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Securities Act of 1933 — Rule 486(b)
PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund and
PIMCO Income Opportunity Fund
September 13, 2018
RESPONSE OF THE OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL
DIVISION OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
File Nos. 811-21238 and 811-22121
Your letter dated September 13, 2018, requests our assurance that we would not recommend enforcement action to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) under Section 5(b) or Section 6(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) against PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund (“PTY”) and PIMCO Income Opportunity Fund (“PKO”) (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”), each of which filed and had declared effective by the Commission a shelf registration statement on Form N-2 (“Registration Statement”), if the applicable Fund files a post-effective amendment to its Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act, under the circumstances set forth in your letter.
Background
You state that each Fund is a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”). Each Fund filed and had declared effective by the Commission its Registration Statement under which it may issue common shares of beneficial interest on a delayed and continuous basis in accordance with Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act and the positions of the Commission staff.[1] Pacific Investment Management Company LLC serves as the investment adviser to each Fund. Each Fund’s common shares of beneficial interest are registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. PTY has a fiscal year end of July 31 and PKO has a fiscal year end of June 30.
You state that each Fund’s board of trustees (the “Board”),[2] including a majority of independent trustees, has concluded that a continuously effective equity shelf registration statement would be beneficial to the applicable Fund, its shareholders and potential investors. You state that each Fund, therefore, needs a continuously effective Registration Statement, and annually would have to file post-effective amendments to its Registration Statement pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Securities Act (“Post-Effective Amendments”) to bring the Fund’s financial statements up to date or to make other non-material changes. You further state that the applicable Fund, its shareholders and potential investors would benefit if Post-Effective Amendments filed for the purpose of bringing the Fund’s financial statements up to date or to make any other non-material changes were effective immediately, as permitted by Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act available to certain registered closed-end investment companies. You state that utilization of Rule 486(b) would help ensure that each Fund has the ability to raise capital as the opportunity arises, and could reduce expenses incurred by the Fund in the Post-Effective Amendment process. You further state that due to the limited purpose for which each Fund would use Rule 486(b), no erosion of investor protection would occur and investors could have faster access to important information about the Fund, including its updated financial information.
Discussion
Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act, in relevant part, states that a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed by a registered closed-end management investment company which makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act (“Interval Fund”) shall become effective on the date on which it is filed with the Commission, provided that certain conditions are met. The conditions of Rule 486(b) require, among other things, that the post-effective amendment be filed for no purpose other than, among other things, bringing the financial statements up to date or making non-material changes, and that the registrant make certain representations concerning the purpose for which the amendment is filed.
In adopting Rule 486(b) in 1994, the Commission recognized that Interval Funds may have a need to raise capital continuously, and therefore need continuously effective registration statements and would benefit if certain filings could become effective automatically.[3] The Commission staff in 1998 recognized that registered closed-end management investment companies such as the Funds, which are not Interval Funds, also may benefit from the flexibility to take advantage of favorable market conditions to raise additional capital through continuous or delayed offerings of their securities.[4] You assert that the applicable Fund, its shareholders and potential investors also would benefit if the Fund’s Post-Effective Amendments that comply with the conditions of Rule 486(b) could become effective immediately pursuant to that Rule.
You represent that each filing made in reliance on the requested relief would be made in compliance with the conditions of Rule 486(b), and that each Fund will file a Post-Effective Amendment containing a prospectus pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Securities Act prior to any offering of its common shares of beneficial interest at a price below net asset value. You also represent that in relying on the requested relief to sell common shares of beneficial interest, each Fund will sell newly issued shares at a price no lower than the sum of the Fund’s net asset value plus the per share commission or underwriting discount.[5]
Conclusion
Based on the facts and representations set forth in your letter, we would not recommend that the Commission take any enforcement action under Section 5(b) or Section 6(a) of the Securities Act against any Fund if it files Post-Effective Amendments to its Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act. This response expresses our view on enforcement action only and does not express any legal or interpretive conclusion on the issues presented. Because our position is based upon all of the facts and representations in your letter, any different facts or representations may require a different conclusion.[6] We note that each Fund has acknowledged that the staff may withdraw any assurance granted in this letter if the staff finds that the Fund is misusing Rule 486(b) or for any other reason.
Laura J. Riegel
Senior Counsel
[1] See Nuveen Virginia Premium Income Municipal Fund, SEC Staff No-Action Letter (Oct. 6, 2006);
Pilgrim America Prime Rate Trust, SEC Staff No-Action Letter (May 1, 1998) (“Pilgrim Letter”).
[2] Each Fund is organized as a Massachusetts business trust that is governed by a Board of Trustees.
[3] See Post-Effective Amendments to Investment Company Registration Statements, Investment Company
Act Release No. 20486 (Aug. 17, 1994), n.22 and accompanying text. An Interval Fund operates pursuant to a fundamental policy that requires the Interval Fund to make periodic offers to repurchase its common stock in an amount not less than five percent of the outstanding shares. See Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act. These repurchase offers may create a need for the Interval Fund to replenish its assets by making a continuous or intermittent offering of its common stock. See Continuous or Delayed Offerings by Certain Closed-End Management Investment Companies; Automatic Effectiveness of Certain Registration Statements and Post-Effective Amendments, Investment Company Act Release No. 19391 (Apr. 7, 1993).
[4] See Pilgrim Letter, supra note 1, n.12 and accompanying text.
[5] See Pilgrim Letter, supra note 1, n.4 and accompanying text.
[6] The Division of Investment Management generally permits third parties to rely on no-action or interpretive letters to the extent that the third party’s facts and circumstances are substantially similar to those described in the underlying request for a no-action or interpretive letter. See Informal Guidance Program for Small Entities, Investment Company Act Release No. 22587 (Mar. 27, 1997), n.20. In light of the very fact-specific nature of the Funds’ request, however, the position expressed in this letter applies only to each Fund, and no other entity may rely on this position. The staff is willing to consider similar requests from other registered closed-end management investment companies.
Incoming Letter
The Incoming Letter is in Acrobat format.
http://www.sec.gov/divisions/investment/noaction/2018/pimco-corporate-091318-486b.htm
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