04/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/27/2026 13:09
Investment Company Act of 1940
April 27, 2026
Dear Ms. Blass,
In your letter dated April 27, 2026, J.P. Morgan Investment Management, Inc. ("JPMIM") requests our assurance that the staff of the Division of Investment Management (the "Staff") will not recommend enforcement action to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under Sections 17(d) and 57(a)(4) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and Rule 17d-1 thereunder if:
Open-End Fund Reliance on the Order
With respect to your first request, you:
Based on your facts and representations, we would not recommend enforcement action to the Commission under Section 17(d) and Rule 17d-1 thereunder if an Open-End Fund with a primary investment adviser or sub-adviser that is an Adviser relies on a co-investment exemptive order as a Regulated Fund, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the exemptive order.
Committee of the Board as Required Majority
With respect to your second request, conditions 2 and 6(b) of the Order require - with certain specified exceptions - that, prior to a Regulated Fund acquiring in a Co-Investment Transaction a security in whose issuer an Affiliated Entity has an existing interest, or disposing of a security acquired in a Co-Investment Transaction, the Required Majority (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) take the steps described in Section 57(f) of the 1940 Act.[3]
You contend that this "Required Majority" standard creates burdens and logistical challenges for many Regulated Funds seeking to rely on the Order; in particular, you:
Based on your facts and representations, the Staff would not recommend enforcement action to the Commission under Sections 17(d) and 57(a)(4) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17d-1 thereunder if a Regulated Fund meets the "Required Majority" definition for purposes of conditions 2 and 6(b) of the Order only with respect to a committee of the board consisting of at least three directors who both have no financial interest in the relevant transaction and are not interested persons of the Regulated Fund, a majority of whom vote to approve each proposed Co-Investment Transaction.
Our letter provides our position on enforcement action only and does not provide any legal conclusions on the issues presented. Because our position is based on all of the facts and representations made in your letter, you should note that any different facts and circumstances might require a different conclusion. This letter reflects the views of the Staff. It is not a rule, regulation, or statement of the Commission, and the Commission has neither approved nor disapproved its content. This letter, like all staff statements, has no legal force or effect; it does not alter or amend applicable law, and it creates no new or additional obligations for any person.[4]
Adam M. Large
Senior Special Counsel
Division of Investment Management
[1] JPMorgan Private Markets Fund, et. al., Investment Company Act Release No. 36015 (Mar. 11, 2026) (notice) and No. 36078 (Apr. 7, 2026) (order) (File No. 812-15950); see also Application of JPMorgan Private Markets Fund, et al., File No. 812-15950 (filed Dec. 12, 2025, amended on Mar. 2, 2026 and Mar. 6, 2026). The Order permits business development companies ("BDCs") and closed-end management investment companies to participate in co-investment transactions with affiliated entities, which would otherwise be prohibited by Sections 17(d) and 57(a)(4) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17d-1 thereunder.
[2] Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Order.
[3] Section 57(o) defines the term "required majority," in relevant part, with respect to the approval of a proposed transaction, as both a majority of a BDC's directors or general partners who have no financial interest in the transaction and a majority of such directors who are not interested persons of the BDC. Section 57(f) generally requires that in approving a proposed transaction, the "required majority" of the directors or general partners of a BDC determine that: (1) the terms of the transaction are reasonable and fair to the shareholders of the BDC; (2) the proposed transaction is consistent with the interests of the shareholders and with the BDC's policies; and (3) the directors or general partners record and preserve a description of the transaction, their findings, the information or materials upon which those findings were based, and the basis therefor.
[4] In particular, the Staff's no-action position provided herein is limited to orders that: (a) impose conditions substantially identical to those in the Order (i.e. conditions that are substantially identical to those in FS Credit Opportunities Corp., et al., Investment Company Act Release No. 35520 (Apr. 3, 2025) (notice) and No. 35561 (Apr. 29, 2025) (order) (File No. 812-15706); see also Application of FS Credit Opportunities Corp., et al., File No. 812-15706 (filed Feb. 21, 2025, amended Mar. 20, 2025 and Apr. 3, 2025)); and (b) were published for public notice by the Commission before May 4, 2026.