Brompton Proposes Merger of Symphony Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund With Brompton Wellington Square Investment Grade CLO ETF

Core Viewpoint - Brompton Funds Limited has proposed a merger of the Symphony Floating Rate Senior Loan Fund into the Brompton Wellington Square Investment Grade CLO ETF, with the ETF being the continuing fund, and a special meeting will be held for unitholders to vote on this proposal [1][8]. Fund Merger Details - The merger will involve exchanging class A and class U units of the Fund for CAD and USD units of the ETF, respectively, based on their net asset values [2]. - The ETF aims to provide high monthly income and capital preservation through investments in primarily investment grade rated collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) [3]. Investment Quality and Management - The average credit rating of the Fund's current portfolio is B+, while at least 75% of the Continuing Fund's portfolio will be in Investment Grade CLOs, which are less likely to default [5]. - The management fee for the Continuing Fund will be reduced from 1.25% to 0.60%, and the management expense ratio (MER) is expected to decrease from 2.29% to less than 0.75% per annum [5]. - The Continuing Fund will not engage in borrowing, which is expected to further reduce costs and volatility [5]. Distribution and Trading Benefits - The current distribution rate of the Fund is 7.26%, and the Continuing Fund will maintain a focus on high monthly income distributions [5]. - The merger is expected to reduce the bid/ask spread significantly, leading to lower effective costs for investors [5][12]. - Post-merger, the Continuing Fund is anticipated to trade closer to its NAV, improving trading liquidity and allowing for large volume transactions without significantly affecting market prices [12]. Meeting and Implementation - A special meeting for unitholders to vote on the merger will be held on November 17, 2025, with an accelerated annual redemption option expected on December 30, 2025, if approved [7][8].