Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-110
§80a–27 Periodic Payment Plans
Title 15 › CHAPTER 2D — INVESTMENT COMPANIES AND ADVISERS › SUBCHAPTER I — INVESTMENT COMPANIES › § 80a–27
Summary
Investment companies may not sell periodic payment-plan certificates unless they follow strict rules about sales charges, payments, and how the money is kept. The total sales charge cannot be more than 9% of all payments. No more than half of any of the first 12 monthly payments may be taken as a sales charge, and one payment’s charge may not be unfairly larger than another. The first payment must be at least $20 and later payments at least $10. If the company is managed, fees charged on the proceeds are limited to reasonable amounts the SEC sets. Certificates must be redeemable, and all payments (after sales charges) must be held by a qualified trustee or custodian under safeguards like those used for unit investment trusts. The SEC can allow small companies to be exempt from the basic sales-charge limits in limited cases. Holders have refund and notice rights. Within the first 18 months a holder may surrender the certificate and get the account value plus a refund from the seller equal to any sales charge amount over 15% of the gross payments. If a holder misses payments near the 15–18 month period, the company must notify them in writing of this right and of the account value. For plans where any payment’s sales charge exceeds 9% of that payment, the custodian must mail a charges statement within 60 days and the holder has 45 days to cancel and get the account value plus the difference between gross payments and the net invested. A company may instead choose alternate rules that set different percentage limits (for example, no more than 20% of any payment or an average of 16% over the first 48 months) and similar limits on fees. Registered separate accounts for variable insurance contracts are mostly excluded, except they must be redeemable and follow certain SEC rules. No company may issue or sell new periodic payment-plan certificates after 30 days after September 29, 2006, but certificates sold before that date remain valid.
Full Legal Text
Title 15, §80a–27
Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Sale of certificates; restrictions
It shall be unlawful for any registered investment company issuing periodic payment plan certificates, or for any depositor of or underwriter for such company, to sell any such certificate, if—
(1)the sales load on such certificate exceeds 9 per centum of the total payments to be made thereon;
(2)more than one-half of any of the first twelve monthly payments thereon, or their equivalent, is deducted for sales load;
(3)the amount of sales load deducted from any one of such first payments exceeds proportionately the amount deducted from any other such payment, or the amount deducted from any subsequent payment exceeds proportionately the amount deducted from any other subsequent payment;
(4)the first payment on such certificate is less than $20, or any subsequent payment is less than $10;
(5)if such registered company is a management company, the proceeds of such certificate or the securities in which such proceeds are invested are subject to management fees (other than fees for administrative services of the character described in clause (C), paragraph (2), of section 80a–26(a) of this title) exceeding such reasonable amount as the Commission may prescribe, whether such fees are payable to such company or to investment advisers thereof; or
(6)if such registered company is a unit investment trust the assets of which are securities issued by a management company, the depositor of or principal underwriter for such trust, or any affiliated person of such depositor or underwriter, is to receive from such management company or any affiliated person thereof any fee or payment on account of payments on such certificate exceeding such reasonable amount as the Commission may prescribe.
(b)Exemptions
If it appears to the Commission, upon application or otherwise, that smaller companies are subjected to relatively higher operating costs and that in order to make due allowance therefor it is necessary or appropriate in the public interest and consistent with the protection of investors that a provision or provisions of paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a) relative to sales load be relaxed in the case of certain registered investment companies issuing periodic payment plan certificates, or certain specified classes of such companies, the Commission is authorized by rules and regulations or order to grant any such company or class of companies appropriate qualified exemptions from the provisions of said paragraphs.
(c)Sale of certificates; requirements
It shall be unlawful for any registered investment company issuing periodic payment plan certificates, or for any depositor of or underwriter for such company, to sell any such certificate, unless—
(1)such certificate is a redeemable security; and
(2)the proceeds of all payments on such certificate (except such amounts as are deducted for sales load) are deposited with a trustee or custodian having the qualifications prescribed in paragraph (1) of section 80a–26(a) of this title for the trustees of unit investment trusts, and are held by such trustee or custodian under an indenture or agreement containing, in substance, the provisions required by paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 80a–26(a) of this title for the trust indentures of unit investment trusts.
(d)Surrender of certificates; regulations
Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, it shall be unlawful for any registered investment company issuing periodic payment plan certificates, or for any depositor of or underwriter for such company, to sell any such certificate unless the certificate provide that the holder thereof may surrender the certificate at any time within the first eighteen months after the issuance of the certificate and receive in payment thereof, in cash, the sum of (1) the value of his account, and (2) an amount, from such underwriter or depositor, equal to that part of the excess paid for sales loading which is over 15 per centum of the gross payments made by the certificate holder. The Commission may make rules and regulations applicable to such underwriters and depositors specifying such reserve requirements as it deems necessary or appropriate in order for such underwriters and depositors to carry out the obligations to refund sales charges required by this subsection.
(e)Refund privileges; notice; rules
With respect to any periodic payment plan certificate sold subject to the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, the registered investment company issuing such periodic payment plan certificate, or any depositor of or underwriter for such company, shall in writing (1) inform each certificate holder who has missed three payments or more, within thirty days following the expiration of fifteen months after the issuance of the certificate, or, if any such holder has missed one payment or more after such period of fifteen months but prior to the expiration of eighteen months after the issuance of the certificate, at any time prior to the expiration of such eighteen-month period, of his right to surrender his certificate as specified in subsection (d) of this section, and (2) inform the certificate holder of (A) the value of the holder’s account as of the time the written notice was given to such holder, and (B) the amount to which he is entitled as specified in subsection (d) of this section. The Commission may make rules specifying the method, form, and contents of the notice required by this subsection.
(f)Charges, statement; rules; surrender of certificates; regulations
With respect to any periodic payment plan (other than a plan under which the amount of sales load deducted from any payment thereon does not exceed 9 per centum of such payment), the custodian bank for such plan shall mail to each certificate holder, within sixty days after the issuance of the certificate, a statement of charges to be deducted from the projected payments on the certificate and a notice of his right of withdrawal as specified in this section. The Commission may make rules specifying the method, form, and contents of the notice required by this subsection. The certificate holder may within forty-five days of the mailing of the notice specified in this subsection surrender his certificate and receive in payment thereof, in cash, the sum of (1) the value of his account, and (2) an amount, from the underwriter or depositor, equal to the difference between the gross payments made and the net amount invested. The Commission may make rules and regulations applicable to underwriters and depositors of companies issuing any such certificate specifying such reserve requirements as it deems necessary or appropriate in order for such underwriters and depositors to carry out the obligations to refund sales charges required by this subsection.
(g)Governing provisions; election
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (d), a registered investment company issuing periodic payment plan certificates may elect, by written notice to the Commission, to be governed by the provisions of subsection (h) rather than the provisions of subsections (a) and (d) of this section.
(h)Sale of certificates; restrictions
Upon making the election specified in subsection (g), it shall be unlawful for any such electing registered investment company issuing periodic payment plan certificates, or for any depositor of or underwriter for such company, to sell any such certificate, if—
(1)the sales load on such certificate exceeds 9 per centum of the total payments to be made thereon;
(2)more than 20 per centum of any payment thereon is deducted for sales load, or an average of more than 16 per centum is deducted for sales load from the first forty-eight monthly payments thereon, or their equivalent;
(3)the amount of sales load deducted from any one of the first twelve monthly payments, the thirteenth through twenty-fourth monthly payments, the twenty-fifth through thirty-sixth monthly payments, or the thirty-seventh through forty-eighth monthly payments, or their equivalents, respectively, exceeds proportionately the amount deducted from any other such payment, or the amount deducted from any subsequent payment exceeds proportionately the amount deducted from any other subsequent payment;
(4)the deduction for sales load on the excess of the payment or payments in any month over the minimum monthly payment, or its equivalent, to be made on the certificate exceeds the sales load applicable to payments subsequent to the first forty-eight monthly payments or their equivalent;
(5)the first payment on such certificate is less than $20, or any subsequent payment is less than $10;
(6)if such registered company is a management company, the proceeds of such certificate or the securities in which such proceeds are invested are subject to management fees (other than fees for administrative services of the character described in clause (C) of paragraph (2) of section 80a–26(a) of this title) exceeding such reasonable amount as the Commission may prescribe, whether such fees are payable to such company or to investment advisers thereof; or
(7)if such registered company is a unit investment trust the assets of which are securities issued by a management company, the depositor of or principal underwriter for such trust, or any affiliated person of such depositor or underwriter, is to receive from such management company or any affiliated person thereof any fee or payment on account of payments on such certificate exceeding such reasonable amount as the Commission may prescribe.
(i)Applicability to registered separate account funding variable insurance contracts
(1)This section does not apply to any registered separate account funding variable insurance contracts, or to the sponsoring insurance company and principal underwriter of such account, except as provided in paragraph (2).
(2)It shall be unlawful for any registered separate account funding variable insurance contracts, or for the sponsoring insurance company of such account, to sell any such contract unless—
(A)such contract is a redeemable security; and
(B)the insurance company complies with section 80a–26(f) of this title and any rules or regulations issued by the Commission under section 80a–26(f) of this title.
(j)Termination of sales
(1)Termination
Effective 30 days after September 29, 2006, it shall be unlawful, subject to subsection (i)—
(A)for any registered investment company to issue any periodic payment plan certificate; or
(B)for such company, or any depositor of or underwriter for any such company, or any other person, to sell such a certificate.
(2)No invalidation of existing certificates
Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to alter, invalidate, or otherwise affect any rights or obligations, including rights of redemption, under any periodic payment plan certificate issued and sold before 30 days after September 29, 2006.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2006—Subsec. (i)(2)(B). Pub. L. 109–290, § 4(b), substituted “section 80a–26(f)” for “section 80a–26(e)” in two places. Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 109–290, § 4(a), added subsec. (j). 1996—Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 104–290 added subsec. (i). 1971—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 92–165 inserted “(other than a plan under which the amount of sales load deducted from any payment thereon does not exceed 9 per centum of such payment)”. 1970—Subsecs. (d) to (h). Pub. L. 91–547 added subsecs. (d) to (h).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–547 effective on expiration of six months after Dec. 14, 1970, see section 30(3) of Pub. L. 91–547, set out as a note under section 80a–52 of this title.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
For
Transfer of Functions
of Securities and Exchange Commission, with certain exceptions, to Chairman of such Commission, see Reorg. Plan No. 10 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3175, 64 Stat. 1265, set out under section 78d of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
15 U.S.C. § 80a–27
Title 15, Commerce and Trade
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110