UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Before the
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Release No. 71493 / February 5, 2014
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING
File No. 3-14909
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OPPENHEIMERFUNDS, INC.
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and
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OPPENHEIMERFUNDS
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DISTRIBUTOR, INC.,
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Respondents.
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In the Matter of
ORDER APPROVING
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
On June 6, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”)
issued an Order Instituting Administrative and Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant
to Section 8A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 15(b)(4) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, Sections 203(e) and 203(k) of the Investment Advisers Act of
1940, and Sections 9(b) and 9(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, Making
Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a Cease-and-Desist Order against
Oppenheimerfunds, Inc. (“OFI”) and Oppenheimerfunds Distributor, Inc. (collectively,
“Respondents”) (the “Order”).1 As set forth in the Order, prior to and during the
height of the 2008 financial crisis, Respondents made misrepresentations regarding
two fixed income mutual funds managed by OFI: Oppenheimer Champion Income
Fund and Oppenheimer Core Bond Fund. The Order required OFI to pay
disgorgement of $9,879,706, prejudgment interest of $1,487,190, and a civil money
1
Securities Act Rel. No. 9329 (June 6, 2012).
penalty of $24 million, for a total of approximately $35.4 million. The Order also
created a Fair Fund pursuant to Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as
amended.
On December 18, 2013, the Commission published a Notice of Proposed Plan of
Distribution and Opportunity for Comment (“Notice”) 2 pursuant to Rule 1103 of the
Commission’s Rules of Fair Fund and Disgorgement Plans.3 The Notice advised
interested parties that they could obtain a copy of the Proposed Plan of Distribution
(“Plan”) from the Commission’s public website or by submitting a written request to
Nancy Chase Burton, Esq., United States Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F
Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549-5631.
The Notice also advised that all persons desiring to comment on the Plan could
submit their comments, in writing, no later than thirty (30) days from the date of the
Notice, to the Office of the Secretary, United States Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549-1090; by using the
Commission’s Internet comment form; or by sending an e-mail to rulecomments@sec.gov. The Commission received no comments on the Plan.
The Fair Fund is comprised of the amounts of disgorgement, prejudgment
interest and civil monetary penalties paid by OFI, plus any accumulated interest, less
any federal, state, or local taxes and fees and expenses. The Plan provides for injured
investors to receive monies from the Fair Fund pursuant to a two phase process. First,
injured investors will be allocated their share of the advisory fees paid by each fund
during the applicable recovery periods. Second, injured investors will be
compensated, on a pro rata basis, for the decline in value of their investment in fund
shares after benchmark indexing. The Fair Fund is not intended to compensate
2
3
Exchange Act Rel. No. 71119 (Dec. 18, 2013).
17 C.F.R. 201.1103.
2
investors for losses they incurred because of fluctuations in securities markets that are
unrelated to Respondents’ conduct.
The Plan follows a modified notice and claims process. The Fund
Administrator, Epiq Class Actions & Claims Solutions, Inc. (“Epiq”),4 also acted as
the Class Action Administrator in two class actions which arose out of similar
violations found in the Order. The Plan authorizes the Fund Administrator to use the
claims information submitted in those class actions. The class actions recovery
periods were longer than, but completely subsume, the recovery periods in this action.
Consequently the Plan allows for the identification by Epiq of “Class Action
SEC Authorized Claimants” who will automatically be deemed eligible claimants
under the Plan. All other claimants will need to file a proof of claim form in order to
establish their eligibility to participate in the Fair Fund.
The Division of Enforcement now requests that the Commission approve the
Plan.
Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED, pursuant to Rule 1104 of the
Commission’s Rules on Fair Fund and Disgorgement Plans,5 that the Plan is approved.
For the Commission, by its Secretary, pursuant to delegated authority.
Elizabeth M. Murphy
Secretary
4
See Order Appointing Fund Administrator and Approving Fund Administrator Bond (Exchange Act
Rel. No. 69138 (Mar. 14, 2013)).
5
17 C.F.R. 201.1104.
3
This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.