Title 17

SECTION 230.139b

230.139b Publications or distributions of covered investment fund research reports by brokers or dealers distributing securities.

§ 230.139b Publications or distributions of covered investment fund research reports by brokers or dealers distributing securities.

(a) Registered offerings. Under the conditions of paragraph (a)(1) or (2) of this section, the publication or distribution of a covered investment fund research report by a broker or dealer that is not an investment adviser to the covered investment fund and is not an affiliated person of the investment adviser to the covered investment fund shall be deemed for purposes of sections 2(a)(10) and 5(c) of the Act not to constitute an offer for sale or offer to sell a security that is the subject of an offering pursuant to a registration statement of the covered investment fund that is effective, even if the broker or dealer is participating or may participate in the registered offering of the covered investment fund's securities. This section does not affect the availability of any other exemption or exclusion from sections 2(a)(10) or 5(c) of the Act available to the broker or dealer.

(1) Issuer-specific research reports. (i) At the date of reliance on this section:

(A) The covered investment fund:

(1) Has been subject to the reporting requirements of section 30 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”) (15 U.S.C. 80a-29) for a period of at least 12 calendar months and has filed in a timely manner all of the reports required, as applicable, to be filed for the immediately preceding 12 calendar months on Forms N-CSR (§§ 249.331 and 274.128 of this chapter), N-PORT (§ 274.150 of this chapter), N-MFP (§ 274.201 of this chapter), and N-CEN (§§ 249.330 and 274.101 of this chapter) pursuant to section 30 of the Investment Company Act; or

(2) If the covered investment fund is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act, has been subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d)) for a period of at least 12 calendar months and has filed in a timely manner all of the reports required to be filed for the immediately preceding 12 calendar months on Forms 10-K (§ 249.310 of this chapter) and 10-Q (§ 249.308a of this chapter), or 20-F (§ 249.220f of this chapter) pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; and

(B) At the time of the broker's or dealer's initial publication or distribution of a research report on the covered investment fund (or reinitation thereof), and at least quarterly thereafter;

(1) If the covered investment fund is of the type defined in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section, the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by affiliates and non-affiliates equals or exceeds the aggregate market value specified in General Instruction I.B.1 of Form S-3 (§ 239.13 of this chapter);

(2) If the covered investment fund is of the type defined in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section, the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds the aggregate market value specified in General Instruction I.B.1 of Form S-3 (§ 239.13 of this chapter); or

(3) If the covered investment fund is a registered open-end investment company (other than an exchange-traded fund) its net asset value (inclusive of shares held by affiliates and non-affiliates) equals or exceeds the aggregate market value specified in General Instruction I.B.1 of Form S-3 (§ 239.13 of this chapter); and

(ii) The broker or dealer publishes or distributes research reports in the regular course of its business and, in the case of a research report regarding a covered investment fund that does not have a class of securities in substantially continuous distribution, such publication or distribution does not represent the initiation of publication of research reports about such covered investment fund or its securities or reinitiation of such publication following discontinuation of publication of such research reports.

(2) Industry reports. (i) The covered investment fund is subject to the reporting requirements of section 30 of the Investment Company Act or, if the covered investment fund is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act, is subject to the reporting requirements of section 13 or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

(ii) The covered investment fund research report:

(A) Includes similar information with respect to a substantial number of covered investment fund issuers of the issuer's type (e.g., money market fund, bond fund, balanced fund, etc.), or investment focus (e.g., primarily invested in the same industry or sub-industry, or the same country or geographic region); or

(B) Contains a comprehensive list of covered investment fund securities currently recommended by the broker or dealer (other than securities of a covered investment fund that is an affiliate of the broker or dealer, or for which the broker or dealer serves as investment adviser (or for which the broker or dealer is an affiliated person of the investment adviser));

(iii) The analysis regarding the covered investment fund issuer or its securities is given no materially greater space or prominence in the publication than that given to other covered investment fund issuers or securities; and

(iv) The broker or dealer publishes or distributes research reports in the regular course of its business and, at the time of the publication or distribution of the research report (in the case of a research report regarding a covered investment fund that does not have a class of securities in substantially continuous distribution), is including similar information about the issuer or its securities in similar reports.

(3) Disclosure of standardized performance. In the case of a research report about a covered investment fund that is a registered open-end management investment company or a trust account (or series or class thereof), any quotation of the issuer's performance must be presented in accordance with the conditions of paragraphs (d), (e), and (g) of § 230.482. In the case of a research report about a covered investment fund that is a registered closed-end investment company, any quotation of the issuer's performance must be presented in a manner that is in accordance with instructions to item 4.1(g) of Form N-2 (§§ 239.14 and 274.11a-1 of this chapter), provided, however, that other historical measures of performance may also be included if any other measurement is set out with no greater prominence than the measurement that is in accordance with the instructions to item 4.1(g) of Form N-2.

(b) Self-regulatory organization rules. A self-regulatory organization shall not maintain or enforce any rule that would prohibit the ability of a member to publish or distribute a covered investment fund research report solely because the member is also participating in a registered offering or other distribution of any securities of such covered investment fund; or to participate in a registered offering or other distribution of securities of a covered investment fund solely because the member has published or distributed a covered investment fund research report about such covered investment fund or its securities. For purposes of section 19(b) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78s(b)), this paragraph (b) shall be deemed a rule under that Act.

(1) Affiliated person has the meaning given the term in section 2(a) of the Investment Company Act.

(2) Covered investment fund means:

(i) An investment company (or a series or class thereof) registered under, or that has filed an election to be treated as a business development company under, the Investment Company Act and that has filed a registration statement under the Act for the public offering of a class of its securities, which registration statement has been declared effective by the Commission; or

(ii) A trust or other person:

(A) Issuing securities in an offering registered under the Act and which class of securities is listed for trading on a national securities exchange;

(B) The assets of which consist primarily of commodities, currencies, or derivative instruments that reference commodities or currencies, or interests in the foregoing; and

(C) That provides in its registration statement under the Act that a class of its securities are purchased or redeemed, subject to conditions or limitations, for a ratable share of its assets.

(3) Covered investment fund research report means a research report published or distributed by a broker or dealer about a covered investment fund or any securities issued by the covered investment fund, but does not include a research report to the extent that the research report is published or distributed by the covered investment fund or any affiliate of the covered investment fund, or any research report published or distributed by any broker or dealer that is an investment adviser (or any affiliated person of an investment adviser) for the covered investment fund.

(4) Exchange-traded fund has the meaning given the term in General Instruction A to Form N-1A (§§ 239.15A and 274.11A of this chapter).

(5) Investment adviser has the meaning given the term in section 2(a) of the Investment Company Act.

(6) Research report means a written communication, as defined in § 230.405 that includes information, opinions, or recommendations with respect to securities of an issuer or an analysis of a security or an issuer, whether or not it provides information reasonably sufficient upon which to base an investment decision.

[83 FR 64220, 64222, Dec. 13, 2018]