98-29511. FPA Capital Fund, Inc.; Notice of Application  

  • [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 213 (Wednesday, November 4, 1998)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 59604-59605]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 98-29511]
    
    
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    SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
    
    [Investment Company Act Release No. 23511; 812-11252]
    
    
    FPA Capital Fund, Inc.; Notice of Application
    
    October 29, 1998.
    AGENCY: Notice of application under section 17(b) of the Investment 
    Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from section 17(a) of 
    the Act.
    
    SUMMARY OF APPLICATION: Applicant, FPA Capital Fund, Inc. (``Fund''), 
    seeks an order to permit an in-kind redemption of shares of the Fund by 
    an affiliated person of the Fund.
    
    FILING DATES: The application was filed on August 6, 1998 and amended 
    on October 20, 1998.
        Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the 
    application will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. 
    Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's 
    Secretary and serving applicant with a copy of the request, personally 
    or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 
    5:30 p.m. on November 23, 1998, and should be accompanied by proof of 
    service on applicant, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a 
    certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the 
    writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues 
    contested. Persons may request notification of a hearing by writing to 
    the Commission's Secretary.
    
    ADDRESSES: Secretary, Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW., Washington, DC 
    20549. Applicants, 11400 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, 
    California 90064.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Deepak T. Pai, Attorney-Adviser, (202) 942-0574 or Edward P. Macdonald, 
    Branch Chief, at (202) 942-0564 (Division of Investment Management,
    
    [[Page 59605]]
    
    Office of Investment Company Regulation).
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the 
    application. The complete application may be obtained for a fee at the 
    Commission's Public Reference Branch, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, 
    DC 20549 (tel. no. 202-942-8090).
    
    Applicant's Representation
    
        1. The Fund, organized as a Maryland corporation, is registered 
    under the Act as an open-end management investment company. First 
    Pacific Advisors, Inc. (``Adviser''), registered under the Investment 
    Advisers Act of 1940 (``Advisers Act''), is the Fund's investment 
    adviser.
        2. ICMA Retirement Trust (``Affiliated Shareholder'') is a 
    retirement trust for deferred compensation plans and qualified 
    retirement plans established by state and local governments and their 
    agencies and instrumentalities for their employees. The Affiliated 
    Shareholder is not registered under the Act in reliance upon section 
    2(b) of the Act. The ICMA Retirement Corporation (``Retirement 
    Corporation''), registered under the Advisers Act, serves as the 
    investment adviser to the Affiliated Shareholder. The Affiliated 
    Shareholder owns approximately 13.33% of the outstanding shares of the 
    Fund.
        3. The Retirement Corporation, acting in its fiduciary capacity 
    with respect to the Affiliated Shareholder, has concluded that the 
    assets of the Affiliated Shareholder invested in the Fund should be 
    managed directly by the Adviser. Consequently, the Affiliated 
    Shareholder has notified the Fund that it expects to redeem all of its 
    shares of the Fund and place the proceeds in a separate account managed 
    by the Retirement Corporation and subadvised by the Adviser. On August 
    3, 1998, the Fund's board of directors, including all of the 
    independent directors, determined that it would be in the best 
    interests of the Fund and its shareholders to redeem the shares of the 
    Affiliated Shareholder in-kind.
    
    Applicant's Legal Analysis
    
        1. Section 17(a)(2) of the Act generally prohibits an affiliated 
    person of a registered investment company, acting as principal, from 
    knowingly purchasing any security from the company. Section 2(a)(3)(A) 
    of the Act defines ``affiliated person'' of another person to include 
    any person owning 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of 
    the other person.
        2. Section 17(b) of the Act provides that, notwithstanding section 
    17(a) of the Act, the Commission shall exempt a proposed transaction 
    from section 17(a) of the Act if evidence establishes that: (a) the 
    terms of the proposed transaction are reasonable and fair and do not 
    involve overreaching; (b) the proposed transaction is consistent with 
    the policy of each registered investment company involved; and (c) the 
    proposed transaction is consistent with the general purposes of the 
    Act.
        3. Applicant states that the Affiliated Shareholder is an 
    affiliated person of the Fund under section 2(a)(3)(A) of the Act 
    because it owns beneficially in excess of 5% of the Fund's shares. To 
    the extent that the proposed in-kind redemption would be considered to 
    involve the ``purchase'' of the Fund's portfolio securities by the 
    Affiliated Shareholder, applicant states that the proposed in-kind 
    redemption would be prohibited by section 17(a)(2) of the Act.
        4. Applicant submits that the terms of the proposed in-kind 
    redemption meet the standards set forth in section 17(b) of the Act. 
    Applicant asserts that neither the Adviser nor the Affiliated 
    Shareholder will have any opportunity to select the specific portfolio 
    securities to be distributed. Applicant further states that the 
    portfolio securities to be distributed to the Affiliated Shareholder 
    will be valued according to an objective, verifiable standard and that 
    the in-kind redemption is consistent with the investment policies of 
    the Fund. Applicant also states that the proposed in-kind redemption is 
    consistent with the general purposes of the Act.
    
    Applicant's Conditions
    
        Applicant agrees that any order granting the requested relief will 
    be subject to the following conditions:
        1. The portfolio securities of the Fund distributed to the 
    Affiliated Shareholder pursuant to the in-kind redemption (the ``In-
    Kind Securities'') will be limited to securities that are traded on a 
    public securities market or for which quoted bid prices are available.
        2. The In-Kind Securities will be distributed by the Fund on a pro 
    rata basis after excluding: (a) securities which, if distributed, would 
    be required to be registered under the Securities Act of 1933; and (b) 
    certain portfolio assets (such as futures and options contracts and 
    repurchase agreements) that, although they may be liquid and 
    marketable, must be traded through the marketplace or with the 
    counterparty to the transaction in order to effect a change in 
    beneficial ownership. Cash will be paid for that portion of the Fund's 
    assets represented by cash equivalents (such as certificates of 
    deposit, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements) and other assets 
    which are not readily distributable (including receivables and prepaid 
    expenses), net of all liabilities (including accounts payable). In 
    addition, the Fund will distribute cash in lieu of securities held in 
    its portfolio not amounting to round lots (or which would not amount to 
    round lots if included in the in-kind distribution), fractional shares, 
    and accruals on such securities.
        3. The In-Kind distributed to the Affiliated Shareholders will be 
    valued in the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of 
    computing the Fund's net asset value which, in the case of securities 
    traded on a public securities market for which quotations are 
    available, is their last reported sales price on the exchange on which 
    the securities are primarily traded or at the last sales price on the 
    national securities market, or, if the securities are not listed on an 
    exchange or the national securities market or if there is no such 
    reported price, the most recent bid price.
        4. The Fund will maintain and preserve for a period of not less 
    that six years from the end of the fiscal year in which the proposed 
    in-kind redemption occurs, the first two years in as easily accessible 
    place, a written record of the redemption setting forth a description 
    of each security distributed, the terms of the distribution, and the 
    information or materials upon which the valuation was made.
    
        For the SEC, by the Division of Investment Management, under 
    delegated authority.
    Margaret H. McFarland,
    Deputy Security.
    [FR Doc. 98-29511 Filed 11-3-98; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 8010-01-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
11/04/1998
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
98-29511
Dates:
The application was filed on August 6, 1998 and amended on October 20, 1998.
Pages:
59604-59605 (2 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Investment Company Act Release No. 23511, 812-11252
PDF File:
98-29511.pdf