This book includes a fund board's legal duties under the federal securities laws/state corporate and trust law. It examines the impact of statutes and regulations, SEC guidance, and court cases.

This book provides a detailed analysis of mutual fund regulations and governance in the UK from the investor protection perspective. It comprehensively describes mutual funds by their function, social utility, and legal attributes, examining the level of protection provided to retail investors under existing regulations. Mutual funds are externally managed with fund ownership separated out from their management, which carries a potential conflict of interest between the self-interests of the fund management and each fund’s investors. The book provides an in-depth analysis of this agency problem in the mutual fund industry, comparing the competing governance models in the UK and the US and the supervision of management activities. In the UK, it investigates the main governance mechanisms, including disclosure, the effectiveness of voting rights, and the role of the Financial Conduct Authority in protecting investors. It also considers the role of prudential regulations in protecting mutual fund investors, with a particular focus on risk management and mutual fund liquidity crisis. The book further investigates the impact of the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (Brexit) on the industry and what this means for the future of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) in the UK. The concept of mutual funds is still not clearly understood, so this book will clearly define the different legal and practical aspects of mutual funds. It will be the first substantial study of mutual fund governance mechanisms under the existing mutual fund laws and regulations in the UK.

Written for directors of both open-end investment companies (typically referred to as mutual funds) and closed-end funds, this new Third Edition offers suggestions to assist directors in their roles and obligations. The new edition has been updated to reflect key legal developments that have emerged since the second edition appeared in 2003 including the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and initiatives undertaken by the SEC in response to the mutual funds scandals occurring in 2003 and 2004.

The expansion of the fund industry has been one of the most notable trends in the financial markets of recent years. Not only has the demand for funds among EU investors grown, but both the number and types of investment funds also continue to increase. Since investment funds available in the EU can be established both inside and outside the EU, they may be subject to different investor protection regulations, depending on where the fund is located. Accordingly, different levels of investor protection may exist between investors investing in EU funds and investors investing in non-EU funds, including US funds. This book investigates whether there is a level playing field between EU investors investing in EU funds and EU investors investing in US funds and if not, if there is a legal basis in current EU law for the EU regulator to adopt additional investor protection rules applying to investment funds. The analysis considers the basic characteristics of investment funds, how they function in practice, and how they are regulated relating to investor protection issues. Factors examined in depth include the following: – features of funds most relevant to the protection of retail investors; – operational structure, investment strategies, fee structure, and legal structure of funds; – internal control systems; – transparency and disclosure rules; – conduct of business rules; and – depositary monitoring rules. The author examines relevant EU directives and rules and the particular remit of each, as well as US law applying to investment funds that are active in the EU. Case law and relevant literature in the field is also drawn on. As an assessment of the current degree of protection applying to funds that are available to EU retail investors – as well as an up-to-date overview of regulatory requirements and procedures concerning the protection of EU investors in investment funds – this book is unsurpassed. Especially valuable is the closing discussion about whether the EU regulatory system provides for a level playing field of protection for EU retail investors, and if not which additional rules can be adopted by the EU regulator in this area. Lawyers and other professionals in all areas of law and policy concerned with investment and finance will find this book of great value.

The Regulation of Money Managers (with the original subtitle: The Investment Company Act and The Investment Advisers Act) was published in 1978 and 1980. The Second Edition, subtitled Mutual Funds and Advisers, was published in 2001 and has been annually updated since then. It is a comprehensive and exhaustive treatise on investment management regulation. The treatise covers federal and state statutes, their legislative history, common law, judicial decisions, rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, staff reports, and other publications dealing with investment advisers and investment companies. The treatise touches on other financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, and pension funds. The work also discusses the economic, business, and theoretical aspects of the investment management industry and their effects on the law and on policy. The treatise contains detailed analysis of the history and development of the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act. It examines the definitions in the Acts, including the concept of ‘‘investment adviser,’’ ‘‘affiliates,’’ and ‘‘interested persons.’’ It outlines the duties of investment company directors, the independent directors, and other fiduciaries of investment companies. The treatise deals with the SEC’s enforcement powers and private parties’ rights of action.

This report reflects long-term, in-depth discussion and debate by participants in the Latin American Roundtable on Corporate Governance.