issuer or borrower fails to meet its
obligations to make interest payments and/or to repay principal in a timely manner. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, the market’s perception of such strength or in the credit rating of the issuer or the security
may affect the value of debt securities. The credit analysis applied to the Fund’s debt securities may fail to anticipate such changes, which could result in buying a debt security at an inopportune time or failing to sell a debt
security in advance of a price decline or other credit event.
Municipal Securities Risk. The risk of a municipal obligation generally depends on the financial and credit status of the issuer. Constitutional amendments, legislative enactments, executive orders, administrative regulations, voter
initiatives, and the issuer’s regional economic conditions may affect the municipal security’s value, interest payments, repayment of principal and the Fund’s ability to sell the security. Failure of a municipal
security issuer to comply with applicable tax requirements may make income paid thereon taxable, resulting in a decline in the security’s value. In addition, there could be changes in applicable tax laws or tax treatments
that reduce or eliminate the current federal income tax exemption on municipal securities or otherwise adversely affect the current federal or state tax status of municipal securities.
Municipal Issuer Focus Risk. The municipal issuers in which the Fund invests may be located in the same geographic area or may pay their interest obligations from revenue of
similar projects, such as hospitals, airports, utility systems and housing finance agencies. This may make the Fund’s investments more susceptible to similar social, economic, political or regulatory occurrences,
making the Fund more susceptible to experience a drop in its share price than if the Fund had been more diversified across issuers that did not have similar characteristics.
Investing in U.S. Territories, Commonwealths and Possessions Risk. The Fund also invests in obligations of the governments of U.S. territories, commonwealths and possessions such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to the extent such obligations are exempt from regular federal individual income taxes. Accordingly, the Fund may be adversely affected by local political, economic, social and
environmental conditions and developments, including natural disasters, within these U.S. territories, commonwealths and possessions affecting the issuers of such obligations.
Certain of the municipalities in which the Fund invests, including Puerto
Rico, currently experience significant financial difficulties, which may include default,
insolvency or bankruptcy. As a result, securities issued by certain of these municipalities are currently considered below-investment-grade securities. A credit rating downgrade relating to, default by, or insolvency or bankruptcy of, one or several
municipal security issuers of a state, territory, commonwealth or possession in which the Fund invests could affect the payment of principal and interest, the market values and marketability of many or all municipal obligations of
such state, territory, commonwealth or possession.
In the past several years, securities issued by Puerto Rico and its
agencies and instrumentalities have been subject to multiple credit downgrades as a result of
Puerto Rico’s ongoing fiscal challenges, growing debt obligations and uncertainty about its ability to make full repayment on these obligations, and certain issuers of Puerto Rican municipal securities have filed for bankruptcy
and/or failed to make payments on obligations that have come due. Such developments could adversely impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund may pay expenses to preserve its claims related to its Puerto Rican holdings.
The outcome of the debt restructuring of certain Puerto Rican issuers in which the Fund invests, both within and outside bankruptcy proceedings is uncertain, and could adversely affect the Fund.
The Schedule of Investments included in the Fund's annual and semi-annual reports and in Form N-CSR identifies the percentage of the Fund invested in Puerto Rican municipal
securities, as of the reporting date, which may be substantial.
Tobacco Related Bonds Risk. In 1998, U.S. tobacco manufacturers representing a majority of U.S. market share reached an out of court
agreement, known as the MSA, to settle claims against them by 46 states and six U.S.
jurisdictions. The tobacco manufacturers agreed to make annual payments to the government entities in exchange for the release of all litigation claims. A number of the states have sold bonds that are backed by those future payments. The
actual settlement payments are based on factors including, but not limited to, annual domestic cigarette shipments, cigarette consumption, inflation and the financial capability of participating tobacco companies. Payments
could be reduced if demand for cigarettes and cigarette consumption decrease due to, without limitation, further regulation or restrictions on cigarette sales or smoking, anti-smoking campaigns or tax increases; if market
share is lost to non-MSA manufacturers; or if there is a negative outcome in litigation regarding the MSA, including with respect to the amount of annual payments owed by participating manufacturers under the
MSA.
Land-Secured or “Dirt” Bonds
Risk. These bonds, which include special assessment, special tax, and tax increment financing
bonds, are issued to promote residential, commercial and industrial growth and redevelopment.
They are exposed to real estate development-related risks. The bonds could default if the developments failed to progress as anticipated or if taxpayers failed to pay the assessments, fees and taxes specified in the financing plans for
a project.
Municipal Lease Obligations
Risk. Municipal lease obligations are used by state and local governments to obtain funds to acquire land, equipment or facilities. The Fund can
invest in certificates of participation that represent a proportionate interest in payments made under municipal lease obligations. Most municipal lease obligations, while secured by the leased property, are not general
obligations of the issuing municipality. They often contain “non-appropriation” clauses under which the municipal government has no obligation to make lease or installment payments in future years unless money is
appropriated on a yearly basis.
If the municipal government stops making payments or transfers its payment
obligations to a private entity, the obligation could lose value or become taxable. Although the obligation may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure
might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and may result in a delay in recovering or the failure to recover the original investment. Some lease obligations may not have an active trading market, making it difficult for the
Fund to sell them quickly at an acceptable price.
Tax-Exempt Commercial Paper Risk. Tax-exempt commercial paper is a short-term obligation with a stated maturity of usually 270 days or less. It is issued by state and
local governments or their agencies to finance seasonal working capital needs or as short-term financing in anticipation of longer-term financing. While tax-exempt commercial paper is intended to be repaid from general
revenues or refinanced, it frequently is backed by a letter of credit, lending arrangement, note, repurchase agreement or other credit facility agreement offered by a bank or financial institution. Because tax-exempt
issuers may constantly reissue their commercial paper and use the proceeds (or other sources) to repay maturing paper, the commercial paper of a tax-exempt issuer that is unable to continue to obtain liquidity in
that manner may default. There may be a limited secondary market for issues of tax-exempt commercial paper.
Unrated Securities Risk. The investment
adviser may internally assign ratings to securities that are not rated by any nationally recognized
statistical rating organization, after assessing their credit quality and other factors, in
categories similar to those of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. There can be no assurance, nor is it intended, that the investment adviser’s credit analysis process is consistent or comparable with the credit analysis
process used by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Unrated securities are considered “investment-grade” or “below-investment-grade” if judged by the investment adviser to be comparable to rated
investment-grade or below-investment-grade