First Trust Advisors L.P. ("First
Trust”) today announced
that the Board of Trustees of First Trust/FIDAC Mortgage Income Fund
(NYSE: FMY) (the "Fund”), has approved Brookfield Investment
Management Inc. ("Brookfield”) as investment sub-advisor to the
Fund, replacing FIDAC. The Fund intends to enter into an interim
investment sub-advisory agreement with First Trust and Brookfield, as
investment sub-advisor, effective on April 29, 2011. The interim
sub-advisory agreement will remain in effect until the earlier of
September 26, 2011 or until a new sub-advisory agreement is approved by
the shareholders of the Fund.
Shareholders of FMY will be asked to vote on a proposal to approve the
new investment sub-advisory agreement with Brookfield at a special
meeting of shareholders. Any solicitation of proxies made in connection
with this shareholder meeting will only be made pursuant to separate
proxy materials filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC”)
under applicable federal securities laws. There can be no assurance that
the necessary percentage of the shareholders of the Fund will vote to
approve the new investment sub-advisory agreement with Brookfield.
The Fund also announced today that, subject to requisite regulatory
approval, it will change its name to "First Trust Mortgage Income Fund,”
which would be effective on April 29, 2011, subject to requisite
regulatory approval. After the name change, it is anticipated that the
Fund will continue to trade under the same ticker symbol "FMY.”
The Board of Trustees of FMY also approved a change in investment policy
so that FMY may invest up to 25% of its managed assets in securities
that at the time of investment are rated below A by at least one rating
agency or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the
Fund’s sub-advisor. This investment policy is non-fundamental and
therefore may be changed by approval of the Board of Trustees without
shareholder approval. The change in investment policy will be effective
on or about July 5, 2011. Currently, the Fund invests all of its managed
assets in securities that at the time of investment are investment grade
quality and rated within the three highest investment grades by at least
one rating agency or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality
by the Fund’s sub-advisor.
The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that
seeks to provide a high level of current income. As a secondary
objective, the Fund seeks to preserve capital. The Fund pursues these
investment objectives by investing primarily in mortgage-backed
securities representing part ownership in a pool of either residential
or commercial mortgage loans that, in the opinion of the Fund’s
investment sub-advisor, offer an attractive combination of credit
quality, yield and maturity.
First Trust has served as the Fund’s investment advisor since the Fund’s
inception. First Trust along with its affiliate First Trust Portfolios
L.P., are privately-held companies which provide a variety of investment
services, including asset management, financial advisory services, and
municipal and corporate investment banking, with collective assets under
management or supervision of approximately $48 billion as of March 31,
2011 through closed-end funds, unit investment trusts, mutual funds,
separate managed accounts and exchange-traded funds.
Brookfield Investment Management Inc. is a global investment advisor
focused on specialized equity and fixed income securities investments.
The firm is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a leading
global asset manager with over $100 billion in assets under management
as of March 31, 2011 and over 100 years of experience in the property,
power, and infrastructure industries. Brookfield Investment Management
Inc. is an SEC registered investment advisor, and with its affiliates
had approximately $23 billion in assets under management as of March 31,
2011. Headquartered in New York, the firm maintains offices and
investment teams in Chicago, Boston, London, Hong Kong, Sydney, and
Toronto.
In connection with the solicitation of proxies, the Fund will file a
proxy statement. Because the proxy statement will contain important
information, the Fund’s shareholders are urged to read it carefully when
it becomes available. When filed with the SEC, the proxy statement will
be available free of charge at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov.
The Fund’s shareholders will also be able to obtain copies of these
documents, when available, by calling First Trust toll-free at
800-621-1675. The foregoing is not an offer to sell, nor a solicitation
of an offer to buy, shares of the Fund, nor is it a solicitation of any
proxy.
The Fund’s daily closing New York Stock Exchange price and net asset
value per share as well as other information can be found at www.ftportfolios.com
or by calling 1-800-988-5891.
