The Portfolio may engage in various portfolio investment strategies both to increase the returns of the Portfolio and to economically hedge, or protect, its exposure to certain risks such as foreign currency exchange rate risk. Losses may arise if the value of the contract decreases due to an unfavorable change in the price of the underlying instrument or if the counter-party does not perform under the contract. The Portfolio may mitigate counterparty risk through master netting agreements included within an International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”) Master Agreement between the Portfolio and each of its counterparties. The ISDA Master Agreement allows the Portfolio to offset with its counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held with each counterparty. The amount of collateral moved to/from applicable counterparties is based upon minimum transfer amounts of up to $500,000. To the extent amounts due to the Portfolio from its counterparties are not fully collateralized contractually or otherwise, the Portfolio bears the risk of loss from counterparty non-performance. See Note 1 “Segregation and Collateralization” for additional information with respect to collateral practices.
The Portfolio’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk on OTC derivatives is generally the aggregate unrealized gain in excess of any collateral pledged by the counterparty to the Portfolio. Certain ISDA Master Agreements allow counterparties to OTC derivatives to terminate derivative contracts prior to maturity in the event the Portfolio’s net assets decline by a stated percentage or the Portfolio fails to meet the terms of its ISDA Master Agreements, which would cause the Portfolio to accelerate payment of any net liability owed to the counterparty. In addition, the Portfolio manages counterparty risk by entering into agreements only with counter-parties that it believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties.
For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the average quarterly balance of outstanding derivative financial instruments was as follows:
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Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | Global Financial Services Portfolio |
3. Investment Advisory Agreement and Other Transactions with Affiliates:
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”), Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”) and Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays”) are the largest stockholders of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). Due to the ownership structure, PNC is an affiliate of the Portfolio for 1940 Act purposes, but BAC and Barclays are not.
The Master LLC has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement with BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”), the Portfolio’s investment advisor, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, to provide investment advisory and administration services. The Manager is responsible for the management of the Portfolio and provides the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operations of the Portfolio. For such services, the Portfolio pays the Manager a monthly fee based upon the average daily value of the Portfolio’s net assets at an annual rate of 0.40%.
The Manager has voluntarily agreed to waive its advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Portfolio pays to the Manager indirectly through its investment in affiliated money market funds; however the Manager does not waive its advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees through its investment in other affiliated investment companies. This amount is included in fees waived by advisor in the Statement of Operations.
The Manager has entered into sub-advisory agreements with BlackRock International Limited (“BIL”) and BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), affiliates of the Manager, under which the Manager pays BIL and BIM for services they provide, a monthly fee that is a percentage of the advisory fees paid by the Portfolio to the Manager.
For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Portfolio reimbursed the Manager $956 for certain accounting services, which is included in accounting services in the Statement of Operations.
The Master LLC has received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to, among other things, pay an affiliated securities lending agent a fee based on a share of the income derived from the securities lending activities and has retained BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), an affiliate of the Manager, as the securities lending agent. BIM may, on behalf of the Portfolio, invest cash collateral received by the Portfolio for such loans, among other things, in a private investment company managed by the Manager or in registered money market funds advised by the Manager or its affiliates. The share of income earned by the Portfolio on such investments is shown as securities lending — affiliated in the Statement of Operations. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, BIM received $171 in securities lending agent fees.
Certain officers and/or directors of the Master LLC are officers and/or directors of BlackRock or its affiliates.
4. Investments:
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, for the six months ended March 31, 2010 were $29,582,206 and $35,628,215, respectively.
5. Borrowings:
The Master LLC, on behalf of the Portfolio, along with certain other funds managed by the Manager and its affiliates, is a party to a $500 million credit agreement with a group of lenders, which was renewed until November 2010. The Portfolio may borrow under the credit agreement to fund shareholder redemptions. Prior to its renewal the credit agreement had the following terms: 0.02% upfront fee on the aggregate commitment amount which was allocated to the Portfolio based on its net assets as of October 31, 2008; a commitment fee of 0.08% per annum based on the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the unused portion of the credit agreement, which is included in miscellaneous in the Statement of Operations, and interest at a rate equal to the higher of the (a) federal funds effective rate and (b) reserve adjusted one-month LIBOR, plus, in each case, the higher of (i) 1.50% and (ii) 50% of the CDX Index (as defined in the credit agreement) on amounts borrowed. Effective November 2009, the credit agreement was renewed with the following terms: 0.02% upfront fee on the aggregate commitment amount, which was allocated to the Portfolio based on its net assets as of October 31, 2009, a commitment fee of 0.10% per annum on the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the unused portion of the credit agreement and interest at a rate equal to the higher of the (a) one-month LIBOR plus 1.25% per annum and (b) the Fed Funds rate plus 1.25% per annum on amounts borrowed. The Portfolio did not borrow under the credit agreement during the six months ended March 31, 2010.
6. Market and Credit Risk:
In the normal course of business, the Portfolio invests in securities and enters into transactions where risks exist due to fluctuations in the market (market risk) or failure of the issuer of a security to meet all its obligations (credit risk). The value of securities held by the Portfolio may decline in response to certain events, including those directly involving the issuers whose securities are owned by the Portfolio; conditions affecting the general economy; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; and currency and interest rate and price fluctuations. Similar to credit risk, the Portfolio may be exposed to counterparty risk, or the risk that an entity with which the Portfolio has unsettled or open transactions may default. The Portfolio manages counterparty risk by entering into transactions only with counterparties that it believes
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BLACKROCK GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 29 |
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Notes to Financial Statements (concluded) | Global Financial Services Portfolio |
have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Portfolio to credit and counterparty risks, consist principally of investments and cash due from counterparties. The extent of the Portfolio’s exposure to credit and counterparty risks with respect to these financial assets is generally approximated by their value recorded in the Portfolio’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Portfolio.
As of March 31, 2010, the Portfolio had the following industry classifications:
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Industry | | Percent of Long-Term Investments | |
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Commercial Banks | | 46 | % | |
Insurance | | 18 | | |
Diversified Financial Services | | 13 | | |
Capital Markets | | 9 | | |
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) | | 7 | | |
IT Services | | 3 | | |
Real Estate Management & Development | | 2 | | |
Consumer Finance | | 1 | | |
Thrifts & Mortgage Finance | | 1 | | |
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7. Subsequent Events:
Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Portfolio through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring adjustment or additional disclosure in the financial statements.
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30 | BLACKROCK GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
Officers and Directors
Ronald W. Forbes, Co-Chairman of the Board and Director
Rodney D. Johnson, Co-Chairman of the Board and Director
David O. Beim, Director
Richard S. Davis, Director
Henry Gabbay, Director
Dr. Matina Horner, Director
Herbert I. London, Director and Member of the Audit Committee
Cynthia A. Montgomery, Director
Joseph P. Platt, Jr., Director
Robert C. Robb, Jr., Director
Toby Rosenblatt, Director
Kenneth L. Urish, Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
Frederick W. Winter, Director and Member of the Audit Committee
Anne Ackerley, President and Chief Executive Officer
Jeffrey Holland, Vice President
Brendan Kyne, Vice President
Brian Schmidt, Vice President
Neal Andrews, Chief Financial Officer
Jay Fife, Treasurer
Brian Kindelan, Chief Compliance Officer
Howard Surloff, Secretary
Investment Advisor
BlackRock Advisors, LLC
Wilmington, DE 19809
Sub-Advisors
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC
Plainsboro, NJ 08536
BlackRock International Limited
Edinburgh, Scotland
United Kingdom EH38JB
Custodian
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Boston, MA 02109
Transfer Agent
PNC Global Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc.
Wilmington, DE 19809
Accounting Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Princeton, NJ 08540
Distributor
BlackRock Investments, LLC
New York, NY 10022
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Princeton, NJ 08540
Legal Counsel
Sidley Austin LLP
New York, NY 10019
Address of the Fund
100 Bellevue Parkway
Wilmington, DE 19809
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BLACKROCK GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 31 |
Electronic Delivery
Electronic copies of most financial reports and prospectuses are available on the Fund’s website or shareholders can sign up for e-mail notifications of quarterly statements, annual and semi-annual reports and prospectuses by enrolling in the Fund’s electronic delivery program.
To enroll:
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts with Investment Advisors, Banks or Brokerages:
Please contact your financial advisor. Please note that not all investment advisors, banks or brokerages may offer this service.
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts Directly with BlackRock:
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1) | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery |
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2) | Select “eDelivery” under the “More Information” section |
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3) | Log into your account |
Householding
The Fund will mail only one copy of shareholder documents, including prospectuses, annual and semi-annual reports and proxy statements, to shareholders with multiple accounts at the same address. This practice is commonly called “householding” and is intended to reduce expenses and eliminate duplicate mailings of shareholder documents. Mailings of your shareholder documents may be householded indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you do not want the mailing of these documents to be combined with those for other members of your household, please call (800) 441-7762.
Availability of Quarterly Portfolio Schedule
The Fund/Portfolio files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Fund’s/Portfolio’s Forms N-Q are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling (800) SEC-0330. The Fund’s/Portfolio’s Forms N-Q may also be obtained upon request and without charge by calling (800) 441-7762.
Availability of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund/Portfolio uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 441-7762; (2) at www.blackrock.com; and (3) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Availability of Proxy Voting Record
Information about how the Fund/Portfolio voted proxies relating to securities held in the Fund’s/Portfolio’s portfolios during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available upon request and without charge (1) at www.blackrock.com or by calling (800) 441-7762 and (2) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
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32 | BLACKROCK GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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Additional Information (concluded) |
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Shareholder Privileges |
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Account Information
Call us at (800) 441-7762 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST on any business day to get information about your account balances, recent transactions and share prices. You can also reach us on the Web at www.blackrock.com/funds.
Automatic Investment Plans
Investor Class shareholders who want to invest regularly can arrange to have $50 or more automatically deducted from their checking or savings account and invested in any of the BlackRock funds.
Systematic Withdrawal Plans
Investor Class shareholders can establish a systematic withdrawal plan and receive periodic payments of $50 or more from their BlackRock funds, as long as their account balance is at least $10,000.
Retirement Plans
Shareholders may make investments in conjunction with Traditional, Rollover, Roth, Coverdell, Simple IRAs, SEP IRAs and 403(b) Plans.
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BlackRock Privacy Principles |
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BlackRock is committed to maintaining the privacy of its current and former fund investors and individual clients (collectively, “Clients”) and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information BlackRock collects, how we protect that information and why in certain cases we share such information with select parties.
If you are located in a jurisdiction where specific laws, rules or regulations require BlackRock to provide you with additional or different privacy-related rights beyond what is set forth below, then BlackRock will comply with those specific laws, rules or regulations.
BlackRock obtains or verifies personal non-public information from and about you from different sources, including the following: (i) information we receive from you or, if applicable, your financial intermediary, on applications, forms or other documents; (ii) information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; (iii) information we receive from a consumer reporting agency; and (iv) from visits to our websites.
BlackRock does not sell or disclose to non-affiliated third parties any non-public personal information about its Clients, except as permitted by law or as is necessary to respond to regulatory requests or to service Client accounts. These non-affiliated third parties are required to protect the confidentiality and security of this information and to use it only for its intended purpose.
We may share information with our affiliates to service your account or to provide you with information about other BlackRock products or services that may be of interest to you. In addition, BlackRock restricts access to non-public personal information about its Clients to those BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. BlackRock maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the non-public personal information of its Clients, including procedures relating to the proper storage and disposal of such information.
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BLACKROCK GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 33 |
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A World-Class Mutual Fund Family |
BlackRock offers a diverse lineup of open-end mutual funds crossing all investment styles and managed by experts in equity, fixed income and tax-exempt investing.
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Equity Funds |
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BlackRock All-Cap Energy & Resources Portfolio |
BlackRock Asset Allocation Portfolio† |
BlackRock Aurora Portfolio |
BlackRock Balanced Capital Fund† |
BlackRock Basic Value Fund |
BlackRock Capital Appreciation Portfolio |
BlackRock Energy & Resources Portfolio |
BlackRock Equity Dividend Fund |
BlackRock EuroFund |
BlackRock Focus Growth Fund |
BlackRock Focus Value Fund |
BlackRock Fundamental Growth Fund |
BlackRock Global Allocation Fund† |
BlackRock Global Dynamic Equity Fund |
BlackRock Global Emerging Markets Fund |
BlackRock Global Financial Services Fund |
BlackRock Global Growth Fund |
BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Global SmallCap Fund |
BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Healthcare Fund |
BlackRock Index Equity Portfolio* |
BlackRock International Fund |
BlackRock International Index Fund |
BlackRock International Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock International Value Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Core Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Core Plus Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Growth Fund |
BlackRock Large Cap Value Fund |
BlackRock Latin America Fund |
BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Mid-Cap Value Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Mid Cap Value Opportunities Fund |
BlackRock Natural Resources Trust |
BlackRock Pacific Fund |
BlackRock Science & Technology |
Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Small Cap Core Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio |
BlackRock Small Cap Growth Fund II |
BlackRock Small Cap Index Fund |
BlackRock Small/Mid-Cap Growth Portfolio |
BlackRock S&P 500 Index Fund |
BlackRock U.S. Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Utilities and Telecommunications Fund |
BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund |
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Fixed Income Funds |
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BlackRock Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Emerging Market Debt Portfolio |
BlackRock GNMA Portfolio |
BlackRock Government Income Portfolio |
BlackRock High Income Fund |
BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Income Portfolio† |
BlackRock Income Builder Portfolio† |
BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Intermediate Government Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock International Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Long Duration Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Managed Income Portfolio |
BlackRock Multi-Sector Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Short-Term Bond Fund |
BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio |
BlackRock Total Return Fund |
BlackRock Total Return Portfolio II |
BlackRock World Income Fund |
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Municipal Bond Funds |
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BlackRock AMT-Free Municipal Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock California Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock High Yield Municipal Fund |
BlackRock Intermediate Municipal Fund |
BlackRock Kentucky Municipal Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Municipal Insured Fund |
BlackRock National Municipal Fund |
BlackRock New Jersey Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock New York Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock Ohio Municipal Bond Portfolio |
BlackRock Pennsylvania Municipal Bond Fund |
BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund |
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Target Risk & Target Date Funds |
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BlackRock Prepared Portfolios |
Conservative Prepared Portfolio |
Moderate Prepared Portfolio |
Growth Prepared Portfolio |
Aggressive Growth Prepared Portfolio |
BlackRock Lifecycle Prepared Portfolios |
Prepared Portfolio 2010 |
Prepared Portfolio 2015 |
Prepared Portfolio 2020 |
Prepared Portfolio 2025 |
Prepared Portfolio 2030 |
Prepared Portfolio 2035 |
Prepared Portfolio 2040 |
Prepared Portfolio 2045 |
Prepared Portfolio 2050 |
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* | See the prospectus for information on specific limitations on investments in the fund. |
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† | Mixed asset fund. |
BlackRock mutual funds are currently distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC. You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the funds under consideration carefully before investing. Each fund’s prospectus contains this and other information and is available at www.blackrock.com or by calling (800) 441-7762 or from your financial advisor. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing.
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34 | BLACKROCK GLOBAL FINANCIAL SERVICES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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This report is not authorized for use as an offer of sale or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of the Fund unless accompanied or preceded by the Fund’s current prospectus. Past performance results shown in this report should not be considered a representation of future performance. Investment returns and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Statements and other information herein are as dated and are subject to change. Please see the Fund’s prospectus for a description of risks associated with global investments.
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#GFSF-3/10
Item 2 – | Code of Ethics – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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Item 3 – | Audit Committee Financial Expert – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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Item 4 – | Principal Accountant Fees and Services – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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Item 5 – | Audit Committee of Listed Registrants – Not Applicable |
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Item 6 – | Investments |
| (a) The registrant’s Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Stockholders filed under Item 1 of this form. |
| (b) Not Applicable due to no such divestments during the semi-annual period covered since the previous Form N-CSR filing. |
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Item 7 – | Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable |
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Item 8 – | Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable |
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Item 9 – | Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers – Not Applicable |
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Item 10 – | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders – The registrant’s Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees to the board of directors recommended by shareholders when a vacancy becomes available. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations that include biographical information and set forth the qualifications of the proposed nominee to the registrant’s Secretary. There have been no material changes to these procedures. |
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Item 11 – | Controls and Procedures |
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11(a) – | The registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers or persons performing similar functions have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 15(d)-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
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11(b) – | There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
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Item 12 – | Exhibits attached hereto |
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12(a)(1) – | Code of Ethics – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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12(a)(2) – | Certifications – Attached hereto |
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12(a)(3) – | Not Applicable |
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12(b) – | Certifications – Attached hereto |
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| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. |
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| BlackRock Global Financial Services Fund, Inc. and Global Financial Services Master LLC |
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| By: | /s/ Anne F. Ackerley | |
| | Anne F. Ackerley |
| | Chief Executive Officer of |
| | BlackRock Global Financial Services Fund, Inc. and Global Financial Services Master LLC |
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| Date: May 27, 2010 |
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| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. |
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| By: | /s/ Anne F. Ackerley | |
| | Anne F. Ackerley |
| | Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of |
| | BlackRock Global Financial Services Fund, Inc. and Global Financial Services Master LLC |
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| Date: May 27, 2010 |
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| By: | /s/ Neal J. Andrews | |
| | Neal J. Andrews |
| | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of |
| | BlackRock Global Financial Services Fund, Inc. and Global Financial Services Master LLC |
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| Date: May 27, 2010 |
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