!.J f:! t'~~. ~~ tí :.~i
Agency decision
Ask Donna
What actually matters in this document.
Text
!.J f:! t'~~. ~~ tí :.~i
6 195
.~=1~.!:;~~~
t'~'-'~
;,\,
¡ FEB
P:.
II~Ø
~t~!
.~ . '...~.
t."
h: "c. tA"
;;";'1'
~.J""~
.~~V!7
2~L,..
'/g";1 r1 ¡:' .~~¡ h) .' ~~
RESPONSE OF THE OFFICE OF
CHIEF COUNSEL
DIVISION OF INVESTMNT
MAAGEMENT
Our Ref. No. 94-615-CC
Kemper Total Return Fund, Kemper
Growth Fund, Kemper Small
Capitalization Equity Fund,
Kemper Diversified Income Fund,
Kemper High Yield Fund
File Nos. 811-1236, 811-1365,
811-1702. 811-2743. 811-2786
Your letters of September 21 and November 17, 1994, request
our assurance that we would not recommend that the Commission
take enforcement action if certain Kemper funds (the "Acquiring
Funds") that are acquiring the assets and assuming the
liabilities of certain other Kemper funds (the "Acquired Funds")
Fund' s redemption credits under rule 24f-2 under
use the Acquired
the Investment Company Act of 1940 (" 1940 Act") in calculating
the registration fee owed under the Securities Act of 1933 ("1933
Act") . i/
You state that on May 27, 1994, each of the five Acquired
Funds was reorganized into a corresponding Acquiring Fund with
substantially similar investment obj ectives and policies .é/ Each
of the Acquired Funds transferred all of its assets and
liabilities to an Acquiring Fund in exchange for Class B shares
of the Acquiring Fund, which were then distributed to the
Acquired Fund's shareholders. The Acquired Funds were then
terminated. You state that the purpose and effect of each
reorganization was to consolidate similar funds with different
distribution options into a single fund with multiple
distribution options.
Rule 24f-2 under the 1940 Act permits a mutual fund to
register an indefinite numer of securities under the 1933 Act.
The rule requires funds that elect to register an indefinite
numer of securities to file a notice every year setting forth
the amount of securities sold in the past fiscal year. If the
notice is filed within two months after the close of the fiscal
year, the fund pays a registration fee based on net sales -
i. e., the aggregate price of the shares sold by the fund during
~/ This letter confirms the advice given to you in a
telephone conversation between Barry Mendelson of this office and
David Sturms of Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kamolz, counsel to the
Acquiring Funds, on November 21, 1994.
é/ The five Acquired Funds were all portfolios of Kemper
Investment Portfolios. These five funds - - Growth Portfolio,
Total Return portfolio, High Yield Portfolio, Diversified Income
Portfolio, and Small Capitalization Equity Portfolio - - were
reorganized, respectively, into Kemper Growth Fund, Kemper Total
Return Fund, Kemper High Yield Fund, Kemper Diversified Income
Fund, and Kemper Small Capitalization Equity Fund.
-2
the year, reduced by a "redemption credit" equal to the aggregate
price of the shares redeemed during the year. If the notice is
not filed within the two month period, the fee is based on gross
sales - - i. e., the aggregate price of the shares sold by the fund
during the year, without deduction of the redemption credit.
In a series of no-action letters,~/ the staff has permitted
an acquiring fund to use the rule 24f -2 redemption credits of an
acquired fund upon adoption of the acquired fund's registration
statement pursuant to rule 414 under the 1933 Act .~/ You state
that rule 414 was not available for these reorganizations. In
addition, you acknowledge that the staff in 1981 declined to
grant relief under facts similar (but not identical) to those
presented here.2/ You urge us to re-examine our 1981 position
and permit the Acquiring Funds to use the redemption credits of
the Acquired Funds.
You represent that each pair of reorganized Kemper funds had
substantially similar investment objectives and policies and were
marketed and sold as being essentially the same investment
product, the primary difference being the different distribution
arrangements (front - end sales charge vs. contingent deferred
sales charge with a rule 12b-1 fee). You note that all of the
funds were managed by Kemper Financial Services, Inc. and that
each pair of reorganized funds was managed using the same general
procedures. At the time of the reorganizations, except for the
acquisition of Kemper Investment Portfolios' Total Return
~/ See,~, Lowry Market Timing Fund, Inc. (pub. avail.
Feb. 8, 1985); Massachusetts Financial Development Fund, Inc.
(pub. avail. Jan. 10, 1985); Colonial Option Income Fund, Inc.
(pub. avail. Mar. 21, 1983); Gradison Cash Reserves, Inc. (pub.
avail. Oct. 29, 1981).
~/ Under rule 414, when an issuer is merged into a shell
entity (the successor) for the purpose of changing the issuer's
state of incorporation or form of organization, the successor may
adopt its predecessor's registration statement as its own.
2/ In Scudder Managed Reserves. Inc. (pub. avail. May 15,
1981), the staff denied the no-action request of an acquiring
fund that sought to succeed to the redemption credits of an
acquired fund in the same fund family. The acquiring fund in
Scudder, as here, was not a shell company, but an operational
fund with its own registration statement that did not succeed to
the registration statement of the acquired fund. However, in
Scudder the acquired fund was reorganized into the pre-existing
class of the acquired fund's shares, whereas each of the Acquired
Funds here was reorganized into a newly created class of the
Acquiring Fund that had not been operational prior to the
reorganization.
-3
portfolio by the Kemper Total Return Fund (together, the "Total
Return Funds"), the sam individual managed both funds involved
in each reorganization. Finally, you represent that the
portfolios of each Acquiring Fund and its corresponding Acquired
Fund were very highly correlated, i. e., they contained
substantially the same securities in approximately the same
percentages, although the degree of correlation between the Total
Return Funds was somewhat lower. ~/
In light of these facts, and without necessarily agreeing
with your legal anaiysis, we would not recommend that the
Commission take enforcement action if the Acquiring Funds (other
than the Total Return Fund) use the redemption credits of the
Acquired Funds in calculating the registration fees owed under
the 1933 Act. Our position is based on the specific facts set
forth above, and in particuiar on the purpose of the
reorganizations and the fact that the each pair of reorganized
funds (other than the Total Return Funds) was maaged by the same
individuals and had substantially the same portfolios. Because
the Total Return Funds were managed by different individuals and
their portfolios were not as highly correlated as those of the
other reorganized funds, we cannot assure you that we would not
recommend enforcement action if the Total Return Fund uses the
redemption credits of the Total Return portfolio in calculating
its registration fees.
Because our position is based on the facts and
representations in your letter, you should note that any
different facts or circumstances might require a different
conclusion. Further, this response expresses the staff's
position on enforcement action only and does not express any
legal conclusions on the issues presented.2/
~/ Telephone conversation between Barry Mendeison and David
Sturms on November 16, 1994.
2/ In this regard, the Scudder letter, supra note 5,
continues to represent the staff's position on the use of rule
24f-2 redemption credits by the surviving fund in a
reorganization, except as narrowly modified herein.
40 Act/Rule 24f-2
V E DOE Ri P R I C Ei K AUF MAN & K A M MHO L Z
A PARTNERSHIP INCLUDING VEDDER. PRICE, KAUFMAN a KAMMHOLZ. P.C.
222 NORTH LA SALLE STREET
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60601-1003
312-609-7500
VEDDER.PRICE,KAUFMAN, KAMMHDLZ & DAY
FACSIMILE: 312-609-5005
919 18TH STREET. N.W.
WASHINGTON. D.C. 2006-5593
202-828-5020
DAVID A. STURMS
805 THIRD AVENUE
NEW YORK. NEW YORK 10022-2203
312-609-7589
212-407-7700
September 21, 1994
VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS
VEDDER,PRICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHDLZ
615 LONGWOOD STREET
ROCKFORD, lL 61107-4264
815-962-9100
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
Chief Counsel
Division of Investment Management
ACT :r-4O
Securities and Exchange Commission
SECTION
450 Fift Street, N. W.
RULE ;;'if - ~
Washington, D.C. 20549
PUBLIC l:1 J I
RE: Kemper Mutual Funds
AVAILABILITY re'" ~, J 1'15
Dear Mr. Murhy:
Certain of the Kemper mutual fuds have recently been reorganzed into certin other Kemper
mutual fuds. The primar purose of each reorganzation was to combine separate fuds that
were substatially similar except that they were created at different times with different
distribution arangements. Each reorganization was, in effect, an "organzational" change; the
type of which should not result in duplicative registration fees. Accordingly, in connection with
these reorganzations, we respectfully request that the staff of the Division of Investment
Management assure that it will not recommend enforcement action to the Commission if the
registration fees paid by the Kemper mutual fuds are computed as described below.
I. THE REORGANIZATIONS
On May 27, 1994, certin of the Kemper mutual fuds were reorganzed into certin other
Kemper mutul fuds pursuant to which: (a) the acquired fud transferred all its assets to the
acquiring fud in exchange for shares of the acquiring fud and the acquiring fud assumed all
the liabilities of the acquired fud; and (b) the acquiring fud distributed its shares to the
shareholders of the acquired fud. The acquired fud will be terminated.
The primar purose of each reorganzation was to combine, into one mutual fud, fuds with
substantially similar investment objectives and policies that were originally created as separate
funds with different. distribution arangements. In connection with the reorganzations, each
acquiring fud applied for and received an order from the Commission permitting it to offer
multiple classes of shares. See Kemper Technologv Fund. et aI., SEC release number IC-20322
(May 27, 1994). Shares of
the acquiring fud historically had been sold subject to an initial sales
VEDDER,P,RICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHDLZ
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
September 21, 1994
Page 2
sales charge and a Rule l2b-l fee. Under the reorganization, shares of the acquired fud were
exchanged for Class B Shares of the acquiring fud. The net effect of each reorganzation,
therefore, was simply to consolidate like fuds with different distribution options into a single
fund with multiple distribution options. F or a description of the funds that were paries to the
reorganzations, please see Appendix A.
II. CALCULATION OF RULE 24F -2 FEES
"Fairness Notion" -- Rules Allow Funds to Net Redemptions
Rule 24e-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") provides that when
the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") registration statement of an open-end investment
company is amended pursuant to Section 24( e)( 1) of the 1940 Act to register a definite number
of additional shares, the fee to be paid at the time of fiing such amendment may be computed
by reducing the maximum aggregate offering price of the securities of the same class redeemed
or repurchased by the issuer in its previous fiscal year. Rule 24f-2(c) provides for a similar
reduction in the case of issuers that elect to register an indefinite number of shares by means of
a Rule 24f-2 declaration. Such reductions in registration fees are often referred to as "redemption
credits." A declaration made pursuat to Rule 24f-2 is curently in effect for each of
Kemper mutual fuds involved in the reorganzations.
the various
The ability to net redemptions under Rule 24e-2 and 24f-2 is based upon the notion of fairness.
Because mutual fuds continuously offer their shares to the public and stad ready to redeem
them upon request, it is common for a mutual fud to issue and redeem shares in any given year
in an amount greatly in excess of any net new sales. A registration fee calculation method that
does not allow netting "may result in inordinately high registration costs for open-end
management companes and their shareholders and may unfairly burden the registration process."
SEC release number IC-9677 (March 15, 1977) proposing Rule 24e-2. (See also SEC release
number IC-9989 (November 3, 1977) adopting Rule 24f-2 based upon the same "fairness"
concerns that prompted Rule 24e-2).
"Fairness Notion" -- Extended to Series Companies
The "fairness" notion of netting redemptions on a fund-by-fud basis has also been extended to
series investment companes. In the February 25, 1994 Generic Comment Letter, the staff of the
Commission stated that they have "not objected to an open-end management investment company
aggregating sales and redemptions of all its series (sharing the same registration statement under
VPKK-002/2S190.VS 09/21/94
\( E D D E R, P R ICE, K AUF MAN & K A M MHO L Z
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
September 21, 1994
Page 3
the 1933 Act) for the purose of calculating the filing fee owed the Commission under Rule 24f
2(b) under the 1940 Act."
"Fairness Notion" -- Extended to Rule 414 ReorJlanizations
The "fairness" notion has also been embodied in a series of no-action letters in which the staff
has permitted successor mutual fuds to succeed to the redemption credits of various acquired
mutual fuds upon adoption of an acquired mutual fud's registration statement pursuant to Rule
414 under the 1933 Act. Under Rule 414, a registration statement of an issuer that has been
succeeded by an issuer having a. different state of incorporation is deemed to be a registration
statement of the successor issuer if: (1) immediately prior to the succession the successor issuer
had no more than nominal assets or liabilities; (2) the succession was effected by a statutory
merger or similar succession under which the successor acquired all the assets and all the
liabilities of the predecessor; (3) the succession was approved by the security holders of the
predecessor at a meeting for which proxies had been solicited pursuant to Section l4(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "1934 Act"); and (4) the successor has filed an amendment
the predecessor issuer which (a) expressly adopts such registration
the 1933 and 1934 Acts and (b) sets forth any additional
to the registration statement of
statement as its own for all puroses of
information necessar to reflect aiy material changes made in connection with the succession or
necessar to keep the registration statement from being misleading in any material respect.
Although Rule 414 was contemplated for use only in connection with a reorganzation that merely
changes the State of incorporation of the registrant, the staff has granted "no-action" requests
involving other "organzational" changes; some of which did not involve a change in domicile
at all. (See American Business Shares. Inc. (available July 31, 1975) (change from a Delaware
to a Marland corporation accompanied by a change of name and fudamental investment
objective and institution of automatic redemption of small accounts); Advance Investors
Corporation (available September 29, 1976) (merger of Delaware corporation into a Marland
subsidiar accompaned by a change from closed-end to open-end status and a change in some
directors); Scudder Common Stock Fund, Inc. (available October 10, 1984) (reorganzation from
a Massachusetts corporation to a Massachusetts business trust with change in investment objective
and fudamental investment restrictions) and Commonwealth Funds (available June 14, 1989)
(two separate open-end investment companies organzed as Massachusetts common laws trusts
were reorganzed into a new series of a Massachusetts business trst. Both fuds were managed
by the same investment personnel in accordance with the same investment objectives, policies and
restrictions. The primar difference between the two fuds was that one fud was sold under a
periodic payment plan and the other fud was sold "in the maner of a conventional mutual fund
rather than in connection with periodic payment plans".) See also Putnam Convertible Funds.
Inc. (available April 28, 1982), Colonial Option Fund for Governent Income. Inc. (available
VPKK-002/25190.V5 09/21/94
,.' .
VEDDER,P.RICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHOLZ
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
September 21, 1994
Page 4
March 26, 1983), and Massachusetts Financial Development Funds. Inc. (available Januar 10,
1985), none of which required a change in domicile as a condition precedent to relief.)
III. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
Kemper Funds ref!istered shares pursuant to Rule 145
With respect to the Kemper fud reorganzations, Rule 414 arguably was not available since the
acquiring fud had more than nominal assets (i.e., it was not a "shell corporation"). Pursuat to
Rule 145 under the 1933 Act, the shares of
the acquiring fuds issued to the shareholders of
the
acquired fuds in connection with the reorganzations were registered on Form N-14. Prior to
the adoption of Rule 145, Rule 133 provided that mergers, consolidations, reclassifications or
transfers of assets did not involve a sale or an offer to sell securities of the acquirig entity. The
"no sale" theory embodied in Rule 133 was based upon the rationale that such reorganzations
were corporate acts and that the volitional act on the par of the individual shareholder required
for a "sale" was absent. In reversing the "no sale" theory and rescinding Rule 133, the
Commission stated that ~ule 133 overlooked the "substance of
the transaction." In adopting Rule
145, the Commission's primar purose was to require registrants to provide full and fair
disclosure by giving a shareholder who was offered a new security in a Rule 145 business
combination the material facts about the tranaction so that the shareholder would be in a position
to make an informed investment
judgment. (See SEC release number 33-5316 (October 6, 1972)
adopting Rule 145 and SEC release number
33-5463 (Februar 28, 1974) interpreting Rule 145).
In Scudder Letter SEe Staff did not Extend "Fairness Notion" to Rule 145 Reorganizations
In a similar non-Rule 414 business combination (See Scudder Managed Reserves. Inc. (available
May 15, 1981) (the "Scudder" letter)) the staff denied a no-action request
of an existing Scudder
mutual fud that sought to succeed to the redemption credits of an acquired Scudder mutual fund.
In denying the relief, the staff reasoned that the existing Scudder fud could not succeed to the
acquired Scudder fud's registration statement since the existing Scudder fud was a fuctioning
entity and, thus, did not satisfy the requirement of Rule 414 that an acquiring fud can succeed
to an acquired fud's registration statement only if it is a corporate shelL. Since the acquiring
fund could not succeed to the acquired fud's registration under the 1933 Act, the staff
thought
it inappropriate to treat the shares of the acquired fund exchanged for shares of the acquiring fud
as "redeemed" under Rule 24f-2 for puroses of computing the registration fee. Scudder's
counsel argued unsuccessfully that the Scudder reorganzation could have been accomplished
within the framework of Rule 414. The result would have been the same. The process would
simply have been more complicated and more expensive. Since it would have been more
VPKK-002/25 i 90. V5 09/2194
\j E 0 D E R, PR ICE, K AUF MAN & K A M M H D L Z
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
September 21, 1994
Page 5
complicated and more expensive, Scudder's counsel argued that it was not reasonable to require
Scudder to fit precisely withn a fact pattern that had previously received no action treatment in
letters such as those previously cited. It is difficult not to view the decision of the staff in
Scudder as a triwnph of form over substance.
SEe Staff Should Reconsider Scudder -- Look at Substance over Form
We respectfully request that, in analyzing the Kemper fuds reorganzations, the staff re-examine
the analysis in Scudder, respect substace over form and extend the fairness notion of 24f-2 to
the reorganzations. In connection with business combinations withn a series investment
company, it appears that the staff has already done so. In the Februar 25, 1994 Generic
Comment Letter, the staff expressed its view that business combinations of registered investment
companies should be treated as two simultaneous transactions: (1) the acquiring fud sells its
shares to the acquired fud for securities and other assets of the acquired fud (in-kind); and (2)
contemporaneously, the acquired fud redeems its shares in-kind, from its shareholders. The
Generic Comment Letter concluded, "(T)hus, the shares sold by the acquiring fud should be
included in its calculation of Rule 24f-2 fees for the fiscal year during which the combination
occurs. The share redemptions by the (acquired) fud are available to offset the share sales
during the (acquired) fud's fiscal year ending with or after the business combination. For series
companies using the aggregation method of calculating Rule 24f-2 fees, any excess net
redemptions from the (acquired fud's) combination with and into another fud may be included
in the aggregation for that fiscal year. Of course, the net effect of a combination of two series
in the same fud may not be material; however, the appropriate calculations should be made for
verification. "
Scudder letter produces anomalous result
Similarly, notwithstading the result in Scudder, with respect to the various Kemper fud
reorganizations, we believe it would be appropriate for the Kemper fuds to net the redemptions
that occurred as a result of the reorganizations against the sales that occured as a result of the
reorganizations. For example, for the KP-Growth Portfolio (the acquired fud), which was
reorganzed into the Kemper Growt Fund (the acquiring fud), we believe that the registration
fees paid by the Kemper Growth Fund should be calculated by including the sales of the Kemper
Growth Fund shares issued in connection with the reorganization, offset by the redemptions of
the KP-Growt Portfolio shares that were redeemed in connection with the reorganzation. (See
Appendix A for identification of the various fuds involved in the reorganzations.)
VPKK-002/25190. V5 09/21/94
,'. .
VEDDER,PRICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHOLZ
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
September 21, 1994
Page 6
As describ~d in the Scudder letter, the Kemper fud reorganzations theoretically could have been
structued in a more complicated and expensive way so as to come withn the fact pattern of prior
favorable no-action letters. Specifically, for example,
rather than having the Kemper Growth
Fund acquire the assets of the KP-Growth Portfolio, a new "shell" could have been created to
acquire both the KP-Growt Portfolio and the Kemper Growt Fund. In fact, in the
Commonwealth Funds letter cited above, the staff gave no-action relief to such a transaction, and
permitted the acquiring fud to succeed to both acquired fuds' redemption credits. It was not
practical, however, for the Kemper fuds to have followed the approach in the Commonwealth
Funds letter. Such an approach would have entaled two shareholder votes rather than one, with
the attendant costs, complexity and increased risk of not securng the requisite shareholder vote.
Under curent staff positions, the "key" factor in allowing redemption credits to car over to a
successor-entity is whether or not that successor entity is a "shell." We suggest that the "shell"
analysis is a red-herring. Rather, the analysis should be focused upon the purose of the
reorganization. In the Kemper fud reorganzations, the purose was "organzational." Like
Commonwealth Funds, the Kemper fuds were simply consolidating separate, but like, fuds into
a multi-class structue. Again, like Commonwealth Funds, the separate distribution strctues of
the Kemper fuds were a product of their place in time, rather than design; in that the Kemper
fuds concept and distribution strctue was initiated beforc the prevalence of the multi-class
structue.
To take a position contrar to that requested herein would ru counter to the fairess notion
embodied in Rule 24f-2 and would simply reflect form over substace. The Kemper fud
reorganizations were, in essence, no more than an organzational change, for the benefit of
shareholders. By not allowing the netting of redemptions, shareholders of the Kemper fuds wil
be charged duplicative and inordinately high registration fees. This is precisely the type of result
that Rules 24e-2 and 24f-2 are intended to ameliorate. Furermore, to tae a position contrar
to that requested herein would encourage investment companes, in the futue, to reorganze in
the more complicated and expensive maner of creating a "shell" company. Anomalously,
shareholders voting on such "shell" types of reorganizations may receive less information about
the securities being offered since the securities would not be registered on Form N-14 (ie; the
shareholders would receive only a proxy statement, not a proxy statement/prospectus).
The net effect of a denial of this no-action request would be to subject the Kemper Fund
shareholders to duplicative registration costs based simply upon a form over substance
analysis. Moreover, it would encourage investment companies, in the future, to effectuate
reorganizations by creating a shell, which may increase the costs and complexity of such
VPKK-002/25190.V5 09/21/94
V.EDDER,PRICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHOLZ
Mr. Jack W. Murhy
September 21, 1994
Page 7
reorganizations and provide less disclosure to the shareholder voting on such
reorganizations.
IV. CONCLUSION
In light of the foregoing, we respectfully request the staff to confirm to us that in connection with
the reorganzations described above, each acquiring Kemper fud would be able to use the
redemption credits of each respective acquired fud for puroses of calculating the registration
fees owed under Rule 24f-2.
Certain of the acquirng Kemper fuds that paricipated in the reorganzations have fiscal years
ending September 30, 1994; so that their Rule 24f-2 calculations wil be due no later than
November 29, 1994. Accordingly, it is requested that you respond to this letter at your earliest
convenience.
Pursuant to the Commission's procedures applicable to requests for no-action letters, enclosed
are seven additional copies of this no-action request (SEC release number 33-6269 (December
5, 1980)).
If you have any questions with respect to ths letter or need any additional information, please
call the undersigned (David A. Stus) at 312/609-7589 or Cathy G. O'Kelly at 312/609-7657.
,t/L't i
David A. Stus
DAS:ak
Enclosures
VPKK-002/25190.V5 09/21/94
VEDDER,PRICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHDLZ
APPENDIX A
On May 27, 1994, various Kemper mutual funds were reorganized into certain other Kemper
mutual funds. Specifically, the'reorganzations were as follows:
Kemper Investment Portfolios
Growt Portfolio
into
Kemper Growt Fund
into
Kemper Total Retu Fund
into
Kemper High Yield Fund
into
Kemper Diversified Income Fund
into
Kemper Small Capitalization Equity
Fund
Kemper Investment Portfolios
Total Retu Portfolio
Kemper Investment Portfolios
High Yield Portfolio
Kemper Investment Portfolios
Diversified Income
Portfolio
Kemper Investment Portfolios
Small Capitaization
Equity Portfolio
Kemper Investment Portfolios (which changed its name to Kemper Portfolios on May 31, 1994)
("KP"), Kemper Growt Fund, Kemper Total Retu Fund, Kemper High Yield Fund, Kemper
Diversified Income Fund and Kemper Small Capitalization Equity Fund (each a "Fund") are all
open-end management investment
companes, organized as separate business trsts under the laws
of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Each Fund may issue an unimited number of shares of
beneficial interest in one or more series, Except for KP, each Fund has only authorized one
series of shares. KP, prior to the reorganzations, authorized and had outstading, nine series of
shares: Small Capitalization Equity Portfolio; Growth Portfolio; Total Retu Portfolio; High
Yield Portfolio; Diversified Income Portfolio; Governent Income Portfolio; Governent
Portfolio; Short-Term Global Income Portfolio; Short-Intermediate Governent Portfolio; and
Money Market Portfolio.
A copy of the proxy statement/prospectus for each of the above reorganzations is enclosed for
the stafr s convenience.
V E D D E Ri P R I C Ei K AUF MAN & K A M MHO L Z
A PARTNERSHIP INCLUDING VEDDER, PRICE. KAUFMAN a KAMMHOLZ, P,C.
222 NORTH LA SALLE STREET
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60601-003
312-609-7500
FACSIMILE: 312-609~5005
VEDDER,PRICE,KAUFMAN,KAMMHDLZ & DAY
919 18TH STREET. N.W.
WASHINGTON. D.C. 200.5593
202-828-5020
DAVID A. STURMS
805 THIRD AVENUE
NEW YORK. NEw YORK 10022.2203
312-609-7589
November 17, 1994
212.407 7700
VEODER,PRICE.KAUFMAN & KAMMHDLZ
615 LONGWOOD STREET
ROCKf'ORO. IL 61107,4264
Mr. Jack W. Murphy
Chief Counsel
Division of Investment Management
8IS-962' 9100
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20549
Re: Kemper Mutual Funds
Dear Mr. Murphy:
This letter responds to certin questions asked by telephone by Mr. Barry A. Mendelson
of your office concernng the Kemper Mutual Funds' letter dated September 21, 1994 (a copy
of which is enclosed for your reference). That letter requests the assurance of the staff of the
Division of Investment Management that it wil not recommend enforcement action to the
Commission if the registration fees paid by the Kemper funds are computed as described in the
letter (ie; that in connection with reorganizations of the Kemper funds, each acquiring Kemper
fund be able to use the redemption credits of each respective acquired Kemper fund for purposes
of calculating the registration fees owed under Rule 24f-2).
Mr. Mendc1son asked us to confirm that the comparable separate Kemper funds were
cn:aled and sold as one invesiment product with the primary difference being the different
distribution arrangements. As we noted for Mr. Mendelson in our various telephone
conversations, that was the intention of the parties. For example, in the case of the KP-High
Yield Portfolio (an acquired fund) and the Kemper High Yield
funds were marketed and sold as being essentially the same investment
Fund (an acquiring fund), the two
product; the primary
difference being the different distribution arrangements: the Kemper High Yield Fund was
offered with a front end sales charge while the KP-High Yield Portfolio was offered with no
front end sales charge, but instead with a 12b-l fee and a contingent deferred sales charge.
DOE R, P R ICE, K AUF MAN & K A M MHO L Z
Mr. Jack W. 'Murphy
,November 17, 1994
Page 2
With respect to the Kemper funds involved in each reorganization, in addition to each
fund having substantially similar investment objectives and policies, each fund was managed by
substantially similar investment personnel and had substantially similar investment portfolios with
a high degree of asset composition correlation. As noted in the registration statements fied with
the Commission for each of the acquired funds, in the case of (i) KP-Growth Portfolio and
Kemper Growth Fund, (ii) KP- Total Return Portfolio and Kemper Total Return Fund, and (ii)
KP-Small Capitalization Equity Portfolio and Kemper Small Capitalization Equity Fund, Kemper
Financial Services, Inc. ("KFS") (the investment manager for each fund) has an Equity
Investment Committee that determines overall investment strategy for the funds. The Equity
Investment Committee is comprised of a team of investment personnel including the individual
portfolio managers for each fund. The portfolio managers work together as a team with the
Equity Investment Committee and various equity analysts and equity traders to manage each
fund's investments. Equity analysts -- through research, analysis and evaluation -- work to
develop investment ideas appropriate for each fund. These ideas are studied and debated by the
Equity Investment Committee and, if approved, are added to a list of eligible investments. The
portfolio managers use the list of eligible investments to help them structure each fund's
portfolio in a manner consistent with the fund's objective. In the case of (i) KP-High Yield
Portfolio and Kemper High Yield Fund and (ii) KP-Diversified Income Portfolio and Kemper
Diversified Income Fund, KFS has a Fixed Income Investment Committee that determines over
all investment strategy for the funds. The Fixed Income Investment Committee is comprised of
a team of investment personnel including the individual portfolio managers for each fund. The
portfolio managers work together as a team with the Fixed Income Investment Committee and
various fixed income analysts and traders to manage each fund. Analysts provide market,
economic and financial research and analysis that is used by the Fixed Income Investment
Committee to establish broad parameters for the funds, including duration and cash levels. In
addition, credit research by analysts is used by portfolio managers in selecting securities
appropriate for the fund's policies.
In response to Mr. Mendelson's request to identify the individual portfolio managers,
they were, at the time of the reorganizations, as follows: C. Beth Cotner for KP-Growth
Portfolio and Kemper Growth Fund; C. Beth Cotner for KP-Total Return Portfolio and Gordon
P. Wilson for Kemper Total Return Fund; C. Beth Cotner for KP-Small Capitalization Equity
Portfolio and Kemper Small Capitalization Equity Fund; Michael A. McNamara and Harr E.
Reiss, Jr. as co-managers for both KP-High Yield Portfolio and Kemper High Yield Fund; and
Michael A. McNamara and Harry E. Reiss, Jr. as co-managers for both KP-Diversified Income
Portfolio and Kemper Diversified Income Fund. As we. discussed with Mr. Mendelson,
notwithstanding the fact that the "named" portfolio managers were different for KP-Total Return
Portfolio and Kemper Total Return Fund (together, the "Total Return Funds"), the overall
VPKK-OOl/48557.V3
DDER,PRICE,KAUFMAN & KAMMHOLZ
Mr. Jack W. Murphy
November 17, 1994
Page 3
investment strategy for each of the Total Return Funds was determined, as noted above, by the
Equity Investment Committee, and the portfolio managers used the same list of eligible
investments.
Mr. Mendelson also asked whether the plan of reorganization provided that the acquiring
fund would succeed to all the liabilties of the acquired fund, including liabilties under and
relating to the acquired fund's registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933. The plan
of reorganiation does not refer specifically to particular liabilities, including any under and
relating to the acquired fund's registration statement, but simply states that the acquiring fud
wil assume all of the liabilties of the acquired fund. This broadly inclusive language aside, we
believe that any obligations of the acquired fund under and relating to the acquired fund's
registration statement under the 1933 Act were assumed by and are obligations of the acquiring
fund.
If you have any additional questions relating to the Kemper funds request for no-action
position, please call me at (312) 609-7589.
¡;ßf
David A. Sturms
DAS:djo
Enclosure
V PKK-OOl/48557 ,V3
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.