UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

BEFORE THE

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 

In the Matter of

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APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER PURSUANT TO

 

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SECTION 6(c) OF THE INVESTMENT COMPANY

 

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ACT OF 1940 (THE “ACT”) FOR EXEMPTION

ALPINE GLOBAL DYNAMIC DIVIDEND FUND

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FROM SECTION 19(b) OF THE ACT AND RULE

ALPINE TOTAL DYNAMIC DIVIDEND FUND

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19b-1 THEREUNDER

ALPINE GLOBAL PREMIER PROPERTIES FUND

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AND ALPINE WOODS CAPITAL INVESTORS, LLC

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File No. [              ]

 

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Investment Company Act of 1940

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Alpine Global Dynamic Dividend Fund (“AGD”), Alpine Total Dynamic Dividend Fund (“AOD”), Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund (“AWP”) and their investment adviser, Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC (the “Investment Adviser” and collectively with AGD, AOD, AWP, the “Applicants”) hereby apply for an order (the “Order”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Act providing AGD, AOD and AWP, and each registered closed-end investment company in the future that seeks to rely on the Order that is advised by the Investment Adviser (including any successor in interest(1)) or by an entity controlling, controlled by or under common control (within the meaning of Section 2(a)(9) of the Act) with the Investment Adviser an exemption from the provisions of Section 19(b) of the Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder, as more fully set forth below.(2)  AGD, AOD and AWP and such

 


(1)   A successor in interest is limited to entities that result from a reorganization into another jurisdiction or a change in the type of business organization.

 

(2)   All existing registered closed-end investment companies that currently intend to be able to rely on the requested Order are named as Applicants and any closed-end investment company that may rely on the Order in the future will satisfy each of the representations in the application except that such representations will be made in respect of actions by the board of trustees of such future fund and will be made at a future time.

 

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future investment companies are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Funds” and separately as a “Fund.”

 

I.              Description of Applicants

 

AGD, AOD and AWP are, and each future Fund will be, a closed-end management investment company registered under the Act.

 

AGD’s primary investment objective is to seek high current dividend income, more than 50% of which qualifies for the reduced federal income tax rates created by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Long-term growth of capital is AGD’s secondary investment objective. AGD was organized as a statutory trust in Delaware on May 11, 2006. AGD seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a managed portfolio of U.S. and non-U.S. equity securities. Under normal market conditions, AGD invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities, primarily common stocks. AGD’s common shares of beneficial interest, no par value per share, are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As of December 31, 2008, AGD had 24,169,505 common shares outstanding and assets of $173,034,248.

 

AOD’s primary investment objective is to seek high current dividend income with long-term growth of capital as a secondary investment objective. AOD was organized as a statutory trust in Delaware on October 27, 2006. AOD seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in a managed portfolio of U.S. and non-U.S. equity securities. Under normal market conditions, AOD invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities, primarily common stocks. AOD’s common shares of beneficial interest, no par value per share, are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As of December 31, 2008, AOD had 209,354,703 common shares outstanding and assets of $1,511,516,149.

 

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AWP’s primary investment objective is capital appreciation, with high current income as a secondary investment objective. AWP was organized as a statutory trust in Delaware on February 13, 2007. AWP pursues its investment objectives by investing at least 80% of its assets in the equity and, to a lesser extent, debt securities of domestic and foreign issuers which are principally engaged in the real estate industry or real estate financing or which control significant real estate assets. AWP’s common shares of beneficial interest, no par value, are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As of December 31, 2008, AWP had 104,100,599 common shares outstanding and assets of $544,906,219.

 

As part of its investment strategy, each of AGD, AOD and AWP uses a dividend capture strategy in its efforts to maximize distributed dividend income. The dividend capture strategy has two facets – “rotation,” whereby the Fund would sell a stock on or shortly after the stock’s ex-dividend date and use the proceeds to purchase one or more other stocks that are expected to pay dividends before the next dividend payment on the stock being sold, and special dividends, whereby the Fund receives dividends from a company that returns large cash balances to shareholders as a one-time dividend payment. Through this rotation practice, each Fund may receive more dividend payments over a given period of time than if it held a single stock. Receipt of a greater number of dividend payments during a given time period could augment the total amount of dividend income a Fund receives over this period. The use of dividend capture strategies will expose the Funds to increased trading costs and potential for capital loss or gain, particularly in the event of significant short-term price movements of stocks subject to dividend capture trading. There can be no guarantee that the Funds’ dividend capture strategy will be successful.

 

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The Board of each of AOD and AGD has approved, and the Board of AWP may approve in the future, an at-the-market offering pursuant to a shelf registration statement. An at-the-market offering is an offering of common shares at other than a fixed price to or through a market maker. Terms of the proposed at-the-market offering ensure that common shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund and its distribution agent. Common shares will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by the Fund. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current net asset value per share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to the distribution agent. The shares would only be offered pursuant to the at-the-market shelf registration statement from time to time when shares of a Fund trade at a premium to its net asset value. The Board may determine to proceed with any such at-the-market offering pursuant to an effective registration statement in accordance with the condition set forth in Section V.6(d)(i) of this Application.

 

The Investment Adviser, Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC, serves as the investment adviser to AGD, AOD and AWP. The Investment Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and was organized on December 3, 1997, as a Delaware limited liability company. It is a privately-owned investment management firm that currently manages a family of open-end mutual funds, AGD, AOD and AWP and also provides institutional investment management.

 

II.            Relief Requested

 

Section 19(b) of the Act provides that it shall be unlawful in contravention of such rules, regulations, or orders as the Commission may prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors for any registered investment company to distribute long-term capital gains, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), more

 

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often than once every twelve months. Rule 19b-1 under the Act provides that no registered investment company which is a “regulated investment company” as defined in Section 851 of the Code shall make more than (i) one “capital gain dividend,” as defined in Section 852(b)(3)(C) of the Code, in any one taxable year of the company, (ii) one additional capital gain distribution made in whole or in part to avoid payment of excise tax under Section 4982 of the Code plus (iii) one supplemental “clean-up” capital gain dividend pursuant to Section 855 of the Code, which amount may not exceed 10% of the total amount distributed for the year.

 

The Applicants believe that Rule 19b-1 should be interpreted to permit each Fund to pay an unlimited number of distributions on its common shares so long as it makes the designation necessary under the Code and Rule 19b-1 to transform such distributions into “capital gain dividends” restricted by Rule 19b-1 only as often as is permitted by Rule 19b-1, even if the Code would then require retroactively spreading the capital gain resulting from such designation over more than the permissible number of distributions. However, to obtain certainty for each Fund’s proposed distribution policies, in the absence of such an interpretation Applicants hereby request an order pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Act (see below) granting an exemption from Section 19(b) of the Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. The Order would permit each Fund to make periodic capital gain dividends (as defined in Section 852(b)(3)(C) of the Code) as often as monthly in any one taxable year.

 

III.           Representations of the Applicants

 

Applicants make the following representations regarding the requested relief:

 

Prior to the organizational meeting of each of AGD, AOD and AWP, held on June 23, 2006, December 18, 2006 and March 12, 2007, respectively, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of each of AGD, AOD and AWP, including a majority of the members who are not “interested persons” of the Fund as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Act (the “Independent Trustees”),

 

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were provided with such information as the Investment Adviser deemed reasonably necessary to permit each Board to consider the appropriateness of adopting a proposed level distribution policy. In particular, each Board and the Independent Trustees reviewed information regarding the purpose and terms of the proposed distribution policy, the potential impact of the dividend capture rotation strategy which seeks to maximize the level of dividend income that a Fund would receive, the foreseeable material effects of the proposed level distribution policy on each Fund’s long-term total return (in relation to market price and net asset value per common share) and the relationship between each Fund’s distribution rate on its common shares under the proposed level distribution policy and each Fund’s total return (in relation to net asset value per share) - whether the rate of distribution would exceed each Fund’s expected total return in relation to its net asset value per share. The Independent Trustees also considered what conflicts of interest the Investment Adviser and each Fund might have with respect to the adoption or implementation of the proposed level distribution policy. After considering such information, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, of each of AGD, AOD and AWP approved the proposed level distribution policy with respect to such Fund’s common shares as disclosed in such Fund’s prospectus (the “Plan”) and determined that the Plan is consistent with such Fund’s investment objectives and in the best interests of such Fund’s common shareholders.

 

The purpose of the Plan of each of AGD, AOD and AWP is to permit such Fund to distribute over the course of each year, through monthly distributions as nearly equal as practicable and any required special distributions, an amount closely approximating the total taxable income of such Fund during such year and, if so determined by its Board, all or a portion of the returns of capital paid by portfolio securities to such Fund during such year. In accordance with the Plan of each Fund, the Fund would distribute to its common shareholders a fixed

 

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monthly amount, but reserves the right to distribute an amount equal to a fixed percentage of the market price or of the net asset value per share of the Fund’s common shares at a particular point in time, any of which may be adjusted from time to time. Under each Plan, the minimum annual distribution rate with respect to such Fund’s common shares would be independent of the Fund’s performance during any particular period, but would be expected to correlate with the Fund’s performance over time. Except for extraordinary distributions and potential increases or decreases in the final dividend periods in light of the Fund’s performance for the entire calendar year and to enable the Fund to comply with the distribution requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for the calendar year, each distribution on the common shares would be at the stated rate then in effect.

 

At the meeting held on September 22, 2008, each Board adopted policies and procedures under Rule 38a-1 that:

 

(i)            are reasonably designed to ensure that all notices required to be sent to the Fund’s shareholders pursuant to Section 19(a) of the Act, Rule 19a-1 thereunder and condition 4 below (each a “19(a) Notice”) include the disclosure required by Rule 19a-1 and by condition 2(a) below, and that all other written communications by AGD, AOD or AWP or its agents described in condition 3(a) below about the distributions under the Plan include the disclosure required by condition 3(a) below; and

 

(ii)           require each Fund to keep records that demonstrate its compliance with all of the conditions of the Order and that are necessary for such Fund to form the basis for, or demonstrate the calculation of, the amounts disclosed in its 19(a) Notices.

 

The records of the actions of the Board of Trustees of each of AGD, AOD and AWP summarize the basis for its approval of its Plan, including its consideration of the factors

 

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described above. Such records will be maintained for a period of at least six years from the date of such meeting, the first two years in an easily accessible place, or for such longer period as may otherwise be required by law.

 

In order to rely on the Order, a future Fund must satisfy each of the foregoing representations except that such representations will be made in respect of actions by the Board of Trustees of such future Fund and will be made at a future time, and except that the purpose of its distribution policy may differ from the purpose of AGD’s, AOD’s and AWP’s Plans in that such distribution policy’s purpose may be to distribute a fixed amount or a fixed percentage of net asset value or net asset value per share without regard to the level of income, appreciation or total return of such Fund over particular series of dividend periods, or with regard to only one or a combination of such elements over such period of time and may exclude reference to distributions of capital received from portfolio companies. Notwithstanding the foregoing, under any such distribution policy such future Fund would expect that its distributions would correlate with its total return over time plus, if applicable, distributions of capital received from such future Fund’s portfolio companies.

 

IV.           Justification for the Requested Relief

 

Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt any person or transaction from any provision of the Act or any rule under the Act 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. For the reasons set forth below, Applicants submit that the requested exemption from Section 19(b) of the Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder would be consistent with the standards set forth in Section 6(c) of the Act and in the best interests of the Applicants and their respective shareholders.

 

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1.             Receipt of the Order would serve shareholder interests.

 

Applicants believe that the shareholders of AGD, AOD and AWP are generally conservative, dividend-sensitive investors who desire current income periodically and may favor a fixed distribution policy. Based on the discussion at several board meetings, the Board of each of AGD, AOD and AWP believe that investors in the common shares of a Fund may prefer an investment vehicle that provides monthly distributions and a steady cash flow.

 

Applicants note that a significant portion of AWP’s assets are or will be invested in the securities of REITs. REITs typically specify the distribution rate to be paid on their securities until notice of any change in the policy or until such distributions are recharacterized by the REITs. Accordingly, investors in AWP may expect a similar distribution policy.

 

An exemption from Rule 19b-1 would benefit shareholders in another way. Common shares of closed-end funds that invest primarily in equity securities often trade in the marketplace at a discount to their net asset value. In the view of the Applicants, this discount may be reduced if the Funds are permitted to pay relatively frequent dividends on their common shares at a consistent rate, whether or not those dividends contain an element of capital gain. Such a reduction in discount would benefit the Funds and their shareholders.

 

2.             Each Fund’s shareholders would receive information sufficient to clearly inform them of the nature of the distributions they are receiving.

 

One of the concerns leading to the enactment of Section 19(b) and adoption of Rule 19b-1 was that shareholders might be unable to distinguish between frequent distributions of capital gains and dividends from investment income.(3)  However, Rule 19a-l under the Act effectively addresses this concern by requiring that distributions (or the confirmation of the

 


(3)   See Securities and Exchange Commission 1966 Report to Congress on Investment Company Growth (H.R. Rep. No. 2337, 89th Cong., 2d Sess. 190-95 (1966)); S. Rep. No. 91-184, 91st Cong., 1st Sess. 29 (1969); H.R. Rep. No. 91-1382, 91st Cong., 2d Sess. 29 (1970) (the “Report”).

 

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reinvestment thereof) estimated to be sourced in part from capital gains or capital be accompanied by a separate statement (“19(a) Notices”) showing the sources of the distribution (e.g., estimated net income, net short-term capital gains, net long-term capital gains and/or return of capital). The same information is included in each Fund’s annual report to shareholders and on its IRS Form 1099-DIV which is sent to each common shareholder who received distributions during a particular year (including shareholders who have sold shares during the year).

 

In addition, each of AGD, AOD and AWP will make the additional disclosures required by the conditions set forth in Part IV below, and each of them has adopted compliance policies and procedures in accordance with Rule 38a-1 under the Act to ensure that all required notices and disclosures are sent to shareholders.

 

Rule 19a-l, the Plans and the Funds’ compliance policies ensure that each Fund’s shareholders would be provided sufficient information to understand that their level distributions are not tied to the Fund’s net investment income (which for this purpose is the Fund’s taxable income other than from capital gains) and realized capital gains to date, and may not represent yield or investment return. Accordingly, continuing to subject the Funds to Section 19(b) and Rule 19b-1 would afford shareholders no additional protection. In addition, the Funds will undertake to request intermediaries to forward 19(a) Notices to their customers and to reimburse them for the costs of forwarding.  Such forwarding may occur in any manner permitted by statute, rule, order or the staff.

 

3.             Under certain circumstances, Rule 19b-1 gives rise to improper influence on portfolio management decisions, with no offsetting benefit to shareholders.

 

Rule 19b-1, when applied to a Plan, actually gives rise to one of the concerns that Rule 19b-1 was intended to avoid: inappropriate influence on portfolio management decisions. Funds that pay long-term capital gains distributions only once per year in accordance with Rule 19b-1

 

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impose no pressure on management to realize capital gains at any time when purely investment considerations do not dictate doing so. In the absence of an exemption from Rule 19b-1, the adoption of a level distribution plan imposes pressure on management (i) not to realize any net long-term capital gains until the point in the year that the Fund can pay all of its remaining distributions in accordance with Rule 19b-1 and (ii) not to realize any long-term capital gains during any particular year in excess of the amount of the aggregate pay-out for the year (since as a practical matter excess gains must be distributed and accordingly would not be available to satisfy pay-out requirements in following years), notwithstanding that purely investment considerations might favor realization of long-term gains at different times or in different amounts.

 

No purpose is served by the distortion in the normal operation of a level distribution plan required in order to comply with Rule 19b-1. There is no reason or logic in requiring any fund that adopts a level distribution plan either to retain (and pay taxes on) long-term capital gains (with the resulting additional tax return complexities for the fund’s shareholders) or to avoid designating its distributions of long-term gains as capital gains dividends for tax purposes (thereby avoiding a Rule 19b-1 problem but providing distributions taxable at ordinary income rates rather than the much lower long-term capital gains rates and being required to pay income tax on the amount of such income). The desirability of avoiding these anomalous results creates pressure to limit the realization of long-term capital gains that otherwise would be taken for purely investment considerations.

 

The Order requested by the Applicants would minimize these anomalous effects of Rule 19b-1 by enabling the Funds to realize long-term capital gains as often as investment considerations dictate without fear of violating Rule 19b-1.

 

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4.             Other concerns leading to adoption of Rule 19b-1 are not applicable.

 

Another concern that led to the enactment of Section 19(b) of the Act and adoption of Rule 19b-1 was that frequent capital gains distributions could facilitate improper fund share sales practices, including, in particular, the practice of urging an investor to purchase shares of a fund on the basis of an upcoming capital gains dividend (“selling the dividend”), where the dividend would result in an immediate corresponding reduction in net asset value and would be in effect a taxable return of the investor’s capital. Applicants submit that this concern should not apply to closed-end investment companies, such as the Funds, which do not continuously distribute shares. Furthermore, if the underlying concern extends to secondary market purchases of shares of closed-end funds that are subject to a large upcoming capital gains dividend, adoption of a level distribution plan actually helps minimize the concern by avoiding, through monthly distributions, any buildup of large end-of-the-year distributions.

 

5.             Further limitations of Rule 19b-1.

 

Subparagraphs (a) and (f) of Rule 19b-1 limit the number of capital gains dividends, as defined in Section 852(b)(3)(C) of the Code, that a fund may make with respect to any one taxable year to one, plus a supplemental “clean-up” distribution made pursuant to Section 855 of the Code not exceeding 10% of the total amount distributed for the year, plus one additional capital gain dividend made in whole or in part to avoid the excise tax under Section 4982 of the Code.

 

Applicants assert that by limiting the number of capital gain dividends that a Fund may make with respect to any one year, Rule 19b-1 may prevent the normal and efficient operation of a level distribution plan whenever that Fund’s realized net long-term capital gains in any year exceed the total of the monthly distributions that may include such capital gains under the Rule.  Rule 19b-1 thus may force the fixed regular periodic distributions to be funded with returns of

 

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capital(4) (to the extent net investment income and realized short term capital gains are insufficient to fund the distribution), even though realized net long term capital gains otherwise would be available. To distribute all of a Fund’s long-term capital gains within the limits in Rule 19b-1, a Fund may be required to make total distributions in excess of the annual amount called for by its level distribution plan or to retain and pay taxes on the excess amount.  Applicants believe that the application of Rule 19b-1 to a Fund’s level distribution plan may create pressure to limit the realization of long-term capital gains based on considerations unrelated to investment goals.

 

The proposed Order will assist the Funds in avoiding these Rule 19b-1 problems.

 

6.             General

 

The relief requested is that the Commission permit the Funds to make level distributions in respect of their common shares as often as monthly. Granting this relief would provide the Funds with flexibility in meeting investor interest in receiving more frequent distributions. By spreading out the amount of individual periodic distributions even further, implementation of the additional relief would actually ameliorate the concerns that gave rise to Section 19(b) and Rule 19b-1 and help avoid the “selling of dividends” problem, which Section 19(b) and Rule 19b-1 are not effective in preventing.

 

In summary, Rule 19b-l in the circumstances referred to above distorts the effective and proper functioning of each Fund’s distributions and gives rise to the very pressures on portfolio management decisions that Rule 19b-1 was intended to avoid. These distortions forced by Rule 19b-1 serve no purpose and are not in the best interests of shareholders.

 


(4)   These would be returns of capital for financial accounting purposes and not for tax accounting purposes.

 

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V.            Applicants’ Conditions

 

Applicants agree that, with respect to each Fund seeking to rely on the Order, the Order will be subject to the following conditions:

 

1.             Compliance Review and Reporting

 

Each Fund’s chief compliance officer will (a) report to each Fund’s Board, no less frequently than once every three months or at the next regularly scheduled quarterly Board meeting, whether (i) each Fund and its Investment Adviser have complied with the conditions of the Order and (ii) a material compliance matter (as defined in Rule 38a-l(e)(2) under the Act) has occurred with respect to such conditions; and (b) review the adequacy of the policies and procedures adopted by the Board no less frequently than annually.

 

2.             Disclosures to Fund Shareholders

 

(a)           Each 19(a) Notice to the holders of each Fund’s common shares, in addition to the information required by Section 19(a) and Rule 19a-l:

 

(i)            Will provide, in a tabular or graphical format:

 

(1)           the amount of the distribution, on a per share basis, together with the amounts of such distribution amount, on a per share basis and as a percentage of such distribution amount, from estimated:  (A) net investment income; (B) net realized short-term capital gains; (C) net realized long-term capital gains; and (D) return of capital or other capital source;
 
(2)           the fiscal year-to-date cumulative amount of distributions, on a per share basis, together with the amounts of such cumulative amount, on a per share basis and as a percentage of such cumulative amount of distributions, from estimated: (A) net investment income; (B) net realized short-term capital gains;

 

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(C) net realized long-term capital gains; and (D) return of capital or other capital source;
 
(3)           the average annual total return in relation to the change in net asset value per common share (“NAV”) for the 5-year period (or, if a Fund’s history of operations is less than five years, the time period commencing immediately following the Fund’s first public offering) ending on the last day of the month ended immediately prior to the most recent distribution declaration date compared to the current fiscal period’s annualized distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of the last day of the month prior to the most recent distribution declaration date; and
 
(4)           the cumulative total return in relation to the change in NAV from the last completed fiscal year to the last day of the month prior to the most recent distribution declaration date compared to the fiscal year-to-date cumulative distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of the last day of the month prior to the most recent distribution declaration date;
 

Such disclosure shall be made in a type size at least as large and as prominent as the estimate of the sources of the current distribution; and

 

(ii)           will include, to the extent appropriate, the following disclosure:

 

(1)           “You should not draw any conclusions about each Fund’s investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund’s Plan”;
 
(2)           “Each Fund estimates that from time to time, it may have distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your

 

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distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect each Fund’s investment performance and should not be confused with ‘yield’ or ‘income’”(5) and
 
(3)           “The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this 19(a) Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes.  The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for accounting and tax reporting purposes will depend upon each Fund’s investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099 DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.”;
 

Such disclosure shall be made in a type size at least as large as and as prominent as any other information in the 19(a) Notice and placed on the same page in close proximity to the amount and the sources of the distribution;

 

(b)           On the inside front cover of each report to shareholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Act, the Fund will:

 

(i)            describe the terms of the Plan (including the amount or percentage of the distributions and the frequency of the distributions);

 

(ii)           include the disclosure required by condition 2(a)(ii)(l) above;

 

(iii)          state, if applicable, that the Plan provides that the Board may amend or terminate the Plan at any time without prior notice to Fund shareholders; and

 


(5)   The disclosure in this condition 2(a)(ii)(2) will be included only if the current distribution or the fiscal year-to-date cumulative distributions are estimated to include a return of capital.

 

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(iv)          describe any reasonably foreseeable circumstances that might cause the Fund to terminate the Plan and any reasonably foreseeable consequences of such termination; and

 

(c)           Each report provided to shareholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Act and each prospectus filed with the Commission on Form N-2 under the Act, will provide the Fund’s total return in relation to changes in NAV in the financial highlights table and in any discussion about the Fund’s total return.

 

3.             Disclosure to Shareholders, Prospective Shareholders and Third Parties

 

(a)           Each Fund will include the information contained in the relevant 19(a) Notice, including the disclosure required by condition 2(a)(ii) above, in any written communication (other than a communication on Form 1099) about the Plan or distributions under the Plan by the Fund, or agents that the Fund has authorized to make such communication on the Fund’s behalf, to any Fund shareholder, prospective shareholder or third-party information provider;

 

(b)           Each Fund will issue, contemporaneously with the issuance of any 19(a) Notice, a press release containing the information in the 19(a) Notice and file with the Commission the information contained in such 19(a) Notice, including the disclosure required by condition 2(a) (ii) above, as an exhibit to its next filed Form N-CSR; and

 

(c)           Each Fund will post prominently a statement on its (or the Investment Adviser’s) Web site containing the information in each 19(a) Notice, including the disclosure required by condition 2(a)(ii) above, and maintains such information on such Web site for at least 24 months.

 

4.             Delivery of 19(a) Notices to Beneficial Owners

 

If a broker, dealer, bank or other person (“financial intermediary”) holds common stock issued by a Fund in nominee name, or otherwise, on behalf of a beneficial owner, the Fund: (a) will request that the financial intermediary, or its agent, forward the 19(a) Notice to all beneficial

 

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owners of the Fund’s shares held through such financial intermediary; (b) will provide, in a timely manner, to the financial intermediary, or its agent, enough copies of the 19(a) Notice assembled in the form and at the place that the financial intermediary, or its agent, reasonably requests to facilitate the financial intermediary’s sending of the 19(a) Notice to each beneficial owner of the Fund’s shares; and (c) upon the request of any financial intermediary, or its agent, that. receives copies of the 19(a) Notice, will pay the financial intermediary, or its agent, the reasonable expenses of sending the 19(a) Notice to such beneficial owners.

 

5.                                       Special Board Review for Funds Whose Common Stock Trades at a Premium

 

If:

 

(a)                                  A Fund’s common shares have traded on the stock exchange that they primarily trade on at the time in question at an average premium to NAV equal to or greater than 10%, as determined on the basis of the average of the discount or premium to NAV of the Fund’s common shares as of the close of each trading day over a 12-week rolling period (each such 12-week rolling period ending on the last trading day of each week); and

 

(b)                                 A Fund’s annualized distribution rate for such 12-week rolling period, expressed as a percentage of NAV as of the ending date of such 12-week rolling period is greater than the Fund’s average annual total return in relation to the change in NAV over the 2-year period ending on the last day of such 12-week rolling period;

 

then:

 

(i)                                     At the earlier of the next regularly scheduled meeting or within four months of the last day of such 12-week rolling period, the Board including a majority of the Independent Trustees:

 

(1)                                  will request and evaluate, and the Investment Adviser will furnish, such information as may be reasonably necessary to make an informed

 

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determination of whether the Plan should be continued or continued after amendment;
 
(2)                                  will determine whether continuation, or continuation after amendment, of the Plan is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective(s) and policies and is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, after considering the information in condition 5(b)(i)(l) above; including, without limitation:
 
(A)                              whether the Plan is accomplishing its purpose(s);
 
(B)                                the reasonably foreseeable material effects of the Plan on the Fund’s long-term total return in relation to the market price and NAV of the Fund’s common shares; and
 
(C)                                the Fund’s current distribution rate, as described in condition 5(b) above; compared with the Fund’s average annual taxable income or total return over the 2-year period, as described in condition 5(b), or such longer period as the Board deems appropriate; and
 
(3)                                  based upon that determination, will approve or disapprove the continuation, or continuation after amendment, of the Plan; and
 

(ii)                                  The Board will record the information considered by it, including its consideration of the factors listed in condition 5(b)(i)(2) above, and the basis for its approval or disapproval of the continuation, or continuation after amendment, of the Plan in its meeting minutes, which must be made and preserved for a period of not less than six years from the date of such meeting, the first two years in an easily accessible place.

 

6.                                       Public Offerings

 

A Fund will not make a public offering of the Fund’s common shares other than:

 

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(a)                                  a rights offering below NAV to holders of the Fund’s common shares;

 

(b)                                 an offering in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan merger, consolidation, acquisition, spin off or reorganization of the Fund;

 

(c)                                  an offering other than an offering described in conditions 6(a) and 6(b) above, provided that, with respect to such other offering:

 

(i)                                     the Fund’s average annual distribution rate for the six months ending on the last day of the month ended immediately prior to the most recent distribution declaration date, expressed as a percentage of NAV per share as of such date, is no more than 1 percentage point greater than the Fund’s average annual total return for the 5-year period ending on such date; and

 

(ii)                                  the transmittal letter accompanying any registration statement filed with the Commission in connection with such offering discloses that the Fund has received an order under Section 19(b) to permit it to make periodic distributions of long-term capital gains with respect to its common stock as frequently as twelve times each year, and as frequently as distributions are specified by or determined in accordance with the terms of any outstanding preferred stock as such Fund may issue; or

 

(d)                                 an at-the-market offering, as described in this Application, subject to an effective registration statement, provided that, with respect to such at-the-market offering:

 

(i)                                     the transmittal letter accompanying any registration statement filed with the Commission in connection with such offering discloses that the Fund has received an order under Section 19(b) to permit it to make periodic distributions of long-term capital gains with respect to its common stock as frequently as twelve times each year, and as

 

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frequently as distributions are specified by or determined in accordance with the terms of any outstanding preferred stock as such Fund may issue.

 

7.                                       Amendments to Rule 19b-1

 

The requested order will expire on the effective date of any amendments to Rule 19b-1 that provides relief permitting certain closed-end investment companies to make periodic distributions of long-term capital gains with respect to their outstanding common stock as frequently as twelve times each year.

 

VI.                                Applicable Precedent

 

The Commission has granted relief substantially the same as that sought here on several occasions as in the following orders:

 

(i)                                     In the Matter of The Zweig Total Return Fund, Inc., The Zweig Fund, Inc. and Phoenix/Zweig Advisers LLC; Release No. 28485; November 17, 2008;

 

(ii)                                  In the Matter of Boulder Total Return Fund, Inc., Boulder Growth and Income Fund, Inc., The Denali Fund Inc., Stewart West Indies Trading Company, Ltd. and Boulder Investment Advisers, LLC; Release No. 28486; November 17, 2008;

 

(iii)                               In the Matter of Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund, Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund, Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund, Calamos Global Total Return Fund, and Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund, and Calamos Advisors LLC; Release No. 28435; October 7, 2008;

 

(iv)                              In the Matter of John Hancock Income Securities Trust, John Hancock Investors Trust, John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II, John Hancock Preferred Income Fund, John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II, John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III, John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund, John

 

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Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund and John Hancock Advisers, LLC; Release No. 28372; August 29, 2008;

 

(v)                                 In the Matter of DNP Select Income Fund Inc. and Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.; Release No. 28368; August 26, 2008;

 

(vi)                              In the Matter of Cohen & Steers Advantage Income Realty Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers Closed-End Opportunity Fund. Inc., Cohen & Steers Dividend Majors Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers Global Income Builder, Inc., Cohen & Steers Premium Income Realty Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers Quality Income Realty Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred Income Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers REIT and Utility Income Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers Select Utility Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers Total return Realty Fund, Inc., Cohen & Steers Worldwide Realty Income Fund, Inc. and Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc.; Release No. 28358; August 19, 2008;

 

(vii)                           In the Matter of The Mexico Fund and Impulsora Del Fondo Mexico; Release No. 28357; August 12, 2008; and

 

(viii)                        In the Matter of ING Clarion Real Estate Income Find, ING Clarion Global Real Estate Fund and ING Clarion Real Estate Securities, L.P.; Release No. 28352; August 5, 2008.

 

Proposed Notice

 

The proposed notice of the proceeding initiated by the filing of this Application, required by Rule 0-2(g) under the Act, is attached as Exhibit C to the Application.

 

VII.                            Procedural Compliance

 

By resolution at a Board meeting held on December 15, 2008, the Boards of AGD, AOD and AWP adopted the following resolutions authorizing the execution and filing of this Application.

 

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“RESOLVED, that each of Alpine Global Dynamic Dividend Fund, Alpine Total Dynamic Dividend Fund and Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, for an exemption from Section 19(b) of the Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder permitting the Funds to make periodic capital gains distributions on any class of capital stock of the Funds in any one taxable year, and make such amendments to such application as the officers of and counsel to the Funds deem necessary and appropriate; and be it

 

RESOLVED, that the President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary of the Funds be and each of them hereby is authorized, acting singularly, to execute and cause to be filed the application and any amendments thereto hereinabove authorized in such form as the officer executing the same may approve, his execution thereof to be conclusive evidence of such approval.”

 

Pursuant to Rule 0-2(c) under the Act, each Applicant hereby states that the person signing and filing this Application on its behalf is fully authorized to do so; that under the provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust or Operating Agreement, as applicable, of such Applicant, responsibility for the management of the affairs of such Applicant is vested in its Board of Trustees or Member, as applicable; and that such Applicant has complied with all requirements for the execution and filing of this Application in its name and on its behalf.

 

These verifications required by Rule 0-2(d) are attached to this Application as Exhibits A and B.

 

Pursuant to Rule 0-2(f) under the Act, the Applicants further state that:

 

1.                                       (a) The address of each of the Applicants is as follows:

 

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2500 Westchester Avenue, Suite 215

Purchase, New York 10577

(914) 251-0880

 

(b) Any questions regarding this Application should be directed to:

 

Thomas R. Westle

Blank Rome LLP

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York  10174

(212) 885-5239

 

Conclusion

 

On the basis of the foregoing, the Applicants respectfully request that the Commission enter an order pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Act exempting the Funds from the provisions of Section 19(b) of the Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder to permit each Fund to make distributions on its common shares consisting in whole or in part of capital gain dividends as frequently as once per month so long as it complies with the conditions of the Order and maintains in effect a distribution policy with respect to its common shares calling for periodic distributions of an amount equal to a fixed amount per share, a fixed percentage of market price per share or a fixed percentage of such Fund’s net asset value per share.

 

 

ALPINE GLOBAL DYNAMIC DIVIDEND
FUND

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Samuel A. Lieber

 

Name:

Samuel A. Lieber

 

Title:

President and Principal Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

ALPINE TOTAL DYNAMIC DIVIDEND FUND

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Samuel A. Lieber

 

Name:

Samuel A. Lieber

 

Title:

President and Principal Executive Officer

 

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ALPINE GLOBAL PREMIER PROPERTIES
FUND

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Samuel A. Lieber

 

Name:

Samuel A. Lieber

 

Title:

President

 

 

 

 

ALPINE WOODS CAPITAL INVESTORS, LLC

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Samuel A. Lieber

 

Name:

Samuel A. Lieber

 

Title:

Chief Executive Officer

Dated: February 4, 2009

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

A.                                  Verification of Alpine Global Dynamic Dividend Fund, Alpine Total Dynamic Dividend Fund and Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund

 

B.                                    Verification Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

VERIFICATION

 

The undersigned states that he has duly executed the attached Application dated February 4, 2009 for and on behalf of Alpine Global Dynamic Dividend Fund, Alpine Total Dynamic Dividend Fund and Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund (collectively, the “Funds”); that he is President of such Funds; and that all action by the Trustees of such Funds necessary to authorize the undersigned to execute and file such Application has been taken.  The undersigned further states that he is familiar with such Application and the contents of such Application, and that the facts therein set forth are true to the best of his knowledge, information and belief.

 

 

 

/s/ Samuel A. Lieber

 

Samuel A. Lieber

 

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EXHIBIT B

 

VERIFICATION

 

The undersigned states that he has duly executed the attached Application dated February 4, 2009 for and on behalf of Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC; that he is Chief Executive Officer of Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC; and that all action by the Member of Alpine Woods Capital Investors, LLC necessary to authorize the undersigned to execute and file such Application has been taken.  The undersigned further states that he is familiar with such Application and the contents of such Application, and that the facts therein set forth are true to the best of his knowledge, information and belief.

 

 

 

/s/ Samuel A. Lieber

 

Samuel A. Lieber

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

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