81 FR 7619 - State Farm Associates' Funds Trust, et al.; Notice of Application

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 29 (February 12, 2016)

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 29 (Friday, February 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7619-7620]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02834]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 31988; File No. 812-14558]


State Farm Associates' Funds Trust, et al.; Notice of Application

February 8, 2016.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 12(d)(1)(J) 
of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ``Act'') for an exemption 
from sections 12(d)(1)(A), (B), and (C) of the Act and under sections 
6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 
(2) of the Act. The requested order would permit certain registered 
open-end investment companies to acquire shares of certain registered 
open-end investment companies, registered closed-end investment 
companies, and registered unit investment trusts (collectively, 
``Underlying Funds'') that are within and outside the same group of 
investment companies as the acquiring investment companies, in excess 
of the limits in section 12(d)(1) of the Act.

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    Applicants: State Farm Associates' Funds Trust, State Farm Mutual 
Fund Trust and State Farm Variable Product Trust, each a Delaware 
statutory trust and registered under the Act as an open-end management 
investment company with multiple series (each, a ``Trust''); State Farm 
Investment Management Corp. (``SFIMC''), a Delaware Corporation 
registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act 
of 1940; and State Farm VP Management Corp., a Delaware corporation, 
registered as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
(``Exchange Act'').

DATES: Filing Dates: The application was filed on October 2, 2015, and 
amended on January 5, 2016.
    Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the requested 
relief 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 March 4, 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: Brent J. Fields, Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange 
Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants: c/
o Mr. David Moore, State Farm Investment Management Corp., One State 
Farm Plaza, Bloomington, IL 61710-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean E. Minarick, Senior Counsel, at 
(202) 551-6811, 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 for 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. Applicants request an order to permit (a) a Fund \1\ (each a 
``Fund of

[[Page 7620]]

Funds'') to acquire shares of Underlying Funds \2\ in excess of the 
limits in sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (C) of the Act and (b) the 
Underlying Funds that are registered open-end investment companies or 
series thereof, their principal underwriters and any broker or dealer 
registered under the Exchange Act to sell shares of the Underlying Fund 
to the Fund of Funds in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(1)(B) of 
the Act.\3\ Applicants also request an order of exemption under 
sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act from the prohibition on certain 
affiliated transactions in section 17(a) of the Act to the extent 
necessary to permit the Underlying Funds to sell their shares to, and 
redeem their shares from, the Funds of Funds.\4\ Applicants state that 
such transactions will be consistent with the policies of each Fund of 
Funds and each Underlying Fund and with the general purposes of the Act 
and will be based on the net asset values of the Underlying Funds.
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    \1\ Applicants request that the order apply to each existing and 
future series of the Trusts and to each existing and future 
registered open-end investment company or series thereof that is 
advised by SFIMC or its successor or by any entity controlling, 
controlled by or under common control with SFIMC or its successor 
and is part of the same ``group of investment companies'' as the 
Trusts (each, a ``Fund''). 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. For purposes of the request for relief, the 
term ``group of investment companies'' means any two or more 
registered investment companies, including closed-end investment 
companies, that hold themselves out to investors as related 
companies for purposes of investment and investor services.
    \2\ Certain of the Underlying Funds have obtained exemptions 
from the Commission necessary to permit their shares to be listed 
and traded on a national securities exchange at negotiated prices 
and, accordingly, to operate as an exchange-traded fund (``ETF'').
    \3\ Applicants do not request relief for the Funds of Funds to 
invest in reliance on the order in closed-end investment companies 
that are not listed and traded on a national securities exchange.
    \4\ A Fund of Funds generally would purchase and sell shares of 
an Underlying Fund that operates as an ETF through secondary market 
transactions rather than through principal transactions with the 
Underlying Fund. Applicants nevertheless request relief from section 
17(a) to permit a Fund of Funds to purchase or redeem shares from 
the ETF. A Fund of Funds will purchase and sell shares of an 
Underlying Fund that is a closed-end fund through secondary market 
transactions at market prices rather than through principal 
transactions with the closed-end fund. Accordingly, applicants are 
not requesting section 17(a) relief with respect to transactions in 
shares of closed-end funds.
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    2. 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 are designed to, among other things, help 
prevent any potential (i) undue influence over an Underlying Fund that 
is not in the same ``group of investment companies'' as the Fund of 
Funds through control or voting power, or in connection with certain 
services, transactions, and underwritings, (ii) excessive layering of 
fees, and (iii) overly complex fund structures, which are the concerns 
underlying the limits in sections 12(d)(1)(A), (B), and (C) of the Act.
    3. Section 12(d)(1)(J) 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 provision of section 
12(d)(1) if the exemption is consistent with the public interest and 
the protection of investors. Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the 
Commission to grant an order permitting a transaction otherwise 
prohibited by section 17(a) if it finds that (a) the terms of the 
proposed transaction are fair and reasonable and do not involve 
overreaching on the part of any person concerned; (b) the proposed 
transaction is consistent with the policies of each registered 
investment company involved; and (c) the proposed transaction is 
consistent with the general purposes of the Act. Section 6(c) of the 
Act permits the Commission to exempt any persons or transactions from 
any provision of 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 policy and provisions of the 
Act.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
pursuant to delegated authority.
Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-02834 Filed 2-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8011-01-P