[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55842-55843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22119]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 31249; 812-14291]


SSgA MasterTrust and SSgA Funds Management, Inc.; Notice of 
Application

September 11, 2014.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice of an application under section 6(c) of the Investment 
Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from rule 12d1-2(a) 
under the Act.

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SUMMARY: Summary of Application: Applicants request an order to permit 
open-end management investment companies relying on rule 12d1-2 under 
the Act to invest in certain financial instruments.
    Applicants: SSgA Master Trust (``SSMT'') and SSgA Funds Management, 
Inc. (``SSFMI'').

DATES: Filing Dates: The application was filed on March 14, 2014, and 
amended on June 13, 2014 and August 18, 2014.
    Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the 
application will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. 
Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's 
Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally 
or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 
5:30 p.m. on October 6, 2014, and should be accompanied by proof of 
service on applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a 
certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the 
writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues 
contested. Persons who wish to be notified of a hearing may request 
notification by writing to the Commission's Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street 
NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090; Applicants: State Street Global 
Advisors, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura J. Riegel, Senior Counsel, at 
(202) 551-6873, or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-6821 
(Division of Investment Management, Chief Counsel's Office).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the 
application. The complete application may be obtained via the 
Commission's Web site by searching for the file number, or for an 
applicant using the Company name box, at http://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by calling (202) 551-8090.

Applicants' Representations

    1. SSMT is organized as Massachusetts business trust and is 
registered under the Act as an open-end management investment company. 
SSMT is a series trust which currently consists of eight series, each 
of which operates as a master fund in a master-feeder structure. SSFMI 
is a Massachusetts corporation and is registered as an investment 
adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ``Advisers 
Act''). SSFMI currently serves as the investment adviser to each series 
of SSMT.
    2. Applicants request an exemption to the extent necessary to 
permit any existing or future series of SSMT and any other registered 
open-end management investment company or series thereof that: (a) Is 
advised by SSFMI or any investment adviser controlling, controlled by, 
or under common control with SSFMI (any such adviser or SSFMI, the 
``Adviser''); \1\ (b) is in the same group of investment companies as 
defined in section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act as SSMT; (c) invests in other 
registered open-end management investment companies (``Underlying 
Funds'') in reliance on section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act; and (d) also is 
eligible to invest in securities (as defined in section 2(a)(36) of the 
Act) in reliance on rule 12d1-2 under the Act (each a ``Fund of 
Funds''), also to invest, to the extent consistent with its investment 
objectives, policies, strategies and limitations, in financial 
instruments that may not be securities within the meaning of section 
2(a)(36) of the Act (``Other Investments'').\2\
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    \1\ Each Adviser will be registered as an investment adviser 
under the Advisers Act.
    \2\ Every existing entity that currently intends to rely on the 
requested order is named as an applicant. Any entity that relies on 
the order in the future will do so only in accordance with the terms 
and condition in the application.
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    3. Consistent with its fiduciary obligations under the Act, each 
Fund of Funds' board of trustees will review the advisory fees charged 
by the Fund of

[[Page 55843]]

Funds' Adviser to ensure that they are based on services provided that 
are in addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided 
pursuant to the advisory agreement of any investment company in which 
the Fund of Funds may invest.

Applicants' Legal Analysis

    1. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act provides that no registered 
investment company (``acquiring company'') may acquire securities of 
another investment company (``acquired company'') if such securities 
represent more than 3% of the acquired company's outstanding voting 
stock or more than 5% of the acquiring company's total assets, or if 
such securities, together with the securities of other investment 
companies, represent more than 10% of the acquiring company's total 
assets. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act provides that no registered 
open-end investment company may sell its securities to another 
investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring company to own 
more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or cause more than 
10% of the acquired company's voting stock to be owned by investment 
companies and companies controlled by them.
    2. Section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act provides, in part, that section 
12(d)(1) will not apply to securities of an acquired company purchased 
by an acquiring company if: (i) The acquired company and acquiring 
company are part of the same group of investment companies; (ii) the 
acquiring company holds only securities of acquired companies that are 
part of the same group of investment companies, Government securities, 
and short-term paper; (iii) the aggregate sales loads and distribution-
related fees of the acquiring company and the acquired company are not 
excessive under rules adopted pursuant to section 22(b) or section 
22(c) of the Act by a securities association registered under section 
15A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or by the Commission; and 
(iv) the acquired company has a policy that prohibits it from acquiring 
securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered 
unit investment trusts in reliance on section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) of the 
Act.
    3. Rule 12d1-2 under the Act permits a registered open-end 
investment company or a registered unit investment trust that relies on 
section 12(d)(1)(G) of the Act to acquire, in addition to securities 
issued by another registered investment company in the same group of 
investment companies, Government securities, and short-term paper: (i) 
Securities issued by an investment company that is not in the same 
group of investment companies, when the acquisition is in reliance on 
section 12(d)(1)(A) or 12(d)(1)(F) of the Act; (ii) securities (other 
than securities issued by an investment company); and (iii) securities 
issued by a money market fund, when the investment is in reliance on 
rule 12d1-1 under the Act. For the purposes of rule 12d1-2, 
``securities'' means any security as defined in section 2(a)(36) of the 
Act.
    4. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt 
any person, security, or transaction from any provision of the Act, or 
from any rule under the Act, if such exemption is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection 
of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policies and 
provisions of the Act. Applicants submit that their request for relief 
meets this standard.
    5. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act for an 
exemption from rule 12d1-2(a) to allow the Funds of Funds to invest in 
Other Investments while investing in Underlying Funds. Applicants state 
that the Funds of Funds will comply with rule 12d1-2 under the Act, but 
for the fact that the Funds of Funds may invest a portion of their 
assets in Other Investments. Applicants assert that permitting the 
Funds of Funds to invest in Other Investments as described in the 
application would not raise any of the concerns that the requirements 
of section 12(d)(1) were designed to address.

Applicants' Condition

    Applicants agree that any order granting the requested relief will 
be subject to the following condition:
    Applicants will comply with all provisions of rule 12d1-2 under the 
Act, except for paragraph (a)(2) to the extent that it restricts any 
Fund of Funds from investing in Other Investments as described in the 
application.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-22119 Filed 9-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P