[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 174 (Tuesday, September 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55529-55530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19724]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[SEC File No. 270-522; OMB Control No. 3235-0586]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549-2736.

Extension:
    Rule 38a-1

    Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (the ``Commission'') is soliciting comments on the 
collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to 
submit this existing collection of information to the Office of 
Management and Budget for extension and approval.
    Rule 38a-1 (17 CFR 270.38a-1) under the Investment Company Act of 
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a) (``Investment Company Act'') is intended to 
protect investors by fostering better fund compliance with securities 
laws. The rule requires every registered investment company and 
business development company (``fund'') to: (i) Adopt and implement 
written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent 
violations of the federal securities laws by the fund, including 
procedures for oversight of compliance by each investment adviser, 
principal underwriter, administrator, and transfer agent of the fund; 
(ii) obtain the fund board of directors' approval of those policies and 
procedures; (iii) annually review the adequacy of those policies and 
procedures and the policies and procedures of each investment adviser, 
principal underwriter, administrator, and transfer agent of the fund, 
and the effectiveness of their implementation; (iv) designate a chief 
compliance officer to administer the fund's policies and procedures and 
prepare an annual report to the board that addresses certain specified 
items relating to the policies and procedures; and (v) maintain for 
five years the compliance policies and procedures and the chief 
compliance officer's annual report to the board.
    The rule contains certain information collection requirements that 
are designed to ensure that funds establish and maintain comprehensive, 
written internal compliance programs. The information collections also 
assist the Commission's examination staff in assessing the adequacy of 
funds' compliance programs.
    While Rule 38a-1 requires each fund to maintain written policies 
and procedures, most funds are located within a fund complex. The 
experience of the Commission's examination and oversight staff suggests 
that each fund in a complex is able to draw extensively from the fund 
complex's ``master'' compliance program to assemble appropriate 
compliance policies and procedures. Many fund complexes already have 
written policies and procedures documenting their compliance programs. 
Further, a fund needing to develop or revise policies and procedures on 
one or more topics in order to achieve a comprehensive compliance 
program can draw on a number of outlines and model programs available 
from a variety of industry representatives, commentators, and 
organizations.
    There are approximately 4,093 funds subject to Rule 38a-1. Among 
these funds, 101 were newly registered in the past year. These 101 
funds, therefore, were required to adopt and document the policies and 
procedures that make up their compliance programs. Commission staff 
estimates that the average annual hour burden for a fund to adopt and 
document these policies and procedures is 105 hours. Thus, we estimate 
that the aggregate annual burden hours associated with the adoption and 
documentation requirement is 10,605 hours.

[[Page 55530]]

    All funds are required to conduct an annual review of the adequacy 
of their existing policies and procedures and the policies and 
procedures of each investment adviser, principal underwriter, 
administrator, and transfer agent of the fund, and the effectiveness of 
their implementation. In addition, each fund chief compliance officer 
is required to prepare an annual report that addresses the operation of 
the policies and procedures of the fund and the policies and procedures 
of each investment adviser, principal underwriter, administrator, and 
transfer agent of the fund, any material changes made to those policies 
and procedures since the date of the last report, any material changes 
to the policies and procedures recommended as a result of the annual 
review, and certain compliance matters that occurred since the date of 
the last report. The staff estimates that each fund spends 49 hours per 
year, on average, conducting the annual review and preparing the annual 
report to the board of directors. Thus, we estimate that the annual 
aggregate burden hours associated with the annual review and annual 
report requirement is 200,557 hours.
    Finally, the staff estimates that each fund spends 6 hours 
annually, on average, maintaining the records required by proposed Rule 
38a-1. Thus, the aggregate annual burden hours associated with the 
recordkeeping requirement is 24,558 hours.
    In total, the staff estimates that the aggregate annual information 
collection burden of Rule 38a-1 is 235,720 hours.
    The estimate of average burden hours is made solely for the 
purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The estimate is based on 
communications with industry representatives, and is not derived from a 
comprehensive or even a representative survey or study. Responses will 
not be kept confidential. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 
person is not required to respond to, a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Written comments are invited on: (i) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Commission, including whether the information has practical 
utility; (ii) the accuracy of the Commission's estimate of the 
burden(s) of the collection of information; (iii) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (iv) 
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will 
be given to comments and suggestions submitted in writing within 60 
days of this publication.
    Please direct your written comments to David Bottom, Director/Chief 
Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Cynthia 
Roscoe, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549; or send an email to: 
[email protected].

    Dated: September 1, 2020.
J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-19724 Filed 9-4-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P