The Ontario Securities Commission today published a staff notice summarizing key initiatives and activities impacting investment fund issuers and the fund industry.
Specifically, the notice reviews the status of a number of policy initiatives, including with respect to, among other things, the transition to IFRS, mutual fund fees, point of sale and risk classification methodology for Fund Facts, and the modernization of investment fund product regulation.
The OSC also identifies a number of emerging trends over the past year, including an increase in the number of prospectus offerings that proposed to invest substantially all their assets in a pool of mortgages as well as an increase in the use of derivatives to offer more efficient investment exposure to areas that are more difficult to reach through direct investments.
The staff notice also includes a discussion of findings emerging from OSC staff's review of prospectus and continuous disclosure, including in respect of risk ratings in Fund Facts and sales communications and advertising. With respect to the latter issue, OSC staff found that while funds were generally compliant with disclosure requirements related to sales communication, some communication did not contain all the information required.
For more information, see OSC Staff Notice 81-723.
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