Investment Company Act of 1940: Order applications— WNC Housing Tax Credit Fund VI, L.P., et al.,

[Federal Register: October 7, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 194)]

[Notices]

[Page 57941-57943]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr07oc03-105]

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 26199; 812-12988]

WNC Housing Tax Credit Fund VI, L.P., Series 11 and Series 12, and WNC National Partners, LLC; Notice of Application

October 1, 2003. AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under sections 6(c) and 6(e) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ``Act'') granting relief from all provisions of the Act, except sections 37 through 53 of the Act and the rules and regulations under those sections.

Applicants: WNC Housing Tax Credit Fund VI, L.P., Series 11 and WNC Housing Tax Credit Fund VI, L.P., Series 12 (each a ``Series,'' and collectively, the ``Fund''), and WNC National Partners, LLC (the ``General Partner'').

Summary of the Application: Applicants request an order to permit each Series to invest in limited partnerships that engage in the ownership and operation of apartment complexes for low and moderate income persons.

Filing Date: The application was filed on July 23, 2003. Applicants have agreed to file an amendment to the application, the substance of which is reflected in this notice, during the notice period.

Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the application will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 5:30 p.m. on October 24, 2003, and should be accompanied by proof of service on applicants in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues contested. Persons may request notification by writing to the Commission's Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Secretary, Commission, 450 5th Street NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. Applicants, 17782 Skypark Circle, Irvine, California 92614.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce R. MacNeil, Senior Counsel, (202) 942-0634, or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, (202) 942-0564 (Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment Company Regulation).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the application. The complete application may be obtained for a fee from the Commission's Public Reference Branch, 450 Fifth Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549-0102 (telephone (202) 942-8090).

Applicants' Representations

1. Each Series was formed in 2003 as a California limited partnership. Each Series will operate as a ``two-tier'' partnership, i.e., each Series will invest as a limited partner in other limited partnerships (``Local Limited Partnerships''). The Local Limited Partnerships in turn will engage in the ownership and operation of apartment complexes expected to be qualified for low income housing tax credit under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The General Partner is a California limited liability company whose sole member is WNC & Associates, Inc. (``WNC & Associates''), a California corporation.

2. The objectives of each Series are (a) to provide current tax benefits primarily in the form of low income housing credits which investors may use to offset their Federal income tax liabilities, (b) to preserve and protect capital, and (c) to provide cash distributions from sale or refinancing transactions.

3. On July 21, 2003, the Fund filed a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, pursuant to which the Fund intends to offer publicly, in two series of offerings, 25,000 units of limited partnership interest (``Units'') at $1,000 per unit. The minimum investment will be five Units for most investors, although employees of the General Partner and/or its affiliates and/or investors in syndications previously sponsored by the General Partner and/or its affiliates may purchase a minimum of two Units. Purchasers of the Units will become limited partners (``Limited Partners'') of the Series offering the Units.

4. A Series will not accept any subscriptions for Units until the requested exemptive order is granted or the Series receives an opinion of counsel that it is exempt from registration under the Act. Subscriptions for Units must be approved by the General Partner. Such approval will be conditioned upon representations as to suitability of the investment for each subscriber. The suitability standards provide, among other things, that investment in a Series is suitable only for an investor who either (a) has a net worth (exclusive of home, furnishings, and automobiles), of at least $35,000 and an annual gross income of at least $35,000, or (b) irrespective of annual income, has a net worth (exclusive of home, furnishings, and automobiles) of at least $75,000. Units will be sold only to investors who meet these suitability standards, or such more restrictive suitability standards as may be established by certain states for purchasers of Units within their respective jurisdictions. In addition, transfers of Units will be permitted only if the transferee meets the same suitability standards as had been imposed on the transferor Limited Partner.

5. Although a Series' direct control over the management of each apartment complex will be limited, the Series' ownership of interests in Local Limited Partnerships will, in an economic sense, be tantamount to direct ownership of the apartment complexes themselves. A Series normally will acquire at least a 90% interest in the profits, losses, and tax credits of the Local Limited Partnerships. However, in certain cases, the Series may acquire a lesser interest in such partnerships. Each Local Limited Partnership's partnership agreement will provide that distributions of proceeds from a sale or refinancing of an apartment complex will be paid to a Series in the range of from 10% to 50%.

6. Each Series will have certain voting rights with respect to each Local Limited Partnership. The voting rights will include the right to dismiss and replace the local general partner on the basis of performance, to approve or disapprove a sale or refinancing of the apartment complex owned by such Local Limited Partnership, to approve or disapprove the dissolution of the Local Limited Partnership, and to approve or disapprove amendments to the Local

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   Limited Partnership agreement materially and adversely affecting the Series' investment.

7. Each Series will be controlled by the General Partner, pursuant to a partnership agreement (the ``Partnership Agreement''). The Limited Partners, consistent with their limited liability status, will not be entitled to participate in the control of the business of the Series. However, a majority-in-interest of the Limited Partners will have the right to amend the Partnership Agreement (subject to certain limitations), to remove any General Partner and elect a replacement, and to dissolve the Series. In addition, under the Partnership Agreement, each Limited Partner is entitled to review all books and records of the Series.

8. Applicants state that the Partnership Agreement and prospectus of the Series contain provisions designed to ensure fair dealing by the General Partner with the Limited Partners. Applicants also state that all compensation to be paid to the General Partner and its affiliates is specified in the Partnership Agreement and prospectus. Applicants believe that the fees and other forms of compensation that will be paid to the General Partner and its affiliates are fair and on terms no less favorable to the Series than would be the case if such arrangements had been made with independent third parties.

9. During the offering and organizational phase, WNC Capital Corporation, an affiliate of the General Partner, will receive a dealer-manager fee and a nonaccountable underwriting expense allowance in amounts equal to 2% and 1%, respectively, of capital contributions. The General Partner or an affiliate will receive a nonaccountable organizational and offering expense reimbursement in an amount equal to 3% of capital contributions. The General Partner has agreed to pay all organizational and offering expenses (excluding selling commissions, the dealer-manager fee, the nonaccountable underwriting expense allowance and the nonaccountable expense reimbursement).

10. During the acquisition phase, each Series will pay WNC & Associates a fee equal to 7% of capital contributions for analyzing and evaluating potential investments in Local Limited Partnerships and for various other services. WNC & Associates will receive a nonaccountable acquisition expense reimbursement equal to 2% of capital contributions in consideration of which WNC & Associates will pay all acquisition expenses of each Series. Aggregate fees and expenses paid in connection with the organization of each Series, the offering of Units, and the acquisition of Local Limited Partnership interests by each Series will be limited by the Partnership Agreement and will comply with guidelines published by the North American Securities Administrators Association. These guidelines require that a specified percentage (generally 80%, but subject to reduction) of the aggregate Limited Partners' capital contributions to the Fund be committed to Local Limited Partnership interests.

11. During the operating phase, the General Partner will receive 0.1% of any cash available for distribution, and each Series may pay certain fees and reimbursements to the General Partner or its affiliates. An asset management fee will be payable for services related to the administration of the affairs of each Series and ongoing management of each Series. Other fees may be paid in consideration of property management services provided by the General Partner or its affiliates as the management and leasing agents for some of the apartment complexes. In addition, the General Partner and its affiliates generally will be allocated 0.1% of profits and losses of each Series for tax purposes and tax credits.

12. During the liquidation phase, and subject to certain prior payments to the Limited Partners, each Series will pay the General Partner or its affiliates a fee equal to 1% of the sales price of the apartment complexes sold in which the General Partner or its affiliates have provided a substantial amount of services. The General Partner also will receive 10% of any additional sale or refinancing proceeds.

13. All proceeds from a Series' public offering of Units initially will be placed in an escrow account with USbank (``Escrow Agent''). Pending release of offering proceeds to the Series, the Escrow Agent will deposit escrowed funds in short-term United States Government securities, securities issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, and certificates of deposit or time or demand deposits in commercial banks. Upon receipt of a prescribed minimum amount of capital contributions for a Series, funds in escrow will be released to the Series and held by it pending investment in Local Limited Partnerships.

14. If more than one entity that the General Partner or its affiliates advises or manages may invest in a particular investment opportunity, the decision as to the entity that will be allocated the investment will be based upon such factors as the effect of the acquisition on diversification of each entity's portfolio, the estimated income tax effects of the purchase on each entity, the amount of funds of each entity available for investment, and the length of time such funds have been available for investment. Priority generally will be given to the entity having uninvested funds for the longest period of time. However, any entity that was formed to invest primarily in apartment complexes eligible for state low income housing tax credits (``state tax credits'') as well as for Federal low income housing tax credits will be given priority with respect to any investment that is eligible for state tax credits over entities which are not seeking to provide state tax credits.

    Applicants' Legal Analysis

1. Applicants believe that the Fund and its Series will not be ``investment companies'' under sections 3(a)(1)(A) or 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act. If the Fund and its Series are deemed to be investment companies, however, applicants request an exemption under section 6(c) and 6(e) of the Act from all provisions of the Act, except sections 37 through 53 of the Act and the rules and regulations under those sections.

2. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Act provides that an issuer is an ``investment company'' if it is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities. Applicants believe that the Fund will not be an investment company under section 3(a)(1)(A) because the Fund will be in the business of investing in and being beneficial owner of apartment complexes, not securities.

3. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Act provides that an issuer is an ``investment company'' if it is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities, and owns or proposes to acquire ``investment securities'' having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer's total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items). Applicants state that although the Local Limited Partnership interests may be deemed ``investment securities,'' they are not readily marketable, cannot be sold without severe adverse tax consequences, and have no value apart from the value of the apartment complexes owned by the Local Limited Partnerships.

4. Applicants believe that the two-tier structure is consistent with the purposes and criteria set forth in the Commission's release concerning two-tier real estate partnerships (the

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   ``Release'').\1\ The Release states that investment companies that are two-tier real estate partnerships that invest in limited partnerships engaged in the development and operation of housing for low and moderate income persons may qualify for an exemption from the Act pursuant to section 6(c). Section 6(c) provides that the Commission may exempt any person from any provision of the Act and any rule thereunder, if, and to the extent that, such exemption is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act. Section 6(e) permits the Commission to require companies exempted from the registration requirements of the Act to comply with certain specified provisions of the Act as though the company were a registered investment company.

   \1\ Investment Company Act Release No. 8465 (Aug. 9, 1974).

5. The Release lists two conditions, designed for the protection of investors, which must be satisfied by two-tier partnerships to qualify for the exemption under section 6(c). First, interests in the issuer should be sold only to persons for whom investments in limited profit, essentially tax-shelter, investments would not be unsuitable. Second, requirements for fair dealing by the general partner of the issuer with the limited partners of the issuer should be included in the basic organizational documents of the company.

6. Applicants assert, among other things, that the suitability standards set forth in the application, the requirements for fair dealing provided by the Partnership Agreement, and pertinent governmental regulations imposed on each Local Limited Partnership by various Federal, state, and local agencies provide protection to investors in Units. In addition, applicants assert that the requested exemption is both necessary and appropriate in the public interest.

   For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, pursuant to delegated authority. Jill M. Peterson, Assistant Secretary.

   [FR Doc. 03-25338 Filed 10-6-03; 8:45 am]

   BILLING CODE 8010-01-P