The Board of Trustees (each, a “Board,” collectively, the “Boards,” and the members of which are referred to as “Board Members”) of BlackRock New York Municipal 2018 Term Trust (“BLH”), BlackRock California Municipal 2018 Term Trust (“BJZ”), The BlackRock Insured Municipal Term Trust Inc. (“BMT”) and BlackRock Municipal 2018 Term Trust (“BPK” and together with BLH, BJZ and BMT, each a “Fund,” and, collectively, the “Funds”) met on April 8, 2010 and May 13 – 14, 2010 to consider the approval of each Fund’s investment advisory agreement (each, an “Advisory Agreement”) with BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”), each Fund’s investment advisor. The Boards of BLH, BJZ and BPK also considered the approval of the sub-advisory agreement (each, a “Sub-Advisory Agreement”) between the Manager and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. (the “Sub-Advisor”) with respect to each Fund. The Manager and the Sub-Advisor are referred to herein as “BlackRock.” The Advisory Agreements and the Sub-Advisory Agreements are referred to herein as the “Agreements.”
Pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Boards are required to consider the continuation of the Agreements on an annual basis. In connection with this process, the Boards assessed, among other things, the nature, scope and quality of the services provided to the Funds by the personnel of BlackRock and its affiliates, including investment management, administrative and shareholder services, oversight of fund accounting and custody, marketing services and assistance in meeting applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
From time to time throughout the year, each Board, acting directly and through its committees, considered at each of its meetings factors that are relevant to its annual consideration of the renewal of the Agreements, including the services and support provided by BlackRock to the respective Fund and its shareholders. Among the matters the Board considered were: (a) investment performance for one-, three- and five-year periods, as applicable, against peer funds, and applicable benchmarks, if any, as well as senior management and portfolio managers’ analysis of the reasons for any over performance or underperformance against a Fund’s peers and/or benchmark, as applicable; (b) fees, including advisory, and administration for BMT, and other amounts paid to BlackRock and its affiliates by each Fund for services such as call center and fund accounting; (c) each Fund’s operating expenses; (d) the resources devoted to and compliance reports relating to each Fund’s investment objective, policies and restrictions; (e) each Fund’s compliance with its Code of Ethics and compliance policies and procedures; (f) the nature, cost and character of non-investment management services provided by BlackRock and its affiliates; (g) BlackRock’s and other service providers’ internal controls; (h) BlackRock’s implementation of the proxy voting policies approved by the Boards; (i) execution quality of portfolio transactions; (j) BlackRock’s implementation of each Fund’s valuation and liquidity procedures; (k) an analysis of contractual and actual management fees for products with similar investment objectives across the open-end fund, closed-end fund and institutional account product channels; and (l) periodic updates on BlackRock’s business.
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreements and Sub-Advisory Agreements (continued) |
Board Considerations in Approving the Agreements
The Approval Process: Prior to the April 8, 2010 meeting, the Boards requested and received materials specifically relating to the Agreements. The Boards are engaged in a process with BlackRock to periodically review the nature and scope of the information provided to better assist their deliberations. The materials provided in connection with the April meeting included: (a) information independently compiled and prepared by Lipper, Inc. (“Lipper”) on Fund fees and expenses, and the investment performance of each Fund as compared with a peer group of funds as determined by Lipper (collectively, “Peers”); (b) information on the profitability of the Agreements to BlackRock and a discussion of fall-out benefits to BlackRock and its affiliates and significant shareholders; (c) a general analysis provided by BlackRock concerning investment advisory fees charged to other clients, such as institutional clients and open-end funds, under similar investment mandates; (d) the impact of economies of scale; (e) a summary of aggregate amounts paid by each Fund to BlackRock; and (f) if applicable, a comparison of management fees to similar BlackRock closed-end funds, as classified by Lipper.
At an in-person meeting held on April 8, 2010, the Boards reviewed materials relating to their consideration of the Agreements. As a result of the discussions that occurred during the April 8, 2010 meeting, the Boards presented BlackRock with questions and requests for additional information and BlackRock responded to these requests with additional written information in advance of the May 13 – 14, 2010 Board meeting.
At an in-person meeting held on May 13 – 14, 2010, each Fund’s Board, including the Independent Board Members, unanimously approved the continuation of the Advisory Agreement between the Manager and each of BJZ, BPK and BLH for a one year term ending June 30, 2011 and between the Manager and BMT for a term ending upon the termination of BMT, which is scheduled to occur on or about December 31, 2010. The Boards of BJZ, BPK and BLH unanimously approved the continuation of the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Sub-Advisor with respect to each Fund, each for a one-year term ending June 30, 2011. In approving the continuation of the Agreements, the Boards considered: (a) the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by BlackRock; (b) the investment performance of each Fund and BlackRock; (c) the advisory fee and the cost of the services and profits to be realized by BlackRock and its affiliates from their relationship with each Fund; (d) economies of scale; and (e) other factors deemed relevant by the Board Members.
The Boards also considered other matters they deemed important to the approval process, such as services related to the valuation and pricing of each Fund’s portfolio holdings, direct and indirect benefits to BlackRock and its affiliates and significant shareholders from their relationship with each Fund and advice from independent legal counsel with respect to the review process and materials submitted for the Boards’ review. The Boards noted the willingness of BlackRock personnel to engage in open, candid discussions with the Boards. The Boards did not identify any particular information as controlling, and each Board Member may have attributed different weights to the various items considered.
A. Nature, Extent and Quality of the Services Provided by BlackRock: The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed the nature, extent and quality of services provided by BlackRock, including the investment advisory services and the resulting performance of each Fund. Throughout the year, the Boards compared each Fund’s performance to the performance of a comparable group of closed-end funds, and the performance of a relevant benchmark, if any. The Boards met with BlackRock’s senior management personnel responsible for investment operations, including the senior investment officers. The Boards also reviewed the materials provided by each Fund’s portfolio management team discussing each Fund’s performance and each Fund’s investment objective, strategies and outlook.
The Boards considered, among other factors, the number, education and experience of BlackRock’s investment personnel generally and each Fund’s portfolio management team, investments by portfolio managers in the funds they manage, BlackRock’s portfolio trading capabilities, BlackRock’s use of technology, BlackRock’s commitment to compliance and BlackRock’s approach to training and retaining portfolio managers and other research, advisory and management personnel. The Boards also reviewed a general description of BlackRock’s compensation structure with respect to each Fund’s portfolio management team and BlackRock’s ability to attract and retain high-quality talent.
In addition to advisory services, the Boards considered the quality of the administrative and non-investment advisory services provided to each Fund. BlackRock and its affiliates and significant shareholders provide each Fund with certain administrative and other services (in addition to any such services provided to each Fund by third parties) and officers and other personnel as are necessary for the operations of each Fund. In addition to investment advisory services, BlackRock and its affiliates provide each Fund with other services, including: (i) preparing disclosure documents, such as the prospectus and the statement of additional information in connection with the initial public offering and periodic shareholder reports; (ii) preparing communications with analysts to support secondary market trading of each Fund; (iii) assisting with daily accounting and pricing; (iv) preparing periodic filings with regulators and stock exchanges; (v) overseeing and coordinating the activities of other service providers; (vi) organizing Board meetings and preparing the materials for such Board meetings; (vii) providing legal and compliance support; and (viii) performing other administrative functions necessary for the operation of each Fund, such as tax reporting, fulfilling regulatory filing requirements, and call center services. The Boards reviewed the structure and duties of BlackRock’s fund administration, accounting, legal and compliance departments and considered BlackRock’s policies and procedures for assuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
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34 | SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT | JUNE 30, 2010 |
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreements and Sub-Advisory Agreements (continued) |
B. The Investment Performance of the Funds and BlackRock: The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, also reviewed and considered the performance history of each Fund. In preparation for the April 8, 2010 meeting, the Boards were provided with reports, independently prepared by Lipper, which included a comprehensive analysis of each Fund’s performance. The Boards also reviewed a narrative and statistical analysis of the Lipper data that was prepared by BlackRock, which analyzed various factors that affect Lipper’s rankings. In connection with their review, the Boards received and reviewed information regarding the investment performance of each Fund as compared to a representative group of similar funds as determined by Lipper and to all funds in each Fund’s applicable Lipper category. The Boards were provided with a description of the methodology used by Lipper to select peer funds. The Boards regularly review the performance of each Fund throughout the year.
The Board of BPK noted that, in general, BPK performed better than its Peers in that BPK’s performance was at or above the median of its Lipper Performance Composite in each of the one-, three- and five-year periods reported.
The Board of each of BJZ and BLH noted that, in general, BJZ and BLH performed better than their respective Peers in that the performance of each of BJZ and BLH was at or above the median of their respective Lipper Performance Composite in two of the one-, three- and five-year periods reported.
The Board of BMT noted that BMT performed below the median of its Lipper Performance Composite in each of the one-, three- and five-year periods reported. The Board of BMT and BlackRock reviewed the reasons for BMT’s underperformance during these periods compared with its Peers. The Board of BMT was informed that, among other things, BMT has a targeted maturity, and as such is managed to achieve the specific maturity goal.
The Board noted that BlackRock has made changes to the organization of the overall fixed income group management structure designed to result in a strengthened leadership team with clearer accountability.
C. Consideration of the Advisory Fees and the Cost of the Services and Profits to be Realized by BlackRock and its Affiliates from their Relationship with the Funds: The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, reviewed each Fund’s contractual advisory fee rates compared with the other funds in its Lipper category. The Boards also compared each Fund’s total expenses, as well as actual management fees, to those of other funds in its Lipper category. The Boards considered the services provided and the fees charged by BlackRock to other types of clients with similar investment mandates, including separately managed institutional accounts.
The Boards received and reviewed statements relating to BlackRock’s financial condition and profitability with respect to the services it provided each Fund. The Boards were also provided with a profitability analysis that detailed the revenues earned and the expenses incurred by BlackRock for services provided to each Fund. The Boards reviewed BlackRock’s profitability with respect to each Fund and other funds the Boards currently oversee for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to available aggregate profitability data provided for the year ended December 31, 2008. The Boards reviewed BlackRock’s profitability with respect to other fund complexes managed by the Manager and/or its affiliates. The Boards reviewed BlackRock’s assumptions and methodology of allocating expenses in the profitability analysis, noting the inherent limitations in allocating costs among various advisory products. The Boards recognized that profitability may be affected by numerous factors including, among other things, fee waivers and expense reimbursements by the Manager, the types of funds managed, expense allocations and business mix, and the difficulty of comparing profitability as a result of those factors.
The Boards noted that, in general, individual fund or product line profitability of other advisors is not publicly available. Nevertheless, to the extent such information was available, the Boards considered BlackRock’s overall operating margin, in general, compared to the operating margin for leading investment management firms whose operations include advising closed-end funds, among other product types. That data indicates that operating margins for BlackRock with respect to its registered funds are generally consistent with margins earned by similarly situated publicly traded competitors. In addition, the Boards considered, among other things, certain third party data comparing BlackRock’s operating margin with that of other publicly traded asset management firms. That third party data indicates that larger asset bases do not, in themselves, translate to higher profit margins.
In addition, the Boards considered the cost of the services provided to each Fund by BlackRock, and BlackRock’s and its affiliates’ profits relating to the management and distribution of each Fund and the other funds advised by BlackRock and its affiliates. As part of their analysis, the Boards reviewed BlackRock’s methodology in allocating its costs to the management of each Fund. The Boards also considered whether BlackRock has the financial resources necessary to attract and retain high-quality investment management personnel to perform its obligations under the Agreements and to continue to provide the high quality of services that is expected by the Boards.
The Board of each of BJZ, BPK and BLH noted that the contractual management fee rate was lower than or equal to the median contractual management fee rate paid by their respective Peers, in each case, before taking into account any expense reimbursements or fee waivers.
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SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT | JUNE 30, 2010 | 35 |
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Disclosure of Investment Advisory Agreements and Sub-Advisory Agreements (concluded) |
The Board of BMT noted that BMT’s contractual management fee rate was above the median contractual management fee rate paid by BMT’s Peers, in each case, before taking into account any expense reimbursements or fee waivers. The Board of BMT also noted, however, that BMT’s actual management fee rate, after giving effect to any expense reimbursements or fee waivers by BlackRock, was lower than or equal to the median actual management fee rate paid by BMT’s Peers, after giving effect to any expense reimbursements or fee waivers.
D. Economies of Scale: The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, considered the extent to which economies of scale might be realized as the assets of each Fund increase. The Boards also considered the extent to which each Fund benefits from such economies and whether there should be changes in the advisory fee rate or structure in order to enable each Fund to participate in these economies of scale, for example through the use of breakpoints in the advisory fee based upon the asset level of each Fund.
The Boards noted that most closed-end fund complexes do not have fund level breakpoints because closed-end funds generally do not experience substantial growth after the initial public offering and each fund is managed independently consistent with its own investment objectives. The Boards noted that only one closed-end fund in the Fund Complex has breakpoints in its fee structure. Information provided by Lipper also revealed that only one closed-end fund complex with total closed-end fund net assets exceeding $10 billion, as of December 31, 2009, used a complex level breakpoint structure.
E. Other Factors Deemed Relevant by the Board Members: The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, also took into account other ancillary or “fall-out” benefits that BlackRock or its affiliates and significant shareholders may derive from their respective relationships with the Funds, both tangible and intangible, such as BlackRock’s ability to leverage its investment professionals who manage other portfolios, an increase in BlackRock’s profile in the investment advisory community, and the engagement of BlackRock’s affiliates and significant shareholders as service providers to each Fund, including for administrative and distribution services. The Boards also considered BlackRock’s overall operations and its efforts to expand the scale of, and improve the quality of, its operations. The Boards also noted that BlackRock may use and benefit from third party research obtained by soft dollars generated by certain mutual fund transactions to assist in managing all or a number of its other client accounts. The Boards further noted that BlackRock completed the acquisition of a complex of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) on December 1, 2009, and that BlackRock’s funds may invest in such ETFs without any offset against the management fees payable by the funds to BlackRock.
In connection with its consideration of the Agreements, the Boards also received information regarding BlackRock’s brokerage and soft dollar practices. The Boards received reports from BlackRock which included information on brokerage commissions and trade execution practices throughout the year.
The Boards noted the competitive nature of the closed-end fund marketplace, and that shareholders are able to sell their respective Fund’s shares in the secondary market if they believe that the Fund’s fees and expenses are too high or if they are dissatisfied with the performance of the Fund.
Conclusion
The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, unanimously approved the continuation of the Advisory Agreement between the Manager and each of BJZ, BPK and BLH for a one year term ending June 30, 2011 and between the Manager and BMT for a term ending upon the termination of BMT, which is scheduled to occur on or about December 31, 2010. The Boards of BJZ, BPK and BLH unanimously approved the continuation of the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Manager and the Sub-Advisor with respect to each Fund, each for a one-year term ending June 30, 2011. As part of its approval, the Boards considered the detailed review of BlackRock’s fee structure, as it applies to its respective Fund, being conducted by the ad hoc Joint Product Pricing Committee. Based upon its evaluation of all of the aforementioned factors in their totality, the Boards, including the Independent Board Members, were satisfied that the terms of the Agreements were fair and reasonable and in the best interest of each Fund and its shareholders. In arriving at a decision to approve the Agreements, the Boards did not identify any single factor or group of factors as all-important or controlling, but considered all factors together, and different Board Members may have attributed different weights to the various factors considered. The Independent Board Members were also assisted by the advice of independent legal counsel in making this determination. The contractual fee arrangements for each Fund reflect the results of several years of review by the Board Members and predecessor Board Members, and discussions between such Board Members (and predecessor Board Members) and BlackRock. Certain aspects of the arrangements may be the subject of more attention in some years than in others, and the Board Members’ conclusions may be based in part on their consideration of these arrangements in prior years.
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36 | SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT | JUNE 30, 2010 |
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Officers and Trustees |
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Richard E. Cavanagh, Chairman of the Board and Trustee |
Karen P. Robards, Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Audit Committee and Trustee |
Richard S. Davis, Trustee |
Frank J. Fabozzi, Trustee and Member of the Audit Committee |
Kathleen F. Feldstein, Trustee |
James T. Flynn, Trustee and Member of the Audit Committee |
Henry Gabbay, Trustee |
Jerold B. Harris, Trustee |
R. Glenn Hubbard, Trustee |
W. Carl Kester, Trustee and Member of the Audit Committee |
Anne Ackerley, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Brendan Kyne, Vice President |
Neal Andrews, Chief Financial Officer |
Jay Fife, Treasurer |
Brian Kindelan, Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust |
Howard Surloff, Secretary |
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Investment Advisor |
BlackRock Advisors, LLC |
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
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Sub-Advisor1 |
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. |
New York, NY 10055 |
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Custodian |
State Street Bank and Trust Company |
Boston, MA 02111 |
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Transfer Agent |
Common Shares |
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. |
Canton, MA 02021 |
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Transfer Agent1 |
Preferred Shares |
BNY Mellon Shareowner Services |
Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
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Accounting Agent |
State Street Bank and Trust Company |
Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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Legal Counsel |
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP |
New York, NY 10036 |
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
Deloitte & Touche LLP |
Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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Address of the Trusts |
100 Bellevue Parkway |
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
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1 For the 2018 Trusts. |
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Effective January 1, 2010, Kent Dixon, a Trustee of the Trusts, retired. |
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Effective March 31, 2010, G. Nicholas Beckwith, III, a Trustee of the Trusts, resigned. |
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The Trusts’ Board of Trustees extends its best wishes to both Mr. Dixon and Mr. Beckwith. |
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SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT | JUNE 30, 2010 | 37 |
On August 11, 2010, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, the Trusts’ investment advisor (the “Manager”), announced that BMT received a demand letter from a law firm on behalf of BMT’s common shareholders. The demand letter alleges that the Manager and BMT’s officers and Board of Directors (the “Board”) breached their fiduciary duties related to the redemption at par of certain of the BMT’s Preferred Shares. The independent Directors are currently evaluating the demand letter for BMT.
The Trusts do not make available copies of their Statements of Additional Information because the Trusts’ shares are not continuously offered, which means that the Statement of Additional Information of each Trust has not been updated after completion of the respective Trust’s offerings and the information contained in each Trust’s Statement of Additional Information may have become outdated.
During the period, there were no material changes in the Trusts’ investment objectives or policies or to the Trusts’ charters or by-laws that were not approved by the shareholders or in the principal risk factors associated with investment in the Trusts. There have been no changes in the persons who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trusts’ portfolio.
Quarterly performance, semi-annual and annual reports and other information regarding the Trusts may be found on BlackRock’s website, which can be accessed at http://www.blackrock.com. This reference to BlackRock’s website is intended to allow investors public access to information regarding the Trusts and does not, and is not intended to, incorporate BlackRock’s website into this report.
Electronic Delivery
Electronic copies of most financial reports are available on the Trusts’ websites or shareholders can sign up for e-mail notifications of quarterly statements, annual and semi-annual reports by enrolling in the Trusts’ electronic delivery program.
Shareholders Who Hold Accounts with Investment Advisors, Banks or Brokerages:
Please contact your financial advisor to enroll. Please note that not all investment advisors, banks or brokerages may offer this service.
Householding
The Trusts will mail only one copy of shareholder documents, including 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 of Investments
Each Trust 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 Trusts’ 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, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling (800) SEC-0330. Each Trust’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 Trusts use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 441-7762; (2) at http://www.blackrock.com; and (3) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Availability of Proxy Voting Record
Information about how the Trusts voted proxies relating to securities held in the Trusts’ portfolios during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available upon request and without charge (1) at http://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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38 | SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT | JUNE 30, 2010 |
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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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SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT | JUNE 30, 2010 | 39 |
This report is transmitted to shareholders only. It is not a Prospectus. Past performance results shown in this report should not be considered a representation of future performance. BPK, BJZ and BLH leverage their Common Shares, which creates risks for Common Shareholders, including the likelihood of greater volatility of net asset value and market price of the Common Shares and the risk that fluctuations in the short-term dividend rates of the Preferred Shares, currently set at the maximum reset rate as a result of failed auctions, may reduce the Common Shares’ yield. Statements and other information herein are as dated and are subject to change.
# CEF-BK4-0610
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 to this semi-annual report |
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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 to this semi-annual report |
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Item 8 – | Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies – Not Applicable to this semi-annual report |
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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 13(a)-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. |
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 |
| | 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 California Municipal 2018 Term Trust |
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| | By: | /s/ Anne F. Ackerley | |
| | | Anne F. Ackerley |
| | | Chief Executive Officer of |
| | | BlackRock California Municipal 2018 Term Trust |
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| | Date: September 2, 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 California Municipal 2018 Term Trust |
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| | Date: September 2, 2010 |
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| | By: | /s/ Neal J. Andrews | |
| | | Neal J. Andrews |
| | | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of |
| | | BlackRock California Municipal 2018 Term Trust |
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| | Date: September 2, 2010 |
