SEC Grants Principles-Based Section 3(c)(5)(C) Relief

On February 12, 2018, in no-action relief granted to a mortgage REIT, the Staff of the SEC acknowledged that the real estate finance business has evolved substantially since the enactment of the Investment Company Act, with the creation and use of new debt financing techniques and mortgage-related products.  In the relief, the Staff indicates that a particular mortgage REIT's assets, sources of income, historical development, and public representations of its policy, and the activities of its officers, directors, and employees (and other relevant factors), may evidence that the mortgage REIT is primarily engaged in the real estate finance business and, therefore, should be able to rely on the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exemption.