81 FR 48875 - Mutual Fund Series Trust, et al.; Notice of Application

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 143 (July 26, 2016)

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48875-48876]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17607]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 32189; 812-14597]


Mutual Fund Series Trust, et al.; Notice of Application

July 20, 2016.
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 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.

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Applicants: Mutual Fund Series Trust (``Trust''), an Ohio Business 
Trust registered under the Act as an open-end management investment 
company with multiple series (each a ``Fund'') and Eventide Asset 
Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company registered as an 
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the 
``Adviser,'' and collectively with the Trust, the ``Applicants'').

Filing Dates:  The application was filed January 7, 2016, and amended 
on March 24, 2016, June 8, 2016 and July 6, 2016.

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 August 15, 2016, 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: Trust: 17605 Wright 
Street, Omaha, Nebraska 678130 and Adviser: One International Place, 
35th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02110.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emerson S. Davis, Senior Counsel, at 
(202) 551-6868, or Daniele Marchesani, 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 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 each Sub-
Advised Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the 
Trust (each, an ``Investment Management Agreement,'' and collectively, 
the ``Investment Management Agreements'').\1\ The Adviser will provide 
the Sub-Advised Fund with continuous and comprehensive investment 
management services subject to the supervision of, and policies 
established by, each Sub-Advised Fund's board of directors (``Board''). 
The Investment Management Agreements permit the Adviser, subject to the 
approval of the Board, to delegate to one or more Sub-Advisers the 
responsibility to provide the day-to-day portfolio investment 
management of each Sub-

[[Page 48876]]

Advised Fund, subject to the supervision and direction of the 
Adviser.\2\ The primary responsibility for managing the Sub-Advised 
Fund 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, any future Fund of the Trust and any other existing or 
future registered open-end management company or series thereof that 
intends to rely on the requested order in the future and that: (a) 
Is advised by the Adviser or by any entity controlling, controlled 
by, or under common control with the Adviser or its successor 
(included in the term ``Adviser''); (b) uses the multi-manager 
structure described in the application; and (c) complies with the 
terms and conditions of the application (any such series, a ``Sub-
Advised Fund'' and collectively, the ``Sub-Advised Funds''). 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 Fund is (1) an indirect or direct 
``wholly owned subsidiary'' (as such term is defined in the Act) of 
the Adviser for the Fund, or (2) a sister company of the Adviser for 
the Fund that is an indirect or direct ``wholly-owned subsidiary'' 
(as such term is defined in the Act) 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) an investment sub-adviser for that Fund that 
is not an ``affiliated person'' (as such term is defined in Section 
2(a)(3) of the Act) of the Fund or the Adviser, except to the extent 
that an affiliation arises solely because the sub-adviser serves as 
a sub-adviser to one or more Funds (each a ``Non-Affiliated Sub-
Adviser'' and collectively, the ``Non-Affiliated Sub-Advisers'').
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    2. Applicants request an exemption to permit the Adviser, subject 
to Board approval, to hire a Non-Affiliated Sub-Adviser or a Wholly-
Owned Sub-Adviser, pursuant to Sub-Advisory Agreements and materially 
amend Sub-Advisory Agreements with Non-Affiliated Sub-Advisers and 
Wholly-Owned Sub-Advisers 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 Sub-Advised Fund to disclose (as both a dollar 
amount and a percentage of the Sub-Advised Fund's net assets): (a) The 
aggregate fees paid to the Adviser and any Wholly-Owned Sub-Advisers; 
(b) the aggregate fees paid to Non-Affiliated Sub-Advisers, and (c) the 
fee paid to each Affiliated Sub-Adviser.
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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 Sub-Advised Fund or 
the Adviser, other than by reason of serving as a sub-adviser to one 
or more of the Sub-Advised Funds (``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 stated in the Application. 
Such terms and conditions provide for, among other safeguards, 
appropriate disclosure to Sub-Advised Funds' shareholders and 
notification about sub-advisory changes and enhanced Board oversight to 
protect the interests of the Subadvised Funds' 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 equivalent to that 
of individual portfolio managers, so that requiring shareholder 
approval of Sub-Advisory Agreements would impose unnecessary delays and 
expenses on the Sub-Advised Fund. 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 Sub-Advised Fund.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-17607 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P