Master Value Opportunities LLC (the “Master LLC”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and is organized as a Delaware limited liability company. The Master LLC’s Limited Liability Company Agreement permits the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Master LLC to issue nontransferable interests, subject to certain limitations. The Master LLC’s financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which may require the use of management accruals and estimates. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Master LLC:
The Master LLC values its investment in BlackRock Liquidity Series, LLC Money Market Series (the “Money Market Series”) at fair value, which is ordinarily based upon its pro rata ownership in the net assets of the underlying fund. The Money Market Series seeks current income consistent with maintaining liquidity and preserving capital. Although the Money Market Series is not registered under the 1940 Act, its investments will follow the parameters of investments by a money market fund that is subject to Rule 2a-7 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the 1940 Act. The Master LLC may withdraw up to 25% of its investment daily, although the manager of the Money Market Series, in its sole discretion, may permit an investor to withdraw more than 25% on any one day.
In the event that application of these methods of valuation results in a price for an investment which is deemed not to be representative of the market value of such investment or is not available, the investment will be valued by a method approved by the Board as reflecting fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). When determining the price for Fair Value Assets, the investment advisor and/or sub-advisor seek to determine the price that the Master LLC might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction. Fair value determinations shall be based upon all available factors that the investment advisor and/or sub-advisor deems relevant. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to the Board or a committee thereof.
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Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | Master Value Opportunities LLC |
Income Taxes: The Portfolio is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner for tax purposes. As such, the owner of the Portfolio is treated as the owner of the net assets, income, expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses of the Portfolio. Therefore, no federal tax provision is required. It is intended that the Portfolio’s assets will be managed so the owner of the Portfolio can satisfy the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Under the applicable foreign tax laws, a withholding tax may be imposed on interest, dividends and capital gains at various rates.
The Master LLC files US federal and various state and local tax returns. No income tax returns are currently under examination. The statute of limitations on the Master LLC’s US federal tax returns remains open for each of the four years ended March 31, 2010. The statutes of limitations on the Master LLC’s state and local tax returns may remain open for an additional year depending upon the jurisdiction. There are no uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.
Recent Accounting Standard: In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued amended guidance to improve disclosure about fair value measurements which will require additional disclosures about transfers into and out of Levels 1 and 2 and separate disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in the reconciliation for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3). It also clarifies existing disclosure requirements relating to the levels of disaggregation for fair value measurement and inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The amended guidance is effective for financial statements for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2009, and interim periods within those fiscal years, except for disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in the rollforward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements, which are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The impact of this guidance on the Master LLC’s financial statements and disclosures is currently being assessed.
Other: Expenses directly related to the Master LLC are charged to the Master LLC. Other operating expenses shared by several funds are pro rated among those funds on the basis of relative net assets or other appropriate methods. The Master LLC has an arrangement with the custodian whereby fees may be reduced by credits earned on uninvested cash balances, which if applicable are shown as fees paid indirectly in the Statement of Operations. The custodian imposes fees on overdrawn cash balances, which can be offset by accumulated credits earned or may result in additional custody charges.
2. 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 Master LLC 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 Master LLC’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 Master LLC’s portfolio and provides the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operations of the Master LLC. For such services, the Master LLC pays the Manager a monthly fee based upon the average daily value of the Master LLC’s net assets at the following annual rates:
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Not exceeding $1 billion | | | 0.500 | % |
In excess of $1 billion, but not exceeding $1.5 billion | | | 0.475 | % |
In excess of $1.5 billion | | | 0.450 | % |
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The Manager has voluntarily agreed to waive its advisory fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Master LLC 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 a sub-advisory agreement with BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (“BIM”), an affiliate of the Manager, under which the Manager pays BIM for services it provides, a monthly fee that is a percentage of the advisory fees paid by the Master LLC to the Manager.
For the year ended March 31, 2010, the Master LLC reimbursed the Manager $18,302 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 BIM as the securities lending agent. BIM may, on behalf of the Master LLC, invest cash collateral received by the Master LLC 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 market value of securities on loan and the value of the related collateral are shown on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as securities loaned and collateral at value — securities loaned, respectively. The cash collateral invested by BIM is disclosed in the Schedule of Investments. The share of income earned by the Master LLC on such investments is shown as securities lending — affiliated in the Statement of Operations. For the year ended March 31, 2010, BIM received $123,680 in securities lending agent fees.
Certain officers and/or directors of the Master LLC are officers and/or directors of BlackRock or its affiliates.
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26 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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Notes to Financial Statements (concluded) | Master Value Opportunities LLC |
3. Investments:
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term securities, for the year ended March 31, 2010 were $724,401,856 and $886,606,551, respectively.
The Master LLC received proceeds from a settlement of litigation where it was able to recover a portion of investment losses previously realized by the Master LLC. This amount is shown as litigation proceeds in the Statement of Operations.
4. Borrowings:
The Master LLC, 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 Master LLC 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 Master based on its net assets as of October 31, 2008; a commitment fee of 0.08% per annum based on the Master LLC’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 Master LLC based on its net assets as of October 31, 2009, a commitment fee of 0.10% per annum on the Master LLC’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 Master LLC did not borrow under the credit agreement during the year ended March 31, 2010.
5. Concentration, Market and Credit Risk:
The Master LLC invests a significant portion of its assets in securities in the financials sector. Changes in economic conditions affecting the financials sector would have a greater impact on the Master LLC and could affect the value, income and/or liquidity of positions in such securities.
In the normal course of business, the Master LLC 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 Master LLC may decline in response to certain events, including those directly involving the issuers whose securities are owned by the Master LLC; 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 Master LLC may be exposed to counterparty risk, or the risk that an entity with which the Master LLC has unsettled or open transactions may default. The Master LLC manages counterparty risk by entering into transactions only with counterparties that it believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by monitoring the financial stability of those counterparties. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Master LLC to credit and counterparty risks, consist principally of investments and cash due from counterparties. The extent of the Master LLC’s exposure to credit and counterparty risks with respect to these financial assets is generally approximated by their value recorded in the Master LLC’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities, less any collateral held by the Master LLC.
6. Subsequent Events:
Management has evaluated the impact of all subsequent events on the Master LLC 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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BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 27 |
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | Master Value Opportunities LLC |
To the Investor and Board of Directors of Master Value Opportunities LLC:
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Master Value Opportunities LLC (the “Master LLC”), including the schedule of investments, as of March 31, 2010, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended. These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Master LLC’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free from material misstatement. The Master LLC is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Master LLC’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of March 31, 2010, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; where replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures.We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Master Value Opportunities LLC as of March 31, 2010, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Princeton, New Jersey
May 26, 2010
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28 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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Name, Address and Year of Birth | | Position(s) Held with Fund/ Master LLC | | Length of Time Served as a Director2 | | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | | Number of BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen | | Public Directorships |
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Non-Interested Directors1 |
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Robert M. Hernandez 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1944 | | Chairman of the Board, Director and Member of the Audit Committee | | Since 2007 | | Director, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of USX Corporation (energy and steel business) from 1991 to 2001. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | ACE Limited (insurance company); Eastman Chemical Company (chemical); RTI International Metals, Inc. (metals); TYCO Electronics (electronics) |
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Fred G. Weiss 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1941 | | Vice Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Audit Committee and Director | | Since 1998 | | Managing Director, FGW Associates (consulting and investment company) since 1997; Director, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research since 2000; Director of BTG International Plc (a global technology commercialization company) from 2001 to 2007. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | Watson Pharmaceutical, Inc. |
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James H. Bodurtha 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1944 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Director, The China Business Group, Inc. (consulting firm) since 1996 and Executive Vice President thereof from 1996 to 2003; Chairman of the Board, Berkshire Holding Corporation since 1980. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | None |
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Bruce R. Bond 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1946 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Trustee and Member of the Governance Committee, State Street Research Mutual Funds from 1997 to 2005; Board Member of Governance, Audit and Finance Committee, Avaya Inc. (computer equipment) from 2003 to 2007. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | None |
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Donald W. Burton 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1944 | | Director | | Since 2002 | | Managing General Partner, The Burton Partnership, LP (an investment partnership) since 1979; Managing General Partner, The South Atlantic Venture Funds since 1983; Member of the Investment Advisory Council of the Florida State Board of Administration from 2001 to 2007. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | Knology, Inc. (telecommunications); Capital Southwest (financial) |
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Honorable Stuart E. Eizenstat 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1943 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Partner and Head of International Practice, Covington and Burling (law firm) since 2001; International Advisory Board Member, The Coca-Cola Company since 2002; Advisory Board Member BT Americas (telecommunications) since 2004; Member of the Board of Directors, Chicago Climate Exchange (environmental) since 2006; Member of the International Advisory Board GML (energy) since 2003. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | Alcatel-Lucent (telecommunications); Global Specialty Metallurgical (metallurgical industry); UPS Corporation (delivery service) |
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Kenneth A. Froot 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1957 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Professor, Harvard University since 1992. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | None |
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BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 29 |
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Officers and Directors (continued) |
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Name, Address and Year of Birth | | Position(s) Held with Fund/ Master LLC | | Length of Time Served as a Director2 | | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | | Number of BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen | | Public Directorships |
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Non-Interested Directors1 (concluded) |
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John F. O’Brien 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1943 | | Director | | Since 2005 | | Chairman and Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute since 2009 and Trustee thereof from 2003 to 2009; Director, Allmerica Financial Corporation from 1995 to 2003; Director, ABIOMED from 1989 to 2006; Director, Ameresco, Inc. (energy solutions company) from 2006 to 2007; Vice Chairman and Director, Boston Lyric Opera from 2002 to 2007. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | Cabot Corporation (chemicals); LKQ Corporation (auto parts manufacturing); TJX Companies, Inc. (retailer) |
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Roberta Cooper Ramo 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1942 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Shareholder, Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris & Sisk, P.A. (law firm) since 1993; Chairman of the Board, Cooper’s Inc. (retail) since 2000; Director of ECMC Group (service provider to students, schools and lenders) since 2001; President, The American Law Institute (non-profit) since 2008; President, American Bar Association from 1995 to 1996. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | None |
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David H. Walsh 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1941 | | Director | | Since 2003 | | Director, National Museum of Wildlife Art since 2007; Director, Ruckleshaus Institute and Haub School of Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming from 2006 to 2008; Trustee, University of Wyoming Foundation since 2008; Director, The American Museum of Fly Fishing since 1997; Director, The National Audubon Society from 1998 to 2005. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | None |
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Richard R. West 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1938 | | Director and Member of the Audit Committee | | Since 2007 | | Dean Emeritus, New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business Administration since 1995. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | Bowne & Co., Inc. (financial printers); Vornado Realty Trust (real estate company); Alexander’s Inc. (real estate company) |
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| 1 | Directors serve until their resignation, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 72. |
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| 2 | Date shown is the earliest date a person has served for the Fund/Master LLC covered by this annual report. Following the combination of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) and BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”) in September 2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock Fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new Fund boards in 2007. As a result, although the chart shows certain directors as joining the Fund’s/Master LLC’s board in 2007, each director first became a member of the board of directors of other legacy MLIM or legacy BlackRock Funds as follows: James H. Bodurtha since 1995; Bruce R. Bond since 2005; Donald W. Burton since 2002; Stuart E. Eizenstat since 2001; Kenneth A. Froot since 2005; Robert M. Hernandez since 1996; John F. O’Brien since 2004; Roberta Cooper Ramo since 2000; David H. Walsh since 2003; Fred G. Weiss since 1998; and Richard R. West since 1978. |
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30 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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Officers and Directors (continued) |
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Name, Address and Year of Birth | | Position(s) Held with Fund/ Master LLC | | Length of Time Served as a Director | | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | | Number of BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen | | Public Directorships |
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Interested Directors1 |
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Richard S. Davis 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1945 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. since 2005; Chief Executive Officer, State Street Research & Management Company from 2000 to 2005; Chairman of the Board of Trustees, State Street Research Mutual Funds from 2000 to 2005. | | 169 RICs consisting of 298 Portfolios | | None |
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Laurence D. Fink 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1952 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock, Inc. since its formation in 1998 and of BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities since 1988 and Chairman of the Executive and Management Committees; Formerly Managing Director, The First Boston Corporation, Member of its Management Committee, Co-head of its Taxable Fixed Income Division and Head of its Mortgage and Real Estate Products Group; Chairman of the Board of several of BlackRock’s alternative investment vehicles; Director of several of BlackRock’s offshore funds; Member of the Board of Trustees of New York University, Chair of the Financial Affairs Committee and a member of the Executive Committee, the Ad Hoc Committee on Board Governance, and the Committee on Trustees; Co-Chairman of the NYU Hospitals Center Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Development/Trustee Stewardship Committee and Chairman of the Finance Committee; Trustee, The Boys’ Club of New York. | | 34 RICs consisting of 97 Portfolios | | None |
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Henry Gabbay 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1947 | | Director | | Since 2007 | | Consultant, BlackRock, Inc. from 2007 to 2008; Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. from 1989 to 2007; Chief Administrative Officer, BlackRock Advisors, LLC from 1998 to 2007; President of BlackRock Funds and BlackRock Bond Allocation Target Shares from 2005 to 2007 and Treasurer of certain closed-end funds in the BlackRock fund complex from 1989 to 2006. | | 169 RICs consisting of 298 Portfolios | | None |
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| 1 | Messrs. Davis and Fink are both “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Fund/Master LLC based on their positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Gabbay is an “interested person” of the Fund/Master LLC based on his former positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates as well as his ownership of BlackRock, Inc. and The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. securities. Directors serve until their resignation, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 72. |
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BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 31 |
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Officers and Directors (concluded) |
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Name, Address and Year of Birth | | Position(s) Held with Fund/ Master LLC | | Length of Time Served | | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
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Officers1 | | | | | | |
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Anne Ackerley | | | | | | |
55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1962 | | President and Chief Executive Officer | | Since 20092 | | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2000; Vice President of the BlackRock-advised Funds from 2007 to 2009; Chief Operating Officer of BlackRock’s Global Client Group (GCG) since 2009; Chief Operating Officer of BlackRock’s U.S. Retail Group from 2006 to 2009; Head of BlackRock’s Mutual Fund Group from 2000 to 2006. |
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Jeffrey Holland, CFA 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1971 | | Vice President | | Since 2009 | | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2010; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2006 to 2009; Chief Operating Officer of BlackRock’s U.S. Retail Group since 2009; Co-head of Product Development and Management for BlackRock’s U.S. Retail Group from 2007 to 2009; Product Manager of Raymond James & Associates from 2003 to 2006. |
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Brendan Kyne 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1977 | | Vice President | | Since 2009 | | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2010; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2008 to 2009; Head of Product Development and Management for BlackRock’s U.S. Retail Group since 2009, Co-head thereof from 2007 to 2009; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2008. |
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Brian Schmidt 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1958 | | Vice President | | Since 2009 | | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2004; Various positions with U.S. Trust Company from 1991 to 2003 including Director from 2001 to 2003 and Senior Vice President from 1998 to 2003; Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Excelsior Funds, Inc., Excelsior Tax-Exempt Funds, Inc. and Excelsior Funds Trust from 2001 to 2003. |
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Neal Andrews 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1966 | | Chief Financial Officer | | Since 2007 | | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006; Senior Vice President and Line of Business Head of Fund Accounting and Administration at PNC Global Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc. from 1992 to 2006. |
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Jay Fife 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1970 | | Treasurer | | Since 2007 | | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007 and Director in 2006; Assistant Treasurer of the MLIM Fund Asset Management, L.P. advised Funds from 2005 to 2006; Director of MLIM Fund Services Group from 2001 to 2006. |
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Brian Kindelan 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1959 | | Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund | | Since 2007 | | Chief Compliance Officer of the BlackRock-advised Funds since 2007; Managing Director and Senior Counsel of BlackRock, Inc. since 2005. |
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Howard Surloff 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055 1965 | | Secretary | | Since 2007 | | Managing Director and General Counsel of U.S. Funds at BlackRock, Inc. since 2006; General Counsel (U.S.) of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. from 1993 to 2006. |
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| 1 | Officers of the Fund/Master LLC serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. |
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| 2 | Ms. Ackerley has been President and Chief Executive Officer since 2009 and was Vice President from 2007 to 2009. |
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| Further information about the Fund’s/Master LLC’s Officers and Directors is available in the Fund’s/Master LLC’s Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained without charge by calling (800) 441-7762. |
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Investment Advisor |
BlackRock Advisors, LLC |
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
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Sub-Advisor |
BlackRock Investment |
Management, LLC |
Plainsboro, NJ 08536 |
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Custodian |
The Bank of New York Mellon |
New York, NY 10286 |
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Transfer Agent |
PNC Global Investment |
Servicing (U.S.) Inc. |
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
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Accounting Agent |
State Street Bank and |
Trust Company |
Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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Distributor |
BlackRock Investments, LLC |
New York, NY 10022 |
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Legal Counsel |
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP |
New York, NY 10019 |
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Independent Registered |
Public Accounting Firm |
Deloitte & Touche LLP |
Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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Address of the Fund |
100 Bellevue Parkway |
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
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32 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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:
1) Access the BlackRock website at
http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery
2) Select “e Delivery” under the “More Information” section
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/Master LLC 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/Master LLC’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/Master LLC’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/Master LLC 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/Master LLC voted proxies relating to securities held in the Fund’s/Master LLC’s portfolio 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.
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 VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 33 |
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Additional Information (concluded) | |
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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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34 | BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 |
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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.
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
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
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 |
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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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BLACKROCK VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | MARCH 31, 2010 | 35 |
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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.
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Item 2 – | Code of Ethics – The registrant (or the “Fund”) has adopted a code of ethics, as of the end of the period covered by this report, applicable to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, or persons performing similar functions. During the period covered by this report, there have been no amendments to or waivers granted under the code of ethics. A copy of the code of ethics is available without charge at www.blackrock.com. |
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Item 3 – | Audit Committee Financial Expert – The registrant’s board of directors or trustees, as applicable (the “board of directors”) has determined that (i) the registrant has the following audit committee financial experts serving on its audit committee and (ii) each audit committee financial expert is independent: |
| Robert M. Hernandez |
| Fred G. Weiss |
| Richard R. West |
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| Under applicable securities laws, a person determined to be an audit committee financial expert will not be deemed an “expert” for any purpose, including without limitation for the purposes of Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, as a result of being designated or identified as an audit committee financial expert. The designation or identification as an audit committee financial expert does not impose on such person any duties, obligations, or liabilities greater than the duties, obligations, and liabilities imposed on such person as a member of the audit committee and board of directors in the absence of such designation or identification. |
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Item 4 – | Principal Accountant Fees and Services |
| (a) Audit Fees | (b) Audit-Related Fees1 | (c) Tax Fees2 | (d) All Other Fees3 |
Entity Name | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End |
BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. | $6,800 | $6,800 | $0 | $0 | $6,100 | $6,100 | $213 | $1,028 |
Master Value Opportunities LLC | $35,000 | $38,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $6,100 | $0 | $0 |
1 The nature of the services include assurance and related services reasonably related to the performance of the audit of financial statements not included in Audit Fees.
2 The nature of the services include tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
3 The nature of the services include a review of compliance procedures and attestation thereto.
| (e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures: |
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| The registrant’s audit committee (the “Committee”) has adopted policies and procedures with regard to the pre-approval of services. Audit, audit-related and tax compliance services provided to the registrant on an annual basis require specific pre-approval by the Committee. The Committee also must approve other non-audit services provided to the registrant and those non-audit services provided to the registrant’s affiliated service providers that relate directly to the operations and the financial reporting of the registrant. Certain of these non-audit services that the Committee believes are a) consistent with the SEC’s auditor independence rules and b) routine and recurring services that will not impair the independence of the independent accountants may be approved by the Committee without consideration on a specific case-by-case basis (“general pre-approval”). The term of any general pre-approval is 12 months from the date of the pre-approval, unless the Committee provides for a different period. Tax or other non-audit services provided to the registrant |
| which have a direct impact on the operation or financial reporting of the registrant will only be deemed pre-approved provided that any individual project does not exceed $10,000 attributable to the registrant or $50,000 for all of the registrants the Committee oversees. For this purpose, multiple projects will be aggregated to determine if they exceed the previously mentioned cost levels. |
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| Any proposed services exceeding the pre-approved cost levels will require specific pre-approval by the Committee, as will any other services not subject to general pre-approval (e.g., unanticipated but permissible services). The Committee is informed of each service approved subject to general pre-approval at the next regularly scheduled in-person board meeting. At this meeting, an analysis of such services is presented to the Committee for ratification. The Committee may delegate to one or more of its members the authority to approve the provision of and fees for any specific engagement of permitted non-audit services, including services exceeding pre-approved cost levels. |
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| (e)(2) None of the services described in each of Items 4(b) through (d) were approved by the audit committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X. |
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| (f) Not Applicable |
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| (g) Affiliates’ Aggregate Non-Audit Fees: |
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Entity Name | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End |
BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. | $17,090 | $414,628 |
Master Value Opportunities LLC | $10,777 | $413,600 |
| (h) The registrant’s audit committee has considered and determined that the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to the registrant’s investment adviser (not including any non-affiliated sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by the registrant’s investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence. |
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| Regulation S-X Rule 2-01(c)(7)(ii) – $10,777, 0% |
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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 |
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 – See Item 2 |
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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 |
| 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 Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities LLC |
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| By: | /s/ Anne F. Ackerley | |
| | Anne F. Ackerley |
| | Chief Executive Officer of |
| | BlackRock Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities 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 Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities 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 Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. and Master Value Opportunities LLC |
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| Date: May 27, 2010 |