Securities & Exchange Commission v. Alpine Mutual Fund Trust

824 F. Supp. 987, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8838
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedMay 12, 1993
DocketCiv. A. 91-F-2027
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 824 F. Supp. 987 (Securities & Exchange Commission v. Alpine Mutual Fund Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Securities & Exchange Commission v. Alpine Mutual Fund Trust, 824 F. Supp. 987, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8838 (D. Colo. 1993).

Opinion

ORDER REGARDING ADJUSTMENT OF NET ASSET VALUES: 1993-1

SHERMAN G. FINESILVER, Chief Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on the motion of the Receiver, Raymond L. Fried-lob, for an order (1) authorizing the adjustment of the net asset value (“NAV”) of the funds of the Alpine Mutual Fund Trust, (2) authorizing the Receiver not to pay interest on shareholder redemption claims and (3) requiring receivership expenses through December 31, 1992 to be prorated among all shareholders, including those being treated as creditors (the “Motion”). The Receiver also filed a supplement to the motion and an offer of proof of the anticipated testimony of Arthur Andersen & Co., S.C. Objections to the Motion were filed by 26 separate account holders as former shareholders of the California Municipal Asset Trust (“CMAT”) (col *988 lectively, the “Joint Objectors” 1 ), and the Court acknowledged that letters of objection were filed individually by the following former CMAT shareholders: John F. Weaver and Barbara R. Weaver, Helen Kennedy Ca-hill and John E. Cahill, Trustees for the benefit of Helen Weber Kennedy Trust, and John E. Cahill and Helen K. Cahill, individually, Ethel F. Brant, Margaret A. Ryan, and a letter of objection filed by Blair Aaronson on behalf of Harry Grobe and Bertha Grobe, Trustees for the benefit of the Grobe Family Trust, a former shareholder of the National Municipal Asset Trust (“NMAT”).

The Court held a hearing on the matters, made its rulings, and instructed the Receiver to file a proposed order embodying those rulings. We now expand on our bench rulings. Being fully advised in the premises, the Court hereby enters the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and Order:

I. Findings of Fact

1. In or about June 1986, Defendant Alpine Mutual Fund Trust (“Alpine”) 2 was organized as a Massachusetts business trust.

2. On or about September 19, 1986, Alpine registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an open-end investment company.

3. Alpine was the registrant for two different series mutual funds, CMAT and NMAT (collectively, the “Funds”).

4. The primary investment objective of CMAT was to provide CMAT investors with dividend and interest income exempt from Federal and California income tax through investments in municipal obligations issued by the State of California or local government entities of that State.

5. The primary investment objective of NMAT was to provide NMAT investors Federally tax exempt income by investing in municipal obligations, primarily municipal leases and municipal bonds.

6. Edwin J. Pittock (“Pittock”) was chairman of the board of trustees for, and president of, Alpine. Pittock was the president of Alpine Capital Management Corporation (“Alpine Capital”), the former investment adviser of NMAT from August 1989 to July 1991, and investment adviser to CMAT as of November 1991. Pittock was the principal shareholder of Alpine Holding Corporation, a co-owner of Alpine Capital, and of Alpine Broker Services Corporation, which was the distributor for shares of Alpine’s series mutual funds, NMAT and CMAT. Pittock was also chairman, president, and substantial shareholder of Continental Heritage Management Investment, Inc., the company which served as investment adviser to Alpine’s series mutual funds until about August 1989. Pittock was also a director and a principal shareholder of the series mutual funds’ transfer agent and accounting services provider, Exchange Transfer Company. Pittock was also President of Alpine Municipal Leasing Corp., the municipal lease originator of leases purchased by the Funds.

7. On or about November 14, 1973, Alpine Capital registered with the SEC as an investment adviser.

8. On or about August 24, 1989, Alpine Capital became the adviser to Alpine’s series mutual funds, including CMAT and NMAT, replacing Continental Heritage Management, Inc.

9. On or about July 28,1991, Alpine Capital was replaced by H.L. Camp, a registered investment adviser with the SEC, as adviser to NMAT. Alpine Capital continued to serve as adviser to CMAT through November 20, 1991. Alpine Capital was owned by Alpine Holding Corporation, which was controlled *989 by Pittoek and another principal shareholder, John I. Dickerson, who was chairman of Alpine Capital.

10. From about 1986 to in or about September 1991, NMAT offered for sale and sold securities in the form of shares to the general public through the use of its prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the SEC. The Fund’s shares were sold by its distributor, Alpine Broker Services Corporation (“Alpine Broker”), a registered broker-dealer with the SEC.

11. From about 1986 to on or about November 20,1991, CMAT, through its prospectus and statement of additional information filed with the SEC, sold shares to the general public. Fund shares were sold through its distributor, Alpine Broker.

12. The CMAT and NMAT prospectuses provided that the sale of their shares were made at the public offering price which was the net asset value plus the applicable sales commission, as described in the prospectuses. In general, the net asset value was determined by dividing the value of its assets (including interest accrued, but not collected), less its liabilities by the number of shares of the Fund outstanding. The prospectuses provided that the redemption price was the net asset value per share next determined after the request for redemption was received in good order by Exchange Transfer Company. Payment was to be made by the transfer agent within seven days of receipt of the redemption request.

13. Total assets were computed by determining the fair market value of each asset of the fund on a daily basis, generally each day the New York Stock Exchange was open for trading.

14. The prospectuses for CMAT and NMAT provided, in general, that in determining net asset value, each Fund would use market values when available and any not readily marketable security or asset would be valued at fair market value as determined by the Board of Trustees of the Fund.

15. The municipal leases held by CMAT and NMAT, which comprised a substantial portion of the portfolios of the Funds, generally were not readily marketable because of a lack of an organized secondary trading market. Municipal leases also included obligations issued by recognized Indian Tribal Governments, or their development authorities, to finance essential governmental functions or certain tribal-owned facilities located on tribal lands. The lack of a ready and orderly market for municipal leases made it difficult, especially for NMAT, to sell sufficient assets timely in order to obtain necessary cash to redeem the Funds’ shares.

16. On or about November 20, 1991, the Court, at the request of the SEC and with the consent of Alpine through its president, Pittoek, issued a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) enjoining disposition of any of the assets, and prohibiting the destruction of the books and records, of CMAT and NMAT until a receiver was appointed to manage the affairs of CMAT and NMAT.

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Bluebook (online)
824 F. Supp. 987, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8838, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/securities-exchange-commission-v-alpine-mutual-fund-trust-cod-1993.