| UNITED STATES |
| SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION |
| Washington, D.C. 20549 |
| |
FORM N-CSR |
| |
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED |
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES |
| |
| |
| |
| Investment Company Act File Number: 811-21055 |
|
| |
| T. Rowe Price Institutional Income Funds, Inc. |
|
| (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) |
| |
| 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 |
|
| (Address of principal executive offices) |
| |
| David Oestreicher |
| 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 |
|
| (Name and address of agent for service) |
| |
| |
| Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (410) 345-2000 |
| |
| |
| Date of fiscal year end: May 31 |
| |
| |
| Date of reporting period: May 31, 2009 |
Item 1: Report to Shareholders| Institutional Core Plus Fund | May 31, 2009 |
• With the exception of Treasuries, bonds performed very well over the past six months and regained losses suffered in late 2008.• The Institutional Core Plus Fund’s emphasis on corporate securities helped it outperform the broad Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index over the past six months and year, as did its out-of-benchmark positions in high-yield and emerging market bonds.
• We added to our holdings of corporate bonds using proceeds from the sale of mortgage-backed securities, which appear less attractively valued following their recent rally.
• Bond markets are likely to remain volatile in the coming months, but the continued support for the credit markets by government policymakers is encouraging, as is investors’ renewed willingness to embrace risk.
The views and opinions in this report were current as of May 31, 2009. They are not guarantees of performance or investment results and should not be taken as investment advice. Investment decisions reflect a variety of factors, and the managers reserve the right to change their views about individual stocks, sectors, and the markets at any time. As a result, the views expressed should not be relied upon as a forecast of the fund’s future investment intent. The report is certified under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires mutual funds and other public companies to affirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in their financial reports is fairly and accurately stated in all material respects.
Manager’s Letter
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
Dear Investor
The turmoil that gripped the credit markets last fall began to ease over the past six months, even as the economy continued into its deepest recession in decades. Signs that the recession might be moderating and other factors caused a steep rise in longer-term Treasury yields at the end of the period, which caused Treasury bond prices to fall. Other segments performed very well, however, as investors grew less cautious and more willing to seek the higher yields offered by nongovernment bonds. The Institutional Core Plus Fund recorded a strong gain in this environment that reflected its emphasis on corporate issues and helped compensate for a loss in the first six months of the fund’s fiscal year.
Market Environment
The U.S. economy experienced one of its sharpest downturns on record over the past six months. In the worst consecutive quarters of economic performance since the late 1950s, gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 6.3% in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 5.5% in the first quarter of 2009, according to final estimates. As businesses closed or scaled back, the unemployment rate shot upward, from 7.2% in December to 9.4% in May, and most experts anticipate that it will continue to rise. The depth of the contraction and the challenges posed to recovery caused many to argue that the economy was in the midst of the worst recession since World War II.
The historic scope of the recession brought forth an equally massive policy response. The Federal Reserve greatly expanded its traditional role, fashioning itself occasionally as the banker of last resort in order to get credit flowing again. Three new Fed programs were especially notable. First, the Fed began in earnest a policy of “quantitative easing”; the central bank started purchasing long-term Treasury bonds in order to increase the money supply, keep long-term rates at low levels, and encourage investors to buy other types of securities. Second, in an effort to bring down mortgage rates, the Fed began buying debt and securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. Finally, the Fed’s Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) saw the central bank attempt to restart the asset-backed securities market by providing low-interest loans to purchasers of bundles of car, credit card, student, and other types of loans. The Fed also pushed the throttle of its traditional monetary driver, the federal funds rate, to full when it lowered the rate to a range of 0.00% to 0.25% in December.
The government also expanded significantly on the fiscal and regulatory response to the crisis. The Treasury Department reconfigured the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) put in place last fall, and the government provided massive amounts of new funds to three of the largest financial institutions to ensure they remained solvent. The Obama administration also established a special regulator to oversee a rescue program for U.S. automakers and eventually guided Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy. Finally, Congress enacted the largest stimulus program in absolute terms in history.
Due in part to the fiscal and monetary stimulus, scattered signs of improved—or at least less worse—economic conditions began to emerge late in our reporting period. These “green shoots” of recovery included a moderating pace of home price declines, a rise in consumer spending in the first quarter, and a sharp rebound in consumer confidence (although it remained low). The pace of job losses also appeared to abate, although the unemployment rate continued to rise as laid-off workers had trouble finding new jobs.
While some worried that massive deficit spending and the Fed’s easy-money policy might result in long-term inflation, price pressures appeared to remain in check in the short term. Indeed, the consumer price index began to decline on a year-over-year basis, thanks in large part to a steep fall in energy prices. Some argued that the economy in fact faced a greater threat from deflation, or a pattern of broad-based price declines that encourages consumers to put off spending and further delays recovery. Absent food and energy costs, however, the “core” inflation rate remained modestly positive.
Segments of the fixed-income markets that had fallen sharply last year rebounded over the past few months as government programs took hold and investors’ fears receded. Investment-grade corporate bonds, many of which are issued by financial firms, posted strong gains. Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) also performed well as the $1.5 trillion that the Fed and Treasury have committed to the purchase of agency MBS substantially narrowed the difference in yield between Treasuries and MBS. Asset-backed securities benefited from the TALF program, which has been steadily broadened to incorporate a wider range of issues.
Performance and Investment Review
The Institutional Core Plus Fund generated a 10.17% return for the six-month period and a 5.41% return for the 12-month period ended May 31, 2009. Our returns handily outperformed the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index over the past six months and were roughly in line over the one-year period. Our returns surpassed those of the Lipper Intermediate Investment Grade Debt Funds Average over both the 6- and 12-month periods.
The fund’s overweight allocation to high-yield securities, which are not included in the broad Barclays index, was the largest factor in its outperformance of the benchmark in the last six months—just as it had weighed on performance over the previous six months. High-yield bonds posted their largest monthly gain on record in April as investors became increasingly willing to accept risk. The market also grew more liquid, with issuers placing $11 billion in new securities on the market during the month. Lower yields acted as an incentive for further high-yield debt offerings in May, resulting in the most active month of issuance in the sector in three years. The recovery of capital flows is crucial for this asset class, as it will facilitate the recapitalization of many companies on the brink of restructuring. We reduced our high-yield exposure tactically in April to secure gains; similarly, we scaled back our holding of bank debt in the form of leveraged loans. We will add again to our holdings of these issues if yields increase once again in relation to Treasuries, but we are mindful that fundamentals in the sector remain poor, and we suspect the recent rally may prove overly optimistic in the near term.
Our investment in emerging markets debt, which is also not included in the benchmark, was similarly beneficial. Constructive technical trends, such as improving liquidity and positive inflows into the asset class, helped emerging debt markets, which provided solid returns at the end of the period. Specifically, an allocation to emerging market corporate issues helped performance. In addition, exposure to local markets such as Brazil added to return as the central bank eased monetary policy.
An overweight in investment-grade bonds also helped returns over the past six months. Investment-grade bonds enjoyed a strong rally in the spring, led by financial issues. The corporate market benefited from increased liquidity and a strong new-issue calendar, which was well received by investors; by May, most new deals were heavily oversubscribed. Indicative of the more optimistic sentiment surrounding banking institutions, May was the first month in which only a minority of securities were issued through the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, established last fall to provide government backing to senior debt issued by financial firms. For the one-year period, our overweight position in asset- and commercial mortgage-backed securities also helped our results.
During the past six months, we continued to add to our holdings of investment-grade corporate issues. Our buying took place primarily on the new-issue market, which offered particularly attractive valuations. We believe that by adding incremental risk to our portfolio, we will be well positioned when market volatility subsides, which we started to see toward the end of the period. We funded our corporate purchases by selling MBS issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. As government purchases of these securities have caused yields to come down substantially relative to Treasuries, they have become less attractive to private investors.
In addition, we added exposure to nondollar markets. These included investments in Europe, where we anticipated further easing of monetary policy. We also made investments in Canadian government bonds. Canada offers more favorable fundamentals than the U.S., such as its more attractive fiscal balance.
The fund’s holdings of Treasuries did not perform as well, although it helped our performance relative to the benchmark to be underweight in the sector. Treasury yields reached multi-decade lows at the end of 2008 in response to a massive “flight to safety” by investors shunning stocks and other higher-risk assets. As the period ended, however, yields began to rise in response to optimism that economic growth might resume later in 2009, a move by investors back into other assets, and fears over the impact of the ballooning federal deficit. The Fed’s purchases of long-term Treasuries as part of its quantitative easing program kept a lid on the rise in yields for a while but ultimately interest rates increased on the back of better-than-expected economic news.
Outlook
The current economic slowdown may weigh on the economy more heavily and for a longer time than is generally expected, particularly on cyclical firms that rely on healthy economic conditions. Within this context, the recent rise in Treasury yields places the market at a critical juncture. A further backup in Treasury yields from here could limit the pace of further improvement in riskier sectors and may actually drag yields higher across the board, which would certainly weigh on an economy struggling to get back on its feet. Moreover, it is possible that investors’ hopeful outlook may moderate and higher-risk sectors of the bond market will experience heightened volatility.
However, we are cautiously optimistic about early signs of economic and financial market stabilization. From a historical perspective, the market continues to offer attractive levels of compensation for risk. The continued support for the credit markets by government policymakers is also encouraging, as is investors’ renewed willingness to embrace risk. We are confident that diversified fixed-income portfolios will benefit in this environment. With that said, we remain committed to our risk-conscious, disciplined investment philosophy, in-depth research of individual securities, and long-term perspective that have helped us weather volatile market conditions in the past.
As always, we appreciate your confidence and thank you for investing with T. Rowe Price.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian J. Brennan
Chairman of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee
June 17, 2009
The committee chairman has day-to-day responsibility for managing the portfolio and works with committee members in developing and executing the fund’s investment program.
Bonds are subject to interest rate risk, the decline in bond prices that usually accompanies a rise in interest rates, and credit risk, the chance that any fund holding could have its credit rating downgraded or that a bond issuer will default (fail to make timely payments of interest or principal), potentially reducing the fund’s income level and share price. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to prepayment risk, particularly if falling rates lead to heavy refinancing activity, and extension risk, which is an increase in interest rates that causes a fund’s average maturity to lengthen unexpectedly due to a drop in mortgage prepayments. This could increase the fund’s sensitivity to rising interest rates and its potential for price declines.
30-day SEC yield: A method of calculating a fund’s yield that assumes all portfolio securities are held until maturity. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires all bond funds to calculate this yield.
Average maturity: The average of the stated maturity dates of a bond or money market portfolio’s securities. The average maturity for a money market fund is measured in days, whereas a bond fund’s average maturity is measured in years. In general, the longer the average maturity, the greater the fund’s sensitivity to interest rate changes, which means greater price fluctuation.
Barclays Capital Mortgage-Backed Securities Index: An unmanaged index that tracks the performance of the mortgage-backed pass-through securities of Ginnie Mae (GNMA), Fannie Mae (FNMA), and Freddie Mac (FHLMC).
Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index: An unmanaged index that tracks domestic investment-grade bonds, including corporate, government, and mortgage-backed securities.
Barclays Capital U.S. Credit Index: An unmanaged index that tracks the performance of domestic investment-grade corporate bonds.
Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Index: An unmanaged index of publicly traded obligations of the U.S. Treasury.
Basis point: One one-hundredth of a percentage point, or 0.01%.
Duration: A measure of a bond or bond fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. For example, a fund with a four-year duration would fall about 4% in response to a one-percentage-point rise in interest rates, and vice versa.
Federal funds rate: The interest rate charged on overnight loans of reserves by one financial institution to another in the United States. The Federal Reserve sets a target federal funds rate to affect the direction of interest rates.
J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global: Tracks U.S. dollar government bonds of 31 foreign countries.
J.P. Morgan Global High Yield Index: Tracks the investable universe of the U.S. dollar-denominated global high-yield corporate debt market, including domestic and international issues.
Lipper averages: The averages of all mutual funds in a particular category as tracked by Lipper Inc.
Weighted average maturity: The weighted average of the stated maturity dates of the portfolio’s securities. In general, the longer the average maturity, the greater the fund’s sensitivity to interest rate changes. A shorter average maturity usually means less interest rate sensitivity and therefore a less volatile portfolio.
Performance and Expenses
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
This chart shows the value of a hypothetical $1 million investment in the fund over the past 10 fiscal year periods or since inception (for funds lacking 10-year records). The result is compared with benchmarks, which may include a broad-based market index and a peer group average or index. Market indexes do not include expenses, which are deducted from fund returns as well as mutual fund averages and indexes.
This table shows how the fund would have performed each year if its actual (or cumulative) returns for the periods shown had been earned at a constant rate.
Fund Expense Example
As a mutual fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads, and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees, and other fund expenses. The following example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the most recent six-month period and held for the entire period.
Actual Expenses
The first line of the following table (“Actual”) provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with your account balance, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.
Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes
The information on the second line of the table (“Hypothetical”) is based on hypothetical account values and expenses derived from the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed 5% per year rate of return before expenses (not the fund’s actual return). You may compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund with other funds by contrasting this 5% hypothetical example and the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period.
You should also be aware that the expenses shown in the table highlight only your ongoing costs and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. To the extent a fund charges transaction costs, however, the total cost of owning that fund is higher.
Financial Highlights
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Portfolio of Investments ‡
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
May 31, 2009
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
May 31, 2009
($000s except shares and per share amounts)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Statement of Operations
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
($000s)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Statement of Changes in Net Assets
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
($000s)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Notes to Financial Statements
T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
May 31, 2009
T. Rowe Price Institutional Income Funds, Inc. (the corporation), is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act). The Institutional Core Plus Fund (the fund), a diversified, open-end management investment company, is one portfolio established by the corporation. The fund commenced operations on November 30, 2004. The fund seeks to maximize total return through income and capital appreciation.
NOTE 1 - SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Preparation The accompanying financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which require the use of estimates made by fund management. Fund management believes that estimates and security valuations are appropriate; however, actual results may differ from those estimates, and the security valuations reflected in the financial statements may differ from the value the fund ultimately realizes upon sale of the securities.
Investment Transactions, Investment Income, and Distributions Income and expenses are recorded on the accrual basis. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized for financial reporting purposes. Inflation adjustments to the principal amount of inflation-indexed bonds are reflected as interest income. Dividends received from mutual fund investments are reflected as dividend income; capital gain distributions are reflected as realized gain/loss. Dividend income and capital gain distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income tax-related interest and penalties, if incurred, would be recorded as income tax expense. Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date. Realized gains and losses are reported on the identified cost basis. Paydown gains and losses are recorded as an adjustment to interest income. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income distributions are declared on a daily basis and paid monthly. Capital gain distributions, if any, are declared and paid by the fund, typically on an annual basis.
Currency Translation Assets, including investments, and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar values each day at the prevailing exchange rate, using the mean of the bid and asked prices of such currencies against U.S. dollars as quoted by a major bank. Purchases and sales of securities, income, and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate on the date of the transaction. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on realized and unrealized security gains and losses is reflected as a component of security gains and losses.
New Accounting Pronouncements On June 1, 2008, the fund adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 (FAS 157), Fair Value Measurements. FAS 157 defines fair value, establishes the framework for measuring fair value, and expands the disclosures of fair value measurements in the financial statements. Adoption of FAS 157 did not have a material impact on the fund’s net assets or results of operations.
On December 1, 2008, the fund adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 161 (FAS 161), Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. FAS 161 requires enhanced disclosures about derivative and hedging activities, including how such activities are accounted for and their effect on financial position, performance and cash flows. Adoption of FAS 161 had no impact on the fund’s net assets or results of operations.
NOTE 2 - VALUATION
The fund’s investments are reported at fair value as defined under FAS 157. The fund values its investments and computes its net asset value per share at the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally 4 p.m. ET, each day that the NYSE is open for business.
Valuation Methods Debt securities are generally traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) market. Securities with remaining maturities of one year or more at the time of acquisition are valued at prices furnished by dealers who make markets in such securities or by an independent pricing service, which considers the yield or price of bonds of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, and type, as well as prices quoted by dealers who make markets in such securities. Securities with remaining maturities of less than one year at the time of acquisition generally use amortized cost in local currency to approximate fair value. However, if amortized cost is deemed not to reflect fair value or the fund holds a significant amount of such securities with remaining maturities of more than 60 days, the securities are valued at prices furnished by dealers who make markets in such securities or by an independent pricing service.
Equity securities listed or regularly traded on a securities exchange or in the OTC market are valued at the last quoted sale price or, for certain markets, the official closing price at the time the valuations are made, except for OTC Bulletin Board securities, which are valued at the mean of the latest bid and asked prices. A security that is listed or traded on more than one exchange is valued at the quotation on the exchange determined to be the primary market for such security. Listed securities not traded on a particular day are valued at the mean of the latest bid and asked prices for domestic securities and the last quoted sale price for international securities.
Investments in mutual funds are valued at the mutual fund’s closing net asset value per share on the day of valuation. Financial futures contracts are valued at closing settlement prices. Forward currency exchange contracts are valued using the prevailing forward exchange rate. Swaps are valued at prices furnished by independent swap dealers or by an independent pricing service.
Other investments, including restricted securities, and those for which the above valuation procedures are inappropriate or are deemed not to reflect fair value are stated at fair value as determined in good faith by the T. Rowe Price Valuation Committee, established by the fund’s Board of Directors.
For valuation purposes, the last quoted prices of non-U.S. equity securities may be adjusted under the circumstances described below. If the fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will, in its judgment, materially affect the value of some or all of its portfolio securities, the fund will adjust the previous closing prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of the close of the NYSE. In deciding whether it is necessary to adjust closing prices to reflect fair value, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities. A fund may also fair value securities in other situations, such as when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. The fund uses outside pricing services to provide it with closing prices and information to evaluate and/or adjust those prices. The fund cannot predict how often it will use closing prices and how often it will determine it necessary to adjust those prices to reflect fair value. As a means of evaluating its security valuation process, the fund routinely compares closing prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.
Valuation Inputs Various inputs are used to determine the value of the fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities
Level 2 – observable inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, and credit risk)
Level 3 – unobservable inputs
Observable inputs are those based on market data obtained from sources independent of the fund, and unobservable inputs reflect the fund’s own assumptions based on the best information available. The input levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with investments at that level. For example, non-U.S. equity securities actively traded in foreign markets generally are reflected in Level 2 despite the availability of closing prices because the fund evaluates and determines whether those closing prices reflect fair value at the close of the NYSE or require adjustment, as described above. The following table summarizes the fund’s investments, based on the inputs used to determine their values on May 31, 2009:
Following is a reconciliation of the fund’s Level 3 investments for the year ended May 31, 2009:
NOTE 3 - DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
During the year ended May 31, 2009, the fund invested in derivative instruments. As defined by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133 (FAS 133), Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, a derivative is a financial instrument whose value is derived from an underlying security price, foreign exchange rate, interest rate, index of prices or rates, or other variable; it requires little or no initial investment and permits or requires net settlement. The fund invests in derivatives only if the expected risks and rewards are consistent with its investment objectives, policies, and overall risk profile, as described in its prospectus and Statement of Additional Information. The fund may use derivatives for a variety of purposes, such as seeking to hedge against declines in principal value, increase yield, invest in an asset with greater efficiency and at a lower cost than is possible through direct investment, or to adjust portfolio duration and credit exposure. The risks associated with the use of derivatives are different from, and potentially much greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the instruments on which the derivatives are based. Investments in derivatives can magnify returns positively or negatively; however, the fund at all times maintains sufficient cash reserves, liquid assets, or other SEC-permitted asset types to cover the settlement obligations under its open derivative contracts. The fund’s period-end derivatives, as presented in the Portfolio of Investments or the tables following, generally are indicative of the volume of its derivative activity during the period.
The fund values its derivatives at fair value, as described below and in Note 2, and recognizes changes in fair value currently in its results of operations. Accordingly, the fund does not follow hedge accounting as prescribed by FAS 133, even for derivatives employed as economic hedges. The following table summarizes the fair value of the fund’s derivative instruments held as of May 31, 2009, and the related location on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities, presented by primary underlying risk exposure:
Additionally, the amount of gains and losses on derivative instruments recognized in fund earnings during the six months ended May 31, 2009, and the related location on the accompanying Statement of Operations is summarized in the following table by primary underlying risk exposure:
Forward Currency Exchange Contracts The fund is subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. It uses forward currency exchange contracts (forwards) primarily to protect its non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar. A forward involves an obligation to purchase or sell a fixed amount of a specific currency on a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. Although certain forwards may be settled by exchanging only the net gain or loss on the contract, most forwards are settled with the exchange of the underlying currencies in accordance with the specified terms. Forwards are valued at the unrealized gain or loss on the contract, which reflects the net amount the fund either is entitled to receive or obligated to deliver, as measured by the difference between the forward exchange rates at the date of entry into the contract and the forward rates at the reporting date. Appreciated forwards are included in Other Assets, and depreciated forwards are included in Other Liabilities on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Risks related to the use of forwards include the possible failure of counterparties to meet the terms of the agreements; that anticipated currency movements will not occur thereby reducing the fund’s total return; and the potential for losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment.
Futures Contracts The fund is subject to interest rate risk and/or foreign currency exchange rate risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives and uses futures contracts to help manage such risks. The fund may enter into futures contracts to manage exposure to interest rate and yield curve movements, security prices, foreign currencies, credit quality, and mortgage prepayments; as an efficient means of adjusting exposure to all or part of a target market; to enhance income; as a cash management tool; and/or to adjust portfolio duration and credit exposure. A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another of a specified amount of a specific underlying financial instrument at an agreed upon price, date, time, and place. The fund currently invests only in exchange-traded futures, which generally are standardized as to maturity date, underlying financial instrument, and other contract terms. Upon entering into a futures contract, the fund is required to deposit with the broker cash or securities in an amount equal to a certain percentage of the contract value (initial margin deposit); the margin deposit must then be maintained at the established level over the life of the contract. Subsequent payments are made or received by the fund each day (variation margin) to settle daily fluctuations in the value of the contract, which reflect changes in the value of the underlying financial instrument. Variation margin is recorded as unrealized gain or loss until the contracts are closed. For a futures contract, the value included in net assets is the amount of unsettled variation margin; variation margin receivable is included in Other Assets and variation margin payable is included in Other Liabilities. Risks related to the use of futures contracts include possible illiquidity of the futures markets, contract prices that can be highly volatile and imperfectly correlated to movements in hedged security values and/or interest rates and/or currency values, and potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment.
Swaps The fund is subject to interest rate risk and credit risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives and uses swap contracts to help manage such risks. The fund may use swaps in an effort to manage exposure to changes in interest rates and credit quality, to adjust overall exposure to certain markets, to enhance total return or protect the value of portfolio securities, to serve as a cash management tool, and/or to adjust portfolio duration and credit exposure. The value of a swap included in net assets is the unrealized gain or loss on the contract. Appreciated swaps are included in Other Assets and depreciated swaps are included in Other Liabilities in the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Net periodic receipts or payments required by swaps are accrued daily and are recorded as realized gain or loss for financial reporting purposes; fluctuations in the fair value of swaps are reflected in the change in net unrealized gain or loss and are reclassified to realized gain or loss upon termination prior to maturity or cash settlement.
Interest rate swaps are agreements to exchange cash flows based on the difference between specified interest rates applied to a notional principal amount for a specified period of time. Risks related to the use of interest rate swaps include the potential for unanticipated movements in interest and/or currency rates, the possible failure of a counterparty to perform in accordance with the terms of the swap agreements, potential government regulation that could adversely affect the fund’s swap investments, and potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment.
Credit default swaps are agreements where one party (the protection buyer) agrees to make periodic payments to another party (the protection seller) in exchange for protection against specified credit events, such as certain defaults and bankruptcies related to an underlying credit instrument, index, or issuer thereof. Upon occurrence of a specified credit event, the protection seller is required to pay the buyer the difference between the notional amount of the swap and the value of the underlying credit, either in the form of a net cash settlement or by paying the gross notional amount and accepting delivery of the relevant underlying credit. Generally, the payment risk for the seller of protection is inversely related to the current market price of the underlying credit; therefore, the payment risk increases as the price of the relevant underlying credit declines due to market valuations of credit quality. As of May 31, 2009, the notional amount of protection sold by the fund totaled $120,000 (0.1% of net assets), which reflects the maximum potential amount the fund could be required to pay under such contracts. Risks related to the use of credit default swaps include the possible inability of the fund to accurately assess the current and future creditworthiness of underlying issuers, the possible failure of a counterparty to perform in accordance with the terms of the swap agreements, potential government regulation that could adversely affect the fund’s swap investments, and potential losses in excess of the fund’s initial investment.
Counterparty Risk and Collateral The fund has entered into collateral agreements with certain counterparties to mitigate counterparty risk associated with over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, including swaps and forward currency exchange contracts. Subject to certain minimum exposure requirements (which range from $100,000 to $500,000), collateral generally is determined based on the net aggregate unrealized gain or loss on all OTC derivative contracts with a particular counterparty. Collateral, both pledged by and for the benefit of the fund, is held in a segregated account by a third-party agent and can be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. government or related agencies. Securities posted as collateral by the fund are so noted in the accompanying Portfolio of Investments and remain in the fund's net assets. As of May 31, 2009, no collateral was pledged by either the fund or counterparties.
The fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty credit risk on OTC derivatives is the aggregate unrealized gain on appreciated contracts in excess of any collateral pledged by the counterparty for the benefit of the fund. Counterparty risk related to exchange-traded futures and options contracts is minimal because the exchange’s clearinghouse provides protection against defaults. In accordance with standard derivatives agreements, counterparties to OTC derivatives may be able to terminate derivative contracts prior to maturity in the event the fund fails to maintain sufficient asset coverage; its net assets decline by stated percentages; or it otherwise fails to meet the terms of its agreements, which would cause the fund to accelerate payment of any net liability owed to the counterparty under the contract. For exchange-traded derivatives such as futures and options, each broker in its sole discretion may change margin requirements applicable to the fund.
NOTE 4 - OTHER INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Consistent with its investment objective, the fund engages in the following practices to manage exposure to certain risks or to enhance performance. The investment objective, policies, program, and risk factors of the fund are described more fully in the fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.
Restricted Securities The fund may invest in securities that are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Prompt sale of such securities at an acceptable price may be difficult and may involve substantial delays and additional costs.
TBA Purchase Commitments During the year ended May 31, 2009, the fund entered into to be announced (TBA) purchase commitments, pursuant to which it agrees to purchase mortgage-backed securities for a fixed unit price, with payment and delivery at a scheduled future date beyond the customary settlement period for that security. With TBA transactions, the particular securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date; however, delivered securities must meet specified terms, including issuer, rate, and mortgage term, and be within industry-accepted “good delivery” standards. The fund generally enters into TBAs with the intention of taking possession of the underlying mortgage securities. Until settlement, the fund maintains cash reserves and liquid assets sufficient to settle its TBAs.
Other Purchases and sales of portfolio securities other than short-term and U.S. government securities aggregated $29,538,000 and $31,002,000, respectively, for the year ended May 31, 2009. Purchases and sales of U.S. government securities aggregated $54,206,000 and $73,765,000, respectively, for the year ended May 31, 2009.
NOTE 5 - FEDERAL INCOME TAXES
No provision for federal income taxes is required since the fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code and distribute to shareholders all of its taxable income and gains. Distributions are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which differ from generally accepted accounting principles, and, therefore, may differ significantly in amount or character from net investment income and realized gains for financial reporting purposes. Financial reporting records are adjusted for permanent book/tax differences to reflect tax character but are not adjusted for temporary differences.
Reclassifications between income and gain relate primarily to the character of paydown gains and losses on asset-backed securities. For the year ended May 31, 2009, the following reclassifications, which had no impact on results of operations or net assets, were recorded to reflect tax character:
Distributions during the years ended May 31, 2009, and May 31, 2008, totaled $5,399,000 and $4,342,000, respectively, and were characterized as ordinary income for tax purposes. At May 31, 2009, the tax-basis cost of investments and components of net assets were as follows:
The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) is attributable to losses from wash sales and the realization of unrealized gains/losses on certain open derivative contracts for tax purposes. The fund intends to retain realized gains to the extent of available capital loss carryforwards. As of May 31, 2009, all unused capital loss carryforwards expire in fiscal 2017. Pursuant to federal income tax regulations applicable to investment companies, recognition of capital losses on certain transactions is deferred until the subsequent tax year. Consequently, realized losses reflected in the accompanying financial statements include net capital losses realized between November 1 and the fund’s fiscal year-end that have not been recognized for tax purposes (Post-October loss deferrals).
NOTE 6 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The fund is managed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (the manager or Price Associates), a wholly owned subsidiary of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. The investment management and administrative agreement between the fund and the manager provides for an all-inclusive annual fee equal to 0.45% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The fee is computed daily and paid monthly. The agreement provides that investment management, shareholder servicing, transfer agency, accounting, custody services, and directors’ fees and expenses are provided to the fund, and interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, and extraordinary expenses are paid directly by the fund.
The fund may invest in the T. Rowe Price Reserve Investment Fund and the T. Rowe Price Government Reserve Investment Fund (collectively, the T. Rowe Price Reserve Investment Funds), open-end management investment companies managed by Price Associates and considered affiliates of the fund. The T. Rowe Price Reserve Investment Funds are offered as cash management options to mutual funds, trusts, and other accounts managed by Price Associates and/or its affiliates and are not available for direct purchase by members of the public. The T. Rowe Price Reserve Investment Funds pay no investment management fees.
The fund may also invest in certain T. Rowe Price institutional funds (underlying institutional funds) as a means of gaining efficient and cost-effective exposure to certain markets. The underlying institutional funds are open-end management investment companies managed by Price Associates and/or T. Rowe Price International, Inc. (collectively, the Price managers) and are considered affiliates of the fund. Each underlying institutional fund pays an all-inclusive management and administrative fee to its Price manager. To ensure that the fund does not incur duplicate fees, each Price manager has agreed to permanently waive a portion of its management fee charged to the fund in an amount sufficient to fully offset the fees paid by the underlying institutional funds related to fund assets invested therein. Accordingly, the accompanying Statement of Operations includes management fees permanently waived pursuant to this agreement. Annual fee rates and amounts waived within the accompanying Statement of Operations related to shares of the underlying institutional funds for the period ended May 31, 2009, are as follows:
As of May 31, 2009, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries owned 1,814,848 shares of the fund, representing 20% of the fund’s net assets.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors of T. Rowe Price Institutional Income Funds, Inc. and
Shareholders of T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of T. Rowe Price Institutional Core Plus Fund (one of the portfolios comprising T. Rowe Price Institutional Income Funds, Inc., hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at May 31, 2009, 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 fiscal periods presented, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements 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 are free of material misstatement. An audit 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, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at May 31, 2009 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers, and confirmation of the underlying funds by correspondence with the transfer agent, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Baltimore, Maryland
July 13, 2009
| Tax Information (Unaudited) for the Tax Year Ended 5/31/09 |
We are providing this information as required by the Internal Revenue Code. The amounts shown may differ from those elsewhere in this report because of differences between tax and financial reporting requirements.
The fund’s distributions to shareholders included $569,000 from short-term capital gains.
For taxable non-corporate shareholders, $10,000 of the fund’s income represents qualified dividend income subject to the 15% rate category.
For corporate shareholders, $10,000 of the fund’s income qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.
| Information on Proxy Voting Policies, Procedures, and Records |
A description of the policies and procedures used by T. Rowe Price funds and portfolios to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available in each fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which you may request by calling 1-800-225-5132 or by accessing the SEC’s Web site, www.sec.gov. The description of our proxy voting policies and procedures is also available on our Web site, www.troweprice.com. To access it, click on the words “Our Company” at the top of our corporate homepage. Then, when the next page appears, click on the words “Proxy Voting Policies” on the left side of the page.
Each fund’s most recent annual proxy voting record is available on our Web site and through the SEC’s Web site. To access it through our Web site, follow the directions above, then click on the words “Proxy Voting Records” on the right side of the Proxy Voting Policies page.
| How to Obtain Quarterly Portfolio Holdings |
The fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q is available electronically on the SEC’s Web site (www.sec.gov); hard copies may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 450 Fifth St. N.W., Washington, DC 20549. For more information on the Public Reference Room, call 1-800-SEC-0330.
| Approval of Investment Management Agreement |
On March 10, 2009, the fund’s Board of Directors (Board) unanimously approved the investment advisory contract (Contract) between the fund and its investment manager, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Manager). The Board considered a variety of factors in connection with its review of the Contract, also taking into account information provided by the Manager during the course of the year, as discussed below:
Services Provided by the Manager
The Board considered the nature, quality, and extent of the services provided to the fund by the Manager. These services included, but were not limited to, management of the fund’s portfolio and a variety of related activities, as well as financial and administrative services, reporting, and communications. The Board also reviewed the background and experience of the Manager’s senior management team and investment personnel involved in the management of the fund. The Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, quality, and extent of the services provided by the Manager.
Investment Performance of the Fund
The Board reviewed the fund’s average annual total returns for the one-year, three-year, and since-inception periods as well as the fund’s year-by-year returns and compared these returns with previously agreed upon comparable performance measures and market data, including those supplied by Lipper, an independent provider of mutual fund data. On the basis of this evaluation and the Board’s ongoing review of investment results, and factoring in the severity of market turmoil in 2008, the Board concluded that the fund’s performance was satisfactory.
Costs, Benefits, Profits, and Economies of Scale
The Board reviewed detailed information regarding the revenues received by the Manager under the Contract and other benefits that the Manager (and its affiliates) may have realized from its relationship with the fund, including research received under “soft dollar” agreements. The Board noted that soft dollars were not used to pay for third-party, non-broker research during 2008. The Board also received information on the estimated costs incurred and profits realized by the Manager and its affiliates from advising T. Rowe Price mutual funds. The Board did not review information regarding profits realized from managing the fund in particular because the fund had not achieved sufficient scale in terms of portfolio asset size to produce meaningful profit margin percentages. The Board concluded that the Manager’s profits from advising T. Rowe Price mutual funds were reasonable in light of the services provided to the fund. The Board also considered whether the fund or other funds benefit under the fee levels set forth in the Contract from any economies of scale realized by the Manager. The Board noted that, under the Contract, the fund pays the Manager a single fee based on the fund’s assets and the Manager, in turn, pays all expenses of the fund, with certain exceptions. The Board concluded that, based on the profitability data it reviewed and consistent with this single-fee structure, the Contract provided for a reasonable sharing of any benefits from economies of scale with the fund.
Fees
The Board reviewed the fund’s single-fee structure and compared the rate with fees and expenses of other comparable funds based on information and data supplied by Lipper. The information provided to the Board indicated that the fund’s management fee rate and expense ratio were below the median for comparable funds. (For these purposes, the Board assumed the management fee was equal to the single fee less the fund’s operating expenses after also including any applicable fee waivers or expenses paid by the Manager or reimbursements by the fund.) The Board also reviewed the fee schedules for comparable privately managed accounts of the Manager and its affiliates. Management informed the Board that the Manager’s responsibilities for privately managed accounts are more limited than its responsibilities for the fund and other T. Rowe Price mutual funds that it or its affiliates advise. On the basis of the information provided, the Board concluded that the fees paid by the fund under the Contract were reasonable.
Approval of the Contract
As noted, the Board approved the continuation of the Contract. No single factor was considered in isolation or to be determinative to the decision. Rather, the Board concluded, in light of a weighting and balancing of all factors considered, that it was in the best interests of the fund to approve the continuation of the Contract, including the fees to be charged for services thereunder.
| About the Fund’s Directors and Officers |
Your fund is governed by a Board of Directors (Board) that meets regularly to review a wide variety of matters affecting the fund, including performance, investment programs, compliance matters, advisory fees and expenses, service providers, and other business affairs. The Board elects the fund’s officers, who are listed in the final table. At least 75% of Board members are independent of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price), and T. Rowe Price International, Inc. (T. Rowe Price International); “inside” or “interested” directors are employees or officers of T. Rowe Price. The business address of each director and officer is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the fund directors and is available without charge by calling a T. Rowe Price representative at 1-800-225-5132.
| Independent Directors | |
| |
| Name (Year of Birth) | |
| Year Elected* | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years and Directorships of Other Public Companies |
| |
| Jeremiah E. Casey (1940) | Director, National Life Insurance (2001 to 2005); Director, The Rouse Company, real estate developers (1990 |
| 2006 | to 2004) |
| |
| Anthony W. Deering (1945) | Chairman, Exeter Capital, LLC, a private investment firm (2004 to present); Director, Under Armour (2008 to |
| 2002 | present); Director, Vornado Real Estate Investment Trust (2004 to present); Director, Mercantile Bankshares |
| | (2002 to 2007); Member, Advisory Board, Deutsche Bank North America (2004 to present); Director, Chairman of |
| | the Board, and Chief Executive Officer, The Rouse Company, real estate developers (1997 to 2004) |
| |
| Donald W. Dick, Jr. (1943) | Principal, EuroCapital Advisors, LLC, an acquisition and management advisory firm (1995 to present) |
| 2002 | |
| |
| Karen N. Horn (1943) | Director, Eli Lilly and Company (1987 to present); Director, Simon Property Group (2004 to present); Director, |
| 2003 | Norfolk Southern (2008 to present); Director, Georgia Pacific (2004 to 2005) |
| |
| Theo C. Rodgers (1941) | President, A&R Development Corporation (1977 to present) |
| 2005 | |
| |
| John G. Schreiber (1946) | Owner/President, Centaur Capital Partners, Inc., a real estate investment company (1991 to present); Partner, |
| 2002 | Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, L.P. (1992 to present) |
| |
| Mark R. Tercek (1957) | President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy (2008 to present); Managing Director, The Goldman |
| 2009 | Sachs Group, Inc. (1984 to 2008) |
| |
| *Each independent director oversees 125 T. Rowe Price portfolios and serves until retirement, resignation, or election of a successor. |
| Inside Directors | |
| |
| Name (Year of Birth) | |
| Year Elected* [Number | |
| of T. Rowe Price | |
| Portfolios Overseen] | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years and Directorships of Other Public Companies |
| |
| Edward C. Bernard (1956) | Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice Chairman of the Board, Director, and Vice President, T. Rowe Price |
| 2006 [125] | Group, Inc.; Chairman of the Board, Director, and President, T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc.; Chairman of |
| | the Board and Director, T. Rowe Price Global Asset Management Limited, T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services |
| | Limited, T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., T. Rowe Price Savings Bank, and T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; |
| | Director, T. Rowe Price International, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board, Director, and President, |
| | T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Chairman of the Board, all funds |
| |
| Mary J. Miller, CFA (1955) | Director, T. Rowe Price Trust Company; Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice President, T. Rowe Price |
| 2004 [39] | Group, Inc. |
| |
| *Each inside director serves until retirement, resignation, or election of a successor. |
| Officers | |
| |
| Name (Year of Birth) | |
| Position Held With Institutional | |
| Income Funds | Principal Occupation(s) |
| |
| David C. Beers, CFA (1970) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price |
| Assistant Vice President | |
| |
| Brian J. Brennan, CFA (1964) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services |
| Executive Vice President | Limited, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company |
| |
| Andrew M. Brooks (1956) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| Vice President | |
| |
| Michael J. Conelius, CFA (1964) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services |
| Vice President | Limited, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price International, Inc., and |
| | T. Rowe Price Trust Company |
| |
| Roger L. Fiery III, CPA (1959) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price |
| Vice President | International, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company |
| |
| Justin T. Gerbereux, CFA (1975) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| Executive Vice President | |
| |
| John R. Gilner (1961) | Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice President, |
| Chief Compliance Officer | T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc. |
| |
| Gregory S. Golczewski (1966) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Trust Company |
| Vice President | |
| |
| Gregory K. Hinkle, CPA (1958) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price |
| Treasurer | Trust Company; formerly Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (to 2007) |
| |
| Steven C. Huber, CFA, FSA (1958) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; formerly |
| Vice President | Chief Investment Officer, Maryland State Retirement Agency pension fund |
| | (to 2006) |
| |
| Paul A. Karpers, CFA (1967) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| Executive Vice President | |
| | |
| Ian D. Kelson (1956) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services |
| Vice President | Limited, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price International, Inc. |
| |
| Patricia B. Lippert (1953) | Assistant Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Investment |
| Secretary | Services, Inc. |
| |
| Paul M. Massaro, CFA (1975) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| Executive Vice President | |
| |
| Andrew McCormick (1960) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe |
| Vice President | Price Trust Company; formerly Chief Investment Officer, IMPAC Mortgage |
| | Holdings (to 2008); Senior Portfolio Manager, Avenue Capital Group (to |
| | 2006); and Senior Vice President, Portfolio Transactions, Federal National |
| | Mortgage Association (to 2005) |
| |
| Michael J. McGonigle (1966) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| Vice President | |
| |
| David Oestreicher (1967) | Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., |
| Vice President | T. Rowe Price Trust Company, and T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; Vice |
| | President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Global Asset Management Limited, |
| | T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services Limited, T. Rowe Price Group, |
| | Inc., T. Rowe Price International, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan |
| | Services, Inc. |
| |
| Brian A. Rubin, CPA (1974) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Trust Company |
| Assistant Vice President | |
| |
| Deborah D. Seidel (1962) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price |
| Vice President | Services, Inc. |
| |
| Daniel O. Shackelford, CFA (1958) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price |
| Vice President | Trust Company |
| |
| Walter P. Stuart III, CFA (1960) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| Vice President | |
| |
| Thomas E. Tewksbury (1961) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price |
| Vice President | Trust Company |
| |
| David A. Tiberii, CFA (1965) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Global Investment Services |
| Vice President | Limited, and T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
| |
| Mark J. Vaselkiv (1958) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price |
| President | Trust Company |
| |
| Julie L. Waples (1970) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price |
| Vice President | |
| |
| Thea N. Williams (1961) | Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price |
| Vice President | Trust Company |
| |
| Unless otherwise noted, officers have been employees of T. Rowe Price or T. Rowe Price International for at least five years. |
Item 2. Code of Ethics.
The registrant has adopted a code of ethics, as defined in Item 2 of Form N-CSR, applicable to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of this code of ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR. No substantive amendments were approved or waivers were granted to this code of ethics during the period covered by this report.
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.
The registrant’s Board of Directors/Trustees has determined that Ms. Karen N. Horn qualifies as an audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. Ms. Horn is considered independent for purposes of Item 3 of Form N-CSR.
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
(a) – (d) Aggregate fees billed to the registrant for the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the registrant’s principal accountant were as follows:
Audit fees include amounts related to the audit of the registrant’s annual financial statements and services normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. Audit-related fees include amounts reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant’s financial statements and specifically include the issuance of a report on internal controls and, if applicable, agreed-upon procedures related to fund acquisitions. Tax fees include amounts related to services for tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice. The nature of these services specifically includes the review of distribution calculations and the preparation of Federal, state, and excise tax returns. All other fees include the registrant’s pro-rata share of amounts for agreed-upon procedures in conjunction with service contract approvals by the registrant’s Board of Directors/Trustees.
(e)(1) The registrant’s audit committee has adopted a policy whereby audit and non-audit services performed by the registrant’s principal accountant for the registrant, its investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant require pre-approval in advance at regularly scheduled audit committee meetings. If such a service is required between regularly scheduled audit committee meetings, pre-approval may be authorized by one audit committee member with ratification at the next scheduled audit committee meeting. Waiver of pre-approval for audit or non-audit services requiring fees of a de minimis amount is not permitted.
(2) No services included in (b) – (d) above were approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(f) Less than 50 percent of the hours expended on the principal accountant’s engagement to audit the registrant’s financial statements for the most recent fiscal year were attributed to work performed by persons other than the principal accountant’s full-time, permanent employees.
(g) The aggregate fees billed for the most recent fiscal year and the preceding fiscal year by the registrant’s principal accountant for non-audit services rendered to the registrant, its investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant were $1,922,000 and $1,529,000, respectively.
(h) All non-audit services rendered in (g) above were pre-approved by the registrant’s audit committee. Accordingly, these services were considered by the registrant’s audit committee in maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.
Not applicable.
Item 6. Investments.
(a) Not applicable. The complete schedule of investments is included in Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.
(b) Not applicable.
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.
Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable.
Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
Not applicable.
Item 11. Controls and Procedures.
(a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have evaluated the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures within 90 days of this filing and have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of that date, in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this Form N-CSR was recorded, processed, summarized, and reported timely.
(b) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer are aware of no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s second fiscal quarter covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 12. Exhibits.
(a)(1) The registrant’s code of ethics pursuant to Item 2 of Form N-CSR is attached.
(2) Separate certifications by the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.
(3) Written solicitation to repurchase securities issued by closed-end companies: not applicable.
(b) A certification by the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, is attached.
| | |
SIGNATURES |
| |
| | 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. |
| |
| T. Rowe Price Institutional Income Funds, Inc. |
| |
| |
| |
| By | /s/ Edward C. Bernard |
| | Edward C. Bernard |
| | Principal Executive Officer |
| |
| Date | July 21, 2009 |
| |
| |
| |
| | 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. |
| |
| |
| By | /s/ Edward C. Bernard |
| | Edward C. Bernard |
| | Principal Executive Officer |
| |
| Date | July 21, 2009 |
| |
| |
| |
| By | /s/ Gregory K. Hinkle |
| | Gregory K. Hinkle |
| | Principal Financial Officer |
| |
| Date | July 21, 2009 |
