[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 97 (Friday, May 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23305-23306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10639]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 33098; 812-14815]


PFM Multi-Manager Series Trust and PFM Asset Management LLC

May 15, 2018.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice.

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    Notice of an application under section 6(c) of the Investment 
Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from section 15(a) of 
the Act and rule 18f-2 under the Act, as well as from certain 
disclosure requirements in rule 20a-1 under the Act, Item 19(a)(3) of 
Form N-1A, Items 22(c)(1)(ii), 22(c)(1)(iii), 22(c)(8) and 22(c)(9) of 
Schedule 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and sections 6-
07(2)(a), (b), and (c) of Regulation S-X (``Disclosure Requirements''). 
The requested exemption would permit an investment adviser to hire and 
replace certain sub-advisers without shareholder approval and grant 
relief from the Disclosure Requirements as they relate to fees paid to 
the sub-advisers.

Applicants: PFM Multi-Manager Series Trust (the ``Trust''), a Delaware 
statutory trust registered under the Act as an open-end management 
investment company, and PFM Asset Management LLC (the ``Initial 
Adviser''), a Delaware limited liability company registered as an 
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 
(collectively with the Trust, the ``Applicants'').

Filing Dates:  The application was filed on August 22, 2017 and amended 
on March 1, 2018, and May 9, 2018.

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 June 11, 2018, and should be accompanied by proof of service on 
the applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a 
certificate of service. Pursuant to rule 0-5 under the Act, hearing 
requests should state the nature of the writer's interest, any facts 
bearing upon the desirability of a hearing on the matter, 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, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants: One Keystone Plaza, 
Suite 300, North Front and Market Streets, Harrisburg, PA 17101-2044.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Bruce R. MacNeil, Senior Counsel, at 
(202) 551-6817, or Kaitlin C. Bottock, Branch Chief, at (202) 551-6825 
(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 website by searching for the file number, or an applicant 
using the Company name box, at http://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or 
by calling (202) 551-8090.

Summary of the Application

    1. The Adviser will serve as the investment adviser to the 
Subadvised Series pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the 
Trust (the ``Investment Management Agreement'').\1\ The Adviser will 
provide the Subadvised Series with continuous investment management 
services, subject to the supervision of, and policies established by, 
the board of trustees of the Trust (``Board''). The Investment 
Management Agreement permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of 
the Board, to delegate to one or more sub-advisers (each, a ``Sub-
Adviser'' and collectively, the ``Sub-Advisers'') the responsibility to 
provide the day-to-day portfolio investment management of each 
Subadvised Series, subject to the supervision and direction of the 
Adviser.\2\ The primary responsibility for managing each Subadvised 
Series will remain vested in the Adviser. The Adviser will hire, 
evaluate, allocate assets to and oversee the Sub-Advisers, including 
determining whether a Sub-Adviser should be terminated, at all times 
subject to the authority of the Board.
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    \1\ Applicants request relief with respect to the named 
Applicants, as well as to any future series of the Trust and any 
other registered open-end management investment company or series 
thereof that: (a) Is advised by the Initial Adviser, its successors, 
or any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control 
with the Initial Adviser or its successors (each, an ``Adviser''); 
(b) uses the multi-manager structure described in the application; 
and (c) complies with the terms and conditions set forth in the 
application (each, a ``Subadvised Series''). For purposes of the 
requested order, ``successor'' is limited to an entity that results 
from a reorganization into another jurisdiction or a change in the 
type of business organization.
    \2\ A ``Sub-Adviser'' for a Subadvised Series is (1) an indirect 
or direct ``wholly-owned subsidiary'' (as such term is defined in 
the Act) of the Adviser for that Subadvised Series, or (2) a sister 
company of the Adviser for that Subadvised Series that is an 
indirect or direct ``wholly-owned subsidiary'' of the same company 
that, indirectly or directly, wholly owns the Adviser (each of (1) 
and (2) a ``Wholly-Owned Sub-Adviser'' and collectively, the 
``Wholly-Owned Sub-Advisers''), or (3) not an ``affiliated person'' 
(as such term is defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act) of the 
Subadvised Series or the Adviser, except to the extent that an 
affiliation arises solely because the Sub-Adviser serves as a sub-
adviser to a Subadvised Series (``Non-Affiliated Sub-Advisers'').
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    2. Applicants request an exemption to permit the Adviser, subject 
to Board approval, to hire certain Sub-Advisers pursuant to Sub-
Advisory Agreements and materially amend existing Sub-Advisory 
Agreements without obtaining the shareholder approval required under 
section 15(a) of the Act and rule 18f-2 under the Act.\3\ Applicants 
also seek an exemption from the Disclosure Requirements to permit a 
Subadvised Series to disclose (as both a dollar amount and a percentage 
of the Subadvised Series' net assets): (a) The aggregate fees paid to 
the Adviser and any Wholly-Owned Sub-Adviser; (b) the aggregate fees 
paid to Non-Affiliated Sub-Advisers; and (c) the fee paid to each 
Affiliated Sub-Adviser (collectively, ``Aggregate Fee Disclosure'').
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    \3\ The requested relief will not extend to any sub-adviser, 
other than a Wholly-Owned Sub-Adviser, who is an affiliated person, 
as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Act, of the Subadvised Series, 
the Trust or of the Adviser, other than by reason of serving as a 
sub-adviser to one or more of the Subadvised Series (``Affiliated 
Sub-Adviser'').
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    3. Applicants agree that any order granting the requested relief 
will be subject to the terms and conditions

[[Page 23306]]

stated in the application. Such terms and conditions provide for, among 
other safeguards, appropriate disclosure to Subadvised Series 
shareholders and notification about sub-advisory changes and enhanced 
Board oversight to protect the interests of the Subadvised Series' 
shareholders.
    4. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt 
any person, security, or transaction or any class or classes of 
persons, securities, or transactions from any provisions of the Act, or 
any rule thereunder, if such relief is necessary or appropriate in the 
public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and 
purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act. 
Applicants believe that the requested relief meets this standard 
because, as further explained in the application, the Investment 
Management Agreements will remain subject to shareholder approval while 
the role of the Sub-Advisers is substantially similar to that of 
individual portfolio managers, so that requiring shareholder approval 
of Sub-Advisory Agreements would impose unnecessary delays and expenses 
on the Subadvised Series.
    Applicants believe that the requested relief from the Disclosure 
Requirements meets this standard because it will improve the Adviser's 
ability to negotiate fees paid to the Sub-Advisers that are more 
advantageous for the Subadvised Series.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-10639 Filed 5-17-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P