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: 811-21793
Name of Fund: BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. (EGF)
Fund Address: 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19809
Name and address of agent for service: John M. Perlowski, Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 882-0052, Option 4
Date of fiscal year end: 12/31/2014
Date of reporting period: 12/31/2014
Item 1 – Report to Stockholders
ANNUAL REPORT |
Not FDIC Insured May Lose Value No Bank Guarantee |
Section 19(a)
Notice
December 31, 2014 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Cumulative Distributions for the Fiscal Year-to-Date |
% Breakdown of the Total Cumulative Distributions for the Fiscal Year-to-Date |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Net Investment Income |
|
Net Realized Capital Gains |
|
Return of Capital |
|
Total Per Common Share |
|
Net Investment Income |
|
Net Realized Capital Gains |
|
Return of Capital |
|
Total Per Common Share |
||||||||||||||||||||
EGF |
$ | 0.532926 | | $ | 0.127074 | $ | 0.660000 | 81 | % | 0 | % | 19 | % | 100 | % |
Section 19(b) Disclosure
2 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Table of Contents
Page | ||||||
Section 19(a) Notice |
2 | |||||
Section 19(b) Disclosure |
2 | |||||
The
Markets in Review |
4 | |||||
Annual Report: |
||||||
Option Over-Writing |
5 | |||||
The
Benefits and Risks of Leveraging |
6 | |||||
Derivative Financial Instruments |
6 | |||||
Fund Summary |
7 | |||||
Financial Statements: |
||||||
Schedule of Investments |
9 | |||||
Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
13 | |||||
Statement of Operations |
14 | |||||
Statements of Changes in Net Assets |
15 | |||||
Statement of Cash Flows |
16 | |||||
Financial Highlights |
17 | |||||
Notes to Financial Statements |
18 | |||||
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
30 | |||||
Important Tax Information |
30 | |||||
Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan |
31 | |||||
Officers and Directors |
32 | |||||
Additional Information |
35 |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 3 |
The Markets in Review |
At BlackRock, we believe investors need to think globally, extend their scope across a broad array of asset classes and be prepared to move freely as market conditions change over time. We encourage you to talk with your financial advisor and visit blackrock.com for further insight about investing in todays markets.
Sincerely,
Rob Kapito
President, BlackRock Advisors, LLC
6-month | 12-month | |||||||||
U.S. large cap equities (S&P 500® Index) |
6.12 | % | 13.69 | % | ||||||
U.S. small cap equities (Russell 2000® Index) |
1.65 | 4.89 | ||||||||
International equities (MSCI Europe, Australasia, Far East Index) |
(9.24 | ) | (4.90 | ) | ||||||
Emerging market equities (MSCI Emerging Markets Index) |
(7.84 | ) | (2.19 | ) | ||||||
3-month Treasury bill (BofA Merrill Lynch 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index) |
0.01 | 0.03 | ||||||||
U.S. Treasury securities (BofA Merrill Lynch 10-Year U.S. Treasury Index) |
4.33 | 10.72 | ||||||||
U.S. investment grade bonds (Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index) |
1.96 | 5.97 | ||||||||
Tax-exempt municipal bonds (S&P Municipal Bond Index) |
3.00 | 9.25 | ||||||||
U.S. high yield bonds (Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Capped Index) |
(2.84 | ) | 2.46 |
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly
in an index.
4 | THIS PAGE NOT PART OF YOUR FUND
REPORT |
Option Over-Writing |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 5 |
The Benefits and Risks of Leveraging |
Derivative Financial Instruments |
6 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Fund Summary as of December 31, 2014 |
Fund Overview
Portfolio Management Commentary
For the 12-month period ended December 31, 2014, the Fund returned 7.08% based on market price and 3.65% based on NAV. For the same period, the BofA Merrill Lynch 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index returned 0.62% and the Citigroup Government/Mortgage Index posted a return of 5.32%. All returns reflect reinvestment of dividends. The Funds discount to NAV, which narrowed during the period, accounts for the difference between performance based on price and performance based on NAV. The following discussion pertains to performance based on NAV.
The Funds performance is reviewed on an absolute basis due to the unique strategy of the Fund, which entails writing call options on individual or baskets of U.S. government securities or interest rates. The index returns listed above are for reference purposes only as these indices do not reflect an option over-writing strategy.
The Fund held an allocation to securitized assets, specifically agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which consisted of 15-year and 30-year pass-throughs as well as adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). This allocation had a positive impact on Fund performance during 2014, a time that was characterized by benign volatility in U.S. interest rates and low prepayments. The Funds positions in longer-duration capital securities also added to performance. (Duration is a measure of interest-rate sensitivity). In addition, the Funds performance was helped by its yield curve positioning.
Conversely, the Funds duration exposure and allocation to U.S. Treasuries had a negative impact on performance.
The Fund utilized interest rate swaps as a means to manage interest rate risk, duration, spread exposure and yield curve positioning. During the period, the use of swaps was a small contributor to performance. The use of swaps continues to be an efficient interest rate management tool and should be viewed in the context of its overall contribution to risk reduction as well as performance.
As part of its principal investment strategy, the Fund writes covered calls on interest rates to generate income while dampening the level of portfolio volatility. The Fund took advantage of the continued environment of relatively low interest rates by purchasing U.S. Treasury securities and writing call options to generate incremental yield.
The Fund tactically adjusted its yield curve positioning throughout the period, while maintaining a flattening bias in the short end of the yield curve. (A flattening yield curve indicates a falling gap between the yields on short- and long-term bonds). The Fund increased leverage by purchasing Treasuries and writing call options to generate incremental yield.
The Funds option over-writing strategy had the effect of reducing overall portfolio duration. The Fund maintained a high degree of liquidity through a core exposure to government-owned and government-related debt securities, with U.S. Treasuries and agency MBS being the two largest sector allocations. The Fund also maintained limited exposure to a diversified basket of non-government spread sectors, including commercial mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, corporate credit and non-agency residential MBS.
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 7 |
Fund Information
Symbol on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
EGF |
|||||
Initial Offering Date |
October 31, 2005 |
|||||
Current Distribution Rate on Closing Market Price as of December 31, 2014 ($14.26)1 |
4.63% |
|||||
Current Monthly Distribution per Common Share2 |
$0.055 |
|||||
Current Annualized Distribution per Common Share2 |
$0.660 |
|||||
Economic Leverage as of December 31, 20143 |
32% |
1 | Current Distribution Rate on closing market price is calculated by dividing the current annualized distribution per share by the closing market price. The current distribution rate consists of income, net realized gains and/or a return of capital. See the Section 19(a) Notice on page 2 for the estimated actual sources and character of distributions. Past performance does not guarantee future results. |
2 | The distribution rate is not constant and is subject to change. A portion of the distribution may be deemed a return of capital or net realized gain. |
3 | Represents reverse repurchase agreements as a percentage of total managed assets, which is the total assets of the Fund, including any assets attributable to reverse repurchase agreements, minus the sum of liabilities (other than borrowings representing financial leverage). For a discussion of leveraging techniques utilized by the Fund, please see The Benefits and Risks of Leveraging on page 6. |
Market Price and Net Asset Value Per Share Summary
12/31/14 |
|
12/31/13 |
|
Change |
|
High |
|
Low |
||||||||||||||
Market Price |
$ | 14.26 | $ | 13.95 | 2.22 | % | $ | 14.50 | $ | 13.75 | ||||||||||||
Net Asset Value |
$ | 14.97 | $ | 15.13 | (1.06 | )% | $ | 15.27 | $ | 14.95 |
Market Price and Net Asset Value History For the Past Five Years
Overview of the Funds Long-Term Investments
Portfolio Composition |
12/31/14 |
|
12/31/13 |
|||||||
U.S. Government Sponsored Agency Securities |
53 | % | 58 | % | ||||||
U.S. Treasury Obligations |
41 | 35 | ||||||||
Preferred Securities |
2 | 2 | ||||||||
Asset-Backed Securities |
2 | 2 | ||||||||
Corporate Bonds |
1 | 2 | ||||||||
Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities |
1 | 1 |
Credit Quality
Allocation4 |
12/31/14 |
|
12/31/13 |
|||||||
AAA/Aaa5 |
94 | % | 95 | % | ||||||
AA/Aa |
| 1 | ||||||||
BBB/Baa |
2 | 3 | ||||||||
BB/Ba |
4 | 1 |
4 | For financial reporting purposes, credit quality ratings shown above reflect the highest rating assigned by either Standard & Poors (S&P) or Moodys Investors Service (Moodys) if ratings differ. These rating agencies are independent, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and are widely used. Investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BBB/Baa or higher. Below investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BB/Ba or lower. Investments designated N/R are not rated by either rating agency. Unrated investments do not necessarily indicate low credit quality. Credit quality ratings are subject to change. |
5 | The investment advisor evaluates the credit quality of not-rated investments based upon certain factors including, but not limited to, credit ratings for similar investments and financial analysis of sectors, individual investments and/or issuer. Using this approach, the investment advisor has deemed U.S. Government Sponsored Agency Securities and U.S. Treasury Obligations as AAA/Aaa. |
8 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Schedule of Investments December 31, 2014 | (Percentages shown are based on Net Assets) |
Asset-Backed Securities | Par (000) |
Value | |||||||||
First Franklin Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2005-FF2, Class M2, 0.83%, 3/25/35 (a) |
$ | 642 | $ | 641,799 | |||||||
Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC Trust (a): |
|||||||||||
Series 2005-OP1, Class M2, 0.84%, 1/25/35 |
1,417 | 1,333,444 | |||||||||
Series 2005-OP2, Class M1, 0.60%, 10/25/35 |
1,025 | 895,650 | |||||||||
Total Asset-Backed Securities 2.4% |
2,870,893 | ||||||||||
Corporate Bonds |
|||||||||||
Diversified Telecommunication Services 1.8% |
|||||||||||
Verizon Communications, Inc., 2.50%, 9/15/16 |
2,057 | 2,102,614 | |||||||||
Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities |
|||||||||||
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations 1.1% |
|||||||||||
Bank of America Mortgage Securities, Inc., Series 2003-J, Class 2A1, 2.78%, 11/25/33 (a) |
155 | 154,802 | |||||||||
Bear Stearns Alt-A Trust, Series 2004-13, Class A1, 0.91%, 11/25/34 (a) |
217 | 215,428 | |||||||||
Homebanc Mortgage Trust, Series 2005-4, Class A1, 0.44%, 10/25/35 (a) |
1,158 | 1,027,292 | |||||||||
1,397,522 | |||||||||||
Interest Only Collateralized Mortgage Obligations 0.1% |
|||||||||||
CitiMortgage Alternative Loan Trust, Series 2007-A5, Class 1A7, 6.00%, 5/25/37 |
303 | 80,518 | |||||||||
Total Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities 1.2% |
1,478,040 | ||||||||||
U.S. Government Sponsored Agency Securities |
|||||||||||
Agency Obligations 3.3% |
|||||||||||
Federal Farm Credit Bank, 4.55%, 6/08/20 |
3,500 | 3,943,859 | |||||||||
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations 7.9% |
|||||||||||
Fannie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities, Series 2014-28, Class BD, 3.50%, 8/25/43 |
1,866 | 1,962,168 | |||||||||
Ginnie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities, Series 2006-3, Class C, 5.24%, 4/16/39 (a) |
7,390 | 7,550,405 | |||||||||
9,512,573 | |||||||||||
Interest Only Collateralized Mortgage Obligations 2.2% |
|||||||||||
Fannie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities: |
|||||||||||
Series 2012-96, Class DI, 4.00%, 2/25/27 |
2,472 | 247,725 | |||||||||
Series 2012-M9, Class X1, 4.04%, 12/25/17 (a) |
5,285 | 497,933 | |||||||||
Series 2012-47, Class NI, 4.50%, 4/25/42 |
2,043 | 294,458 | |||||||||
Ginnie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities (a): |
|||||||||||
Series 2006-30, Class IO, 1.03%, 5/16/46 |
1,003 | 65,942 | |||||||||
Series 2009-78, Class SD, 6.03%, 9/20/32 |
2,117 | 377,859 |
U.S. Government Sponsored Agency Securities | Par (000) |
Value | |||||||||
Interest Only Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (concluded) |
|||||||||||
Ginnie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities (a) (concluded): |
|||||||||||
Series 2009-116, Class KS, 6.31%, 12/16/39 |
$ | 795 | $ | 107,063 | |||||||
Series 2011-52, Class NS, 6.51%, 4/16/41 |
5,621 | 1,000,075 | |||||||||
2,591,055 | |||||||||||
Mortgage-Backed Securities 64.7% |
|||||||||||
Fannie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities: |
|||||||||||
2.50%, 4/01/28 |
7,656 | 7,811,024 | |||||||||
3.00%, 6/01/424/01/43 |
8,188 | 8,297,314 | |||||||||
3.50%, 8/01/268/01/44 |
16,847 | 17,716,505 | |||||||||
4.00%, 4/01/242/01/41 |
16,152 | 17,270,096 | |||||||||
4.50%, 4/01/398/01/40 |
10,778 | 11,795,668 | |||||||||
5.00%, 11/01/332/01/40 |
6,231 | 6,925,224 | |||||||||
5.50%, 10/01/231/01/45 (b) |
5,626 | 6,316,802 | |||||||||
6.00%, 2/01/363/01/38 |
1,113 | 1,264,951 | |||||||||
Freddie Mac Mortgage-Backed Securities, 4.50%, 5/01/34 |
271 | 293,996 | |||||||||
Ginnie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities, 5.00%, 11/15/35 |
10 | 11,026 | |||||||||
77,702,606 | |||||||||||
Total U.S. Government Sponsored Agency Securities 78.1% |
93,750,093 | ||||||||||
U.S. Treasury Obligations |
|||||||||||
U.S. Treasury Bonds: |
|||||||||||
6.63%, 2/15/27 |
2,000 | 2,916,876 | |||||||||
5.38%, 2/15/31 |
2,000 | 2,787,656 | |||||||||
3.88%, 8/15/40 (c) |
12,000 | 14,649,372 | |||||||||
4.38%, 5/15/41 (c) |
10,000 | 13,264,060 | |||||||||
3.75%, 8/15/41 (c) |
10,000 | 12,052,340 | |||||||||
3.38%, 5/15/44 (c) |
3,000 | 3,377,343 | |||||||||
U.S. Treasury Notes: |
|||||||||||
0.50%, 7/31/17 |
1,600 | 1,581,875 | |||||||||
1.38%, 6/30/18 |
3,000 | 3,005,859 | |||||||||
1.63%, 4/30/19 (c) |
5,000 | 5,017,190 | |||||||||
3.13%, 5/15/21 (c) |
10,000 | 10,731,250 | |||||||||
1.75%, 5/15/22 (c) |
2,000 | 1,966,094 | |||||||||
Total U.S. Treasury Obligations 59.4% |
71,349,915 | ||||||||||
Preferred Securities |
|||||||||||
Capital Trusts |
|||||||||||
Diversified Financial Services 0.4% |
|||||||||||
ZFS Finance (USA) Trust V, 6.50%, 5/09/67 (a)(d) |
504 | 536,760 | |||||||||
Electric Utilities 1.7% |
|||||||||||
PPL Capital Funding, Inc., 6.70%, 3/30/67 (a) |
2,000 | 1,995,000 | |||||||||
Total Capital Trusts 2.1% |
2,531,760 |
Portfolio Abbreviations
LIBOR OTC TBA |
London Interbank Offered Rate Over-the-Counter To Be Announced |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 9 |
Schedule of Investments (continued) | (Percentages shown are based on Net Assets) |
Trust Preferred 1.7% | Shares |
Value | |||||||||
Capital Markets 1.7% |
|||||||||||
Morgan Stanley Capital Trust VIII, 6.45%, 4/15/67 |
80,000 | $ | 1,988,587 | ||||||||
Total Preferred Securities 3.8% |
4,520,347 | ||||||||||
Total Long-Term Investments (Cost $166,653,538) 146.7% |
176,071,902 | ||||||||||
Short-Term Securities |
|||||||||||
BlackRock Liquidity Funds, TempFund, Institutional Class, 0.04% (e)(f) |
1,848,337 | 1,848,337 | |||||||||
Total Short-Term Securities (Cost $1,848,337) 1.5% |
1,848,337 | ||||||||||
Total Investments Before TBA Sale Commitments and Options Written (Cost $168,501,875) 148.2% |
177,920,239 |
TBA Sale Commitments | Par (000) |
Value | ||||||||||||
Fannie Mae Mortgage-Backed Securities, 5.50%, 1/01/45 (b) |
$ | 5,300 | $ | (5,928,547 | ) | |||||||||
Total TBA Sale Commitments (Proceeds $5,925,719) (4.9)% |
(5,928,547 | ) | ||||||||||||
Options Written (Premiums Received $400,000) (0.4)% |
(422,617 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total Investments, Net of TBA Sale Commitments and Options Written (Cost $162,176,156) 142.9% |
171,569,075 | |||||||||||||
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets (42.9)% |
(51,522,931 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net Assets 100.0% |
$ | 120,046,144 |
Notes to Schedule of Investments
(a) | Variable rate security. Rate shown is as of report date. |
|||
(b) | Represents or includes a TBA transaction. As of December 31, 2014, unsettled TBA transactions were as follows: |
Counterparty | Value | Unrealized Depreciation |
||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
$ | (2,349,047 | ) | $ | (1,313 | ) | ||||
Goldman Sachs & Co. |
$ | (3,467,641 | ) | $ | (1,500 | ) |
(c) | All
or a portion of security has been pledged as collateral in connection with outstanding reverse repurchase agreements. |
|||
(d) | Security exempt from registration pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in
transactions exempt from registration to qualified institutional investors. |
|||
(e) | As
of December 31, 2014, investments in issuers considered to be an affiliate of the Fund for purposes of Section 2(a)(3) of the 1940 Act, as amended,
were as follows: |
Affiliate | Shares Held at December 31, 2013 |
Net Activity |
Shares Held at December 31, 2014 |
Income | ||||||||||||||
BlackRock Liquidity Funds, TempFund, Institutional Class |
3,984,792 | (2,136,455 | ) | 1,848,337 | $ | 1,891 |
(f) | Represents the current yield as of report date. |
|||
| As
of December 31, 2014, reverse repurchase agreements outstanding were as follows: |
Counterparty | Interest Rate |
Trade Date |
Maturity Date1 |
Face Value | Face Value Including Accrued Interest |
|||||||||||||||||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. |
0.11 | % | 10/28/14 | Open | $ | 10,895,000 | $10,897,131 |
|||||||||||||||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. |
0.11 | % | 10/28/14 | Open | 1,975,000 | 1,975,386 |
||||||||||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
0.16 | % | 12/10/14 | Open | 9,143,750 | 9,144,700 |
||||||||||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
0.16 | % | 12/10/14 | Open | 5,037,500 | 5,038,023 |
||||||||||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
0.09 | % | 12/18/14 | Open | 12,166,000 | 12,166,703 |
||||||||||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
0.16 | % | 12/18/14 | Open | 13,804,000 | 13,804,947 |
||||||||||||||||
BNP Paribas Securities Corp. |
0.14 | % | 12/19/14 | Open | 3,371,250 | 3,371,493 |
||||||||||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
0.16 | % | 12/22/14 | Open | 1,060,000 | 1,060,053 |
||||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 57,452,500 | $57,458,436 |
1 | Certain agreements have no stated maturity and can be terminated by either party at any time. |
10 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Schedule of Investments (continued) |
| As
of December 31, 2014, OTC interest rate swaptions written were as follows: |
Description | Counterparty | Put/ Call |
Exercise Rate |
Pay/Receive Exercise Rate |
Floating Rate Index |
Expiration Date |
Notional Amount (000) |
Market Value |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2-Year Interest Rate Swap |
Barclays Bank PLC |
Call |
0.89% |
Pay |
3-Month Libor |
1/28/15 |
$37,500 |
$(29,817) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5-Year Interest Rate Swap |
Barclays Bank PLC |
Call |
1.77% |
Pay |
3-Month Libor |
1/28/15 |
37,500 |
(111,505) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10-Year Interest Rate Swap |
Barclays Bank PLC |
Call |
2.27% |
Pay |
3-Month Libor |
1/28/15 |
22,500 |
(127,324) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30-Year Interest Rate Swap |
Barclays Bank PLC |
Call |
2.69% |
Pay |
3-Month Libor |
1/28/15 |
11,300 |
(153,971) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
$(422,617) |
| As
of December 31, 2014, centrally cleared interest rate swaps outstanding were as follows: |
Fixed Rate | Floating Rate | Clearinghouse | Expiration Date |
Notional Amount (000) |
Unrealized Depreciation |
|||||||
2.29%1 |
3-Month LIBOR |
Chicago Mercantile |
5/30/23 |
$880 |
$(8,102) |
| As
of December 31, 2014, OTC interest rate swaps outstanding were as follows: |
Fixed Rate | Floating Rate | Counterparty | Expiration Date |
Notional Amount (000) |
Market Value |
Premiums Paid/ Received |
Unrealized Depreciation |
||||||||||
5.96%1 |
3-Month LIBOR |
Deutsche Bank AG |
12/27/37 |
$23,900 |
$(14,172,809) |
|
$(14,172,809) |
1 | Fund pays a fixed rate and receives floating rate. |
| Fair
Value Measurements Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of investments and derivative financial instruments. These inputs to
valuation techniques are categorized into a disclosure hierarchy consisting of three broad levels for financial statement purposes. The hierarchy gives
the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority
to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments
categorized in Level 3. The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure
purposes, the fair value hierarchy classification is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in
its entirety. The categorization of a value determined for investments and derivative financial instruments is based on the pricing transparency of the
investment and derivative financial instrument and is not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities. The
three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows: |
| Level 1 unadjusted quoted prices in active markets/exchanges for identical assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability
to access |
|||
| Level 2 other observable inputs (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets
that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are
observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and
default rates) or other market-corroborated inputs) |
|||
| Level 3 unobservable inputs based on the best information available in the circumstances, to the extent observable inputs are
not available (including the Funds own assumptions used in determining the fair value of investments and derivative financial
instruments) |
Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy. In
accordance with the Funds policy, transfers between different levels of the fair value disclosure hierarchy are deemed to have occurred as of the
beginning of the reporting period. For information about the Funds policy regarding valuation of investments and derivative financial
instruments, refer to Note 2 of the Notes to Financial Statements. |
||||
As of December 31, 2014, the following tables summarize the Funds investments and derivative financial instruments categorized
in the disclosure hierarchy: |
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||||
Assets: |
||||||||||||||||||
Investments: |
||||||||||||||||||
Long-Term Investments: |
||||||||||||||||||
Asset-Backed Securities |
| $ | 2,870,893 | | $ | 2,870,893 | ||||||||||||
Corporate Bonds |
| 2,102,614 | | 2,102,614 | ||||||||||||||
Non-Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities |
| 1,478,040 | | 1,478,040 | ||||||||||||||
U.S. Government Sponsored Agency Securities |
| 93,750,093 | | 93,750,093 | ||||||||||||||
U.S. Treasury Obligations |
| 71,349,915 | | 71,349,915 | ||||||||||||||
Preferred Securities |
$ | 1,988,587 | 2,531,760 | | 4,520,347 | |||||||||||||
Short-Term Securities |
1,848,337 | | | 1,848,337 | ||||||||||||||
Liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||
Investments: |
||||||||||||||||||
TBA Sale Commitments |
| (5,928,547 | ) | | (5,928,547 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 3,836,924 | $ | 168,154,768 | | $ | 171,991,692 |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 11 |
Schedule of Investments (concluded) |
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||||
Derivative Financial Instruments1 |
||||||||||||||||||
Liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||
Interest rate contracts |
| $ | (14,603,528 | ) | | $ | (14,603,528 | ) | ||||||||||
1 | Derivative financial instruments are swaps and options written. Swaps are valued at the unrealized appreciation/depreciation on the instrument and options written are shown at value. |
The
Fund may hold assets and/or liabilities in which the fair value approximates the carrying amount for financial statement purposes. As of December 31,
2014, such assets and/or liabilities are categorized within the disclosure hierarchy as follows: |
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||||
Assets: |
||||||||||||||||||
Cash pledged for centrally cleared swaps |
$ | 35,000 | | | $ | 35,000 | ||||||||||||
Cash pledged as collateral for OTC derivatives |
15,040,000 | | | 15,040,000 | ||||||||||||||
Foreign currency at value |
316 | | | 316 | ||||||||||||||
Liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||
Cash received as collateral for reverse repurchase agreements |
| $ | (1,047,000 | ) | | (1,047,000 | ) | |||||||||||
Reverse repurchase agreements |
| (57,458,436 | ) | | (57,458,436 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 15,075,316 | $ | (58,505,436 | ) | | $ | (43,430,120 | ) |
12 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Statement of Assets and Liabilities | |
December 31,
2014 |
|||||||
Assets |
|||||||
Investments at value unaffiliated (cost $166,653,538) |
$ | 176,071,902 | |||||
Investments at value affiliated (cost $1,848,337) |
1,848,337 | ||||||
Cash pledged as collateral for OTC derivatives |
15,040,000 | ||||||
Cash pledged for centrally cleared swaps |
35,000 | ||||||
TBA sale commitments receivable |
5,925,719 | ||||||
Interest receivable |
1,184,080 | ||||||
Options written receivable |
400,000 | ||||||
Swaps receivable |
4,522 | ||||||
Foreign currency at value (cost $345) |
316 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses |
4,507 | ||||||
Total assets |
200,514,383 | ||||||
Liabilities |
|||||||
Reverse repurchase agreements |
57,458,436 | ||||||
Unrealized depreciation on OTC swaps |
14,172,809 | ||||||
TBA sale commitments at value (proceeds $5,925,719) |
5,928,547 | ||||||
Cash received as collateral for reverse repurchase agreements |
1,047,000 | ||||||
Options written payable |
646,000 | ||||||
Options written at value (premiums received $400,000) |
422,617 | ||||||
Income dividends payable |
441,031 | ||||||
Investments purchased payable |
112,042 | ||||||
Investment advisory fees payable |
98,480 | ||||||
Variation margin payable for centrally cleared swaps |
20,034 | ||||||
Swaps payable |
15,876 | ||||||
Officers and Directors fees payable |
3,789 | ||||||
Other accrued expenses payable |
101,578 | ||||||
Total liabilities |
80,468,239 | ||||||
Net Assets |
$ | 120,046,144 | |||||
Net Assets Consist of |
|||||||
Paid-in capital |
$ | 135,883,196 | |||||
Distributions in excess of net investment income |
(441,031 | ) | |||||
Accumulated net realized loss |
(10,608,000 | ) | |||||
Net unrealized appreciation/depreciation |
(4,788,021 | ) | |||||
Net Assets |
$ | 120,046,144 | |||||
Net Asset Value |
|||||||
Based on net assets of $120,046,144 and 8,018,739, shares outstanding, 200 million shares authorized, $0.10 par value |
$ | 14.97 |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 13 |
Statement of Operations |
Year Ended December 31,
2014 |
|||||||
Investment Income |
|||||||
Interest |
$ | 5,905,153 | |||||
Income affiliated |
1,891 | ||||||
Total income |
5,907,044 | ||||||
Expenses |
|||||||
Investment advisory |
1,619,689 | ||||||
Transfer agent |
53,625 | ||||||
Professional |
53,577 | ||||||
Accounting services |
25,778 | ||||||
Repurchase offer |
20,453 | ||||||
Custodian |
17,949 | ||||||
Officer and Directors |
11,820 | ||||||
Printing |
10,275 | ||||||
Registration |
9,329 | ||||||
Miscellaneous |
31,738 | ||||||
Total expenses excluding interest expense |
1,854,233 | ||||||
Interest expense |
55,593 | ||||||
Total expenses |
1,909,826 | ||||||
Less fees waived by Manager |
(302,345 | ) | |||||
Less fees paid indirectly |
(127 | ) | |||||
Total expenses after fees waived and paid indirectly |
1,607,354 | ||||||
Net investment income |
4,299,690 | ||||||
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) |
|||||||
Net realized gain (loss) from: |
|||||||
Investments |
(82,303 | ) | |||||
Financial futures contracts |
(245,499 | ) | |||||
Foreign currency transactions |
(711 | ) | |||||
Options written |
(2,605,984 | ) | |||||
Swaps |
(1,419,351 | ) | |||||
(4,353,848 | ) | ||||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on: |
|||||||
Investments |
10,418,715 | ||||||
Financial futures contracts |
4,534 | ||||||
Foreign currency translations |
361 | ||||||
Options written |
(149,495 | ) | |||||
Swaps |
(6,112,415 | ) | |||||
4,161,700 | |||||||
Net realized and unrealized loss |
(192,148 | ) | |||||
Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations |
$ | 4,107,542 |
14 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Statements of Changes in Net Assets |
Year Ended December 31, |
|
||||||||||
Increase (Decrease) in Net
Assets: |
2014 | 2013 | |||||||||
Operations |
|||||||||||
Net
investment income |
$ | 4,299,690 | $ | 4,571,883 | |||||||
Net
realized loss |
(4,353,848 | ) | (408,613 | ) | |||||||
Net
change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation |
4,161,700 | (6,610,592 | ) | ||||||||
Net
increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations |
4,107,542 | (2,447,322 | ) | ||||||||
Distributions to Shareholders From1 |
|||||||||||
Net
investment income |
(3,160,205 | ) | (3,578,331 | ) | |||||||
Return of capital |
(2,622,197 | ) | (3,836,527 | ) | |||||||
Decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders |
(5,782,402 | ) | (7,414,858 | ) | |||||||
Capital Share Transactions |
|||||||||||
Redemption of shares resulting from a repurchase offer2 |
(13,106,004 | ) | (14,775,653 | ) | |||||||
Net Assets |
|||||||||||
Total decrease in net assets |
(14,780,864 | ) | (24,637,833 | ) | |||||||
Beginning of year |
134,827,008 | 159,464,841 | |||||||||
End
of year |
$ | 120,046,144 | $ | 134,827,008 | |||||||
Distributions in excess of net investment income, end of year |
$ | (441,031 | ) | $ | (490,034 | ) |
1 | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations. |
2 | Net of repurchase fees of $267,469 and $301,544, respectively. |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 15 |
Statement of Cash Flows |
Year Ended December 31,
2014 |
|||||||
Cash Provided by Operating Activities |
|||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations |
$ | 4,107,542 | |||||
Adjustments to reconcile net increase in net assets resulting from operations to net cash provided by operating activities: |
|||||||
Increase in interest receivable |
(160,063 | ) | |||||
Increase in swaps receivable |
(3,543 | ) | |||||
Decrease in prepaid expenses |
1,125 | ||||||
Decrease in variation margin receivable on centrally cleared swaps |
2,897 | ||||||
Decrease in cash pledged for financial futures contracts |
4,000 | ||||||
Increase in cash pledged as collateral for OTC derivatives |
(7,050,000 | ) | |||||
Decrease in cash pledged as collateral for reverse repurchase agreements |
1,075,000 | ||||||
Decrease in investment advisory fees payable |
(20,413 | ) | |||||
Decrease in interest expense payable |
(10,902 | ) | |||||
Increase in other accrued expenses payable |
2,546 | ||||||
Decrease in swaps payable |
(7,855 | ) | |||||
Decrease in variation margin payable on financial futures contracts |
(344 | ) | |||||
Increase in variation margin payable on centrally cleared swaps |
20,034 | ||||||
Increase in cash received as collateral for reverse repurchase agreements |
1,047,000 | ||||||
Decrease in Officers and Directors fees payable |
(774 | ) | |||||
Net realized loss on investments and options written |
2,813,704 | ||||||
Net unrealized gain on investments, options written and swaps |
(4,217,415 | ) | |||||
Amortization of premium and accretion of discount on investments |
1,410,498 | ||||||
Premiums received from options written |
5,408,916 | ||||||
Proceeds from sales and principal paydowns of long-term investments |
166,700,382 | ||||||
Purchases of long-term investments |
(152,280,659 | ) | |||||
Net proceeds from sales of short-term securities |
2,136,455 | ||||||
Premiums paid on closing options written |
(7,368,900 | ) | |||||
Cash provided by operating activities |
13,609,231 | ||||||
Cash Used for Financing Activities |
|||||||
Cash dividends paid to Common Shareholders |
(5,831,405 | ) | |||||
Net borrowing of reverse repurchase agreements |
5,327,375 | ||||||
Payment on redemption of capital shares |
(13,106,004 | ) | |||||
Cash used for financing activities |
(13,610,034 | ) | |||||
Cash Impact from Foreign Exchange Fluctuations |
|||||||
Cash impact from foreign exchange fluctuations |
(52 | ) | |||||
Cash and Foreign Currency |
|||||||
Net decrease in cash and foreign currency |
(855 | ) | |||||
Cash and foreign currency at beginning of period |
1,171 | ||||||
Cash and foreign currency at end of period |
$ | 316 | |||||
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information |
|||||||
Cash paid during the period for interest |
$ | 66,495 |
16 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Financial Highlights |
Year Ended December 31, |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
Per Share Operating Performance |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of year |
$ | 15.13 | $ | 16.11 | $ | 16.25 | $ | 16.40 | $ | 16.59 | |||||||||||||
Net investment income1 |
0.49 | 0.47 | 0.67 | 0.70 | 0.64 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)2 |
0.01 | (0.69 | ) | 0.02 | 0.07 | 0.16 | |||||||||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations |
0.50 | (0.22 | ) | 0.69 | 0.77 | 0.80 | |||||||||||||||||
Distributions from:3 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.36 | ) | (0.37 | ) | (0.55 | ) | (0.39 | ) | (0.80 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net realized gain |
| | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Return of capital |
(0.30 | ) | (0.39 | ) | (0.28 | ) | (0.53 | ) | (0.19 | ) | |||||||||||||
Total distributions |
(0.66 | ) | (0.76 | ) | (0.83 | ) | (0.92 | ) | (0.99 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net asset value, end of year |
$ | 14.97 | $ | 15.13 | $ | 16.11 | $ | 16.25 | $ | 16.40 | |||||||||||||
Market price, end of year |
$ | 14.26 | $ | 13.95 | $ | 15.63 | $ | 15.25 | $ | 15.51 | |||||||||||||
Total Return4 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on net asset value |
3.65% | (1.06)% | 4.59% | 5.15% | 4.95% | ||||||||||||||||||
Based on market price |
7.08% | (5.98)% | 8.13% | 4.34% | (3.54)% | ||||||||||||||||||
Ratio to Average Net Assets |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total expenses |
1.43% | 1.32% | 1.43% | 1.39% | 1.22% | ||||||||||||||||||
Total expenses after fees waived and paid indirectly |
1.20% | 1.25% | 1.42% | 1.39% | 1.22% | ||||||||||||||||||
Total expenses after fees waived and paid indirectly and excluding interest expense |
1.16% | 1.20% | 1.35% | 1.35% | 1.18% | ||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income |
3.22% | 2.98% | 4.15% | 4.32% | 3.87% | ||||||||||||||||||
Supplemental Data |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Net assets, end of year (000) |
$ | 120,046 | $ | 134,827 | $ | 159,465 | $ | 178,765 | $ | 189,918 | |||||||||||||
Borrowings outstanding, end of year (000) |
$ | 57,458 | $ | 52,142 | $ | 66,410 | $ | 90,460 | $ | 75,230 | |||||||||||||
Asset coverage, end of year $1,000 |
$ | 3,089 | $ | 3,586 | $ | 3,401 | $ | 2,976 | $ | 3,525 | |||||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate5 |
86% | 111% | 142% | 115% | 163% |
1 | Based on average shares outstanding. |
2 | Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) per share amounts include repurchase fees of $0.03, $0.03, $0.03, $0.02, and $0.00 for the years ended December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2010, respectively. |
3 | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations. |
4 | Total returns based on market price, which can be significantly greater or less than the net asset value, may result in substantially different returns. Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
5 | Includes mortgage dollar roll transactions. Additional information regarding portfolio turnover is as follows: |
Portfolio turnover (excluding mortgage dollar ro
ll transactions) |
42% | 57% | 83% | 98% | 137% |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 17 |
Notes to Financial Statements | |
18 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 19 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
20 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 21 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
Counterparty |
|
Reverse Repurchase Agreements |
|
Fair Value of Non-cash Collateral Pledged Including Accrued Interest1 |
|
Cash Collateral Pledged1 |
|
Net Amount2 |
||||||||||
BNP
Paribas Securities Corp. |
$ | 3,371,493 | $ | (3,371,493 | ) | | | |||||||||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC |
41,214,426 | (41,214,426 | ) | | | |||||||||||||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc. |
12,872,517 | (12,742,461 | ) | | $ | 130,056 | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 57,458,436 | $ | (57,328,380 | ) | | $ | 130,056 |
1 | Net collateral with a value of $57,526,322 has been pledged in connection with open reverse repurchase agreements. Excess of collateral pledged to the individual counterparty is not shown for financial reporting purposes. |
2 | Net amount represents the net amount payable due to the counterparty in the event of default. |
22 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily
fluctuation in value of the contract. Such receipts or payments are known as variation margin. Variation margin is recorded by the Fund as unrealized
appreciation or depreciation and, if applicable, as a receivable or payable for variation margin in the Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Calls |
||||||||||
|
Notional (000) |
|
Premiums Received |
|||||||
Outstanding options, beginning of year |
$ | 145,000 | $ | 499,916 | ||||||
Options written |
1,305,600 | 5,309,000 | ||||||||
Options expired |
(455,100 | ) | (1,316,644 | ) | ||||||
Options exercised |
(33,800 | ) | (285,800 | ) | ||||||
Options closed |
(852,900 | ) | (3,806,472 | ) | ||||||
Outstanding options, end of year |
$ | 108,800 | $ | 400,000 |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 23 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
|
Interest rate swaps The Fund enters into interest rate swaps to gain or reduce exposure to interest rates or to manage duration, the yield curve or interest rate risk by economically hedging the value of the fixed rate bonds, which may decrease when interest rates rise (interest rate risk). Interest rate swaps are agreements in which one party pays a stream of interest payments, either fixed or floating, for another partys stream of interest payments, either fixed or floating, on the same notional amount for a specified period of time. |
Fair Values of Derivative Financial Instruments as of December 31, 2014 |
||||||||
|
Value |
|||||||
|
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Location |
|
Derivative Assets |
|
Derivative Liabilities |
|||
Interest rate contracts |
Net unrealized appreciation/depreciation1; Unrealized appreciation/depreciation on OTC swaps; Options written at value |
| $14,603,528 |
1 | Includes cumulative appreciation/depreciation on centrally cleared swaps, if any, as reported in the Schedule of Investments. Only current days variation margin is reported within the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
The Effect of Derivative
Financial Instruments in the Statement of Operations Year Ended December 31, 2014 |
||||||||||||
|
Net Realized Gain (Loss) From |
|
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation/Depreciation on |
|||||||||
Interest rate
contracts: |
||||||||||||
Financial futures contracts |
$ | (245,499 | ) | $ | 4,534 | |||||||
Swaps |
(1,419,351 | ) | (6,112,415 | ) | ||||||||
Options |
(2,605,984 | ) | (149,495 | ) | ||||||||
Foreign currency exchange contracts: |
||||||||||||
Foreign currency transactions/translations |
(444 | ) | 413 | |||||||||
Total |
$ | (4,271,278 | ) | $ | (6,256,963 | ) |
Financial futures contracts: |
||||||
Average notional value of contracts purchased |
$ | 8,645,106 | ||||
Average notional value of contracts sold |
$ | 1,512,188 | ||||
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts: |
||||||
Average U.S. dollar amount purchased |
$ | 13,596 | ||||
Options: |
||||||
Average notional amount of swaption contracts written |
$ | 108,800,000 | ||||
Interest rate swaps: |
||||||
Average notional amount pays fixed rate |
$ | 24,779,600 |
24 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 25 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
|
Assets |
|
Liabilities |
|||||||
Derivative Financial Instruments: |
||||||||||
Options written |
| $ | 422,617 | |||||||
Swaps centrally cleared |
| 20,034 | ||||||||
Swaps OTC1 |
| 14,172,809 | ||||||||
Total derivative assets and liabilities in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
| 14,615,460 | ||||||||
Derivatives not subject to a Master Netting Agreement or similar agreement (MNA) |
| (20,034 | ) | |||||||
Total derivative assets and liabilities subject to an MNA |
| $ | 14,595,426 |
1 | Includes unrealized appreciation/depreciation on OTC swaps and swap premiums paid/received in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
Counterparty |
|
Derivative Liabilities Subject an MNA by Counterparty |
|
Derivatives Available for Offset |
|
Non-cash Collateral Pledged |
|
Cash Collateral Pledged2 |
|
Net Amount of Derivative Liabilities3 |
||||||||||||
Barclays Bank PLC |
$ | 422,6174 | | | | $ | 422,617 | |||||||||||||||
Deutsche Bank AG |
14,172,809 | | | $ | (14,172,809 | ) | | |||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 14,595,426 | | | $ | (14,172,809 | ) | $ | 422,617 |
2 | Excess of collateral pledged to the individual counterparty is not shown for financial reporting purposes. |
3 | Net amount represents the net amount payable due to the counterparty in the event of default. |
4 | Derivative contracts can be offset with options written receivable of $400,000. |
26 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
|
Purchases |
|
Sales |
|||||||
Non-U.S. Government Securities |
$ | 138,719,857 | $ | 151,980,073 | * | |||||
U.S. Government Securities |
$ | 13,672,844 | $ | 13,976,911 |
* |
Includes paydowns. |
Distributions in excess of net investment income |
$ | (1,090,482 | ) | |||
Accumulated net unrealized loss |
$ | 1,090,482 |
|
12/31/14 |
|
12/31/13 |
|||||||
Ordinary income |
$ | 3,160,205 | $ | 3,578,331 | ||||||
Return of capital |
2,622,197 | 3,836,527 | ||||||||
Total |
$ | 5,782,402 | $ | 7,414,858 |
Capital loss carryforwards |
$ | (10,105,834 | ) | |||
Net
unrealized losses1 |
(5,229,052 | ) | ||||
Qualified late-year losses2 |
(502,166 | ) | ||||
Total |
$ | (15,837,052 | ) |
1 | The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized losses was attributable primarily to the timing of distributions. |
2 | The Fund has elected to defer certain qualified late-year losses and recognize such losses in the next taxable year. |
Expires December 31, |
|
|||||
2017 |
$ | 2,037,204 | ||||
No
expiration date3 |
8,068,630 | |||||
Total |
$ | 10,105,834 |
3 | Must be utilized prior to losses subject to expiration. |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 27 |
Notes to Financial Statements (continued) | |
Tax
cost |
$ | 168,501,875 | ||||
Gross unrealized appreciation |
$ | 10,350,754 | ||||
Gross unrealized depreciation |
(932,390 | ) | ||||
Net
unrealized appreciation |
$ | 9,418,364 |
|
Year Ended December 31, 2014 |
|
Year Ended December 31, 2013 |
|||||||
Repurchase offer |
(890,971 | ) | (989,967 | ) |
28 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Notes to Financial Statements (concluded) | |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 29 |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
Boston, Massachusetts
February
23, 2015
Important Tax Information (Unaudited) |
|
Months Paid |
|
||||
Interest-Related Dividends for Non-U.S. Residents1 |
January - December 2014 |
100.00% |
||||
Federal Obligation Interest2 |
January - December 2014 |
41.96% |
1 | Represents the portion of the taxable ordinary distributions eligible for exemption from U.S. withholding tax for nonresident aliens and foreign corporations. |
2 | The law varies in each state as to whether and what
percentage of dividend income attributable to federal obligations is exempt from state income tax. We recommend that you consult your tax advisor to determine if any portion of the dividends you received is exempt from state income taxes. |
30 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan | |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 31 |
Officers and Directors |
Name, Address1 and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Length of Time Served as a Director3 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | Number of BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (RICs) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (Portfolios) Overseen |
Public Directorships |
|||||||
Independent Directors2 |
||||||||||||
Richard E. Cavanagh 1946 |
Chairman of the Board and Director |
Since 2007 |
Trustee, Aircraft Finance Trust from 1999 to 2009; Director, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
since 1998; Director, Arch Chemical (chemical and allied products) from 1999 to 2011; Trustee, Educational Testing Service from 1997 to 2009 and
Chairman thereof from 2005 to 2009; Senior Advisor, The Fremont Group since 2008 and Director thereof since 1996; Faculty Member/Adjunct Lecturer,
Harvard University since 2007; President and Chief Executive Officer, The Conference Board, Inc. (global business research organization) from 1995 to
2007. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
Karen P. Robards 1950 |
Vice Chairperson of the Board, Chairperson of the Audit Committee and Director |
Since 2004 |
Partner of Robards & Company, LLC (financial advisory firm) since 1987; Co-founder and Director of the
Cooke Center for Learning and Development (a not-for-profit organization) since 1987; Director of Care Investment Trust, Inc. (health care real estate
investment trust) from 2007 to 2010; Investment Banker at Morgan Stanley from 1976 to 1987. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
AtriCure, Inc. (medical devices); Greenhill & Co., Inc. |
|||||||
Michael J. Castellano 1946 |
Director and Member of the Audit Committee |
Since 2011 |
Chief Financial Officer of Lazard Group LLC from 2001 to 2011; Chief Financial Officer of Lazard Ltd from
2004 to 2011; Director, Support Our Aging Religious (non-profit) since 2009; Director, National Advisory Board of Church Management at Villanova
University since 2010; Trustee, Domestic Church Media Foundation since 2012. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
Frank J. Fabozzi4 1948 |
Director and Member of the Audit Committee |
Since 2007 |
Editor of and Consultant for The Journal of Portfolio Management since 2006; Professor of Finance, EDHEC
Business School since 2011; Visiting Professor, Princeton University from 2013 to 2014; Professor in the Practice of Finance and Becton Fellow, Yale
University School of Management from 2006 to 2011. |
112 RICs consisting of 232 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
Kathleen F. Feldstein 1941 |
Director |
Since 2007 |
President of Economics Studies, Inc. (private economic consulting firm) since 1987; Chair, Board of
Trustees, McLean Hospital from 2000 to 2008 and Trustee Emeritus thereof since 2008; Member of the Board of Partners Community Healthcare, Inc. from
2005 to 2009; Member of the Corporation of Partners Healthcare since 1995; Trustee, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston since 1992; Member of the Visiting
Committee to the Harvard University Art Museum since 2003; Director, Catholic Charities of Boston since 2009. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
The McClatchy Company (publishing) |
|||||||
James T. Flynn 1939 |
Director and Member of the Audit Committee |
Since 2004 |
Chief Financial Officer of JPMorgan & Co., Inc. from 1990 to 1995. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
Jerrold B. Harris 1942 |
Director |
Since 2007 |
Trustee, Ursinus College 2000-2012; Waterfowl Chesapeake (conservation) since 2014; Director, Ducks
Unlimited, Inc. (conservation) since 2013; Director, Troemner LLC (scientific equipment) since 2000; Director of Delta Waterfowl Foundation from 2010
to 2012; President and Chief Executive Officer, VWR Scientific Products Corporation from 1990 to 1999. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
BlackRock Kelso Capital Corp. (business development company) |
|||||||
R. Glenn Hubbard 1958 |
Director |
Since 2007 |
Dean, Columbia Business School since 2004; Faculty member, Columbia Business School since
1988. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
ADP (data and information services); Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (insurance) |
32 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Officers and Directors (continued) |
Name, Address1 and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Length of Time Served as a Director3 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | Number of BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (RICs) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (Portfolios) Overseen |
Public Directorships | |||||||
Independent Directors2 (concluded) |
||||||||||||
W. Carl Kester 1951 |
Director and Member of the Audit Committee |
Since 2004 |
George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School since 2008; Deputy
Dean for Academic Affairs from 2006 to 2010; Chairman of the Finance Unit, 2005 to 2006; Senior Associate Dean and Chairman of the MBA Program from
1999 to 2005; Member of the faculty of Harvard Business School since 1981. |
79 RICs consisting of 79 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
1 The address of each Director is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. |
||||||||||||
2 Independent Directors serve until their resignation, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which
they turn 74. The maximum age limitation may be waived as to any Directors by action of a majority of the Directors upon finding good cause thereof. In
2013, the Board of Directors unanimously approved further extending the mandatory retirement age for James T. Flynn by one additional year which the
Board believed would be in the best interest of shareholders. Mr. Flynn can serve until December 31 of the year in which he turns 75. Mr. Flynn turns
75 in 2014. |
||||||||||||
3 Date shown is the earliest date a person has served for the Fund covered by this annual report. Following the
combination of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (MLIM) and BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock) in September 2006, the various
legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. As a result, although the chart shows
certain Directors as joining the Funds board in 2007, those Directors first became members of the boards of other legacy MLIM or legacy BlackRock
funds as follows: Richard E. Cavanagh, 1994; Frank J. Fabozzi, 1988; Kathleen F. Feldstein, 2005; James T. Flynn, 1996; Jerrold B. Harris, 1999; R.
Glenn Hubbard, 2004; W. Carl Kester, 1995; and Karen P. Robards, 1998. |
||||||||||||
4 Dr. Fabozzi is also a board member of the BlackRock Equity-Liquidity Complex. |
||||||||||||
Interested Directors5 |
||||||||||||
Paul L. Audet 1953 |
Director |
Since 2011 |
Senior Managing Director of BlackRock and Head of U.S. Mutual Funds since 2011; Head of BlackRocks
Real Estate business from 2008 to 2011; Member of BlackRocks Global Operating and Corporate Risk Management Committees since 2008; Head of
BlackRocks Global Cash Management business from 2005 to 2010; Acting Chief Financial Officer of BlackRock from 2007 to 2008; Chief Financial
Officer from 1998 to 2005. |
141 RICs consisting of 329 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
Henry Gabbay 1947 |
Director |
Since 2007 |
Consultant, BlackRock from 2007 to 2008; Managing Director, BlackRock from 1989 to 2007; Chief
Administrative Officer, BlackRock Advisors, LLC from 1998 to 2007; President of BlackRock Funds and BlackRock Allocation Target Shares from 2005 to
2007; Treasurer of certain closed-end funds in the BlackRock fund complex from 1989 to 2006. |
141 RICs consisting of 329 Portfolios |
None |
|||||||
5 Mr. Audet is an interested person, as defined in the 1940 Act, of the Fund based on his position with
BlackRock and its affiliates as well as his ownership of BlackRock securities. Mr. Gabbay is an interested person of the Fund based on his
former positions with BlackRock and its affiliates as well as his ownership of BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. securities. Mr.
Audet and Mr. Gabbay are also Directors of two complexes of BlackRock registered open-end funds, the BlackRock Equity-Liquidity Complex and the
BlackRock Equity-Bond Complex. Interested Directors of the BlackRock Closed-End Complex serve until their resignation, removal or death, or until
December 31 of the year in which they turn 72. The maximum age limitation may be waived as to any Director by action of a majority of the Directors
upon finding good cause thereof. |
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 33 |
Officers and Directors (concluded) |
Name, Address1 and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||||
Officers2 |
||||||||
John M. Perlowski 1964 |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Since 2011 |
Managing Director of BlackRock since 2009; Global Head of BlackRock Fund Services since 2009; Managing
Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Product Group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. from 2003 to 2009; Treasurer of Goldman Sachs
Mutual Funds from 2003 to 2009 and Senior Vice President thereof from 2007 to 2009; Director of Goldman Sachs Offshore Funds from 2002 to 2009;
Director of Family Resource Network (charitable foundation) since 2009. |
|||||
Robert W. Crothers 1981 |
Vice President |
Since 2012 |
Director of BlackRock since 2011; Vice President of BlackRock from 2008 to 2010. |
|||||
Neal Andrews 1966 |
Chief Financial Officer |
Since 2007 |
Managing Director of BlackRock since 2006; Senior Vice President and Line of Business Head of Fund
Accounting and Administration at PNC Global Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc. from 1992 to 2006. |
|||||
Jay Fife 1970 |
Treasurer |
Since 2007 |
Managing Director of BlackRock since 2007; Director of BlackRock in 2006; Assistant Treasurer of the MLIM
and Fund Asset Management, L.P. advised funds from 2005 to 2006; Director of MLIM Fund Services Group from 2001 to 2006. |
|||||
Charles Park 1967 |
Chief Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer |
Since 2014 |
Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Equity-Bond
Complex, the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex since 2014; Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for
iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC since 2012 and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) since 2006; Chief Compliance
Officer for the BFA-advised iShares exchange traded funds since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. since
2012. |
|||||
Janey Ahn 1975 |
Secretary |
Since 2012 |
Director of BlackRock since 2009; Vice President of BlackRock from 2008 to 2009; Assistant Secretary of the
Funds from 2008 to 2012. |
|||||
1 The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. |
||||||||
2 Officers of the Fund serve at the pleasure of the
Board. |
Effective September 5, 2014, Brendan Kyne resigned as a Vice President of the Fund. Effective December 31, 2014, Paul L. Audet and Henry Gabbay
resigned as Directors of the Fund. Effective December 31, 2014, Barbara G. Novick and John M. Perlowski were appointed to serve as Directors of the
Fund. |
Investment Advisor BlackRock Advisors, LLC Wilmington, DE 19809 |
Custodian and Accounting Agent State Street Bank and Trust Company Boston, MA 02110 |
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Deloitte & Touche LLP Boston, MA 02116 |
Address of the Fund 100 Bellevue Parkway Wilmington, DE 19809 |
|||||||||||||
Transfer Agent Computershare Trust Company, N.A. Canton, MA 02021 |
Legal Counsel Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP New York, NY 10036 |
34 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Additional Information |
Proxy Results
|
|
|
Votes For |
|
Votes Withheld |
|
Abstain |
|||
Approved the Directors as follows: |
Paul L. Audet |
7,202,724 |
199,370 |
0 |
||||||
Michael J. Castellano |
7,180,525 |
221,569 |
0 |
|||||||
Richard E. Cavanagh |
7,196,807 |
205,287 |
0 |
|||||||
Frank J. Fabozzi |
7,196,807 |
205,287 |
0 |
|||||||
Kathleen F. Feldstein |
7,171,015 |
231,079 |
0 |
|||||||
James T. Flynn |
7,178,339 |
223,755 |
0 |
|||||||
Henry Gabbay |
7,202,724 |
199,370 |
0 |
|||||||
Jerrold B. Harris |
7,171,435 |
230,659 |
0 |
|||||||
R. Glenn Hubbard |
7,064,663 |
337,431 |
0 |
|||||||
W. Carl Kester |
7,084,292 |
317,802 |
0 |
|||||||
Karen P. Robards |
7,196,887 |
205,207 |
0 |
Fund Certification
General Information
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 35 |
Additional Information (continued) |
General Information (concluded)
36 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Additional Information (continued) |
Fundamental Periodic Repurchase Policy
(a) |
The Fund will make repurchase offers at periodic intervals pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act. |
(b) |
The periodic interval between repurchase request deadlines will be approximately 12 months. |
(c) | The maximum number of days between a repurchase request deadline and the next repurchase pricing date will be 14 days; provided that if the 14th day after a repurchase request deadline is not a business day, the repurchase pricing date shall be the next business day. |
Number of Repurchase Offers |
|
Number of Shares Repurchased |
|
Number of Shares Tendered |
||
1 |
890,971 |
5,031,331 |
Shelf Offering Program
BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 | 37 |
Additional Information (concluded) |
BlackRock Privacy Principles
38 | BLACKROCK ENHANCED GOVERNMENT FUND, INC. | DECEMBER 31, 2014 |
Item 2 – Code of Ethics – The registrant (or the “Fund”) has adopted a code of ethics, as of the end of the period covered by this report, applicable to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. During the period covered by this report, the code of ethics was amended to update certain information and to make other non-material changes. During the period covered by this report, there have been no waivers granted under the code of ethics. A copy of the code of ethics is available without charge at www.blackrock.com.
Item 3 – Audit Committee
Financial Expert – The registrant’s board of directors (the “board of directors”), has determined that
(i) the registrant has the following audit committee financial experts serving on its audit committee and (ii) each audit committee
financial expert is independent:
Michael Castellano
Frank J. Fabozzi
James T. Flynn
W. Carl Kester
Karen P. Robards
The registrant’s board of directors has determined that W. Carl Kester and Karen P. Robards qualify as financial experts pursuant to Item 3(c)(4) of Form N-CSR.
Prof. Kester has a thorough
understanding of generally accepted accounting principles, financial statements and internal control over financial reporting as
well as audit committee functions. Prof. Kester has been involved in providing valuation and other financial consulting services
to corporate clients since 1978. Prof. Kester’s financial consulting services present a breadth and level of complexity of
accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised
by the registrant’s financial statements.
Ms. Robards has a thorough understanding of generally accepted accounting principles, financial statements
and internal control over financial reporting as well as audit committee functions. Ms. Robards has been President of Robards &
Company, a financial advisory firm, since 1987. Ms. Robards was formerly an investment banker for more than 10 years where she
was responsible for evaluating and assessing the performance of companies based on their financial results. Ms. Robards has over
30 years of experience analyzing financial statements. She also is a member of the audit committee of one publicly held company
and a non-profit organization.
Under applicable securities laws, a person determined to be an audit committee financial expert will
not be deemed an “expert” for any purpose, including without limitation for the purposes of Section 11 of the Securities
Act of 1933, as a result of being designated or identified as an audit committee financial expert. The designation or identification
as an audit committee financial expert does not impose on such person any duties, obligations, or liabilities greater than the
duties, obligations, and liabilities imposed on such person as a member of the audit committee and board of directors in the absence
of such designation or identification. The designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert does
not affect the duties, obligations, or liability of any other member of the audit committee or board of directors.
2 |
Item 4 – Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The following table presents fees billed by Deloitte & Touche LLP (“D&T”) in each of the last two fiscal years for the services rendered to the Fund:
(a) Audit Fees | (b) Audit-Related Fees1 | (c) Tax Fees2 | (d) All Other Fees3 | |||||
Entity Name | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End |
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. | $38,317 | $37,063 | $0 | $0 | $10,800 | $10,800 | $0 | $0 |
The following table presents fees billed by D&T that were required to be approved by the registrant’s audit committee (the “Committee”) for services that relate directly to the operations or financial reporting of the Fund and that are rendered on behalf of BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“Investment Adviser” or “BlackRock”) and entities controlling, controlled by, or under common control with BlackRock (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser) that provide ongoing services to the Fund (“Fund Service Providers”):
Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | |
(b) Audit-Related Fees1 | $0 | $0 |
(c) Tax Fees2 | $0 | $0 |
(d) All Other Fees3 | $2,555,000 | $2,865,000 |
1 The nature of the services includes assurance and related services reasonably related to the performance of the audit of financial statements not included in Audit Fees.
2 The nature of the services includes tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
3 Aggregate fees borne by
BlackRock in connection with the review of compliance procedures and attestation thereto performed by D&T with respect to all
of the registered closed-end funds and some of the registered open-end funds advised by BlackRock.
(e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures:
The Committee has adopted policies and procedures with regard to the pre-approval of services. Audit, audit-related and tax compliance services provided to the registrant on an annual basis require specific pre-approval by the Committee. The Committee also must approve other non-audit services provided to the registrant and those non-audit services provided to the Investment Adviser and Fund Service Providers that relate directly to the operations and the financial reporting of the registrant. Certain of these non-audit services that the Committee believes are (a) consistent with the SEC’s auditor independence rules and (b) routine and recurring services that will not impair the independence of the independent accountants may be approved by the Committee without consideration on a specific case-by-case basis (“general pre-approval”). The term of any general pre-approval is 12 months from the date of the pre-approval, unless the Committee provides for a different period. Tax or other non-audit services provided to the registrant which have a direct impact on the operations or financial reporting of the registrant will only be deemed pre-approved provided that any individual project does not exceed $10,000 attributable to the registrant or $50,000 per project. For this purpose, multiple projects will be aggregated to determine if they exceed the previously mentioned cost levels.
3 |
Any proposed services exceeding the pre-approved cost levels will require specific pre-approval by the Committee, as will any
other services not subject to general pre-approval (e.g., unanticipated but permissible services). The Committee is informed of
each service approved subject to general pre-approval at the next regularly scheduled in-person board meeting. At this meeting,
an analysis of such services is presented to the Committee for ratification. The Committee may delegate to the Committee Chairman
the authority to approve the provision of and fees for any specific engagement of permitted non-audit services, including services
exceeding pre-approved cost levels. (e)(2) None of the services described in each of Items 4(b) through (d) were approved by the Committee pursuant to the de minimis exception in paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X. (f) Not Applicable (g) The aggregate non-audit fees paid to the accountant for services rendered by the accountant to the registrant, the Investment Adviser and the Fund Service Providers were: |
Entity Name | Current Fiscal Year End | Previous Fiscal Year End | |
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. | $10,800 | $10,800 |
Additionally, SSAE 16 Review (Formerly, SAS No. 70) fees for the current and previous fiscal years of $2,555,000 and $2,865,000, respectively, were billed by D&T to the Investment Adviser. |
(h) The Committee has considered and determined that the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to the Investment Adviser, and the Fund Service Providers that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence. |
Item 5 – Audit Committee of Listed Registrants
(a) | The following individuals are members of the registrant’s separately-designated standing
audit committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(58)(A)): Michael Castellano |
Frank J. Fabozzi
James T. Flynn
W. Carl Kester
Karen P. Robards
(b) | Not Applicable |
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.
4 |
(b) Not Applicable due to no such divestments during the semi-annual period covered since the previous Form N-CSR filing.
Item 7 – Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies – The board of directors has delegated the voting of proxies for the Fund’s portfolio securities to the Investment Adviser pursuant to the Investment Adviser’s proxy voting guidelines. Under these guidelines, the Investment Adviser will vote proxies related to Fund securities in the best interests of the Fund and its stockholders. From time to time, a vote may present a conflict between the interests of the Fund’s stockholders, on the one hand, and those of the Investment Adviser, or any affiliated person of the Fund or the Investment Adviser, on the other. In such event, provided that the Investment Adviser’s Equity Investment Policy Oversight Committee, or a sub-committee thereof (the “Oversight Committee”) is aware of the real or potential conflict or material non-routine matter and if the Oversight Committee does not reasonably believe it is able to follow its general voting guidelines (or if the particular proxy matter is not addressed in the guidelines) and vote impartially, the Oversight Committee may retain an independent fiduciary to advise the Oversight Committee on how to vote or to cast votes on behalf of the Investment Adviser’s clients. If the Investment Adviser determines not to retain an independent fiduciary, or does not desire to follow the advice of such independent fiduciary, the Oversight Committee shall determine how to vote the proxy after consulting with the Investment Adviser’s Portfolio Management Group and/or the Investment Adviser’s Legal and Compliance Department and concluding that the vote cast is in its client’s best interest notwithstanding the conflict. A copy of the Fund’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures are attached as Exhibit 99.PROXYPOL. Information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, (i) at www.blackrock.com and (ii) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Item 8 – Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies – as of December 31, 2014.
(a)(1) The registrant is managed by a team of investment professionals comprised of Stuart Spodek, Managing Director at BlackRock and Thomas Musmanno, CFA, Managing Director at BlackRock. Messrs. Spodek and Musmanno are the Fund’s portfolio managers and are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio and the selection of its investments. Messrs. Spodek and Musmanno have been members of the registrant’s portfolio management team since 2006 and 2009, respectively.
Portfolio Manager | Biography | |
Stuart Spodek | Managing Director of BlackRock since 2002; Co-head of US Fixed Income within BlackRock's Fixed Income Portfolio Management Group since 2007. | |
Thomas Musmanno, CFA | Managing Director of BlackRock since 2010; Director of BlackRock from 2006 to 2009. |
5 |
(a)(2) | As of December 31, 2014: |
(ii) Number of Other Accounts Managed and Assets by Account Type |
(iii) Number of Other Accounts and Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based | |||||
(i) Name of Portfolio Manager |
Other Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts |
Other Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts |
Stuart Spodek | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
$269.8 Million | $1.78 Billion | $3.55 Billion | $0 | $1.75 Billion | $88.69 Million | |
Thomas Musmanno, CFA | 9 | 14 | 143 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
$9.03 Billion | $4.91 Billion | $46.73 Billion | $0 | $1.75 Billion | $0 |
(iv) | Portfolio Manager Potential Material Conflicts of Interest | |
BlackRock has built a professional working environment, firm-wide compliance culture and compliance procedures and systems designed to protect against potential incentives that may favor one account over another. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures that address the allocation of investment opportunities, execution of portfolio transactions, personal trading by employees and other potential conflicts of interest that are designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time. Nevertheless, BlackRock furnishes investment management and advisory services to numerous clients in addition to the Fund, and BlackRock may, consistent with applicable law, make investment recommendations to other clients or accounts (including accounts which are hedge funds or have performance or higher fees paid to BlackRock, or in which portfolio managers have a personal interest in the receipt of such fees), which may be the same as or different from those made to the Fund. In addition, BlackRock, Inc., its affiliates and significant shareholders and any officer, director, shareholder or employee may or may not have an interest in the securities whose purchase and sale BlackRock recommends to the Fund. BlackRock, Inc., or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders, or any officer, director, shareholder, employee or any member of their families may take different actions than those recommended to the Fund by BlackRock with respect to the same securities. Moreover, BlackRock may refrain from rendering any advice or services concerning securities of companies of which any of BlackRock, Inc.’s (or its affiliates’ or significant shareholders’) officers, directors or employees are directors or officers, or companies as to which BlackRock, Inc. or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders or the officers, directors and employees of any of them has any substantial economic interest or possesses material non-public information. Certain portfolio managers also may manage accounts whose investment strategies may at times be opposed to the strategy utilized for a fund. It should also be noted that Mr. Spodek may be managing certain hedge fund and/or long only accounts, or may be part of a team managing certain hedge fund and/or long only accounts, subject to incentive fees. Mr. Spodek may therefore be entitled to receive a portion of any incentive fees earned on such accounts.
As a fiduciary, BlackRock owes a duty of loyalty to its clients and must treat each client fairly. When BlackRock purchases or sells securities for more than one account, the trades must be allocated in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties. BlackRock attempts to allocate investments in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, with no account receiving preferential treatment. To this end, BlackRock, Inc. has adopted policies that are intended to ensure reasonable efficiency in client transactions and provide BlackRock with sufficient flexibility to allocate investments in a manner that is consistent with the particular investment discipline and client base, as appropriate.
6 |
(a)(3) | As of December 31, 2014: | |
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
The discussion below describes the portfolio managers’ compensation as of December 31, 2014.
BlackRock’s financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock.
Base Compensation. Generally, portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation
Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager’s group within BlackRock, the investment performance, including risk-adjusted returns, of the firm’s assets under management or supervision by that portfolio manager relative to predetermined benchmarks, and the individual’s performance and contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock. In most cases, these benchmarks are the same as the benchmark or benchmarks against which the performance of the Funds or other accounts managed by the portfolio managers are measured. Among other things, BlackRock’s Chief Investment Officers make a subjective determination with respect to each portfolio manager’s compensation based on the performance of the Funds and other accounts managed by each portfolio manager relative to the various benchmarks. Performance of fixed income funds is measured on a pre-tax and/or after-tax basis over various time periods including 1-, 3- and 5- year periods, as applicable. With respect to these portfolio managers, such benchmarks for the Fund and other accounts are:
Portfolio Manager | Applicable Benchmarks | |
Thomas Musmanno, CFA | A combination of market-based indices (e.g., Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate & Government Index, 1-3 Years), certain customized indices and certain fund industry peer groups. | |
Stuart Spodek | A combination of market-based indices (e.g., CitiGroup Government / Mortgage Index), certain customized indices and certain fund industry peer groups. |
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. For some portfolio managers, discretionary incentive compensation is also distributed in deferred cash awards that notionally track the returns of select BlackRock investment products they manage and that vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units, upon vesting, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash portion of the discretionary incentive compensation, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in BlackRock,
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Inc. stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock’s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods. Providing a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in deferred cash awards that notionally track the BlackRock investment products they manage provides direct alignment with investment product results.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards — From time to time long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity awards are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Messrs. Musmanno and Spodek have unvested long-term incentive awards.
Deferred Compensation Program — A portion of the compensation paid to eligible United States-based BlackRock employees may be voluntarily deferred at their election for defined periods of time into an account that tracks the performance of certain of the firm’s investment products. Any portfolio manager who is either a managing director or director at BlackRock with compensation above a specified threshold is eligible to participate in the deferred compensation program.
Other Compensation Benefits. In addition to base salary and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
Incentive Savings Plans — BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), and the BlackRock Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the Internal Revenue Service limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into a target date fund that corresponds to, or is closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the purchase date. All of the eligible portfolio managers are eligible to participate in these plans.
(a)(4) | Beneficial Ownership of Securities – As of December 31, 2014. |
Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range of Equity Securities of the Fund Beneficially Owned |
Stuart Spodek | None |
Thomas Musmanno, CFA | None |
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(b) Not Applicable |
Item 9 – Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers
Period | (a) Total Number of Shares Purchased | (b) Average Price Paid per Share | (c) Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | (d) Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs | |
July 1-31, 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
August 1-31, 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
September 1-30, 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
October 1-31, 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
November 1-30, 2014 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
December 1-31, 2014 | 890,971 | $15.011 | 890,9712 | 0 | |
Total: | 890,971 | $15.011 | 890,9712 | 0 |
1 Subject to a repurchase
fee of 2% of the net asset value per share.
2 On October 10, 2014, the repurchase offer was announced to repurchase up to 10% of outstanding shares. The expiration
date of the offer was November 18, 2014. The registrant may conduct annual repurchases for between 5% and 25% of its outstanding
shares pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Item 10 – Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders – There have been no material changes to these procedures.
Item 11 – Controls and Procedures
(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 13a-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(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
(a)(1) – Code of Ethics – See Item 2 |
(a)(2) – Certifications – Attached hereto |
(a)(3) – Not Applicable
(b) – Certifications – Attached hereto
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(c) – Notices to the registrant’s common shareholders in accordance with the order under Section 6(c) of the 1940 Act granting an exemption from Section 19(b) of the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 under the 1940 Act, dated May 9, 20091
1 The Fund has received exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission permitting it to make periodic distributions of long-term capital gains with respect to its outstanding common stock as frequently as twelve times each year, and as frequently as distributions are specified by or in accordance with the terms of its outstanding preferred stock. This relief is conditioned, in part, on an undertaking by the Fund to make the disclosures to the holders of the Fund’s common shares, in addition to the information required by Section 19(a) of the 1940 Act and Rule 19a-1 thereunder. The Fund is likewise obligated to file with the SEC the information contained in any such notice to shareholders and, in that regard, has attached hereto copies of each such notice made during the period.
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc.
By: /s/ John M. Perlowski
John M. Perlowski
Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc.
Date: February 27, 2015
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/ John M. Perlowski
John M. Perlowski
Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) of
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc.
Date: February 27, 2015
By: /s/ Neal J. Andrews
Neal J. Andrews
Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) of
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc.
Date: February 27, 2015
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