On May 25, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) proposed significant amendments seeking to enhance Rule 35d-1
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act), the
"Names Rule" governing registered fund names. A summary
of various components of the sweeping proposals follows.
Expansion of Fund Names Requiring 80% Investment Policy
The proposed amendments would expand the types of names that are
subject to the Names Rule's requirements for adopting an 80%
investment policy to also include names suggesting a focus in
investments or issuers that have particular characteristics, in
addition to fund names currently subject to an 80% investment
policy. Thus, registered funds whose names suggest a focus in a
particular type of investment characteristic or style (e.g.,
"global," "income," "intermediate
(term)," "growth," "value") or that
reflect use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors
(e.g., "ESG," "social,"