SEC Company Response from AIM TAX-EXEMPT FUNDS (INVESCO TAX-EXEMPT FUNDS) (CIK 0000909466) — Aug 28, 2020
AIM TAX-EXEMPT FUNDS (INVESCO TAX-EXEMPT FUNDS) (CIK 0000909466)
Date: Aug. 28, 2020 · CIK: 0000909466 · Accession: 0001683863-20-012922
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm PDFtoHTML Conversion Output ________ Invesco Advisers, Inc. 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000 Houston, TX 77046-1173 August 28, 2020 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Investment Management 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20549 Attention: Ms. Jaea Hahn, Esq. Re: AIM Tax-Exempt Funds (Invesco Tax-Exempt Funds) (the "Registrant") File Nos. 033-66242; 811-07890 CIK No. 0000909466 Responses to Comments on Post-Effective Amendment No. 89 Dear Ms. Hahn: This letter responds to comments from the staff (the "Staff") of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which you conveyed via telephone on August 17, 2020 regarding Post- Effective Amendment No. 89 to the Registrant's registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Amendment No. 90 to the Registrant's registration statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), which was filed with the SEC on July 2, 2020 (the "Amendment"). The Amendment was filed solely in connection with the repositioning of Invesco Oppenheimer Municipal Fund to Invesco Environmental Focus Municipal Fund (the "Fund"). Each of your comments is set forth below in bold with the Registrant's response immediately below each comment. Principal Strategies - General 1.The Fund's name now includes the term "Environmental Focus." The Staff believes that the term "environmental focus" suggests a type of investment and therefore the Fund should have an 80% investment policy that reflects the Fund's environmental criteria. Response: The Registrant notes that Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act requires that a fund with a name that suggests that the fund focuses its investments in a particular type of investment or industry adopt a policy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in the particular type of investment or industry suggested by the fund's name. The Registrant believes the term "environmental focus," as used in the Fund's name, does not identify a type of investment or industry, but rather indicates that the Fund employs an investment strategy that analyzes the potential positive environmental impact characteristics of the issuers of investments in its portfolio and focuses on those investments that meet the Fund's environmental criteria. Accordingly, the Registrant does not believe it is required to adopt an 80% policy with respect to the Fund's investments in issuers that satisfy the criteria used to implement the Fund's strategy. The Registrant believes strongly that this view is consistent with and supported by the proposed and adopting releases for Rule 35d-1 and the "Staff's Frequently Asked Questions about Rule 35d-1" in which the Staff indicated that the rule does not apply to a fund name that connotes a type of investment strategy. For example, in the adopting release for Rule 35d-1, the SEC recognized that descriptors such as growth or value "connote types of investment strategies as opposed to types of investments." The Registrant believes the term "environmental focus" in the Fund's name connotes the investment strategy of offering an environmental focus while providing exposure to the municipal bond market and as such is more akin to descriptors like "growth" or "value." Further, the Registrant notes that the Staff recently published a request for comments on Rule 35d-1, in which the Staff sought comments as to whether "the Names Rule [should] apply to terms such as 'ESG' or 'sustainable' that reflect certain qualitative characteristics of an investment." (See Request for Comment on Fund Names, Investment Company Act Release No. 33809 (March 2, 2020), available at https://www.sec.gov/rules/other/2020/ic-33809.pdf.), suggesting that, in its current form, the Names Rule does not explicitly apply to terms such as "ESG," "sustainable," or "environmental focus." In that request, the Staff indicated that some funds "that include one or more environmental, social, and governance-oriented assessments or judgments in their investment mandates (e.g., 'ESG' investment mandates)" treat terms such as "ESG" as an investment strategy, to which the Names Rule does not apply. (See ICA Release No. 33809, at p. 9). The Registrant is of the general view that an investment "type" typically cannot change its attributes in response to changes in the financial and economic markets (e.g., equity, debt, industries and geographical locations, to which the Names Rule's application is long- settled, are investment types that cannot change their attributes). Strategies on the other hand, which according to Instruction 1 to N-1A Item 9(b)(1), are the "polic[ies], practice[s], or technique[s] used by the Fund to achieve its investment objectives" generally can change under appropriate circumstances and with appropriate notice to shareholders, as applicable. The Fund's application of its environmental policies, practices and techniques is a strategy, not an investment type. Lastly, the Registrant believes that the use of the term "environmental focus" in the Fund's name is not materially deceptive or misleading under Section 35(d). When the SEC adopted Rule 35d-1, the SEC provided that the general test of whether a particular fund name is misleading under Section 35(d) is "whether the name would lead a reasonable investor to conclude that the company invests in a manner that is inconsistent with the company's intended investments or the risks of those investments." See SEC Release No. IC-24828 (January 17, 2001). The Fund believes that the term "environmental focus" in the Fund's name would not lead a reasonable investor to conclude that the Fund invests in a manner that is inconsistent with its name because the Fund intends to pursue an environmentally focused investment strategy. Specifically, the portfolio managers' proprietary framework for evaluating, scoring and screening issuers based on environmental criteria is an integral component of the Fund's principal investment strategy and portfolio construction process, as described in the Fund's prospectus, and applies to all of the Fund's municipal investments. The Registrant believes that, in light of the description of the Fund's principal investment strategies and related "Environmental Focus Criteria Risk" disclosure, the Fund's name would not lead a reasonable investor to conclude that the Fund invests in a manner that is inconsistent with the Fund's intended investments or the risks of those investments. Consequently, respectfully, the Registrant declines to modify its 80% investment policy as requested. However, the Registrant thinks that it is appropriate to, and will, add the following disclosure to the principal investment strategies in the statutory section of the prospectus in materially substantial form: 2 "Shareholders will be provided with 60 days' notice of any strategy change resulting in consideration of environmental focus criteria no longer being material to the Fund's principal investment strategy." 2.Supplementally, please confirm that any derivatives included in the Fund's 80% policy will be valued at market value. Response: The Fund confirms that derivative instruments that are counted towards its 80% policy will be valued at market value. 3.We note the Fund is changing its strategy as detailed in a prospectus supplement filed on June 29, 2020. We have the following comments concerning these changes (collectively, the "Fund Changes"): (a)Supplementally, inform the staff why the board of trustees of the Registrant (the "Board") believes the Fund Changes are consistent with its fiduciary duties and are in the best interests of existing shareholders who did not vote for these changes. Specifically: (i)Explain in detail what information the Board considered and how it weighed the information in arriving at its decision. (ii)Explain in detail why the Board concluded this approach was better for shareholders than other alternatives, such as liquidating the Fund and launching a new fund. (iii)Please support your explanation of the Board's deliberation with data; for example, if cost was a consideration, please provide cost data on making the Fund Changes as compared to starting a new fund with this strategy. (b)Supplementally, please explain why the Adviser believes the Fund Changes are consistent with its fiduciary duty to the Fund. (c)What is the composition of the Fund's shareholder base (e.g., affiliated vs. unaffiliated; institutional vs. retail)? Please note what percentage of the Fund's assets are held by retail investors. (d)Please supplementally inform the staff what percentage of the Fund's portfolio will be repositioned as a result of the Fund Changes. (e)Have any shareholders contacted the Registrant, the Fund or any intermediaries about the Fund Changes? If so, describe the nature of any such communications, including whether anyone has expressed displeasure or disagreement with the planned changes or threatened legal action. Response: The Registrant will consider these comments and provide responses in separate correspondence to the staff. 4.The Fund should describe more clearly the criteria used to determine whether an issuer is involved in projects or technologies with "high potential positive environmental impact." For example, who are these issuers and what characteristics would be consistent with an ESG focus. Response: The Fund has added the following statement, in materially similar form, to the Principal Investment Strategies section: "Generally, the Adviser views projects or technologies with high potential positive environment impact to include opportunities likely to result in lower or net-zero emissions, environmental conservation, environmental rehabilitation, increased use or creation of renewable energy, increased sustainability, or other positive environmental outcomes. These high potential 3 opportunities are identified by the Adviser through a proprietary peer comparative process that takes into account published information about the issuer and its programs and policies, along with issuer-level data, including issue-level reviews that rely on the purpose/use of proceeds statement and source of funding to determine eligibility in the Fund's portfolio as described further below." 5.Please describe in more detail what factors the Adviser applies as part of its proprietary environmental screen. Response: The Fund believes that its description of the factors applied by the Adviser as part of the environmental screen is sufficient but, in addition to the language added in response to #4, has added the following statement, in materially similar form, to the Principal Investment Strategies section to further clarify the types of opportunities emphasized by its factor based screening approach (underlined disclosure added): "In selecting securities for investment, the Adviser first uses a proprietary environmental focus scoring system to evaluate securities based on pre-determined environmental focus and sustainability factors to determine suitability for inclusion in the Fund's portfolio. These factors include, but are not limited to, the issuer's stated mission with respect to positive environmental outcomes or its stated environmental impact plan, whether an issuer has engaged in any policies or activities evidencing a significant negative environmental impact, whether proceeds raised through the issuance of a security will be used toward achieving a positive environmental outcome, and whether proceeds will be raised through revenues related to extractive industries (such as fuel surcharges). This proprietary approach emphasizes investment opportunities related to energy efficiency, renewable energy (including solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower), bio- fuels, energy storage and related technologies and programs, mass transit, carbon sink conservation, carbon capture technologies and other projects or technologies intended to minimize man-made impacts on climate." The Fund has also enhanced its principal strategy disclosure to further clarify its assessment of these factors as part of its proprietary environmental focus scoring system. 6.Describe the Fund's due diligence practices and screening criteria more completely. Does the Fund rely on any third parties? Response: The Fund has enhanced its disclosure to clarify its due diligence practice and screening criteria. This is a fully proprietary methodology conducted by the Adviser; no third parties are relied upon. 7.Explain whether the Fund's environmental criteria are applied to every investment or only some and whether the environment is the exclusive factor considered by the Fund or just one of several factors? Response: We have revised the disclosure to make clear that the Fund's environmental criteria applies to all municipal investments. The revised disclosure also clarifies that after investments have been evaluated based on the proprietary environmental focus scoring system, the Adviser uses its extensive research capabilities to assess potential investments and considers a number of factors, including general market and economic conditions and interest rate, credit and prepayment risks before making investment decisions. 4 Summary Prospectus 8.Please update the Fund's portfolio turnover information to a more current date. Response: The Fund's portfolio turnover data has been updated to a more current date. 9.The Fund's principal investment strategies section includes disclosure that states "Such investments may include, but are not limited to, investments in projects or technologies intended to minimize anthropogenic impacts on climate, such as those relating to energy efficiency, mass transit, carbon capture technologies and renewable energy (including solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower), as well as investments in issuers with positive environmental performance records, based on metrics determined by the Adviser." The Fund should rephrase this disclosure in plain English. Response: The Fund has replaced the term "anthropogenic" with "man-made" to clarify its meaning and has clarified that "carbon capture technologies" are those that prevent carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. 10.Please clarify what constitutes "high potential positive environmental impact" as disclosed in the Fund's principal investment strategies. Please also confirm, supplementally, that the Fund will not rely on third party to determine this component. Response: Please see the response to Comment No. 4 with respect to the term "high potential positive environmental impact." The Fund also confirms that it will not rely on a third party to determine this component. 11.The Fund discloses that ""the Adviser seeks to exclude investments where tax and other related revenue from a security's issuer is derived from the leasing of extractive rights, such as fossil fuel reserves and also excludes securities from other sectors that do not meet the Fund's environmental criteria." Please identify the sectors that do not meet the Fund's environmental criteria. Response: The Fund has revised its disclosure to clarify which investments are excluded from eligibility in the Fund's portfolio. 12.Supplementally, please clarify whether a shareholder's tax obligations will change as a result of the strategy change. Response: The Registrant confirms that shareholders' ongoing tax obligations will remain the same under the Fund's environmental focus strategy as they are under the Fund's current strategy. 13.Please disclose whether the Fund has any parameters on the maturity or duration of its portfolio investments. Response: The Fund does not have any parameters on the maturity or duration of its portfolio investments and has added a statement to the Fund's principal strategy disclosure indicating that fact. 14.The Staff noticed that the risks are listed in alphabetical order. Ple