Delaware Investments Announces Redemption of Preferred Shares in Certain Closed-End Funds
16 Outubro 2008 - 6:15PM
PR Newswire (US)
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Board of
Trustees/Directors of Delaware Investments Arizona Municipal Income
Fund, Inc. (ASE:VAZ), Delaware Investments National Municipal
Income Fund (ASE:VFL), and certain series of Delaware Investments
Minnesota Municipal Income Fund II, Inc. (ASE:VMM) (each, a "Fund,"
and collectively, the "Funds") announced it has approved a plan to
redeem all or a significant portion of outstanding preferred shares
issued by the Funds later this month. Earlier this week, Delaware
Investments Colorado Municipal Income Fund, Inc. (ASE:VCF) and a
series of Delaware Investments Minnesota Municipal Income Fund II,
Inc. (ASE: VMM) announced similar redemption plans. Each of the
Funds has two or more series of preferred shares issued, each with
a liquidation preference of $50,000 plus any accrued and
undistributed capital gains through the dividend payable date. The
redemption plan is intended to better position each Fund to pursue
its investment objectives during current and unprecedented market
volatility, which has resulted in higher short-term interest rates.
Preferred shareholders of each series of the Funds listed in the
table below are subject to redemption on the dates and in the
amounts listed. The implementation of the redemption plan,
including the amounts and the frequency with which Management may
seek to redeem shares, remains subject to market conditions as well
as the discretion of the Funds' investment managers. After the
redemption plan is complete, it is anticipated that Delaware
Investments Arizona Municipal Income Fund, Inc. and Delaware
Investments National Municipal Income Fund will no longer have any
preferred shares outstanding. Number of Number of Preferred Shares
Preferred Fund Name Series CUSIP Outstanding Redemption Shares to
be Currently Date Redeemed Delaware Investments Arizona Municipal A
246100200 250 October 24, 2008 250 Income Fund, Inc (ASE:VAZ) B
246100309 250 October 24, 2008 250 Delaware Investments National
Municipal A 24610T207 200 October 24, 2008 200 Income Fund
(ASE:VFL) B 24610T306 200 October 24, 2008 200 Delaware Investments
Minnesota Municipal A 24610V202 600 October 24, 2008 355 Income
Fund II, Inc C 24610V400 400 October 24, 2008 227 (ASE:VMM) D
24610V509 300 October 24, 2008 177 Management recommended the
redemption of the Funds' preferred shares based on its expectation
that the current environment may become increasingly difficult for
the Funds to invest the assets attributable to the preferred shares
in securities that provide a sufficient rate of return compared to
the dividend rates payable on the preferred shares, which have
remained elevated in recent remarketings. These higher costs, in
conjunction with current market conditions, could cause the Funds
to realize an overall lower rate of return than if the Funds were
not leveraged. The Funds' Board of Directors/Trustees may consider
adding some form of leverage to the Funds in the future if
warranted by economic conditions at that time. Under the Statements
Establishing and Fixing the Rights and Preferences of each Fund's
preferred shares, Depository Trust Company (DTC), the securities'
holder of record, determines by lot how partial series redemptions
will be allocated among each participant broker-dealer account. DTC
then notifies Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas (DBTCA), the
Funds' paying agent, of its determination and DBTCA determines by
lot the number of shares to be redeemed from preferred shareholder
accounts held by each participant broker-dealer. DBTCA may
determine that shares will be redeemed from the accounts of some
preferred shareholders, which may include the Funds' remarketing
agents, without shares being redeemed from the accounts of other
preferred shareholders. About Delaware Investments: Delaware
Investments, an affiliate of Lincoln Financial Group, is a
Philadelphia-based diversified asset management firm with more than
$135 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2008.
Through a broad range of managed accounts and portfolios, mutual
funds, retirement accounts, sub- advised funds and other investment
products, Delaware Investments provides investment services to
individual investors and to institutional investors such as private
and public pension funds, foundations, and endowment funds.
Delaware Investments is the marketing name for Delaware Management
Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information on
Delaware Investments, visit the company at
http://www.delawareinvestments.com/. Lincoln Financial Group is the
marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its
affiliates. For more information on Lincoln Financial Group, visit
http://www.lincolnfinancial.com/. DATASOURCE: Delaware Investments
CONTACT: Ayele Ajavon, +1-215-255-1632, , or Christopher Allen,
+1-215-255-1520, , both Corporate Communications, of Delaware
Investments Web site: http://www.delawareinvestments.com/
http://www.lincolnfinancial.com/
Copyright