Officer Michael Lawson *By: /s/ DIANNE M. SULZBACH ---------------------------- |
Dianne M. Sulzbach, pursuant to Power of Attorney
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. Exhibit --------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- EX-99.E3 Amendment No. 1 effective as of August 30, 2010 to the Distribution Agreement dated November 14, 1991, as amended and restated November 12, 2002 between the Registrant and SEI Investments Distribution Co. (formerly, SEI Financial Services Company) EX-99.P15 Edgewood Management LLC Revised Code of Ethics dated March 14, 2011 EX-99.P19 Aviva Investors North America, Inc. Code of Ethics, as approved by the Board of Trustees on November 10, 2011 EX-99.P20 AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC Code of Ethics dated May 1, 2011 |
FORM OF
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO
DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
THIS AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT (this "Amendment"), effective as of August 30, 2010, by and between The Advisors' Inner Circle Fund (the "Trust") and SEI Investments Distribution Co. ("SIDCO").
WHEREAS:
1. The Trust and SIDCO entered into a Distribution Agreement, dated as of November 14, 1991 (the "Distribution Agreement"), pursuant to which, among other things, SIDCO agreed to act as the Distributor with respect to Shares of the Portfolios of the Trust; and
2. The parties hereto desire to amend the Distribution Agreement on the terms and subject to the conditions provided herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, covenants, representations and warranties contained herein and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. ARTICLE 6 INDEMNIFICATION OF DISTRIBUTOR AND ARTICLE 7 INDEMNIFICATION OF TRUST of the Distribution Agreement are hereby revised and replaced in their entirety with the following and all subsequent sections of the Distribution Agreement are renumbered accordingly:
ARTICLE 6. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
(a) The Trust will indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor and each
person, if any, who controls the Distributor within the meaning of either
Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
("Exchange Act") from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities,
joint or several, to which the Distributor or controlling person may become
subject, under the 1933 Act, Exchange Act, 1940 Act or otherwise, insofar as
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in the registration statement or any prospectus,
including any summary prospectus (as defined in Rule 498(a)(7) under the 1933
Act) or any amendment, supplement or sticker thereto, or any periodic reports to
shareholders, or any document incorporated by reference therein or filed as an
exhibit thereto, or any marketing literature or materials distributed on behalf
of the Trust with respect to the securities covered by the Registration
Statement or Prospectus (the "Covered Documents") or the omission or alleged
omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse the
Distributor for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the
Distributor in connection with investigating or defending any such action or
claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Trust shall not
be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or
liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Covered Documents about
the Distributor in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Trust by the Distributor expressly for use therein. In no case
is the indemnity of the Trust to be deemed to protect the Distributor against
any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which the Distributor
otherwise would be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
(b) The Distributor will indemnify and hold harmless the Trust and each person, if any, who controls the Trust within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) arise out of a wrongful act or alleged wrongful act of the Distributor or any of its employees or an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Covered Documents or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Covered Document in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Trust by the Distributor about the Distributor expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Trust for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Trust in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred. In no case is the indemnity of the Distributor in favor of the Trust or any person indemnified to be deemed to protect the Trust or any other person against any liability to which the Trust or such other person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party except to the extent such indemnifying party has been materially prejudiced by such failure. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Article 6 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other from the offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Trust on the one hand and the Distributor on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the amount of gross proceeds received by the Trust from the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (expressed in dollars) bears to the total profit to the Distributor and its affiliates from providing services to the Trust. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Trust on the one hand or the Distributor on the other and the parties' relative
intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Trust and the Distributor agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e) The obligations of the Trust under this Article 6 shall be in addition to any liability which the Trust may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act; and the obligations of the Distributor under this Article 6 shall be in addition to any liability which the Distributor may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and trustee of the Trust (including any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the registration statement as about to become a trustee of the Trust) and to each person, if any, who controls the Trust within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act.
(f) The Trust confirms, represents and warrants that the execution, delivery and performance of the Agreement, including without limitation the provisions of this Article 6, have been duly and validly approved by unanimous affirmative vote of all of the Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Trust, within the meaning of the 1940 Act.
2. RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENT. Except as expressly amended and provided herein, all of the terms, conditions and provisions of the Distribution Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.
3. COUNTERPARTS. This Amendment may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument. Each such counterpart shall be deemed an original, and it shall not be necessary in making proof of this Amendment to produce or account for more than one such counterpart. This Amendment shall be deemed executed by each party when any one or more counterparts hereof or thereof, individually or taken together, bears the original, facsimile or scanned signatures of each of the parties.
4. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. The Agreement as modified by this Amendment constitutes the entire agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter contained herein and therein and may only be amended by a writing executed by all parties.
5. GOVERNING LAW. This Amendment shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to any conflict of laws or choice of laws rules or principles thereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this Amendment as of the date set forth above.
THE ADVISORS' INNER CIRCLE FUND SEI INVESTMENTS DISTRIBUTION CO. By:/s/ Joseph Gallo By:/s/ John J. Cronin ----------------------- --------------------- Name: Joseph M. Gallo Name: John J. Cronin Title: V.P. & Secretary Title: V.P. |
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
CODE OF ETHICS (as of 3/14/11)
A. INTRODUCTION
Edgewood Management LLC ("Edgewood"), has implemented the following Code of
Ethics (the "Code") policies to ensure high ethical standards by its employees
and to maintain the confidence of its Clients. Edgewood has a fiduciary duty
that requires all Edgewood employees to act in the best interests of its
Clients. In addition to all personnel of Edgewood being required to comply with
all applicable securities laws, they are all obligated to put the interests of
the Clients before their own personal interests and to act honestly and fairly
in all aspects of their job.
This Code is intended to comply with the various provisions of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), and also requires that all Access Persons comply with federal securities laws and applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). This Code has been adopted with respect to Edgewood's investment advisory services to all of its Clients, including each client that is a U.S. registered investment company or series thereof (each, a "Client"). Edgewood forbids any director, officer and employee from engaging in any conduct that is contrary to this Code.
It is the responsibility of each Access Person to ensure that any securities transaction being considered for his or her Personal Account is not subject to a restriction contained in this Code or otherwise prohibited by any applicable law. Personal securities transactions for Access Persons in Covered Securities may be effected only in accordance with the provisions of this Code. This Code is intended to ensure that employees' conduct and personal securities transactions are conducted in accordance with the following principles:
(i) the duty to place the interests of Clients first;
(ii) the duty to ensure all personal securities transactions are conducted in such a manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of interest; or any abuse of an individual's responsibility and position of trust; and
(iii) the fundamental duty of Edgewood personnel not to take inappropriate advantage of their positions for any personal benefit to the detriment of Clients.
Edgewood considers adherence to this Code, the related restrictions on personal trading, and compliance with all applicable federal securities laws basic conditions of employment. Failure to comply with this Code may result in disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, monetary fines, disgorgement of profits, and suspension or termination of employment.
A written code cannot answer all questions raised in the context of business relationships. Thus, each employee is required to recognize and respond appropriately to specific situations as they arise. In unclear situations, employees are expected to seek guidance from Fausto Rotundo, the Chief Compliance Officer of Edgewood, or his designee, who is charged with the administration of this Code.
The following Definitions are applicable within the context of this Code of Ethics:
a) ACCESS PERSON shall mean each director or officer of Edgewood, any employee or agent, or any natural person or company in a control relationship to Edgewood who, in connection with the person's regular functions or duties, makes, participates in or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of covered securities by a Client advised by Edgewood, or whose functions relates to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales.
b) ACT means the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.
c) BENEFICIAL OWNER shall have the meaning as that set forth in Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except that the determination of direct or indirect beneficial ownership shall apply to all Covered Securities which an Access Person owns or acquires. A Beneficial Owner of a security is any person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest (the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the subject securities) in a security. Indirect pecuniary interest in a security includes securities held by a person's immediate family sharing the same household. Immediate family means any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother- in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law (including adoptive relationships).
d) CLIENT means any person or entity with which Edgewood presently maintains an effective investment advisory contract. The meaning of Client shall exclude any person or entity that has terminated their investment advisory contract with Edgewood or instructed Edgewood to entirely liquidate and/or cease management of all assets.
e) CONTROL means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company. Ownership of 25% or more of a company's outstanding voting securities is presumed to give the holder control over the company. Based upon the facts and circumstances of a given situation, the Review Officer may rebut this presumption.
f) COVERED SECURITY means any security except:
i. Direct obligations of State and Local Government or Agencies;
ii. Direct obligations of the Federal Government and Agencies of the United States;
iii. Banker's acceptances and bank certificates of deposit;
iv. Commercial paper and high quality short-term debt instruments;
v. Repurchase agreements covering any of the foregoing; and
vi. Shares of registered open-end investment companies and open-end exchange traded funds not advised or sub-advised by the Adviser.
g) PURCHASE OR SALE includes, among other things, the writing of an option to purchase or sell.
h) SECURITY HELD OR TO BE ACQUIRED BY A CLIENT means:
i. Any Covered Security that, within the most recent 3 days is or has been held by the applicable Client or is being or has been considered by the Adviser for purchase or sale by the applicable Client; and
ii. Any option to purchase or sell, and any security convertible into or exchangeable for, a Covered Security.
B. APPLICABILITY OF THE CODE
This Code applies to all Personal Accounts of all Access Persons.
1. A Personal Account includes an account maintained by or for:
a. An Access Person's spouse (other than a legally separated or divorced spouse of the Access Person) and minor children;
b. Any immediate family members who live in the Access Person's household and any other individuals who live in the Access Person's household and over whose purchases, sales or other trading activities the Access Person exercises control or investment discretion;
c. Any persons to whom the Access Person provides primary financial support, and either (i) whose financial affairs the Access Person controls, or (ii) for whom the Access Person provides discretionary advisory services; and
d. Any partnership, corporation, or other entity of which the Access Person has 25% or greater Beneficial Ownership, or in which the Access Person exercises effective control.
2. A Personal Account does not include any account for which an Access Person serves as trustee of a trust for the benefit of (i) a person to whom the Access Person does not provide primary financial support or (ii) an independent third party.
3. Access persons may maintain personal accounts that are managed by the Firm or a representative of the Firm, including investments in the Edgewood Funds. Transactions in these accounts executed solely by the Firm, such as across the board trades, are not subject to pre-clearance requirements. Any employee directed transactions in these types of accounts are subject to preclearance and reporting requirements.
The Compliance Officer is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive list of all Access Persons and Personal Accounts.
C. PRE-TRADE CLEARANCE OF TRANSACTIONS IN PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
An Access Person must obtain prior written approval of the Compliance Officer, or his designee, before engaging in any transaction in Covered Securities in his or her Personal Account. An Access Person shall request pre-trade clearance through Edgewood's Salesforce.com platform or, if the Salesforce.com platform is unavailable, an Access Person shall use the designated pre-trade clearance form (SEE ATTACHMENT A). The Compliance Officer or his designee will grant pre-clearance if he concludes the transaction would comply with the provisions of this Code.
Trades in the opposite direction to client transactions will be permitted as long as the trade is in compliance with this Code and the determination is made by the Compliance Officer that the trade would not disadvantage clients. Certain factors the Compliance Officer will take into consideration include the size of the proposed transaction and the nature of the security.
The Compliance Officer must obtain the prior written approval of Nicholas Stephens or Olivia Fleming before engaging in any transaction in Covered Securities in his Personal Account.
Any approval given under this paragraph will remain in effect only for the day the approval is granted.
1. EXCEPTIONS FROM PRE-TRADE CLEARANCE PROVISIONS:
In recognition of the de minimis or involuntary nature of certain transactions, this section sets forth certain exceptions from the Pre-Trade Clearance requirements. All other restrictions and reporting obligations will continue to apply to transactions excluded from Pre-Trade Clearance pursuant to this Section.
Accordingly, the following transactions in Covered Securities will be EXCLUDED
FROM THE PRE-TRADE CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Mandatory purchases or sales effected pursuant to option assignment, and purchases that are made pursuant to an Automatic Investment Plan;
2. Trades executed by Edgewood in exercise of its discretionary authority over the assets of an Access Person. This includes across the board trades effected by the Edgewood trading department pursuant to periodic rebalancing, deposits or withdrawals and/or portfolio investment modifications directed by the Investment Committee;
3. Purchases effected upon the exercise of rights issued by an issuer pro rata to all holders of a class of the issuer's securities, to the extent such rights were acquired from such issuer, and sales of such rights so acquired;
4. Transactions effected in, and the holdings of, any account over which the Access Person has no direct or indirect influence or control (e.g., blind trust, discretionary account or trust managed by a third party); and,
5. Transactions in Exchange Traded Funds ("ETFs").
2. BLACKOUT PERIOD for Pre-Trade Clearance:
Access Persons shall not purchase or sell a Covered Security in an account over which they have direct or indirect influence or control on a day during which they know a Client has a pending or executed "buy" or "sell" order in that same security unless the Access Person trades in the same direction as the client except an Access Person may trade in the opposite direction of a client trade if the client trade is solely due to a rebalancing in response to a cash flow.
For purposes of this section, the (i) common stock and any fixed income security of an issuer shall not be deemed to be the same security; and (ii) convertible preferred stock shall be deemed to be the same security as both the common stock and fixed income securities of that issuer, and (iv) non-convertible preferred stock of an issuer shall be deemed to be the same security as the fixed income securities of that issuer.
Exceptions may be granted by the Review Officer in certain limited circumstances provided no harm resulted to a client and the fiduciary standard is maintained.
II. INVESTMENT DECISIONS Access Persons shall not purchase or sell a Covered Security, for which the Access Person makes or participates in making an investment decision, within 3 business days before or after a Client trades in that security except if the Access Person is trading in the same direction as the Client. All Pre-trade Clearance and Blackout period restrictions will apply. Any profits realized on trades in violation of this restriction shall be disgorged and given to charity.
D. INSIDER TRADING
Insider trading is based on a simple, well-established principle: If You
Receive Material, Non-Public Information About A Public Company From Any
Source, You Are Prohibited From Discussing Or Acting On That Information.
Access Persons are prohibited from trading based on material, non-public information, or communicating material non-public information to others in violation of the law. Under insider trading laws, a person or company that illegally trades in securities of a company while in possession of material, non-public information about that company may be subject to severe sanctions, including civil penalties, fines and imprisonment.
While the law concerning insider trading is not static, it is generally understood that the law prohibits:
i. Trading by an insider while in possession of material,
non-public information;
ii. Trading by a non-insider while in possession of material,
non-public information, where the information either was
disclosed to the non-insider in violation of an insider's duty
to keep it confidential or was misappropriated; or
iii. An insider, or a non-insider described in clause (ii) above,
from communicating material, non-public information to others.
WHO IS AN INSIDER?
The concept of "insider" is broad. It includes all employees of a company.
Corporate insiders who possess material, nonpublic information about a
corporation may be required either to disclose that information to the
investing public or to refrain from passing such information along to others,
trading in or recommending the purchase or sale of the corporation's
securities. Similarly, as a general rule, those to whom corporate insiders
"tip" material, nonpublic information must refrain from passing such
information along to others, trading in or recommending the corporation's
securities. In addition, under most circumstances, tipping or trading on
material, nonpublic information about a tender offer may violate the rules of
the SEC. Tipping may include spreading rumors about potential tender offers.
For example, personnel may not pass along a rumor regarding a tender offer to
those who are likely to trade on the information or further spread the rumor if
the rumor emanated, directly or indirectly, from someone connected with the
target, the offeror, or their respective officers, directors, partners,
employees or persons acting on their behalf, even if such information was
inadvertently communicated.
WHAT IS MATERIAL INFORMATION?
The question of whether information is material is not always easily resolved.
Generally, the courts have held that a fact is material if there is substantial
likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider the information
"important" in making an investment decision. As such, material information
would include information which would likely affect the market price of any
securities, or which would likely be considered important by a reasonable
investor in determining whether to buy, sell or hold such securities. Examples
of material information may include the following:
o Significant dividend increases or decreases
o Significant earnings information or estimates
o Significant changes in earnings information or estimates
previously released by a company
o Significant expansion or curtailment of operations
o Significant increases or declines in orders
o Significant merger, acquisition or divestiture proposals or
agreements
o Significant new products or discoveries
o Extraordinary borrowing
o Major litigation
o Significant liquidity problems
o Extraordinary management developments
o Purchase or sale of substantial assets
o Capital restructuring, such as exchange offers
o Block and/or Restricted Securities transactions
Material information also may relate to the market for a company's securities. Information about a significant order to purchase or sell securities may, in some contexts, be material. Prepublication information regarding reports in the financial press also may be material. For example, the United States Supreme Court upheld the criminal convictions of insider trading defendants who capitalized on prepublication information about The Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street" column.
WHAT IS NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION?
Information is "non-public" if it has not been disclosed generally to the
investing public. Information is made public if it has been broadly
disseminated and made available to the general public by publication in the
newspapers or other media or if it has been the subject of a press release
addressing the general investing public. However, information is not
necessarily made public merely because such information is communicated through
rumors or other unofficial statements in the marketplace.
Other examples of potential sources of inside information include the receipt of information related to the offering of private investments in public offerings ("PIPES"), and information from other third parties including but not limited to counsel, independent registered public accounting firms, financial partners and trading partners.
RESOLVING SITUATIONS
The law of insider trading is complicated and continuously developing. Access
Persons who are uncertain about the application of insider trading rules should
discuss the situation with the Chief Compliance Officer. You must notify the
Chief Compliance Officer immediately if you have any reason to believe that
insider trading has occurred or is about to occur or if you receive, or believe
you received, material, non-public information including all information
regarding any direct or indirect PIPES offerings received by you.
Before executing any trade for yourself or others, including private accounts managed by Edgewood, you must determine whether you have access to material, nonpublic information. If you think that you might have access to material, nonpublic information, you should take the following steps:
o Prior to taking any action, report the information and proposed trade immediately to the Chief Compliance Officer;
o Do not purchase or sell the securities on behalf of yourself or others, including private accounts managed by the firm;
o Do not communicate the information inside or outside the firm, other than to the Chief Compliance Officer; and
o After the Chief Compliance Officer has reviewed the issue, the firm will determine whether the information is material and nonpublic and, if so, what action the firm will take.
You should consult with the Chief Compliance Officer before taking any action or engaging in any transaction which inside information may have been provided. This degree of caution will protect you, our clients, and the firm.
The Chief Compliance Officer shall use the following reviews and procedures to detect any possible trading on inside information:
o review of the personal securities statements for all Access Persons and any related accounts;
o review of trading activity in Advisory Client accounts;
o investigation of any circumstances about any possible receipt, trading or other use of inside information.
E. PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS
1. PROHIBITION AGAINST FRAUDULENT CONDUCT
No director, officer or employee of Edgewood shall, directly or indirectly:
a. employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud a Client or engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a Client;
b. make any untrue statement of a material fact to a Client;
c. engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon a Client;
d. engage in any manipulative practice with respect to a Client; or
e. use any information concerning a security held or to be acquired by a client for personal gain or in a manner detrimental to the interests of a client, including but not limited to information concerning shares of the Edgewood Growth Fund.
2. CONFIDENTIALITY
Access Persons may not disseminate, sell or otherwise use the Adviser's physical resources, electronic media, proprietary information, client information or technology for their personal benefit or for the benefit of a third party. This includes information relating
to the investment intentions or activities of any Client, or securities that are being considered for purchase or sale on behalf of any Client or Fund.
3. DISSEMINATION OF RUMORS
All employees are expressly prohibited from knowingly spreading as fact any rumor they know to be false concerning any company, or any purported market development, with the purpose and design to impact trading in or the price of that company's or any other company's securities, and from engaging in any other type of activity that constitutes illegal market manipulation. This prohibition includes the spreading of false rumors, or any other form of illegal market manipulation, via any media, including, but not limited to email, instant messages, text messages, blogs or chat rooms.
4. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS
Access Persons shall not directly or indirectly acquire securities in an initial public offering.
5. SHORT SALES
An Access Person may not engage in any short sale of a security if, at the time of the transaction, any Client Account has a long position in such security.
6. PRIVATE PLACEMENTS, INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES OF LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Access Persons may not directly or indirectly acquire securities in a private placement (including private investment funds such as hedge funds, private equity funds or venture capital funds) or investment opportunity of limited availability unless the Review Officer determines whether the investment opportunity should be reserved for a Client, and whether such opportunity is being offered to the Access Person by virtue of their position with the Adviser.
Any Access Person who has taken a personal position through a private placement will be under an affirmative obligation to disclose that position in writing to the Review Officer if he or she plays a material role in a Client's subsequent investment decision regarding the same issuer; this separate disclosure must be made even though the Access Person has previously disclosed the ownership of the privately placed security in compliance with the Pre-Trade Clearance requirements of this section. Once disclosure is given, an independent review of the Client's investment decision will be made.
7. SERVICE AS A DIRECTOR
Prior to accepting a position as a director of any company or organization (private or public, for-profit or not-for-profit), an Access Person must obtain written approval from the Review Officer. All such positions should be reported to the Compliance Officer.
8. OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
Edgewood discourages Access Persons from holding unrelated outside employment, including consulting. Access Persons are required to immediately report any outside business activity to the Compliance Officer. Employees may not engage in outside activities that (a) interferes, competes, or conflicts with the interest of Edgewood or its clients; (b) encroaches on normal working time or otherwise impairs performance; or (c) implies Edgewood's sponsorship or support of an outside organization.
9. GIFTS
Access Persons are prohibited from accepting gifts that (i) fall outside
Edgewood's "normal business practice" (generally $500.00 or less) or (ii) are
excessive in value from any person or company that does business with Edgewood.
Unsolicited business entertainment, including meals or tickets to cultural and
sporting events, are permitted if they are not so frequent or of such high
value as to raise a question of impropriety. In no event are employees allowed
to accept cash gifts. Employees are required to document and disclose through
Edgewood's Compliance Officer the acceptance of any gift or entertainment
regardless of the value. Employees shall provide the Compliance Officer with a
written report of gifts received each quarter. Email is an acceptable means to
report to the Compliance Officer the receipt of any gifts.
Additionally, any gifts, entertainment, any payment of money or anything of value made directly or indirectly by you to a labor organization or officer, agent, shop steward, or other representative or employee of any labor organization (including union officials serving in some capacity to a Taft-Hartley Plan) must be reported the Compliance Officer. All items regardless of the amount or value must be reported. The following are examples of potentially reportable items: meals, gifts, travel and lodging costs, bar bills, sporting event tickets, theatre tickets, clothing or equipment, golf, sponsorships, donations to union related charities or scholarship funds, and receptions.
10. OTHER PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS
Access Persons shall not:
1. accept any preferential treatments or anything other than of de minimis value from any broker-dealer or other entity with which a Client does business;
2. establish or maintain an account at a broker-dealer, bank or other entity through which securities transactions may be effected without written notice to the designated Review Officer prior to establishing such an account;
3. use knowledge of portfolio transactions of a Client for their personal benefit or the personal benefit of others; or
4. violate the anti-fraud provisions of the federal or state securities laws.
11. SHORT-TERM TRADING PROFITS
Access Persons are discouraged from trading on a short-term basis in their personal accounts.
12. BACKGROUND CHECKS
Periodically, the Chief Compliance Officer or his designee shall perform a search of each Supervised Person to confirm the Supervised Person's work history, felony convictions and/or guilty pleas, and/or any other legal proceedings in connection with an investment-related activity such as a violation of investment-related statutes or regulations. Searches shall be on various databases including the FINRA broker database and the Google search engine. Furthermore, Edgewood will retain a third party service provider to run a background check on Edgewood employees. Edgewood shall comply with all local, state, and federal laws including the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA") relating to background checks including obtaining an employee's written consent prior to running a background check.
13. POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Edgewood and its employees are prohibited from making, or directing or soliciting any other person to make, any political contribution or provide anything else of value for the purpose of influencing or inducing the obtaining or retaining of investment advisory service business.
SEC Rule 206(4)-5 prohibits Edgewood from being compensated for providing investment advice to a state or local government entity for two years if "covered" employees (as defined in Rule 206(4)-5) of Edgewood make political contributions to certain officials of that government entity in excess of certain de minimis levels. Furthermore, Rule 206(4)-5 (i) prohibits the solicitation or coordination of political contributions to such officials or certain state or local party committees and (ii) requires investment advisers to maintain books and records relating to state and local government entity clients, political contributions, and information relating to covered employees.
A. DEFINITIONS
1. Contribution means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money or anything of value made for: (i) the purpose of influencing any election for federal, state or local office, (ii) the payment of debt incurred in connection with any such election, or (iii) transition or inaugural expenses incurred by the successful candidate for state or local office. Volunteer services provided to a campaign by employees on their own personal time are not treated as Contributions, however, certain expenses from
personal resources including hosting a reception or utilizing Edgewood's office space and personnel in connection with volunteering could be considered an in-kind Contribution.
2. Coordinating Contributions means bundling, pooling, delivering or otherwise facilitating the Contributions made by other persons.
3. Soliciting Contributions means to communicate, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining or arranging a Contribution.
B. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITY BY EMPLOYEES
1. Contributions. All Access Persons are required to obtain
approval from Edgewood's Compliance Department prior to making any Contribution
of any value. Access Persons may obtain such approval from the Compliance
Department by completing a "Political Contribution Request Form" (See Attachment
C). Edgewood's Compliance Department will review and evaluate each Contribution
request to determine whether the Contribution is permissible based upon the
requirements of Rule 206(4)-5. Access Persons will be notified in writing of the
Compliance Department's final determination.
2. Coordinating or Soliciting Contributions, or Political Fundraising. All Access Persons must obtain approval from Edgewood's Compliance Department prior to Coordinating or Soliciting Contributions, or engaging in any other political fundraising. Access Persons must use the Political Contribution Request Form to request approval for such activities. Coordinating or Soliciting Contributions, or political fundraising, may even include, for example, having one's name appear on a fundraising letter.
3. Prospective Employees. All prospective employees, prior to becoming an Edgewood employee, are required to complete the "Political Contributions Disclosure Form for Prospective Employees" (See Attachment D) and provide it to the Chief Compliance Officer indicating any political contributions in the two (2) years (either directly or via a Political Action Committee which the person controls) preceding the date the "Political Contributions Disclosure Form for Prospective Employees" is completed.
C. PROHIBITION AGAINST ESTABLISHING OR CONTROLLING A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
("PAC")
Access Persons are prohibited from establishing, controlling, contributing to or otherwise being involved with a PAC without receiving pre-approval from Edgewood's Compliance Department.
D. INDIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS
Access Persons are prohibited from performing any act which would result in a violation of Rule 206(4)-5 and/or this policy, whether directly or indirectly, or through or by any other person or means including spouses, family members, placement agents, consultants, etc.).
E. QUARTERLY CERTIFICATIONS
At the end of each calendar quarter, Edgewood's Compliance Department will distribute a quarterly Certification Form. Access Persons are required to review and certify all information on the quarterly Certification Form is accurate regarding any Contribution(s).
F. MONITORING
Edgewood's Compliance Department is responsible for monitoring all Contributions to ensure that Edgewood will not be precluded from accepting and/ or receiving compensation for the proscribed timeframes from potential clients in accordance with Rule 206(4)-5.
G. REQUIRED RECORDS
Edgewood's Compliance Department will keep all necessary records based on the information gathered under this policy pursuant to Rule 204-2.
14. NON-U.S. GOVERNMENT ENTITIES
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, 15 U.S.C. [section][section]78dd-1, et seq. ("FCPA"), prohibits corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business. Access Persons are prohibited from making any offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment of money or anything of value to any person, while knowing that all or a portion of such money or thing of value will be offered, given or promised, directly or indirectly, to a Foreign Official (as defined herein) to influence the Foreign Official in his or her capacity, induce the Foreign Official to do or omit to do an act in violation of his or her lawful duty, or to secure any improper advantage to assist in obtaining or retaining business for or with, or directing business to, Edgewood.
A "Foreign Official" means any officer or employee of a foreign government, a public international organization, or any department or agency thereof or any person acting in an official capacity. Depending on the jurisdiction, a Foreign Official could be a member of a royal family, a member of a legislative body, or an official of a state-owned business enterprise. Criminal and civil penalties may be imposed for violations of the FCPA including fines up to $2,000,000 and imprisonment for up to five years. Access Persons are to notify the Chief Compliance Officer immediately if there is any reason to believe an Access Person has violated this policy.
F. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The following sets out the reporting requirements for Access Persons pertaining to their personal accounts:
A. INITIAL AND ANNUAL HOLDING REPORTS
Within ten (10) days of commencing employment, Access Persons are required to disclose to the Compliance Officer all of their personal accounts. Such list of securities holdings must be current as of a date not more than 45 days prior to the employment date and must contain the following information:
i. the title and type of security, ticker symbol or CUSIP number as appropriate, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered Security in which the Access Person had any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership when the person became an Access Person;
ii. the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom the Access Person maintained an account in which any Reportable Securities were held for the direct or indirect benefit of the Access Person as of the date the person became an Access Person; and,
iii. the date that the report is submitted.
Brokerage account statements from the prior month of employment will satisfy this requirement.
Each Access Person must submit annually thereafter a holdings report setting forth the above-specified information which must be current as of a date no more than forty-five (45) days before the report is submitted.
B. QUARTERLY TRANSACTION REPORTS / DUPLICATE BROKERAGE STATEMENTS
Every Access Person must report to the Compliance Officer no later than thirty
(30) days after the end of the calendar quarter, the following information:
With respect to any transaction during the quarter in a Covered Security in which the Supervised Person had any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership:
(1) The date of the transaction, the title, ticker symbol or
CUSIP as appropriate, the interest rate and maturity date (if
applicable), the number of shares and the principal amount of
each Covered Security involved;
(2) The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any
other type of acquisition or disposition);
(3) The price of the Covered Security at which the transaction
was effected;
(4) The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which
the transaction was effected; and
(5) The date that the report is submitted by the Access Person.
In lieu of providing quarterly transaction reports, Access Persons may arrange for duplicate copies of all trade confirmations and personal account statements to be sent directly from the broker-dealer or other custodian to the Compliance Officer.
C. EXCLUSIONS FROM REPORTING
Purchases or sales in Covered Securities in an account in which the Access Person has no direct or indirect control are not subject to the reporting requirements of this Section.
D. CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE
Access Persons are required to certify annually acknowledging receipt and compliance with the Code. Further, all Access Persons are required to disclose all personal accounts and all personal securities transactions pursuant to the requirements of the Code. (SEE ATTACHMENT B)
E. PERSONAL ACCOUNT OPENING PROCEDURES
All Access Persons shall provide written notice to the Review Officer prior to opening any account with any entity through which a Covered Securities transaction may be effected.
G. REVIEW OFFICER
A. DUTIES OF REVIEW OFFICER
Fausto Rotundo has been appointed as the Review Officer to:
1. Confirm receipt of all securities transaction and holdings
reports and Pre-Trade Clearance Forms and maintain the names
of persons responsible for reviewing these reports;
2. identify all persons subject to this Code who are required to
make these reports and promptly inform each person of the
requirements of this Code;
3. compare, on a monthly basis, all Covered Securities
transactions within the past 60 days with each Client's
completed portfolio transactions to determine whether a Code
violation may have occurred;
4. maintain a signed acknowledgement by each person who is then
subject to this Code, in the form of Attachment A; and
B. POTENTIAL TRADE CONFLICT
When there appears to be a transaction that conflicts with the Code, the Review Officer shall request an explanation of the person's transaction. If after post-trade review, it is determined that there has been a violation of the Code, a report will be made by the designated Review Officer with a recommendation of appropriate action to Adviser's Management Committee.
C. REQUIRED RECORDS
The Review Officer shall maintain:
1. a copy of any code of ethics adopted by Adviser which has been in effect during the previous five (5) years in an easily accessible place;
2. a record of any violation of any code of ethics and of any actions taken as a result of such violation, in an easily accessible place for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurs;
3.a copy of each report made by anyone subject to this Code as required by Section 4 for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the report is made, the first two (2) years in an easily accessible place;
4. a list of all persons who are, or within the past five years have been, required to make reports or who were responsible for reviewing these reports pursuant to any code of ethics adopted by Adviser, in an easily accessible place;
5. a copy of each written report and certification required pursuant to Section 5(e) of this Code for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which it is made, the first two (2) years in an easily accessible place; and
6. a record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decisions, approving the acquisition by Access Persons of initial public offerings or privately placed securities for at least five (5) years after the end of the fiscal year in which the approval is granted.
D. POST-TRADE REVIEW PROCESS
Following receipt of trade confirms and statements, transactions will be screened for potential violations of the Code, including the following:
1. Same day trades. Transactions by Access Persons occurring on the same day as the purchase or sale of the same security by a Client for which they are an Access Person.
2. Recommendations. Transactions by an Access Person within 3 business days before and after a Client, for which the Access Person makes or participates in making a recommendation, trades in that security.
3. Potential conflicts. Transactions by Access Persons in securities, which, within the most recent 3 days, are or have been held by a Client or are being or have been considered by a Client or Adviser for purchase or sale by a Client.
4. Other activities. Transactions that may give the appearance that an Access Person has executed transactions not in accordance with this Code.
E. SUBMISSION TO FUND BOARD
The Review Officer shall annually prepare a written report to the Board of Directors of each Client that is a registered investment company that:
1. describes any issues under this Code or its procedures since the last report to the Board of Directors, including, but not limited to, information about material violations of the code or procedures and sanctions imposed in response to the material violations; and
2. certifies that Adviser has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent its Access Persons from violating this Code.
This written report may be in the form of quarterly questionnaires containing the same information as indicated above.
SECTION 8
CODE OF ETHICS AND PERSONAL TRADING
GENERAL PROVISIONS
AINA has established, maintains and enforces this Code of Ethics to set forth the standards of conduct required of Covered Persons and to require compliance with the federal securities laws and AINA's fiduciary duties. This Code of Ethics also addresses the personal securities trading activities of Covered Persons in an effort to detect and prevent illegal or improper personal securities transactions.
A. CODE OF ETHICS
POLICY
These Policies and Procedures provide guidance to all Covered Persons regarding certain applicable statutes, regulations and Company policy. Because of AINA's capacity as an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AINA and all its Covered Persons are responsible collectively, and as individuals, to maintain knowledge, understanding, and compliance with the letter and spirit of applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Additionally, AINA, as a matter of policy and as a fiduciary to our clients, has responsibility to act in the best interest of our clients and to protect our client's information.
YOUR ROLE: AINA operates through its employees and officers who perform a variety of important business functions. All Covered Persons have an obligation to conduct AINA's business in a manner that maintains the trust and respect of our employees, our customers, our colleagues, and the general public. It is your responsibility to ensure:
o That all aspects of our business (internally and externally) are conducted at all times consistent with AINA's status as a fiduciary to our clients, in a fair, lawful, and ethical manner, maintaining the trust of all concerned.
o That our working environment encourages employees to conduct themselves with integrity, honesty, and fairness in the performance of their duties.
o That you comply with all applicable provisions of the federal securities laws and the regulations related to those laws. In connection with providing investment management services to clients, this includes prohibiting any activity which directly or indirectly: defrauds a client in any manner; misleads a client, including any statement that omits material facts; operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on a client; functions as a manipulative practice with respect to a client; and functions as a manipulative practice with respect to securities.
o That any possible or actual unethical, prohibited or illegal conduct, including violations of this Code, by any Covered Person is quickly brought to the attention of your supervisor, the CCO or senior management. AINA has established two additional formats for reporting unethical conduct. You can report unethical conduct in an anonymous and confidential system at avivarightcall@tnwinc. com or 1-888-847-5261 and you can create an anonymous and confidential incident report at https://avivainvestors. ptaconnect. com.
o That you become familiar with the Policies and Procedures of AINA and develop a thorough understanding of their application either through study of the policy, questions and discussion with management or attendance of classes provided for this purpose. Issues that cannot be
resolved by reference to the Policies and Procedures should be directed to your supervisor or the CCO.
o That if you, in the course of your normal business for AINA or through other means, become aware of material non-public information, you will notify the CCO or his/her designee at once so the name of the security may be incorporated into our software system managing our pre-clearing of personal securities transactions so that no personal trades of Covered Persons will be made in the security. Further information concerning this is contained in AINA's Insider Trading policy contained in these Policies and Procedures.
CONFIDENTIALITY: Business relationships usually require the exchange of confidential information. Covered Persons have a responsibility to restrict the use of that information and the confidential and proprietary information of AINA and its affiliates at all times. Covered Persons shall not use confidential information for purposes other than those expected or approved by AINA or its affiliates. Covered Persons have further responsibility to safeguard confidential information of customers, and employees so that access is restricted to those who have a need to know.
In the course of business, Covered Persons may have access to financial and other personal information about customers and employees. This information may be contained in documents, electronic systems, or shared verbally. All Covered Persons have an obligation to keep this information confidential and respect the privacy right of clients and employees. This confidentiality is critically important to maintaining our credibility and the trust of our customers, the public, and our employees. Any questions regarding disclosure of the above information should be discussed with the CCO.
Unauthorized or improper disclosure could be harmful and might result in liability for AINA. More importantly, success in our business depends on our customers' and employees' trust that we properly use information confided in us.
The confidential information of AINA and its affiliates includes, but is not limited to, all non-public and/or proprietary information (whether written or contained in an electronic medium), trade secrets, information regarding products or services, customer lists, business plans, expansion plans, investment-related data and strategies, operating results, financial condition, projections and assumptions, systems and systems development information, and information pertaining to any of the foregoing or to research, business development, marketing, purchasing, pricing and current and potential customers. Information which is confidential to AINA and its affiliates also includes any and all reports, analyses, copies, reproductions, summaries, notes, extracts or other information, regardless of the persons who prepared them, that is based on, contains or reflects any of the foregoing described confidential information. However, information is generally not considered confidential to AINA or its affiliates if the information is or becomes available to the public other than as result of an improper disclosure.
In the conduct of Company business, you must:
o Request and use only information that is related to our business needs. Such information should be revealed and discussed only within the scope of your job.
o Restrict access to records to persons with proper authorization and legitimate business needs.
o Include only relevant and accurate data in files that are used as a basis for taking action or making business decisions.
USE OF EMAIL: U.S. Covered Persons shall not use any service other than those provided by AINA, which presently includes only Outlook and Bloomberg, to send emails relating to or used to conduct company business. Covered Persons who are employed by Participating Affiliates of AINA may additionally use such email services as are approved by their employer as long as SEC requirements relating to the saving of emails and the searchability of emails are satisfied and procedures ensuring such saving and searchability have been approved in advance by Firm Compliance. In addition, no Covered
Person shall use text messaging, instant messaging, or any other form of written communication other than email, traditional mail, or facsimile to conduct company business unless the form of communication shall have been approved in advance by the CCO.
OTHER STANDARDS OF BUSINESS CONDUCT: In all dealings with customers and members of the public, generally, all Covered Persons of AINA must adhere to the highest standards of honesty and fair dealing. In particular, all Covered Persons must comply with the following limitations and prohibitions:
o No Covered Person will make false or misleading statements, or fail to state material facts in connection with securities transactions.
o Covered Persons should not deliberately time personal security transactions to precede or follow client orders in the same security, taking unfair advantage of the change in market price. Client orders must always take precedence over personal orders of any Covered Persons.
o Personal activity in financial markets should not be excessive in terms of the Covered Persons' financial resources or should not interfere in any way with the normal activities of his/her job.
o Covered Persons may be members of investment clubs (organizations whose members make joint decisions on which securities to buy or sell and where such securities are generally held in the name of the investment club), but are required to obtain the written permission of AINA's CCO prior to participating. Specific policies and procedures regarding investment club participation are contained in the personal trading policies and procedures below.
o Covered Persons may not borrow money from any of AINA's suppliers or clients. However, the receipt of financing on customary terms in connection with the purchase of goods or services is not considered to be borrowing within this prohibition on borrowing. In addition, acceptance of loans from other banks or financial institutions on customary terms to finance proper and usual activities, such as home mortgage loans, is permitted except where prohibited by law. Note, however, the supplier or client lending money to the Covered Persons must be doing so in the ordinary course of its business.
o Covered Persons, while engaged in any outside activity, may not express or imply that they are acting as a representative of AINA. This stipulation includes testifying as "expert witnesses" without prior approval of the CCO.
o Employees and officers may not act in the capacity of a trustee, executor, administrator, conservator or guardian, other than with respect to assets of persons related to the employee or officer by blood or marriage, without approval of the CCO.
o Covered Persons may not engage in any employment or business activity outside of employment with AINA which inappropriately interferes with such person's normal business activities with AINA or creates (or potentially creates) a conflict of interest with the interests of AINA or the responsibilities of such person or persons at AINA. Covered Persons shall notify the CCO of all directorships and officerships of companies outside of AINA in advance of holding such positions and shall otherwise notify the CCO of any outside employment or business activity which may interfere with such person's normal business activities or which may create a conflict of interest with AINA.
In all dealings with clients, AINA takes great care to assure that each client is treated fairly and objectively. In particular, AINA strives to avoid intentional or accidental favoritism in the timing or quality of service to clients.
Fair dealing does not mean "equally," as accounts may have unique needs, investment criteria, and investment objectives. Fair dealing instead refers to the obligation of AINA to ensure that all clients and prospective clients are treated fairly in light of their investment objectives and circumstances.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: A conflict of interest is defined as a personal interest outside AINA that could conflict with one's obligation to AINA and/or its clients. A conflict of interest may exist even when no wrong is done; the opportunity to act improperly may be enough to create a conflict or the appearance of a conflict. Covered Persons may not engage in personal activities that would give the appearance of influencing their decision making with respect to AINA's business.
GIFTS: Giving or receiving gifts in a business setting may give rise to an appearance of impropriety or raise a potential conflict of interest. As a general rule, Covered Persons Are Prohibited From Accepting Any Gift. However, gifts of strictly nominal value are allowed. Such gifts include normal and customary business entertainment (e.g., business meals and entertainment where the person providing the entertainment is present) that is not "lavish," the cost of which would be paid for by AINA as a reasonable expense if not paid by the client. While "nominal value" and "lavish entertainment" are difficult to define, any gift or entertainment is not acceptable if an independent third party might think that the Covered Person would be influenced in conducting business. Gifts of an extraordinary or extravagant nature to a Covered Person should be declined or returned in order to avoid compromising the reputation of the Covered Person or AINA. These principles also apply to relationships between Covered Persons and any official bodies or persons, as well as with clients. Any act that might be interpreted as an attempt at bribery is strictly prohibited.
AINA's general policy is that no Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, give or receive anything of value, including gratuities, in excess of one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per individual per year to any person, principal, proprietor, employee, agent or representative when payment is in relation to AINA's business. All gifts and gratuities received or given by a Covered Person in excess of $150 as provided above must be listed on the Annual Ethical Practices/Conflict of Interest Questionnaire (unless otherwise disclosed in the Quarterly Activity Report).
GIFTS TO FOREIGN OFFICIALS: In 1977, the United States Congress enacted laws referred to as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") as a response to a series of corporate bribery scandals involving foreign government officials. The FCPA sets forth severe penalties for persons and companies found to have given improper gifts to foreign officials. In order to ensure that AINA and all its employees and agents avoid a violation of the FCPA, it is the policy of AINA that neither AINA nor any employee or agent of AINA may make or offer to make any payment or give or offer to give any gift or anything of value, or provide means or entertainment to any foreign official except for direct payment for nondiscretionary routine government actions. Examples of acceptable nondiscretionary routine government actions include the issuance of permits, licenses or documents which allow one to do business in a foreign country. Other than the routine processing of payments through the Finance Department, before making any payment or providing anything of value to a foreign official, it is required that persons notify the CCO in advance in order to confirm such a payment or gift will not violate the FCPA.
1940 ACT REQUIREMENTS: An adviser to a RIC is subject to the RIC's code of ethics. Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, which is substantially similar to Rule 204A-1 of the Advisers Act, prohibits an investment adviser to a RIC and its affiliated persons from engaging in fraudulent or deceptive acts in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, by the adviser or affiliated person of a security held or to be acquired by the investment company.
Rule 17j-1 also requires that every investment adviser to an investment company adopt a written code of ethics containing provisions reasonably necessary to prevent its "access persons" from engaging in conduct prohibited by the rule. An adviser's code of ethics must be approved by the investment company's board of directors before the adviser is initially retained and no later than six months after a material change to the code. At least annually, an adviser must provide the investment company's board with a written report describing any issues that have arisen under the code of ethics since the last report and certifying that the adviser has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent access persons from violating the code.
Rule 17j-1 also requires that an access person submit an initial securities holdings report no later than 10 days after the person becomes an access person, quarterly transaction reports no later than 30 days after the end of a calendar quarter (or broker trade confirmations or account statements in lieu of such transaction reports), and annual holdings reports. Rule 17j-1 defines an "access person" as any officer, director, or general partner of the investment company's adviser, as well as: (1) an employee "who, in connection with his or her regular duties, makes, participates in, or obtains information, regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities (as defined in Rule 17j-1) by a fund, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to the purchases or sales," and (2) any natural person in a control relationship to the adviser who obtains information concerning recommendations made to the investment company with regard to the purchase or sale of covered securities. Non-interested directors (as such term is defined by Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) are excepted from the reporting requirements of Rule 17j-1 unless the director knew, or should have known, that during the 15-day period immediately before or after the director's transaction in a covered security, the fund purchased, or the adviser considered purchasing or selling, the covered security. The required contents of holding and transaction reports and exceptions to the reporting requirements of Rule 17j-1 are substantially the same as those of Rule 204A-1. AINA's Code of Ethics is designed to comply with Rule 17j-1.
DISQUALIFIED PERSONS: Section 9 of the 1940 Act prohibits persons who have
committed various acts from serving in certain capacities with respect to RICs.
Under Section 9(a), an "ineligible person" generally cannot serve in the
following capacities with respect to a RIC: employee, officer, trustee, member
of advisory board, investment adviser, or principal underwriter (each a "Fund
Position.")
Section 9(a) defines four situations that make persons or entities ineligible to serve in a Fund Position:
1. Persons with convictions within the last ten years that are tied to securities transactions or employment in the securities field.
2. Persons with permanent or temporary injunctions from acting in certain capacities in the securities arena.
3. Companies which have an affiliated person that is ineligible under the first two situations above.
4. Persons who are subject to an SEC order declaring them to be ineligible under Section 9.
Where AINA is an adviser to a RIC, AINA Firm Compliance shall be responsible for monitoring compliance with the disqualified persons' requirements for its employees. AINA Firm Compliance shall notify the ORC in the event AINA hires or employs a disqualified person and shall assure that clients are notified of the same in accordance with governing guidelines.
CERTIFICATIONS AND AMENDMENTS
AINA has adopted various procedures to implement AINA's policy with respect to the Code of Ethics which are summarized as follows:
ANNUAL CERIFICATION OF SECURITIES HOLDINGS AND CONFLICTS QUESTIONNAIRE: In each calendar year, all Covered Persons will be required to complete an Annual Certification of Securities Holdings and Conflicts Questionnaire. This questionnaire asks Covered Persons to confirm that: they have received these Policies and Procedures and agree to adhere to them, they have disclosed all securities holdings and securities accounts and all such securities and accounts are set forth in PTAConnect, whether they have made any political contributions and whether there have been any criminal findings or order of the SEC issued against the Covered Person. Completion and signature on the Annual Certification of Securities Holdings and Conflicts Questionnaire will also serve as certification and proof that Covered Persons have read this policy.
INITIAL COVERED PERSON CERTIFICATION: Upon (i) initial employment, (ii) being designated an Access Person or (iii) for non-employees, being elected an officer or director of AINA, Covered Persons will be required to complete an Initial Covered Persons Certification. This certification asks, among other things, that Covered Persons disclose whether they have made any political contributions and whether
there have been any criminal findings or order of the SEC issued against the Covered Person. Completion and submission of the certification will also serve as certification that Covered Persons have received and read this policy.
QUARTERLY CERTIFICATION: Covered Persons are required to (i) report quarterly to the CCO whether they have reported all securities transactions and securities accounts from the preceding calendar quarter. . This activitiy is routinely examined to be certain they fall within the scope of normal business activities and practices and create no conflict of interest or disadvantage for any client.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & RECEIPT OF UPDATED POLICIES CERTIFICATION AND AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE OF ETHICS (IF APPLICABLE): When Policies and Procedures are amended, all Covered Persons will be notified of the changes. All Covered Persons will be required to review the changes and to certify that they have received, read and understand the revised Polices and Procedures.
SUBMISSION OF CERTIFICATION / TIMELY CERTIFICATION: Covered Persons will access and submit the appropriate questionnaire, report and/or certification through PTAConnect, which is a software application used by AINA to assist with implementation of this policy. Training will be provided to all Covered Persons using PTAConnect regarding its use. The questionnaires, disclosures and certifications shall be maintained by Firm Compliance. Firm Compliance will work with PA Compliance and persons located in remote offices, to create procedures for the submission of questionnaires and certifications in situations in which PTAConnect is not available.
As a Covered Person, you are responsible for providing accurate information on the questionnaires, disclosures and certifications provided to the CCO. Whenever possible, you should seek guidance in advance to ensure necessary written approvals are obtained relative to any potential conflict situations.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS OF CERTIFICATIONS: Annual and quarterly certifications are to be completed and submitted through PTAConnect within 30 days of notification that a certification is due. Initial certifications are to be completed within 10 calendar days of a Covered Person's start date.
ANNUAL CERTIFICATION TO RICS' BOARD OF DIRECTORS: On an annual basis, the CCO will prepare and furnish to the Board of Directors of each RIC, as required, a written report that describes any issues arising under the Code of Ethics or any of the procedures AINA has adopted thereunder and certifies that AINA has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined by the 1940 Act) from violating the Code of Ethics.
PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO PROVIDE TIMELY CERTIFICATIONS: The first failure to provide a timely certification may result in a warning to the Covered Person with notice to the Covered Person's management and Human Resources. Subsequent violations may result in additional warnings or other more stringent penalties depending upon the frequency of the violation and other factors.
B. PERSONAL TRADING
POLICY
AINA's policy allows Covered Persons to maintain personal securities accounts provided that such personal investing in Covered Securities in any accounts in which the Covered Person has Beneficial Ownership, including any accounts for any immediate family or household members, is consistent with AINA's fiduciary duty to its clients and is consistent with regulatory requirements.
AINA requires each Covered Person (excluding non-officer directors) to receive pre-approval pursuant to these policies and procedures prior to executing a personal trade.
BACKGROUND
The Advisers Act requires advisers to implement policies and procedures to detect and prevent insider trading.
DEFINITIONS
"Beneficial Ownership" of a security shall mean the direct or indirect
ownership of a security. Indirect ownership of a security includes any right
to any pecuniary benefit from holding, purchasing and/or selling such security.
An indirect pecuniary interest of a security may be deemed to exist as a
result of the ownership of securities by any of such person's immediate family
members (including a child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, and son- or
daughter-in-law) and others sharing the same household. No person shall be
considered to have "Beneficial Ownership" of a security for purposes of these
Policies and Procedures solely by reason of his or her possessing voting and/or
dispositive power with respect to the security.
"Covered Securities" include all securities (both stocks and bonds), whether publicly or privately traded, including but not limited to interests in registered investment companies for which AINA provides advisory services, closed-ended ETFs, voluntary tender offers, hedge funds and other private placements, and any option, future, forward contract or other obligation involving a security or index of securities, including an instrument for which value is derived or based on any of the above (a "derivative").
The following are not Covered Securities:
o Direct obligations of the Government of the United States;
o High quality (investment grade) debt instruments with a
remaining term to maturity of one year or less;
o Money market instruments, such as certificates of deposit,
bankers' acceptances, repurchase agreements, and commercial
paper.
o Open-end registered investment companies (i. e. , mutual
funds) for which AINA does not provide advisory services;
o Physical commodities (including foreign currencies) or any
derivatives thereof; or
o Involuntary tender offers and open-ended ETFs (but see
Transactions Excluded From Pre- Clearance Procedures" below).
"Immediate Family Member" of a person includes the person's spouse, children under the age of 25 years residing with the person, and any trust or estate in which the person or any other Immediate Family Member has a Beneficial Ownership interest.
PROCEDURES
DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES HOLDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS: AINA shall manage its Personal Trading policies and procedures with the assistance of a third party vendor, SunGard Protegent. Information shall be communicated to AINA through PTAConnect. The CCO or his/her designee shall provide training to all U.S. Covered Persons regarding the use of PTAConnect.
All Covered Persons are required to report information on holdings of and transactions in Covered Securities in which the Covered Person has Beneficial Ownership as set forth below. Reporting may also be required for securities which do not fall within the definition of "Covered Securities." See TRANSACTIONS EXCLUDED FROM PRE-CLEARANCE PROCEDURES below.
Holdings Reports: Covered Persons who have accounts with a broker, dealer and/or bank in which they have Beneficial Ownership of Covered Securities must provide AINA with a report of holdings as of the start date of employment or the day in which the account was opened (if not a new employee). This report must be delivered no later than 10 days after becoming a Covered Person and the information must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to becoming a Covered Person. The report must contain the following information:
o date the report is submitted;
o title of the account;
o account number;
o name of the broker, dealer or bank with whom the account is
maintained;
o security description;
o Cusip and/or Ticker Symbol;
o number of shares; and
o principal amount.
It is the responsibility of the Covered Person to ensure that duplicate
confirmations and account statements for all accounts in which the Covered
Person has beneficial ownership be sent to SunGard Protegent PTA.
Confirmations and account statements will be reviewed on a regular basis under
the direction of the CCO.
Every Covered Person will have access to PTAConnect. Through the use of this software Covered Persons will be able to notify the CCO and SunGard Protegent PTA of any accounts in which the Covered Person has Beneficial Ownership. PTAConnect will provide a letter that the Covered Person must forward to his or her broker/dealer or bank, which letter sets forth a request for the broker/dealer or bank to provide to AINA the Covered Person's duplicate confirmations and account statements. Until such time that the broker/dealer or bank begins to send duplicate confirmations or statements, the Covered Person is responsible for sending copies of this information to Aviva Investors, c/o SunGard Protegent PTA, P.O. Box 993, Burlington, MA 01803.
PRE-CLEARANCE REQUIRED: All Covered Persons (excluding non-officer directors) must obtain pre-clearance prior to engaging in any personal transaction in Covered Securities where they have Beneficial Ownership. The trading restrictions of these Policies and Procedures apply to all direct or indirect acquisitions or dispositions of Covered Securities, whether by purchase, sale, tender, stock purchase plan, gift inheritance, or otherwise. Certain exceptions to this requirement are set forth below.
PRE-CLEARANCE PROCEDURES: Covered Persons will utilize PTAConnect to obtain pre-clearance approval. If a proposed trade is not pre-cleared, the CCO is not required (and may not be at liberty) to specify the reasons for the denial.
PRE-CLEARANCE OF TENDER OFFERS AND STOCK PURCHASE PLANS: Covered Persons (excluding non-officer directors) who wish to participate in a tender offer or stock purchase plan must pre-clear such trades utilizing PTAConnect prior to submitting notice to participate in such tender offer or notice of participation in such stock purchase plan. After participation begins, pre-clearance is not necessary for subsequent automatic investments.
TRANSACTIONS EXCLUDED FROM PRE-CLEARANCE PROCEDURES: Some or all of the pre-clearance procedures do not apply to the following transactions. However, these transactions must still be reported to SunGard Protegent PTA:
o Involuntary tender offer transactions are exempt from all
trading restrictions except for reporting.
o Stock purchase plans are exempt from all trading restrictions
except initial pre-clearance (and any trading restriction
which might cause a denial of such pre-clearance).
o The acquisition of securities through stock dividends,
dividend reinvestments, stock splits, reverse stock splits,
mergers, consolidations, spin-offs, or other similar corporate
reorganizations or distributions generally applicable to all
holders of the same class of such securities are exempt from
all trading restrictions.
o The acquisition of securities through the exercise of rights
are exempt from all trading restrictions. The rights must be
issued by the issuer pro rata to all holders of a class of the
issuer's securities.
o The acquisition of securities by gift of inheritance is
exempt from all trading restrictions, but transactions in such
securities subsequent to their acquisition are covered.
o Shares of registered investment companies (e. g. , mutual
funds).
o Transactions in open-ended Exchange Traded Funds ("ETFs")
o Derivative transactions whose underlying value is based upon
an index.
o Certain investment club transactions (see "Investment Clubs"
below).
o The exercise of an option or a single transaction required to
satisfy an option obligation, as long as the original option
transaction was properly pre-cleared. Sales of uncovered calls
are not permitted.
PRE-CLEARANCE EFFECTIVE PERIOD: Clearance to trade will be effective until the close of business on the day following the day on which clearance to trade is given. Open orders including stop loss orders, will generally not be allowed, due to the short pre-clearance effective period (unless such orders terminate as required). It will be necessary to repeat the pre-clearance process for transactions not executed within the noted time period for pre-clearance.
RESTRICTED TRANSACTIONS: Unless otherwise noted, the following trading restrictions are applicable to any transaction in a Covered Security beneficially owned by a Covered Person (excluding non-officer directors).
SHORT SALES: Any Covered Person (excluding non-officer directors) who sells short a Covered Security that such person knows is held long by any client shall disgorge any profit realized on such transaction. This prohibition shall not apply, however, to securities indices or derivatives thereof (such as futures contracts on the S&P 500 Index). Client ownership of Covered Securities will be checked as part of the pre-clearance process referenced above.
HEDGE FUNDS AND OTHER GROUPS: Covered Persons (excluding non-officer directors) may only participate in hedge funds, or similar investment groups as passive investors. Such passive investments are not subject to these trading restrictions, but must be reported to CCO, or his/her designee as provided herein.
INVESTMENT CLUBS: Investment clubs are organizations where investor members make joint decisions on which securities to buy or sell. The securities are generally held in the name of the investment club. Because each member of the investment club generally participates in the investment decision making process, each Covered Person belonging to such a club must first obtain written, documented approval from the CCO before participating in any investment club. Such approval is requested by means of the "Investment Club Pre-Approval Form," which is available from the AINA compliance department. Participation in an investment club is deemed "Beneficial Ownership" of the securities held by such investment club. Therefore, all securities owned by the club must be included on a Covered Person's holdings report and transaction statements through PTAConnect. If a Covered Person can demonstrate that he/she does not participate in investment decision-making, then a waiver of the pre-clearance requirement may be granted. An exemption from the pre-clearance requirement will not be granted if the Covered Person has influence or control over the club's investment decisions or if Covered Persons make up 50% or more of the club's members. The AINA compliance department will periodically review investment club trading for abuses and conflicts and reserves the right to cancel approval of participation or to subject all of the club's trades to pre-clearance and other requirements. Investment club accounts may not be used to undermine the Policies and Procedures.
BLACKOUT PERIODS: Whenever AINA or any employee of AINA receives, either in the normal course of business or through other means, what is considered material non-public information (see discussion under "Insider Trading"), the employee will provide the name of such company on which the employee has material non-public information to the CCO or his/her designee who shall keep a "Restricted List" which shall be provided to SunGard Protegent PTA. No Covered Person (excluding non-officer directors) shall be able to execute a transaction in a Covered Security of an entity on the Restricted List.
PENDING ORDERS: No Covered Person (excluding non-officer directors) may engage in a transaction in a Covered Security when there is a known buy or sell order pending for a client, on behalf
of any account, in that same security. The existence of pending orders will be checked as part of the pre-clearance process referenced above.
ONE DAY WINDOW: No personal securities transaction will be pre-cleared if a transaction in the Covered Security was made by AINA on behalf of any account during the day in which the request for pre-clearance is made or the previous business day.
FIVE-DAY RULE: If a personal securities sales transaction in a Covered Security is properly pre-cleared, and within five business days after the personal trade, AINA on behalf of any client sells the same security, the Covered Person (excluding non-officer directors) must disgorge any price advantage realized. The price advantage shall be the favorable spread, if any, between the price received by such person and the least favorable price received by the client during such period.
THIRTY-DAY RULE: Covered Persons (excluding non-officer directors) shall disgorge any profits realized in the purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, of the same or equivalent Covered Securities within 30 calendar days, provided, however, that such a sale shall be permitted in the event of unusual circumstances (e.g., an unanticipated hardship) if the prior written consent of the CCO is obtained. A record of this consent shall be kept for five years. This Thirty-Day Rule is put in place to indicate AINA's strong encouragement that its Covered Persons engage in investment activities in lieu of trading activities.
TRADING RESTRICTIONS FOR NON-OFFICER DIRECTORS: As a regular business practice, AINA attempts to keep the directors informed with respect to its investment activities through reports and other information provided to them in connection with board meetings and other events. However, it is AINA's general policy not to communicate specific trading information and/or advice on specific issues to the directors (i.e., no information should generally be given on securities for which current activity is being considered for Accounts). Since the non-officer directors generally have limited access to specific trading information, the directors will not be bound by the Pre-Clearance requirements or Restricted Transaction section of these Personal Trading Policies and Procedures.
If any Covered Person communicates specific trading information to a director or a director otherwise obtains such information, (i) the security on which trading information is communicated or obtained shall be deemed to be a "Designated Security," (ii) the director shall have restrictions on trading in such Designated Security as described below and (iii) the CCO or his/her designee shall provide written notice to the director notifying the director that he or she has received current trading information with respect to such Designated Security and that the director shall be subject to the Pre-Clearance Procedures and Restricted Transaction provisions of this Code of Ethics with respect to such Designated Security for the period of time stated in the written notice.
The written notice to a director will state the length of time that the security shall be deemed by the CCO or his/her designee to be a Designated Security. The CCO will determine an appropriate length of time based on the nature of the trading information shared with the director. For example, if AINA informs a director that it intended to sell a security within a week, AINA might determine that such security would be deemed to be a Designated Security with respect to the director for a 25 day period. If AINA informs the director that it intends to accumulate a position in a security over a three month period, AINA might designate such security to be a Designated Security with respect to such director for a 120 day period.
PENALTIES FOR TRADING VIOLATIONS; An initial failure to pre-clear securities or failure to pre-clear a restricted security mayl result in a warning to the Covered Person with notice to the Covered Person's management and Human Resources. Similarly, engaging in restricted transactions in violation of the procedures set forth herein may result in a warning to the Covered Person with notice to the Covered Person's management and Human Resources. Subsequent violations may result in additional warnings or more stringent penalties depending upon the frequency and severity of the violation and other factors.
TESTING
PA Compliance shall provide random samples of Associated Persons trading
records to the CCO on a quarterly basis so that the CCO can check such matters
as the proper pre-clearance of trades. PA Compliance will provide the CCO with
annual certifications providing that PA Compliance is maintaining trading
records for all Associated Persons for five years.
CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES
The CCO has the responsibility for the overall implementation and
administration of this Code of Ethics.
This includes the specific responsibilities set forth above as well as the
following:
o ensuring that all Covered Persons have been made aware of
their obligations under this Code of Ethics, including
conducting training sessions for new employees;
o providing a reminder each quarter in connection with trade
reporting;
o providing periodic reminders to all Access Persons at such
time or times as he/she deems appropriate;
o designating persons to be Access Persons;
o reviewing holdings and transactions reports;
o addressing pre-clearance issues;
o receiving reports of violations and suspected violations of
the Code, investigating them promptly, with such assistance as
may be required, and determining whether a violation has
occurred;
o reviewing the operation of the Code on at least an annual
basis to determine its adequacy and the effectiveness of its
implementation and providing a written report to the' Board of
Directors of each RIC which requires it, describing such
review; and
o updating the Code of Ethics as necessary or appropriate in
the event of compliance issues, changes in AINA's business
activities or regulatory developments.
The CCO shall also ensure that the following records are kept for five years (minimum two years on-site).
o All initial holdings reports
o All personal trading reports
o A copy of the Code of Ethics currently in effect and any that
have been in effect within the past five years
o A record of any violation of the Code of Ethics and of any
action taken as a result of the violation
o All written acknowledgements of the Code of Ethics for each
person who is currently, or within the past five years was, a
Covered Person
o A list of persons who are currently, or within the past five
years were, Access Persons
o All records documenting the annual review of the Code of
Ethics
o All records of pre-clearance requests and the responses
thereto
The CCO may delegate certain administrative responsibilities under this Code of Ethics. The CCO shall retain ultimate responsibility, however, for the administration of the Code of Ethics.
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
APPENDIX B
ALPHAONE(TM) INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
CODE OF ETHICS
AND
INSIDER TRADING POLICY
(Effective as of May 1, 2011)
Appendix B-1
Org. 31-Mar-09; Rev 1 - 1 July 09;
Rev 2 - 31-Mar-10 & Rev 3 -- 1-May-11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE I. OVERVIEW .................................................................Appendix B-1 II. ADVISER'S BUSINESS .......................................................Appendix B-1 III. PURPOSE OF THE CODE AND PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS CONDUCT ...................Appendix B-2 IV. PERSONS COVERED BY THE CODE ..............................................Appendix B-2 V. ACCOUNTS COVERED BY THE CODE .............................................Appendix B-5 VI. SECURITIES COVERED BY THE CODE ...........................................Appendix B-6 VII. PROHIBITED SECURITY TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE CODE ..........................Appendix B-8 VIII. RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSACTIONS IN COVERED SECURITIES AND PRE- CLEARANCE OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS ........................................Appendix B-9 IX. OUTSIDE AFFILIATIONS .....................................................Appendix B-14 X. POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS ..................................................Appendix B-14 XI. GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ..................................................Appendix B-14 XII. CONFIDENTIALITY/SAFEGUARDING OF DATA .....................................Appendix B-15 XIII. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ...................................................Appendix B-16 XIV. RESTRICTED LIST ..........................................................Appendix B-17 XIV. REPORTING OF VIOLATIONS ..................................................Appendix B-17 XV. SANCTIONS ................................................................Appendix B-20 XVI. INTERPRETATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS ...........................................Appendix B-20 XVII. RETENTION OF RECORDS .....................................................Appendix B-20 XVIII. INSIDER TRADING POLICY ...................................................Appendix B-20 |
EXHIBIT A - Outside Affiliation/Private Transaction/Board Membership Pre-Clearance Questionnaire
EXHIBIT B - Employee Initial/Annual Securities Holdings Report and Certification
EXHIBIT C - Quarterly Personal Trading Disclosure
EXHIBIT D - Broker Letter Template for Duplicate Confirms and Statements
EXHIBIT E - Personal Securities Trading Request and Authorization Form
EXHIBIT F - Initial/Annual Certification of Receipt of the Code of Ethics
EXHIBIT G - Notification of Outside Business Activities
EXHIBIT H - Certification of Exempt-Access Person Status
EXHIBIT I - List of Affiliates of AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC and Mutual Funds Advised by Affiliates
EXHIBIT J - Guidance Note -- Section VIII. Preclearance of Transactions in Covered Securities
CODE OF ETHICS AND INSIDER TRADING POLICY
I. OVERVIEW
This Code of Ethics and Insider Trading Policy ("Code") has been adopted by AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC (the "Adviser" or the "firm") and sets forth procedures and limitations which govern the business conduct and personal securities trading of persons associated with the Adviser.
This Code has been adopted by AlphaOne Capital Partners, LLC, the sole member of the Adviser, to effectuate the purposes and objectives of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended ("Advisers Act"), the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and the Insider Trading and Securities Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988 ("ITSFEA"), as applicable, and in accordance with industry best practices.
This Code is based upon the principle that the Adviser's employees owe a fiduciary duty to the Adviser's clients to conduct the employees' affairs, including their personal securities transactions, in such manner to avoid:
(i) serving their own personal interests ahead of clients;
(ii) taking inappropriate advantage of their position with the firm; and
(iii) any actual or potential conflicts of interest or any abuse of their position of responsibility.
In addition, the Adviser's employees are required to comply with applicable provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), the Advisers Act and the 1940 Act and rules thereunder. Due to the litany of definitions and interpretations contained in these laws, it is imperative that the Adviser's employees also read the firm's Compliance Manual, as may be updated from time to time, which contains policies and procedures designed to address pertinent industry regulations.
Employees are asked to consult with Kevin S. Lee-Crossett, the Chief Compliance Officer (or any other person who may be appointed as the Chief Compliance Officer in the future) ("CCO")(1) or legal counsel before engaging in any activity or planned activity where there exists, or may exist, uncertainty concerning the legality of such activity.
The Adviser will not bear any losses in personal accounts of its managing members, officers, employees, agents or other supervised persons resulting from the implementation of any portion of the Code.
1 Note: Any reference herein to the CCO shall mean the CCO or any other person designated by the CCO, to undertake such role or responsibility. The CCO, as defined under Advisers Act Rule 206(4)-7, is responsible for administering the Code. Appendix B-1 |
II. ADVISER'S BUSINESS
The Adviser provides investment advisory services to separate investment accounts, private investment funds and registered investment companies. As used herein, "client" shall refer to natural persons (individuals), corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, other companies, entities and organizations, pension plans, registered investment companies (mutual funds) or other institutional accounts, in each case, for which the Adviser provides investment advice or management.
III. PURPOSE OF THE CODE AND PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS CONDUCT
It is a fundamental principle that the interests of clients are at all times paramount to the interests of any director, manager, principal, partner, officer or employee (each an "Employee" and collectively, the "Employees") of the Adviser. Persons covered by this Code must adhere to this general principle and the specific provisions of the Code at all times. Every Employee is required to read, understand, and comply with this document to protect and preserve the reputation of the Adviser and its affiliates (each, an "Adviser Affiliate").
Personal investing of all Employees of the Adviser must be conducted in a manner that avoids actual or potential conflicts of interest with Adviser's clients. Employees of the Adviser shall use their employment status, and any investment opportunities of which they learn because of their positions with the Adviser, for the benefit of clients and in a manner consistent with their fiduciary duties.
No person covered by this Code shall engage in any act, practice, or course of conduct that would violate the provisions of the federal, as applicable, and state securities laws. Any violation of the Code, including engaging in a prohibited transaction or failing to file required reports, may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to, disgorgement of profits, payment of a fine, censure, and, when appropriate, suspension or termination of employment and/or referral to appropriate governmental agencies. Access Persons (defined below) and other Employees of the Adviser should be aware that they may be held personally liable for any improper or illegal activities they commit during the course of their employment, and may be subject to civil penalties such as fines, regulatory sanctions, including suspension, as well as criminal penalties.
Each Employee is ultimately responsible for his or her compliance with the Code. Any questions regarding the Code should be referred to the CCO. However, while the CCO is a resource, he or she is not giving legal advice in responding to such questions, and any authorization that may be granted for trading under the Code does not assure compliance with the totality of the Code.
IV. PERSONS COVERED BY THE CODE
The following categories or sub-categories of persons covered under the Code have been designed to meet all necessary rule requirements under the Advisers Act, the 1940 Act and the ITSFEA:
A. "Access Person" includes any "Presumed Access Persons" or "Other Supervised Persons. " For purposes of this Code, "Presumed Access Persons" or "Other Supervised Persons" are defined as follows:
1. Presumed Access Persons: All of the managing members and officers, and, if any, directors and partners, of the Adviser are presumed to be Access Persons
Appendix B-2
of the Adviser (as set forth in Advisers Act Rule 204A-1(e)(1) (ii)), and all of the managing members and officers, and, if any, directors and general partners, of the Adviser are presumed to be Access Persons of any investment company registered under the 1940 Act, as amended ("RIC") advised by the Adviser (as set forth in 1940 Act Rule 17j-1(a)(1)(i)); and
2. Other Supervised Persons: Other supervised persons of the Adviser who provide advice on behalf of the Adviser or are subject to the Adviser's supervision and control, and who
a. Have access to nonpublic information regarding any client's purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of
(i) any client account the Adviser or its affiliates manage, or
(ii) any RIC which is advised or sub-advised by the Adviser (or any RIC whose investment adviser or principal underwriter controls the Adviser, is controlled by the Adviser, or is under common control with the Adviser (each such investment company, a "Reportable Fund")) (for purposes of this section, "control" has the same meaning as it does in Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act)(Advisers Act Rule 204A-1(e)(1)(i)(A));
b. Are involved in making securities recommendations to clients, or have access to such recommendations that are nonpublic (Advisers Act Rule 204A-1(e)(1)(i)(B)); or
c. Are "Advisory Persons" of the Adviser, while serving as an investment adviser to a RIC, which includes
(i) any employee of the Adviser (or of any company in a control relationship to the Adviser) who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of Covered Securities (as defined in the RIC's Code of Ethics) by the RIC, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales; and
(ii) any natural person in a control relationship to the Adviser who obtains information concerning recommendations made to the RIC with regard to the purchase or sale of Covered Securities by the RIC (1940 Act Rule 17j-1(a)(2)).
Appendix B-3
B. "Non-Access Person" means any Person who does not meet the definition of Access Person.
C. "Exempt-Access Person".
Notwithstanding the foregoing definitions of "Presumed Access Persons" and "Other Supervised Persons" as Access Persons, the following persons, who might otherwise come within such foregoing definitions, shall not be deemed to be Access Persons, based on a finding of the CCO, memorialized in a written certificate, that such person is an "Exempt-Access Person."
1. Persons Who Might Otherwise Be Presumed Access Persons, But Who the CCO
Determines Are "Exempt-Access Persons:" The CCO may determine that the
presumption that a Presumed Access Person is an Access Person is rebutted based
on the CCO's finding, memorialized in a written certificate, that such person
(a) does not have any of the access, involvement or "Advisory Person" status
that are listed above in the three bullet points under Section IV.A.2. "Other
Supervised Persons," and (b) meets the following conditions:
(i) Does not participate in, or have involvement in, the day-to-day management or investment decision-making processes of the Adviser;
(ii) Does not supervise, mentor, train or serve as the reporting person for, any Access Person (who is not eligible to be an Exempt-Access Person as determined by the CCO and memorialized in a written certificate); and
(iii) Has properly completed the certificate in the form attached as Exhibit H, and the CCO, on behalf of the Adviser, has completed a review of the certificate and found the basis for the person's Exempt-Access Person status to be satisfactory and in compliance with this Section of the Code.
2. Other Supervised Persons Who the CCO Determines Are "Exempt-Access Persons:" The CCO may determine that a person who is an Other Supervised Person as defined above is not an Access Persons based on the CCO's finding, memorialized in a written certificate, that such person (a) does not have any of the access, involvement or "Advisory Person" status that are listed above in the three bullet points under Section IV.A.2. "Other Supervised Persons," and (b) meets the following condition:
(i) Has properly completed the certificate in the form attached as Exhibit H, and the CCO, on behalf of the Adviser, has completed a review of the certificate and found the basis for the person's Exempt-Access Person status to be satisfactory and in compliance with this Section of the Code.
Appendix B-4
Exempt-Access Persons are required, prior to being so designated and at least annually thereafter, to certify to the CCO, in the form attached as Exhibit H, as to the relevant facts and circumstances that form the basis of the CCO's above-described determination. The CCO is responsible for maintaining records of the status of all relevant persons under the Code, and will inform each such person about that person's status as necessary.
V. ACCOUNTS COVERED BY THE CODE
The following accounts or situations are covered under the Code:
A. Beneficial Ownership
A person has Beneficial Ownership if he or she, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary (financial) interest in a Security.
Accounts over which an Access Person may have Beneficial Ownership interest, include but are not limited to - individual, joint, partnership, custodial, trust, IRA, UGMA and KEOGH accounts.
The determination of Beneficial Ownership is the responsibility of each Access Person; it is a fact-based decision.
B. Immediate Family
All accounts of immediate family members of an Access Person, including any relative by blood or marriage, living in the Employee's household or who are financial dependents of the Employee are subject to this Code (adult children in a separate household are not covered under the Code). Immediate family members may include any of the Employee's children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, stepparents, grandparents, spouse, siblings, mother-in-laws, father-in-laws, son-in-laws, daughter-in-laws, brother- in-laws, or sister-in-laws and shall include adoptive relationships.
C. Investment Control
All accounts over which an Access Person exercises Investment Control, with the exception of the Adviser client account over which the Access Person exercises investment control as part of his or her job responsibilities. "Investment Control" shall mean the direct or indirect power to exercise controlling influence over investment decisions. This includes any arrangement where the Access Person serves as an agent, executor, and trustee or in another similar capacity. Note: Accounts over which the Access Person retains no Investment Control and that are managed by an independent third-party are exempt from the prohibited transaction rules of the Code.
Appendix B-5
VI. SECURITIES COVERED BY THE CODE
A. Securities covered under this Code ("Covered Securities") include any:
1. Stock, including, Treasury stock;
2. Security future;
3. Bond, debenture, or futures contract;
4. Investment contract or voting trust certificate;
5. Certificate of deposit for a security;
6. Option on any security or on any group or index of securities (e.g., put, call or straddle);
7. Exchange traded fund ("ETF"), except those included as securities not covered under the Code as described below;
8. Securities or interests, which are offered and sold in limited or private offerings, defined as offerings that are exempt from registration under the Securities Act, either pursuant to Sections 4(2) or 4(6), or Rules 504, 505 or 506 under the Securities Act (each a "Limited Offering" -- Limited Offerings are typically issued by limited partnerships, limited liability companies, or other similar companies, organizations or associations (Advisers Act Rule 204A-1(e)(7) and 1940 Act Rule 17j-1(a)(8));
9. Securities offered and sold in an initial public offering ("IPO"), defined as an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act, the issuer of which, immediately before the registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (Advisers Act Rule 204A-1(e)(6) and 1940 Act Rule 17j-1(a)(6));
10. Certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement;
11. Collateral-RIC certificate;
12. Fractional undivided interest in oil, gas or other mineral right;
13. Pre-organizational certificate or subscription;
14. Transferable shares;
15. Securities issued by, or interests in, a foreign unit trust or foreign mutual fund, such as a SICAV or OEIC;
Appendix B-6
16. Securities issued by, or interests in, a Reportable Fund (which includes any RIC that is advised or sub-advised by the Adviser (or certain affiliates of the Adviser), where applicable as determined by the CCO and listed on Exhibit I attached hereto);
17. Securities issued by, or interests in, a private investment fund, hedge fund, or investment club; and
18. Any other instrument that is considered a "security" under the various securities laws, except those included as securities not covered under the Code as described below.
B. Securities that are not Covered Securities under the Code include any:
1. Direct obligation of the U.S. government (e.g., Treasury bills, notes and bonds and US savings bonds);
2. Money Market Instruments (bank certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, and other high-quality short-term debt instruments which have a maturity at issuance of less than 366 days and that are rated in one of the two highest-rating categories by a nationally recognized rating organization);
3. Shares of money market funds, other than Reportable Funds (which includes any RIC that is advised or sub-advised by the Adviser (or certain affiliates of the Adviser), where applicable as determined by the CCO and listed on Exhibit I attached hereto);
4. Shares of open-end mutual funds, other than Reportable Funds (which includes any RIC that is advised or sub-advised by the Adviser (or certain affiliates of the Adviser), where applicable as determined by the CCO and listed on Exhibit I attached hereto; and
5. Shares issued by unit investment trusts that are invested exclusively in one or more open-end funds, other than Reportable Funds (which includes any RIC that is advised or sub-advised by the Adviser (or certain affiliates of the Adviser), where applicable as determined by the CCO and listed on Exhibit I attached hereto).
For the avoidance of doubt, for the purposes of this Code, purchases of real estate or any direct interest in real estate, used as a primary or secondary residence shall not be subject to any prior or other written approval of the CCO or any other officer of the Adviser.
C. Covered Securities Exempt Only From Pre-Clearance Requirement:
Provided that such Covered Securities are not issued in an IPO or Limited Offering, the following Covered Securities are exempt for purposes of the requirement to obtain pre-
Appendix B-7
clearance for transactions in such securities (following the procedures set
forth in Section VIII.B. below). (If these securities are issued in an IPO, no
Employee may engage in any transactions in such securities. If these securities
are issued in a Limited Offering, the pre-clearance procedures in Section
VIII.C. below must be followed.)
1. Index Linked Futures, such as those linked to the S&P 500, S&P 400 and Russell 2000 Indexes;
2. Shares of Exchange Traded Funds, such as SPY, IWN, IWD, and IJH, and Puts and Calls Thereon;
3. Exchange Traded Futures Contracts on US Government Securities;
4. Exchange Traded Euro Futures Contracts;
5. Exercise of Rights Issued Pro-Rata;
6. Exchange Traded Derivatives on Non-Equity Securities;
7. Commodity Contracts and Derivatives;
8. Shares of Closed-End Funds;
9. Foreign Exchange Contracts and Derivatives;
10. Securities issued by SICAVs and OEICS; and
11. Exchange Traded Notes.
VII. PROHIBITED SECURITY TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE CODE
A. No Access Person shall:
1. Engage in any act, practice or course of conduct, which would violate the provisions of this Code;
2. Buy or sell based upon, or while in possession of, material non-public information regarding the issuer or security; or Buy or Sell any Covered Securities in violation of the prohibitions of this Code;
3. Acquire any Covered Security in an IPO; or
4. Engage in or give the appearance of "front-running," that is, purchase or sell a security for his or her own account(s) on the basis of the Adviser's trading positions or plans for a client account(s) over which the Access Person has Investment Control.
Appendix B-8
B. With respect to the Adviser or an Adviser Affiliate providing investment advice to any RIC, it is unlawful for any affiliated person of or principal underwriter for a RIC, or any affiliated person of an investment adviser of or principal underwriter for a RIC, in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, by the person of a Security Held or to be Acquired by the RIC (as defined in Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act):
1. To employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the RIC;
2. To make any untrue statement of a material fact to the RIC or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made to the RIC, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading;
3. To engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on the RIC; or
4. To engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the RIC.
VIII. RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSACTIONS IN COVERED SECURITIES AND PRE-CLEARANCE OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
A. General. Effective no later than March 31, 2011, the Adviser will implement
an electronic personal trading system provided by HedgeOp Compliance and
referred to as the Employee Level Filing Platform ("ELF"). Following the
implementation of ELF, all Persons Covered by the Code (as described in Section
IV. above) shall be required to report through ELF.
B. Restrictions on Transactions in Covered Securities. Generally, the Adviser restricts transactions in Covered Securities as provided in this Code.
1. Access Persons are not permitted to engage in transactions with respect to any Covered Security upon which the Adviser has placed, for any reason, an embargo. Any embargo will be communicated in a firm-wide email. Following the implementation of ELF, the securities under embargo will be set forth in the Restricted List (as described in Section XIV. below).
2. Pre-ELF Implementation. No Covered Security transactions of an issuer are permitted within three (3) trading days before or after a purchase or sale order has been placed and/or executed for a client or Reportable Fund over which the Access Person has Investment Control (as defined in Section V.C. above) or assists with Investment Control and has direct knowledge of such purchase or sale order.
3. Post-ELF Implementation. Effective as of the implementation date of ELF:
a. Same Day Blackout Period. No Covered Security transactions of an issuer are permitted on a day of a pending purchase or sale order for a client or a Reportable Fund. All Access Persons will be prohibited from executing any personal transactions in Covered Securities, excluding transactions in a
Appendix B-9
Reportable Fund, on a day when a client has a pending buy or sell order in that Covered Security.
b. Three-Day Blackout Period. No Covered Security
transactions of an issuer are permitted within three
(3) trading days before or after a purchase or sale
order has been placed and/or executed for a client or
Reportable Fund over which the Access Person (i) has
Investment Control (as defined in Section V.C.) or
assists with Investment Control and (ii) has direct
knowledge of such purchase or sale order, except
transactions in shares/units in a Reportable Fund. To
the extent the Access person neither has Investment
Control or direct knowledge of such purchase or sale
order for a client or Reportable Fund, the Access
Person shall certify such to the CCO prior to placing
any personal transactions in Covered Securities.
4. No Covered Security may be purchased in an IPO!
C. Pre-clearance of Transactions in Covered Securities.
1. General. An Access Person may engage in certain transactions in Covered Securities if the Access Person has received pre-clearance for the transaction as provided below and engages in the transaction only during the period for which pre-clearance was granted ("Pre-clearance Period"). The Access Person a. shall not receive any pre-clearance to engage in any securities transactions that are prohibited by the Code (as set forth in Section VII above) or by any federal or state securities laws; and b. shall not engage in any transactions in securities issued in any Limited Offering except with pre-clearance as provided below in Section VIII.C.
2. Request Form. An Access Person may request pre-clearance for
a securities transaction, subject to the restrictions stated
above, either by (a) completing a Personal Securities Trading
Request and Authorization Form ("Pre-clearance Form," attached
as Exhibit E) and submitting it for approval to the CCO, or
(b) sending an email to the CCO seeking approval of the
transaction in the format, and providing the information, as
described in Section 2 of the Guidance Note ("Pre-clearance
Email", attached as Exhibit J).
3. Pre-ELF Implementation - Pre-clearance Review by CCO and
Another Officer or Portfolio Manager. Each pre-clearance
request shall be reviewed by the CCO and another officer, or
Portfolio Manager, of the Adviser, as described below and both
the CCO and the other officer/Portfolio Manager must approve
the pre-clearance request before it will be made effective for
the Pre-clearance Period. The CCO will deny the pre-clearance
request if the securities transaction requested would be in
violation of the prohibitions and restrictions as stated in
Section VII above and this Section VIII, including where the
securities transaction could occur during a blackout period.
The other officer or Portfolio Manager
Appendix B-10
whose approval (along with the CCO's approval) is required for an effective pre-clearance shall be determined as follows:
a. No investment team. If the Access Person is not assigned to an investment team (whether or not the person is a research analyst, trader or Portfolio Manager) then the pre-clearance request must meet the approval of the CEO of the Adviser (or the COO of the Adviser, if designated by the CEO);
b. Investment team without a Portfolio Manager. If the Access Person is assigned to an investment team (whether or not the person is a research analyst or trader) that does not have at least one Portfolio Manager, then the pre-clearance request must meet the approval of the CEO of the Adviser (or the COO of the Adviser, if designated by the CEO);
c. Investment team with one Portfolio Manager. If the Access Person is assigned to an investment team that has only a single Portfolio Manager and the request is being made,
i. By the Portfolio Manager on the investment team, the request must meet the approval of the CEO of the Adviser (or COO of the Adviser, if designated by the CEO); or
ii. By any Access Person on the investment team other than the Portfolio Manager, the request must meet the approval of the Portfolio Manager on the investment team; or
d. Investment team with more than one Portfolio Manager. If the Access Person is assigned to an investment team that has more than one Portfolio Manager and the request is being made
i. By one of the Portfolio Managers, the request must meet the approval of another Portfolio Manager on the investment team; or
ii. By any Access Person on the investment team other than a Portfolio Manager, the request must meet the approval of one of the Portfolio Managers on the investment team.
Appendix B-11
4. Post-ELF Implementation - Pre-clearance Review by CCO and Another Officer or Portfolio Manager. Effective as of implementation of ELF, the Section VIII.C.3. pre-approval is only required from a member of the Securities Trading Group.
5. Any pre-clearance granted a. shall be effective for only the remainder of the day (until 12:00 p.m. local time) in which the pre-clearance is granted; and b. may be revoked by the CCO or other person who granted pre-clearance at any time prior to a pre-cleared transaction being effected, for any reason, including upon discovery of a conflict of interest with the interests of a client or Reportable Fund.
6. Any trade effected pursuant to the grant of a pre-clearance must be documented as such in the Quarterly Report of Security Accounts & Transactions (in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C) and a copy of the pre-clearance approval must be attached to such report.
7. The personal trading of a member of a portfolio or investment team (Portfolio Manager(s)/Dedicated Research) will only affect the RICs, separate investment accounts, or private investment funds managed by that portfolio or investment team. As each of the Adviser's four investment teams have access only to records relating to security trades effected by such investment team, a personal trade by a member of one investment team that has been pre-approved should not have any effect on another investment team's trading on behalf of its clients. The sharing of investment research, but not security trading information, between the investment teams should not compromise this conclusion. Investment research produced by members of the Adviser's investment teams should, however, be available to be acted upon by the Adviser on behalf of clients first -- prior to being used for personal trading purposes.
D. Pre-clearance of Limited Offerings; Approval Upon Hire of Continued Holding
of Securities Issued in Limited Offering. Access Persons may engage in
transactions in securities issued in Limited Offerings (defined in Section
VI.A.9. above) only upon pre-clearance from the CCO.
Newly hired Access Persons must, at time of hire, disclose their then current holdings of securities issued in Limited Offering ("LO Securities") on their Initial Holdings Report (Exhibit B of the Code) and complete and return to the CCO, the Pre-clearance Form (Exhibit E of the Code) regarding such then current holdings. Newly hired Access Persons may be asked to liquidate some or all of their pre-hire investments in LO Securities (so long as it is possible to liquidate their holding under the terms of issuance of the applicable LO Securities) in the event there is any basis that the CCO would deny pre-clearance for transactions in such LO Securities (including, but not limited to, any conflict of interest with the interests of any client of the Adviser or a Reportable Fund).
Pre-clearance for transactions in LO Securities is subject to the following:
Appendix B-12
1. When considering a request to engage in transactions in LO Securities, the CCO will take into account the specific facts and circumstances of the request prior to reaching a decision, including, but not limited to, whether the opportunity to invest in the LO Securities should be reserved for a client(s) and/or Reportable Fund(s).
2. The Access Person must submit the request to engage in transactions in LO Securities using the Pre-clearance Form (Exhibit E) or Pre-clearance Email (Exhibit J).
3. Any person purchasing a Covered Security acquired in a Limited or Private Offering (or holding any Limited or Private Offering Covered Securities that the person held at the time of the person's hire) shall disclose to the CCO any subsequent consideration of investment in the issuer of the Covered Security for any client or Reportable Fund. In such circumstances, the decision to purchase Covered Securities of the issuer for a client account or Reportable Fund shall not be made by anyone with a personal interest in the issuer of the Covered Security unless such interest has previously been disclosed to investors (e.g., Private Placement Memorandum).
4. Approval to invest in a Limited or Private Offering shall be valid for the period of time stated in the approval, but may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Access Person's purchase in the Limited or Private Offering.
E. 30-Day Holding Period for Reportable Fund Holdings
All Access Persons must maintain any position the person holds in a Reportable Fund, with the exception of money market funds, for at least thirty (30) calendar days before the position can be sold or exchanged. Exceptions to this policy will be considered in hardship situations, but must be approved in writing, in advance by the CCO or his designee.
F. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meaning set forth opposite the term below:
1. "Investment Personnel" means
a. any Portfolio Manager acting on behalf of the Adviser, as well as any other person such as a securities analyst and/or trader acting on behalf of the Adviser (or of any company in a control relationship to the Adviser) who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes or participates in the making of recommendations regarding a client's or Reportable Fund's purchase or sale of securities (including analysts providing information and advice to Portfolio Managers or persons effecting the execution of a Portfolio Managers' decisions) or
b. any natural person who controls the Adviser and who obtains information concerning recommendations to a client regarding the purchase or sale of securities by a client.
Appendix B-13
2. "Portfolio Manager" means any individual who, in connection with the regular duties of the individual, is entrusted with the direct responsibility and authority to make investment decisions affecting any client of the Adviser (including any RIC, separate investment account, or private investment fund) or Reportable Fund.
G. Exempted Transactions. The restrictions of Subsections VIII.A -- VIII.E above of this Code shall not apply to:
1. Purchases or sales effected in any account over which the Access Person or Investment Personnel, as applicable, has no direct or indirect influence, control or investment discretion or authority;
2. Subsequent purchases which are made through an automatic dividend reinvestment or automatic direct purchase plan;
3. Purchases effected upon the exercise of rights issued by an issuer pro-rata to all holders of a class of its Covered Securities, to the extent such rights were acquired from such issuer, and sales of such rights so acquired; and
4.
IX. PURCHASES OR SALES EFFECTED BY AN ADVISER AFFILIATE ON BEHALF OF A HEDGE FUND OR OTHER CLIENT ACCOUNTS MANAGED BY SUCH ADVISER AFFILIATE; PROVIDED THAT THERE IS NO VIOLATION OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROCEDURES IMPLEMENTED TO PROTECT FIRM CLIENTS, REPORTABLE FUNDS, AND SUCH HEDGE FUND OR OTHER CLIENT ACCOUNT. OUTSIDE AFFILIATIONS
All Access Persons are prohibited from serving on a board of directors of any company without prior written authorization of the CCO or senior management of the Adviser. Requests for outside affiliations permitted under the Code shall be submitted to the CCO or management of the Adviser via the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
X. POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Access Persons are prohibited from making political contributions for the purpose of obtaining or retaining advisory contracts with government entities (known as "pay to play"). Although political contributions are not prohibited, Access Persons must be cognizant of potential conflicts of interest that may exist if the Adviser or its Employees contribute to the campaigns of any client(s), Employee or consultant to the Adviser.
Please see AlphaOne Holdings, LLC's ("AlphaOne's") Code of Business Conduct and Ethics ("Code of Conduct") for further guidance on political contributions.
XI. GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Access Persons are not permitted to offer, seek or accept any gift, service or other item of more than de minimis value, either directly or indirectly, from any person or entity that does business with or on behalf of the Adviser. For the purposes of this provision, the following items are acceptable:
Appendix B-14
1. An occasional meal;
2. An occasional ticket to a sporting event, the theater or comparable entertainment; or
3. A gift of fruit or other foods.
Access persons are required to report to the CCO all de minimis gifts, service or other items received from any person or entity that does business with or on behalf of the Adviser. Please see AlphaOne's Code of Conduct for further guidance on gifts and entertainment.
Note: De minimis value is less than or equal to $100.
XII. CONFIDENTIALITY/SAFEGUARDING OF DATA
Access Persons, as fiduciaries, must adhere to the Adviser's Privacy Policy
under Regulation S/P of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the "GLBA"). All material, non-public information pertaining to any client must be safeguarded, and includes, but is not limited to, adherence to physical and technical security of information. With respect to material, non-public client information, Access Persons are required to take reasonable measures to safeguard such information including, but not limited to: |
1. Sharing of access codes and/or passwords with any other individual is prohibited without authorization;
2. Client information, such as account statements, applications, etc. must be secured at all times;
3. Information on investment strategies, transactions and
investments being considered or used by the Adviser for client
accounts shall be secured at all times and not discussed with
persons who are not Access Persons or with third parties
(other than as needed for business or compliance purposes)
prior to their disclosure to clients of the Adviser.
4. Transmission of material, non-public information to unauthorized parties, via any means, is strictly prohibited. Authorized parties include, but are not limited to the following:
a. Affiliate firms and their designees;
b. Broker-dealers or other entities who conduct business with the Adviser on behalf of clients; and
c. Third party entities with a contractual need for such information and who have executed a non-disclosure agreement with the Adviser or which are under a confidentiality obligation with the Adviser.
Please see AlphaOne's Code of Conduct for further guidance on Confidentiality.
Appendix B-15
XIII. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Consistent with the requirements of the Advisers Act Rule 204A-1 and with the provisions of Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, Access Persons are subject to the following requirements.
A. Initial and Annual Certification of Compliance with the Code
Upon hire and annually thereafter, each Access Person shall be provided a copy of this Code by the CCO. In addition, the Access Person will be required to certify that he/she has:
1. Read and understands the Code and recognizes that he/she is subject thereto;
2. Shall comply with the applicable requirements of the Code; and
3. Shall report all personal securities transactions required to be reported pursuant to the requirements of the Code.
The certification report shall be made on the form attached as Exhibit F and submitted to the CCO no later than fifteen (15) days after becoming an Access Person and annually fifteen (15) days after calendar year end.
B. Initial and Annual Disclosure of Holdings and Brokerage Accounts
Upon employment and annually thereafter, each Access Person shall be required to submit to the Legal/Compliance Department a report listing all Covered Securities holdings and securities trading accounts in which the Access Person has a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership as defined by the Code.
The certification report shall be made on the form attached as Exhibit B and submitted to the Compliance Department no later than ten (10) days after the person becomes an Access Person, and the information must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the person becomes an Access Person and annually ten (10) days after calendar year end.
The accounts of Immediate Family Members over which the Access Person exercises Investment Control, but does not have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership, shall be reported on Exhibit B and on an annual basis thereafter.
C. Quarterly Personal Transactions
Although the Adviser prohibits transactions in Covered Securities (except as permitted by the CCO), Access Persons are required to complete a Quarterly Report of Security Accounts & Transactions (Exhibit C). This report shall be submitted to the Compliance Department via the form attached hereto as Exhibit C no later than thirty (30) days after the end of the calendar quarter, including any period in which no securities transactions were effected.
Appendix B-16
Exhibit C shall contain the following information (or the reports attached thereto):
1. The date of the transaction;
2. The name/description of the security;
3. The nature of the transaction (e.g., purchase or sale);
4. The quantity and price of the security bought or sold;
5. Interest rate/maturity date (if applicable);
6. The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through whom the transaction was effected; and
7. The nature of the interest (i.e., direct ownership, spouse, control, etc.)
This reporting requirement may be satisfied by directing a broker-dealer to send duplicate trade confirmations and brokerage statements directly to the Compliance Department so long as Adviser receives such confirmations or statements no later than 30 days after the end of the applicable calendar quarter.
D. Conflicts of Interest
Every Access Person shall notify the Compliance Department of any personal conflict of interest relationship that may involve any client such as the existence of any economic relationship between his/her transactions and securities held or to be acquired by any client other than transactions that such Access Person has disclosed in his or her Annual Disclosure of Holdings and Brokerage Accounts and Quarterly Transactions.
Inappropriate favoritism of one client over another client is strictly prohibited, as it would constitute a breach of fiduciary duty and a conflict of interest.
XIV. RESTRICTED LIST
To ensure compliance with applicable federal securities laws and to prevent the appearance of impropriety in connection with securities transactions, the Compliance Department will maintain a confidential list with names of issuers known as the Watch/Restricted List (the "Restricted List"), which will be incorporated into the ELF system or any such other similar personal trading system. The Restricted List shall include two categories of issuers. The first category, which will be identified as "Firm Restrictions", will include all issuers for which any employee of the Adviser has material, non-public information. The second category, which will be identified as "Personal Trading Restrictions", will include: (a) the issuers of securities that are actively being considered for investment by Investment Personnel, and (b) all issuers on the Firm Restrictions category of the Restricted List.
Appendix B-17
Absent prior approval from the CCO, or except as otherwise provided in the Code of Ethics, the Adviser shall be prohibited from trading, on behalf of client accounts, in securities of any issuer appearing on the Firm Restrictions category of the Restricted List.
Absent prior approval from the CCO, the Adviser's employees shall be prohibited from trading personally in securities of any issuer appearing on the Personal Trading Restrictions category of the Restricted List.
The Restricted List is designed to restrict personal trading or other activity in the issuer's securities to avoid any appearance of inappropriate trading by employees, such as front-running or trading on the basis of material, non-public information.
The CCO may, from time to time, allow for certain exceptions to these prohibitions including the following situation:
Limited Exception. As it pertains to securities that will be included on the Restricted List as of the date this policy is adopted, any such securities that employees own prior to the adoption date of this Code of Ethics may continue to be held in such employees' accounts after the adoption of this policy. However, after the adoption date of this policy, such securities are subject to this Code and therefore may not be sold so long as they remain on the Restricted List. No additional purchases of securities on the Restricted List will be allowed.
A. Maintenance of the Restricted List.
The effectiveness of the Restricted List as a monitoring and preventive device depends on the receipt of up-to-date information regarding transactional activities or other developments. Accordingly, employees that have information that causes them to believe that an issuer should be added to the Restricted List should promptly consult with the CCO. This includes securities that are actively being considered for investment by Investment Personnel.
1. Adding and Removing Securities to the Watch/Restricted List. To add or remove an issuer to or from the Restricted List, the employee that has the information shall promptly inform the CCO by email. The email should include a request that the issuer in question be added to or removed from the Restricted List and an explanation regarding the reason for the request.
2. Access to the Watch/Restricted List. The fact that an issuer's securities are on the Restricted List is highly confidential and should not be disclosed by employees with such knowledge to any person outside of the Adviser. Such information should be treated as inside information and handled accordingly. Disclosure also should not be made to other employees except on a strict need-
Appendix B-18
to-know basis and in compliance with this policy. If anyone inquires as to whether or not a security is on the Restricted List, or is otherwise informally restricted, employees shall respond that firm policy prohibits any comment, and should inform the CCO of such inquiry.
B. Amendments/Changes to the Restricted List.
The CCO and COO are the only persons within the Adviser that shall have access to the Firm Restrictions and Personal Trading Restrictions categories of the Restricted List.
After receiving notification to amend the Restricted List, the CCO will add or remove the security to or from the Restricted List and inform all authorized recipients via e-mail of the change. On a weekly basis the complete List will be distributed, or made available, to the authorized recipients.
On a monthly basis, the Restricted List and the status of each issuer that is included on the Restricted List (i.e., have the securities been purchased, held, and/or sold) will be reviewed by the CCO and COO to ensure its accuracy. If necessary, the CCO shall make any required amendments to the Restricted List following such review.
XV. REPORTING OF VIOLATIONS
Each Access Person shall promptly report to the CCO any apparent material violation of this Code and its associated policies and procedures.
The CCO shall promptly report to management of the Adviser any apparent material violation of this Code and its associated policies and procedures.
Management of the Adviser shall consider reports made hereunder and shall determine whether or not this Code has been violated and whether the appropriate sanctions, if any, should be imposed.
The Adviser must use reasonable diligence and institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent violations of the Code.
No less frequently than annually, the Adviser must furnish to the RIC's board of directors or trustees (the "Board"), and the Board must consider, a written report that:
1. Describes any issues arising under the Code or procedures since the last report to the Board, including, but not limited to, information about material violations of the Code or procedures and sanctions imposed in response to the material violations; and
2. Certifies that the Adviser, as applicable, has adopted procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons from violating the Code.
Appendix B-19
XVI. SANCTIONS
This Code is designed to assure compliance with applicable laws and to reinforce the Adviser's reputation for integrity in the conduct of its business.
Upon discovering a violation of this Code, sanctions may be imposed as deemed appropriate, including, among other things, disgorgement of profits, a letter of censure or suspension or termination of the employment of the violator.
An incidental failure to comply with the Code is not necessarily a violation of law or the Adviser's Principles of Business Conduct. Isolated or inadvertent violations of the Code not resulting in a violation of the law will be referred by the CCO to senior management of the Adviser and disciplinary action commensurate with the violation, if warranted, will be imposed.
Violations of any of the enumerated Prohibited Transactions may require the sale of any open positions and disgorgement of any profits realized from the prohibited transaction(s). A pattern of violations that individually do not violate the law or Principles of Business Conduct, but which taken together demonstrate a lack of respect for the Code, may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
XVII. INTERPRETATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS
The CCO shall have the right to make final and binding interpretations of the Code and may grant, using his discretion, exceptions to certain of the above restrictions.
XVIII. RETENTION OF RECORDS
This Code, as updated from time to time, acknowledgements of receipt of a copy of this Code by each Access Person, a list of all persons required to make reports hereunder from time to time, a copy of each report made by an Access Person hereunder, each memorandum made by the CCO hereunder and a record of any violation hereof and any action taken as a result of such violation, shall be maintained by the Adviser as required under the Advisers Act and the 1940 Act for a period of not less than five (5) years.
XIX. INSIDER TRADING POLICY
A. Policy Statement on Insider Trading
Section 204A of the Advisers Act requires the Adviser to establish, maintain, and enforce written procedures reasonably designed to prevent the wrongful use of "inside" information.
Adviser shall prohibit any Employee from trading, either personally or on behalf of others, or recommending securities, while in possession of material, non-public information in violation of applicable laws and regulations. This unlawful conduct is frequently referred to as "insider trading."
Appendix B-20
Adviser's policy extends to external activities and outside duties related to Employees' association with the Adviser. Every Employee must read and retain this policy statement. Any questions regarding the Adviser's insider trading policy and procedures should be referred to the CCO.
B. In General -- Inside Information
Federal, as applicable and state securities laws make it unlawful for any person to trade or recommend trading in securities on the basis of material and nonpublic, or "inside," information. Adviser's policy requires stringent avoidance of the misuse of inside information.
The misuse of material, nonpublic or "inside" information constitutes fraud; a term broadly defined under the securities laws.
Fraudulent misuse of "inside" information includes purchasing or selling securities on the basis of such information for the account of the firm, an employee, a client, or anyone else. Fraudulent misuse also includes "tipping" such information to anyone, or using it as a basis for recommending, by way of a research report or otherwise, the purchase or sale of a security.
Persons guilty of fraudulently misusing "inside" information are subject to civil and criminal penalties (including imprisonment), SEC administrative actions, and dismissal by the Adviser.
"Inside" Information. "Inside" information is material, nonpublic information. The courts and regulatory authorities have broadly construed what constitutes "inside" information. Generally speaking, information is "material" if it has "market significance" in the sense that it is likely to influence reasonable investors, including reasonable speculative investors, in determining whether to trade the securities to which the information relates. For example, information is likely to be "material" if it relates to significant changes affecting such matters as dividends; earnings estimates; write downs of assets or additions to reserves for bad debts or contingent liabilities; the expansion or curtailment of operations; proposals or agreements involving a merger, acquisition, divestiture or leveraged buy-out; new products or discoveries; major litigation; liquidity problems; extraordinary management developments; public offerings; changes of debt ratings; issuer tender offers; and recapitalizations. Given the potentially severe consequences to the Adviser and its personnel of a wrong decision, any person who is uncertain as to whether any information he or she possesses is "inside" information must contact the CCO for guidance, rather than solely relying on his or her own judgment or interpretation.
Under certain circumstances the portfolio holdings of the Adviser's investment company clients may be deemed material, nonpublic information. In recent times, certain investment companies and/or their affiliated persons have engaged in unlawful or fraudulent activities by disclosing portfolio holdings to selected investors so that the investors may profit from trading on such information, which is referred to as market timing. Under SEC guidance and regulations, investment companies have adopted policies and procedures on disclosure of their portfolio holdings (the "PH Policies") intended to prevent unauthorized disclosure of the holdings of the company. Under the PH Policy divulging non-public portfolio holdings to selected parties is permissible only when the company has legitimate business
Appendix B-21
purposes for doing so and the recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the non-public information. In addition, the disclosure of a company's portfolio securities is permitted only when it is consistent with the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws and fiduciary duties of the company's investment adviser or investment sub-adviser. The PH Policies must be followed when personnel of the adviser or sub-adviser discloses a company's non-public portfolio holdings information to any party.
C. Prohibiting Misuse of Inside Information
Those in possession of inside information must preserve the confidentiality of such information and abstain from trading until the inside information is disclosed and made public. It is fundamental policy of the Adviser that:
a. No Adviser Employee, while in possession of inside information relevant to a security, shall purchase or sell, or recommend or direct the purchase or sale of, such security for the account of the Adviser, an Employee, a client, or anyone else.
b. No Employee shall use inside information to purchase or sell securities for his or her own account, any account in which he or she has a direct or indirect beneficial interest (including accounts for family members), or any other account over which the Employee has discretionary authority or a power of attorney.
No Employee shall disclose inside information to any person outside the Adviser without the authorization of the CCO or management.
Any Employee who, in the course of his or her employment, obtains inside information that is later disclosed to the general public must allow sufficient time to elapse for the investing public to assimilate and evaluate the information before taking any action for his or her personal account on the basis of the disclosed facts.
D. General Guidelines
To ensure that material, non-public information is not misused, it is imperative that the flow of such information be limited so that only those people within the Adviser with a "need to know" are given such information.
Routine communications between departments which are not transaction or issuer specific, such as general observations about industries and issuers within those industries, and which would not affect a person's investment decision about a specific security, are not prohibited. If you have any question as to whether information is routine, however, please contact the CCO.
E. Review of Trading
The CCO will review, at least quarterly, the trading activity of the Adviser's Access Persons. A record of such review will be maintained by the CCO.
Appendix B-22
F. Investigations
The CCO will investigate questionable or suspicious trades, whether discovered through scheduled reviews of exception reports or any other way. The scope and extent of any particular inquiry will be determined by the nature of the trade in question. The relevant Employee or client may be contacted by the CCO for an explanation as to the trade in question. An investigation record will be kept by the CCO. The record will contain, at a minimum, the following:
1. The name of the security;
2. The date the investigation commenced;
3. An identification of the accounts involved; and A summary of the disposition of the investigation.
G. Procedures for Adviser's Policy Against Insider Trading
The following procedures have been established to aid the Employees of the Adviser in avoiding insider trading, and to aid the Adviser in preventing, detecting, and imposing sanctions against insider trading. Each Employee of the Adviser must follow these procedures or risk serious sanctions, including dismissal, substantial personal liability, and criminal penalties. If you have any questions about these procedures you should consult with the CCO.
1. Identifying Inside Information
Before trading for yourself, or others, in the securities of a company about which you may have potential inside information, ask yourself the following questions:
Is the information material? Is this something an investor would consider important in making his or her investment decision? Would the market price of the securities be substantially affected if the information was generally disclosed?
Is the information nonpublic? To whom has it been provided? Has it been effectively communicated to the marketplace by being published in Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, or other publications of general circulation?
If, after consideration of the above, you believe that the information is material and nonpublic, or if you have any questions as to whether the information is material and nonpublic, you should take the following steps:
(a) Do not purchase or sell the securities on behalf of yourself or others;
(b) Report the matter immediately to the CCO; and
(c) Do not communicate the information inside or outside the Adviser, other than to the CCO.
Appendix B-23
After the CCO has reviewed the issue, you either will be instructed to continue the prohibitions against trading and communications, or you will be allowed to trade or communicate the information.
2. Restricting Access to Material Nonpublic Information
Information in your possession that you identify as material and nonpublic may not be communicated to anyone, including associates, except as referred to above. In addition, take care that such information is secure by sealing files and restricting access to computer files containing nonpublic information.
3. Resolving Issues Concerning Insider Trading
If doubt remains as to whether information is material or nonpublic, or if there is any unresolved question as to the applicability or interpretation of the procedures, or as to the propriety of any action, it must be discussed with the CCO before trading or communicating the information to anyone.
Appendix B-24
EXHIBIT A
Outside Affiliation/Private Transaction/Board Membership Pre-clearance Questionnaire
1. Your Name & Title: ______________________________________________________
2. Name of department: _____________________________________________________
3. Name of your manager: ___________________________________________________
4. List your responsibilities for AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC (the "Adviser"):
5. Please state the full name and address of the private placement, business, nature of the investment or full name of the organization you are/wish to become affiliated with:
Please answer the following questions regarding the private placement, business, board membership or affiliation you intend to participate in. Please attach to this questionnaire any additional information you may have regarding your affiliation/investment (i.e., private placement memorandum, offering circular, literature, etc.) that may assist in the approval process.
1. How and by whom was this offer presented to you? Or, how and by whom were you approached to become affiliated?
2. Will you play any management role in the private placement or business and are you providing any service or advice to the business or issuer? What will your role and responsibilities consist of?
Appendix B -- Exhibit A-1
3. Approximately what percentage of your time will be spent on non-Adviser activities?
4. Will you be compensated? (If so, how?) [ ] Yes [ ] No
5. Does the private placement issuer or organization have any dealings with Adviser? (If yes, please describe) [ ] Yes [ ] No
6. Is any client of the Adviser eligible to hold securities of this issuer? Does any client of the Adviser presently hold securities of this issuer? [ ] Yes [ ]No
7. Do you have any dealings on behalf of Adviser with the issuer or sponsor of this investment or membership? (If yes, please describe) [ ] Yes [ ]No
8. To the best of your knowledge, does the private placement issuer have plans to go public any time soon? If so, when? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Appendix B -- Exhibit A-2
9. Are you being given any preferential treatment in the deal? (If yes, please describe) [ ] Yes [ ] No
10. How much money will be invested, and/or what percentage of ownership will youhave?
11. In light of your position and responsibilities at the Adviser, are you aware of any fact, issue or circumstance involving the private placement, proposed investment, board membership or affiliation that might give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest? [ ]Yes [ ]No
Please Note:
If board membership is with a public company you will be limited in your ability to invest in that company. Also, if you come into possession of material non-public information because of your board membership you must inform the CCO of the details so that trading activity in that public company can be appropriately monitored.
12. Does this investment require you to open a new brokerage account? (If yes, please describe).
Appendix B -- Exhibit A-3
SUPERVISOR APPROVAL
I have reviewed and approved this request for permission to engage in the private securities transaction described above.
COMPLIANCE APPROVAL
[ ] Yes [ ] No ____ ______________________________________ _________ Date Name & Title of Approver (please print) Signature |
Appendix B -- Exhibit A-4
EXHIBIT B
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC (THE "ADVISER")
EMPLOYEE INITIAL/ANNUAL SECURITIES HOLDINGS REPORT AND CERTIFICATION
Statement to Adviser by____________________________________________________ Please Print
Date of Becoming an Employee:______________________________ (Initial Report)
December 31, 20__ (Annual Report)
As of the date appearing above, the following are each and every Covered Security (as defined in the Code) and securities account in which I have a direct or indirect "Beneficial Ownership" interest). For purposes of this report, the term Beneficial Ownership is very broad and includes, but is not limited to, ownership of securities or securities accounts by or for the benefit of a person, or such person's "immediate family" sharing the same household, including any account in which the Employee or family member of that person holds a direct or indirect beneficial interest, retains discretionary investment authority or exercises a power of attorney. The term "immediate family" means any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law and also includes adoptive relationships.
Appendix B -- Exhibit B-1
Listed below are the accounts with any broker, dealer or bank that are capable of holding securities (i.e. accounts that hold or could hold securities including securities that are not Covered Securities) for my direct or indirect benefit ("Securities Account") as of the date appearing above:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name of Broker, dealer or Bank Account Number Name on the Account Status of Account with which Account is Held (open/closed/active/inactive) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
I certify that the accounts listed above are all of the Securities Accounts in which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership interest.
Note: For every bank or brokerage account of the Employee that is capable of holding Covered Securities for the Employee's direct or indirect benefit, new employees must attach copies of the most recent statement(s) to this form. If this form is completed for annual certification, either an annual statement must be attached to this form or mailed directly to the following address: AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC, One Tower Bridge, 100 Front Street, Suite 1250, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, Attention: Chief Compliance Officer. It is the Employee's sole responsibility to ensure that the information reflected in the attached statement(s) is accurate and completely discloses all relevant securities holdings. In lieu of attaching statements to this form, a print out of the Employee's securities holdings printed directly from their broker's website may also be submitted.
Appendix B -- Exhibit B-2
Listed below are all securities including Covered Securities in which the employee currently holds in his/her trading accounts and has beneficial ownership interest upon hire or as of the year-end date specified above
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Account Shares/Face Name and description of Covered Interest Firm Through Which Nature of Interest Number Amount Security i.e. puts, calls, bonds (include Rate/Maturity Date Security is Held (Direct Ownership, 144A, Reg S and other privately placed (if applicable) Spouse, Control, Etc.) securities, whether or not custodied in a securities account) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
I further certify that the securities listed above are the only Covered Securities in which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership interest.
This report need not disclose Covered Securities held in any account over which the Employee has no direct or indirect influence or control.
Appendix B -- Exhibit B-3
I have received, reviewed, understand and agree to abide by the Adviser's Compliance Policies and Procedures as stated in the most recent copy of the Firm's Compliance Manual. To the best of my knowledge, I have reported all securities holdings for me and members of my Immediate Family to the Adviser on the form provided to me. I hereby acknowledge that I have obtained, read and understand the Adviser's Compliance Policies and Procedures Manual. I further certify that I have received, read, understand, and will abide by the Adviser's Code of Ethics.
Employee Signature: _______________________________
Date of Submission: _______________________________
Received By (Name/Title):________________ Reviewed By (Name/Title):__________ Signature:___________________________ Signature:____________________ Date Received:_______________________ Date Reviewed:________________ |
Comments:
Appendix B -- Exhibit B-4
EXHIBIT C
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC (THE "ADVISER")
QUARTERLY REPORT OF SECURITY ACCOUNTS & TRANSACTIONS FOR ALPHAONE INVESTMENT
SERVICES, LLC
Statement to the Adviser by:____________________________________________________
For the Calendar quarter ended__________________________________________________
(Enter quarter end date)
Since the prior Quarterly Report, the following accounts have remained active/inactive or have been opened/closed. Listed below are accounts that are capable of holding securities (i.e. accounts that hold or could hold securities including securities that are not Covered Securities) for my direct or indirect benefit.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name of Broker, dealer or Bank Account Number Name on the Status of Account Date (if opened/closed w/in with which Account is Held Account (open/closed/active/inactive) quarter) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
I further certify that the accounts listed above are all of the Securities Accounts in which I have a direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership interest.
As of the date appearing above, the following are each and every transaction in a Covered Security (as defined in the Code) in which I have a direct or indirect "Beneficial Ownership" interest. Also, I have included all activity in Covered Securities that occurred during the quarter. For purposes of this report, the term Beneficial Ownership is very broad and includes, but is not limited to, ownership of securities or securities
Appendix B -- Exhibit C-1
accounts by or for the benefit of a person, or such person's "immediate family" sharing the same household, including any account in which the Employee or family member of that person holds a direct or indirect beneficial interest, retains discretionary investment authority or exercises a power of attorney. The term "immediate family" means any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law and also includes adoptive relationships.
This report need not disclose transactions in Covered Securities in any account over which the Employee has no direct influence or control.
Note: For every account in which there was trading activity during the previous quarter, Employees must either: (i) attach brokerage statements or a print out of transaction activity from the broker's web site for every account in which there was trading activity; (ii) provide all trade information in the chart below; or (iii) direct their brokers to mail statements directly to the following address: AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC, One Tower Bridge, 100 Front Street, Suite 1250, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, Attention: Chief Compliance Officer. Employees who indicate below that there was no activity during the quarter are not required to attach or include brokerage statements. It is the Employee's sole responsibility to ensure that the information reflected in the attached statement(s) is accurate and completely discloses all relevant securities activity.
Appendix B -- Exhibit C-2
Listed below are all Covered Securities transactions in which the employee has traded a beneficial ownership interest during the calendar quarter specified above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Account Trade Buy/Sell Shares/Face Name and description of Covered Interest Price Firm Through Nature of Number Date Amount Security i.e. puts, calls, bonds Rate/Maturity Which Interest (Direct (include 144A, Reg S and other Date (if Transaction Ownership, privately placed securities where applicable) Was Effected Spouse, or not custodied in a security Control, Etc.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
If no transactions in Covered Securities occurred during the quarter ending _______________, please insert "NONE" here: ___________ (enter qtr end date)
I further certify that all information provided above in connection with my securities account and Covered Securities is true, correct and complete.
Date of Submission:___________________________________ Employee Signature:___________________________________
Compliance Signature:_________________________________ Date Reviewed:________________________________________
Appendix B -- Exhibit C-3
EXHIBIT D
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC [Date]
[Brokerage Firm]
[Address 1]
[City, State, Zip]
Attn: Compliance Department
Re: Accounts and/or Family Related Accounts of [Employee Name], SS#[XXX-XX-XXXX], a AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC Employee
Dear Sir/Madam:
The above named employee of AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC has notified us that he/she maintains the following account(s) with your Firm:
Please be advised that AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is required, as set forth by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, to maintain records of every transaction in a security in which an employee of the investment adviser has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership.
Please make the necessary arrangements to send duplicate confirmations and monthly statements to:
AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC
One Tower Bridge
100 Front Street, Suite 1250
West Conshohocken, PA 19428
This information is to be provided unless or until Mr./Mrs. [ ] notifies you to the contrary in writing. In the event that Mr./Mrs. [ ] ceases employment with AlphaOne
Investment Services, LLC, a letter will be sent from the Compliance Department terminating duplicate confirmations and statements. If you should have any questions, please contact me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
Sincerely,
Chief Compliance Officer
As per the above request, I grant permission to your firm to add AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC as an interested party and to forward copies of confirmations and statements regarding the above mentioned account(s).
____________________________ Date:________________________
(Signature of Account Holder)
[Employee Full Name]
Appendix B -- Exhibit D-1
EXHIBIT E
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
PERSONAL SECURITIES TRADING REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION FORM
Name:
Date:
I hereby request authorization to enter into the following securities transaction:
Name of Company and Ticker Symbol:
Type of Order: Buy____ Sell____ Exchange_____ Tender_____ Other_____(Explain)
Price: Market_____ Limit______ Stop_____ Number of Shares:___________
Broker/Dealer: __________________________
Type of Account: Individual_____ Joint______ Other_____ Trust______(Explain)
This transaction is for investment purposes and to the best of my knowledge will comply with the applicable personal trading provisions contained in Adviser's Code of Ethics. I request the approval based on the following reasoning:
Access Person Signature Date
The above transaction is approved based on information provided above and must be completed within 10 business days from the date of approval. If the transaction has not been completed in whole or in part, it may be extended at the discretion of Adviser's CCO upon written request by the employee.
_________________________ ______________________ Portfolio Manager/CEO/COO Date _________________________ ______________________ Compliance Officer Date |
Appendix B -- Exhibit E-1
EXHIBIT F
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
INITIAL/ANNUAL CERTIFICATION OF RECEIPT OF THE CODE OF ETHICS
I have received, reviewed, understand and agree to comply with the terms of the Firm's Code of Ethics.
To the best of my knowledge, I have reported all securities holdings for me and members of my Immediate Family to AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC on the form provided to me. Additionally, attached is a list of the names of each of the entities for which I act as a member of the board of directors, a general partner, a managing member or a trustee.
Please complete, sign and date this form and return to the CCO
Appendix B -- Exhibit F-1
EXHIBIT G
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
NOTIFICATION OF OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
Listed below is/are my outside business activities. I will inform the CCO of any changes to the following:
[] Do you own stock or have directly or indirectly any financial interest in any other organization whose stock is not publicly traded? If yes, please provide a full explanation.
[] Do you invest in limited or general partnerships, or private placements of securities, other than those offered by the Firm? If yes, please provide a full explanation.
[] Are you engaged in any other business? If yes, please provide full explanation.
________________________________________________________________________[] Are you employed or compensated by any other person or entity? If yes, in what capacity?
[] Do you serve as an officer or partner of another organization? If yes, please provide the name of the organization and describe in what capacity you serve.
[] Do you serve on the board of directors (or in any similar capacity) of any unaffiliated organization or on a formal or informal creditors committee? If yes, please provide information.
[] Do you engage in investment related speaking, writing or teaching activities? If yes, please describe.
[] None.
Appendix B -- Exhibit G-1
Relative to the above questions, please list all outside business activities including general partnerships, private investments, outside employment and Board memberships:
Previously Disclosed to Compliance?
_______________________________________ [ ] Yes [ ] No _______________________________________ [ ] Yes [ ] No _______________________________________ [ ] Yes [ ] No |
Appendix B -- Exhibit G-2
EXHIBIT H
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
CERTIFICATION OF EXEMPT-ACCESS PERSON STATUS
I,__________________________, as of this __ day of , 20__, do hereby certify and affirm that:
1. I serve as (Insert position with AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC (the "Adviser")) and am also ______________________ (Insert position with any Adviser Affiliate(2));
2. During the immediate prior calendar year:
a. I have not, with respect to any client(3) account, obtained or sought to obtain information regarding the client's purchase or sale of securities or other investment instruments or assets; and I do not have access to nonpublic information regarding any client's purchase or sale of securities, or nonpublic information regarding the portfolio holdings of any client account the Adviser or any Adviser Affiliate manages or any registered investment company or managed fund that is advised or sub-advised by the Adviser (or certain Adviser Affiliates, where applicable)
b. I have not, with respect to any client account, made, participated in, obtained or sought to obtain information about, the purchase or sale of a Covered Security or related recommendations;
c. My regular functions and duties have not, with respect to any client account, related to such recommendations, purchase or sales;
d. I have not been involved in making securities recommendations to clients nor have I obtained, or sought to obtain information about any such recommendations which are non-public; and
e. I am aware of and have complied with all provisions of the Code of Ethics and Insider Trading Policy ("Code") of Adviser that are relevant to me and with any policies and procedures of the Adviser and Adviser Affiliates relevant to the control of sensitive information about client accounts or recommendations to which I may be subject. I
----------------------------------- 2 Adviser Affiliates are listed on Exhibit I (Adviser Affiliates, together with the Adviser collectively referred to as "AlphaOne"). 3 Notwithstanding the definition of client in the Code, for purposes of the designation as an Exempt-Access Person only, an account does not include The AlphaOne Essentials Fund, LLP, or any other account, solely to the extent such Fund's or account's investors are only employees of AlphaOne and the employee(s) acknowledge such in writing. |
Appendix B -- Exhibit H-1
further agree to continue to comply with all such policies and procedures, as they may be amended from time to time; and
3. If any of the representations set forth in 2(a) through (e) above ceases to be true, I will inform the Chief Compliance Officer of Adviser ("CCO") promptly, and unless otherwise notified by the CCO, will comply with the relevant Code requirements applicable to Access Persons(4), including the annual provision of this Certification; and
4. I recognize that once designated by the CCO as an Exempt-Access Person, I am exempt only from Section VIII of the Code, Pre-Clearance of Transactions in Covered Securities, with respect to any Covered Securities transaction until such time as I know at the time of the transaction or, in the ordinary course of fulfilling my official duties, should have known that, during "the 3-day period immediately before or after the date of the Covered Securities transaction", a client account purchased or sold the Covered Security, or the Adviser or any Adviser Affiliate considered purchasing or selling the Covered Security for a client account; and
5. I recognize that I am providing this certification in order to allow the CCO to consider my designation as an Exempt-Access Person.
6. I have read, understand and agree to abide by the Code, and in particular, those provisions of the Code relevant to Exempt-Access Persons.
Employee Signature: _________________________________________
Date of Submission: _________________________________________
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Received By Reviewed By Name: Name: Title: Title: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Signature: Signature: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date Received: Date Reviewed: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments: Comments: |
Appendix B -- Exhibit H-2
EXHIBIT I
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
List of Affiliates of AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC and Mutual Funds Advised by Affiliates
I. Affiliates of AlphaOne Investment Services, LLC
1. AlphaOne Holdings, LLC
2. AlphaOne Capital Partners, LLC
3. AlphaOne Satori Management, LLC
4. AlphaOne Essentials Management, LLC
5. AlphaOne Fundamentals SCG Portfolio Management, LLC
6. AlphaOne Fundamentals MCC Portfolio Management, LLC
7. AlphaOne Redstone Management, LLC
8. AlphaOne Essentials SPV Management, LLC
II. Mutual Funds Advised by Affiliates (Effective as of April 1, 2011)
1. AlphaOne U.S. Equity Long Short Fund
2. AlphaOne Micro Cap Equity Fund
3. AlphaOne Small Cap Growth Fund Investor
Appendix B -- Exhibit I-1
EXHIBIT J
ALPHAONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
GUIDANCE NOTE -- SECTION VIII. PRE-CLEARANCE OF TRANSACTIONS IN COVERED
SECURITIES
Appendix H-1
AlphaOne(TM) Capital Partners, LLC Memo One Tower Bridge To: AlphaOne Associates 100 Front Street Suite 250 From: Kevin S. Lee-Crossett West Conshohocken, PA 19428 United States |
Date: January 12, 201o
Office: 1 267 597 3888
Tel: +44 (0)79 5056 0326 Fax: 1 610 828 2049
www.alpha1capital.com
Fax: +44 (0)20 7990 9632
Email kscrossett@alpha1capital.com
kevinscrossett@aol.co.uk
Re: Guidance Note -- Section VIII. Pre-Clearance of Transactions in Covered Securities
This memorandum is intended to clarify the process by which transactions in "Covered Securities" are pre-cleared under AlphaOne's Code of Ethics ("Code").
Since we have a manual process at the moment given our relative size, I need your continued patience until we can acquire/develop a more efficient electronic process. However, I have attempted to simplify the trading process as follows (or at least make it as clear as possible as to what the pre-clearance process is):
1. Request to Pre-clear - Process. The Access Person who would like to execute a transaction in a Covered Security must send an email seeking approval for the transaction to:
a. the CCO at kcrossett@alpha1capital.com and cc: the Head Securities Dealer at tkraus@alpha1capital.com (or in his absence to Carlo Fitti at cfitti@alpha1capital.com and Don O'Hara at dohara@alpha1capital.com);
AND
b. EITHER:
i. the Senior Portfolio Manager (or the Co-Manager, if applicable), if the Access Person is a Research Analyst or a Portfolio Manager assigned to an investment team. However, if there is no Senior Portfolio Manager or Co- Manager, then the email must be sent to the CEO (or the COO in the CEO's absence) (for example, Dan Niles for the AlphaOne Satori Funds would be
Appendix H-2
required to get approval of the CEO, as there is no Co-Manager to approve any transaction in a Covered Security);
OR
ii. the CEO (or the COO in the CEO's absence), if the Access Person is NOT a Research Analyst or a Portfolio Manger assigned to an investment team.
2. Request to Pre-clear -- Format of Email. The Request to Pre-Clear Email must contain the following information:
a. Date of Proposed Transaction:
b. Name of Company:
c. Ticker Symbol:
d. Type of Order:
i. Buy
Appendix H-3
ii. Sell
iii. Exchange
iv. Tender
v. Other (Explain)
e. Number of Shares (Principle Amount):
f. Name of Broker/Dealer:
g. Name of Account:
h. Type of Account:
i. Individual
ii. Joint
iii. Other (Explain)
iv. Trust (Explain)
i. Acknowledgement that this transaction is for investment purposes and to the best of your knowledge will comply with the applicable personal trading provisions contained in the AlphaOne's Code of Ethics.
Alternatively, you can simply attach the Personal Securities Trading Request and Authorization Form provided in the Code to the email.
3. Pre-Clearance Approval.
The CCO will approve the transaction for that day based on receipt of confirmation from (a) the senior trader that there are no issues with respect to the trade and (b) the Senior Portfolio Manager's (or Co-Manager, if applicable) or CEO (or COO in the CEO's absence) approval of the transaction in the Covered Security.
Pre-approval is good for one day only and will be confirmed by the CCO in an email to the Access Person.
The Access Person DOES NOT have to complete a Personal Securities Trading Request and Authorization Form if the email provides for the detail noted above, and the CCO will maintain an electronic record of all pre-approved trades.
4. Confirmation of Trade. The Access Person should confirm the execution of the trade in the Covered Security in an email to the CCO.
5. Blackout Period.
Appendix H-4
No Covered Security transactions of an issuer are permitted within three (3) trading days before or after a purchase or sale order has been placed and/or executed for a client over which the Access Person has Investment Control or assists with Investment Control and has direct knowledge of such purchase or sale or such purchase or sale order.
As AlphaOne's four investment teams only have access to records relating to their security trades, a personal trade by a member of one investment team that has been pre-approved should not have any effect on another investment team's trading on behalf of its clients. The sharing of investment research, but not security trading information, between the investment teams should not compromise this conclusion. However, investment research produced by members of AlphaOne's investment teams should be available to be acted upon by AlphaOne on behalf of clients first prior to being used for personal trading purposes.
5. Periodic Reporting Obligations.
Access Persons will have to continue to provide Initial/Annual Certification of Compliance with the Code; Initial/Annual Disclosure of Holdings and Brokerage Accounts; and Quarterly Personal Transaction Reports as noted in the Code.
Attached is a table which provides an overview of requirements for transaction pre-clearance, quarterly transaction reporting and annual holdings reporting. If a security or transaction is not listed, assume that pre-clearance, quarterly transaction reporting and annual holdings reporting are required.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at +44 (0) 79 5056 0326 (or by e-mail at kcrossett@alpha1capital.com and/or kevinscrossett@aol.co.uk) if you have any questions or require further information.
Attachment
Appendix H-5
PERSONAL SECURITIES PRE-CLEARANCE AND REPORTING SUMMARY
The table below provides an overview of requirements for transaction pre-clearance, quarterly transaction reporting and annual holdings reporting. If a security or transaction is not listed, assume that pre-clearance, quarterly transaction reporting and annual holdings reporting are required.
Daily Quarterly Transaction Transaction Annual Holdings Pre-Clearance Report Report ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Transactions and Holdings Exempt From Pre-Clearance and Reporting ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Direct Obligations of US Government No No No ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Money Market Instruments (bank certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper, repurchase agreements and other high-quality short-term debt instruments which have a maturity at issuance of less than 366 days and that are rated in one of the two highest-rating categories by a nationally recognized rating organization) No No No ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Money Market Mutual Funds No No No ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Open-end Mutual Fund Shares No No No ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Unit Investment Trust Shares (Invested in Open-end Mutual Fund) No No No ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Transactions Exempt From Pre-Clearance and Quarterly Reporting ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Securities in Accounts Managed by Others Over Which You Have No Control No No Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Securities Purchased Through an Automatic Investment Program No No Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Shares Purchased Through a Dividend Reinvestment Program No No Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Transactions Exempt from Pre-Clearance Only ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Index Linked Futures, such as those linked to the S&P 500, S&P 400 and Russell 2000 Indexes No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Exchange Traded Funds, such as SPY, IWN, IWD, and IJH, and Puts and Calls Thereon No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Exchange Traded Futures Contracts on US Government Securities No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Exchange Traded Euro Futures Contracts No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Exercise of Rights Issued Pro-Rata No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Exchange Traded Derivatives on Non-Equity Securities No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Commodity Contracts and Derivatives No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Closed-End Funds No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Foreign Exchange Contracts and Derivatives No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Securities issued by SICAVs and OEICS No Yes Yes ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Appendix H-6 |
Daily Quarterly Transaction Transaction Annual Holdings Pre-Clearance Report Report --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Exchange Traded Notes No Yes Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Transactions and Holdings Subject to Pre-Clearance, Quarterly Transaction Reporting and Annual Holdings Reporting --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Voluntary Exercise of Options Yes Yes Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Sale of Shares Acquired Through a Dividend Reinvestment Program (unless shown above as exempt from annual holdings reporting)* Yes Yes N/A --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Sales of Securities Acquired Through an Automatic Investment Program (unless shown above as exempt from annual holdings reporting)* Yes Yes N/A --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Corporate Bonds Yes Yes Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Common Stocks Yes Yes Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Futures Linked to Individual Stocks Yes Yes Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Charitable Donations or other Gifts of Securities. Note: If the timing of the transfer date is beyond the employee's control (and therefore risks falling outside of the three-day pre- clearance window), the employee should use the date that the irrevocable commitment is made to donate or gift the securities (e.g., date that instructions are mailed to broker) as the trade date when reporting the transaction Yes Yes N/A --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- Other Securities Not Specifically listed Above Yes Yes Yes --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------- ----------------- |
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
Pre-clearance is granted for a maximum of one business day.
Personal trades that are pre-cleared can still result in potential conflicts with trades in clients' accounts. Pre-clearance helps avoid many potential conflicts, but the nature of securities markets makes it impossible to implement a comprehensive automated process. You are personally responsible for avoiding any conflicts with client portfolios for which you make or help make investment recommendations. Receiving pre-clearance for a trade does not relieve you of that responsibility.
Appendix H-7