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Destra Capital Advisors LLC, et al.; Notice of Application

Securities and Exchange Commission [Investment Company Act Release No. 32458; File No. 812-14629] AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission"). ACTION: Notice of an...

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Securities and Exchange Commission

[Investment Company Act Release No. 32458; File No. 812-14629]

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.

APPLICANTS:

Destra Investment Trust, Destra Investment Trust II, and Destra Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (each, a “Trust”), Massachusetts business trusts registered under the Act as an open-end management investment company with multiple series,^[1] and Destra Capital Advisors LLC (the “Initial Adviser”), a Delaware corporation registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

FILING DATES:

The application was filed on March 18, 2016, and amended on July 18, 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 February 24, 2017, 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 North Wacker Drive, 48th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jessica Shin, Attorney-Adviser, at (202) 551-5921, or David J. Marcinkus, 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. The Adviser will serve as the investment adviser to each Subadvised Series pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the applicable Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”).^[2] The Adviser will provide the Subadvised Series with continuous and comprehensive investment management services subject to the supervision of, and policies established by, each Subadvised Series' board of trustees (“Board”). The Advisory 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. The primary responsibility for managing the 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.

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 ( printed page 9271) 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 Affiliated Sub-Adviser; (b) the aggregate fees paid to Sub-Advisers other than Affiliated Sub-Advisers; and (c) the fee paid to each Affiliated Sub-Adviser (collectively, Aggregate Fee Disclosure”).^[4]

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 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 Advisory 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.

Footnotes

1. Prior to relying on the relief requested, Destra Exchange-Traded Fund will be registered under the Act as an open-end management investment company.

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2. Applicants request relief with respect to any existing and any future series of the Trust and any other registered open-end management company or series thereof that: (a) Is advised by the Initial Adviser or its successor or by a person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Initial Adviser or its successor (each, an “Adviser”); (b) uses the manager of managers structure described in the application; and (c) complies with the terms and conditions of 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. Subadvised Series may be operated as a master-feeder structure pursuant to section 12(d)(1)(E) of the Act. In such a structure, certain series of the Trust (each, a “Feeder Fund”) may invest substantially all of their assets in a Subadvised Series (a “Master Fund”) pursuant to section 12(d)(1)(E) of the Act. No Feeder Fund will engage any sub-advisers other than through approving the engagement of one or more of the Master Fund's sub-advisers.

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3. The requested relief will not extend to any sub-adviser that is an affiliated person, as defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act, of a Subadvised Series or 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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4. For any Subadvised Series that is a Master Fund, the relief would also permit any Feeder Fund invested in that Master Fund to disclose Aggregate Fee Disclosure.

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[FR Doc. 2017-02264 Filed 2-2-17; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8011-01-P

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Federal Register Citation

Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.

82 FR 9270

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“Destra Capital Advisors LLC, et al.; Notice of Application,” thefederalregister.org (February 3, 2017), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2017-02264/destra-capital-advisors-llc-et-al-notice-of-application.