BlackRock Advisors, LLC today announced that the Board of
Directors/ Trustees (collectively, the “Boards”) of each of the
closed-end funds (the “Funds”) identified below have determined to
reject the demands contained in the demand letters received by each
Fund related to the redemption of its auction market preferred
shares (“AMPS”).
As previously announced on June 10, 2010 and August 11, 2010,
each of the 20 BlackRock closed-end funds listed below received a
demand letter from a law firm on behalf of purported common
shareholders of each Fund. The demand letters allege that BlackRock
Advisors, LLC (each Fund’s investment adviser) and the Funds’
officers and Boards of Directors/Trustees breached their fiduciary
duties by redeeming at par certain of the Funds’ AMPS, and demanded
that the Boards take action to remedy those alleged breaches.
In response to the demand letters, the Boards established a
Demand Review Committee (the “Committee”) of the independent
Directors/Trustees to investigate the claims made in the demand
letters with the assistance of independent counsel. Based upon its
investigation, the Committee recommended that the Boards reject the
demands specified in the demand letters. After reviewing the
findings of the Committee, the Board for each Fund unanimously
adopted the Committee’s recommendation and unanimously voted to
reject the demands.
The Funds that received demand letters are as follows:
Fund Name Ticker BlackRock
California Municipal Income Trust BFZ
BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust II, Inc. PSY BlackRock
Credit Allocation Income Trust IV BTZ BlackRock Insured Municipal
Income Investment Trust BAF BlackRock Insured Municipal Income
Trust BYM BlackRock Insured Municipal Term Trust BMT BlackRock Muni
Intermediate Duration Fund, Inc. MUI BlackRock Municipal Bond
Investment Trust BIE BlackRock Municipal Income Trust BFK BlackRock
MuniHoldings Insured Fund II, Inc. MUE BlackRock MuniHoldings
Insured Investment Fund MFL BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey
Insured Fund, Inc. MUJ BlackRock MuniYield California Insured Fund,
Inc. MCA BlackRock MuniYield Fund, Inc. MYD BlackRock MuniYield
Insured Fund, Inc. MYI BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Insured Fund,
Inc. MIY BlackRock New Jersey Municipal Income Trust BNJ BlackRock
New York Insured Municipal Income Trust BSE BlackRock New York
Municipal Bond Trust BQH The BlackRock Strategic Municipal Trust
BSD
The allegations made by shareholders' counsel in the demand
letters were repeated and expanded in complaints filed on July 27,
2010 and August 3, 2010 by the same counsel in Supreme Court, N.Y.
County. The Committee reviewed both the complaints and the demand
letters, and the conclusion of the Committee and the Boards that
the allegations lack merit applies to both.
The Boards and BlackRock are currently exploring potential
alternative forms of leverage in order to provide liquidity to AMPS
shareholders, including, among other things, the development of a
new form of preferred stock that includes a put feature, which
would make the security eligible for purchase by money market
funds. In addition, the Boards and BlackRock are also exploring the
feasibility of the expanded use of additional alternative forms of
leverage such as tender option bonds, reverse repurchase agreements
and credit facilities, as appropriate. The Boards and BlackRock
will determine, based on the facts and circumstances applicable to
each BlackRock fund with AMPS outstanding, whether such alternative
forms of leverage would be appropriate and in the best interest of
the respective fund as a whole and shareholders.
About BlackRock
BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management
and advisory services for institutional and retail clients
worldwide. At June 30, 2010, BlackRock’s AUM was $3.151 trillion.
BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet
clients’ needs, including active, enhanced and index strategies
across markets and asset classes. Products are offered in a variety
of structures including separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares®
(exchange traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles.
BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise
investment system services to a broad base of institutional
investors through BlackRock Solutions®. Headquartered in New York
City, as of June 30, 2010, the firm has approximately 8,500
employees in 24 countries and a major presence in key global
markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia
and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please
visit the firm's website at www.blackrock.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release, and other statements that BlackRock may
make, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, with respect to
BlackRock’s future financial or business performance, strategies or
expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified
by words or phrases such as “trend,” “potential,” “opportunity,”
“pipeline,” “believe,” “comfortable,” “expect,” “anticipate,”
“current,” “intention,” “estimate,” “position,” “assume,”
“outlook,” “continue,” “remain,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,”
“achieve,” and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs
such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar
expressions.
BlackRock cautions that forward-looking statements are subject
to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over
time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are
made, and BlackRock assumes no duty to and does not undertake to
update forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ
materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and
future results could differ materially from historical
performance.
With respect to each Fund, the following factors, among others,
could cause actual events to differ materially from forward-looking
statements or historical performance: (1) changes in political,
economic or industry conditions, the interest rate environment or
financial and capital markets, which could result in changes in the
Fund’s net asset value; (2) the performance of the Fund’s
investments; (3) the impact of increased competition; (4) the
extent and timing of any distributions or share repurchases; (5)
the impact of legislative and regulatory actions and reforms and
regulatory, supervisory or enforcement actions of government
agencies relating to the Fund or BlackRock, as applicable; and (6)
BlackRock’s ability to attract and retain highly talented
professionals.
The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and other regulatory filings
of the Funds with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov and on
BlackRock’s website at www.blackrock.com, and may discuss
these or other factors that affect the Funds. The information
contained on our website is not a part of this press release.
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