[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 206 (Thursday, October 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84978-84979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24717]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[SEC File No. 270-253, OMB Control No. 3235-0260]


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Extension: Rule 23c-1

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549-2736

    Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (the ``Commission'') has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget a request for extension of the previously 
approved collection of information discussed below.
    Rule 23c-1(a) under the Investment Company Act (17 CFR 270.23c-
1(a)) permits a closed-end fund to repurchase its securities for cash 
if, in addition to the other requirements set forth in the rule, the 
following conditions are met: (i) payment of the purchase price is 
accompanied or preceded by a written confirmation of the purchase 
(``written confirmation''); (ii) the asset coverage per unit of the 
security to be purchased is disclosed to the seller or his agent 
(``asset coverage disclosure''); and (iii) if the security is a stock, 
the fund has, within the preceding six months, informed stockholders of 
its intention to purchase stock (``six month notice''). Commission 
staff estimates that 48 closed-end funds undertake a total of 192 
repurchases annually under rule 23c-1.\1\ Staff estimates further that, 
with respect to each repurchase, each fund spends 2.5 hours to comply 
with the rule's written confirmation, asset coverage disclosure and six 
month notice requirements. Thus, Commission staff estimates the total 
annual respondent reporting burden is 480 hours.\2\ Commission staff 
further estimates that the cost of the hourly burden per repurchase is 
approximately $388 (one half hour of a compliance attorney's time at 
$440 per hour,\3\ and

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two hours of clerical time at $84 per hour \4\). The total annual cost 
for all funds is estimated to be $186,240.\5\
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    \1\ The number of closed-end funds that undertake repurchases 
annually under rule 23c-1 is based on information provided in 
response to Item C.7.i of Form N-CEN from January 1, 2023 through 
December 31, 2023. We estimate that each of the 48 funds undertook 
an average of 4 repurchases annually (48 funds x 4 repurchases = 192 
repurchases annually).
    \2\ This estimate is based on the following calculation: 192 
repurchases x 2.5 hours per repurchase = 480 hours.
    \3\ The $440/hour figure for a compliance attorney is from 
SIFMA's Management & Professional Earnings in the Securities 
Industry 2013, modified by Commission staff to account for an 1800-
hour work-year and inflation, and multiplied by 5.35 to account for 
bonuses, firm size, employee benefits and overhead.
    \4\ The $84/hour figure for a compliance clerk is from SIFMA's 
Office Salaries in the Securities Industry 2013, modified by 
Commission staff to account for an 1800-hour work-year and 
inflation, and multiplied by 2.93 to account for bonuses, firm size, 
employee benefits and overhead.
    \5\ This estimate is based on the following calculation: 192 
repurchases x 2.5 hours per repurchase x $388 hourly cost = 
$186,240.
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    In addition, the fund must file with the Commission a copy of any 
written solicitation to purchase securities given by or on behalf of 
the fund to 10 or more persons. The copy must be filed as an exhibit to 
Form N-CSR (17 CFR 249.331 and 274.128).\6\ The burden associated with 
filing Form N-CSR is addressed in the submission related to that form.
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    \6\ In addition, Item 9 of Form N-CSR requires closed-end funds 
to disclose information similar to the information that was required 
in Form N-23C-1, which was discontinued in 2004.
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    The estimate of average burden hours is made solely for the 
purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act, and is not derived from a 
comprehensive or even a representative survey or study of the costs of 
Commission rules and forms.
    Complying with the collection of information requirements of the 
rule is mandatory. The filings that the rule requires to be made with 
the Commission are available to the public. An agency may not conduct 
or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid control number.
    The public may view background documentation for this information 
collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
by November 25, 2024 to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#733e312b5d3c3e315d3c3a21325d2036302c171600182c1c15151a101601331c1e115d161c035d141c05"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4409061c6a0b09066a0b0d16056a1701071b2021372f1b2b22222d272136042b29266a212b346a232b32">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Dated: October 21, 2024.
Sherry R. Haywood,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-24717 Filed 10-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


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