The Funds may utilize leverage to seek to enhance the yield and NAV of their Common Shares. However, these objectives cannot be achieved in all interest rate environments.

To leverage, the Funds issue Preferred Shares, which pay dividends at prevailing short-term interest rates, and invest the proceeds in long-term municipal bonds. In general, the concept of leveraging is based on the premise that the cost of assets to be obtained from leverage will be based on short-term interest rates, which normally will be lower than the income earned by each Fund on its longer-term portfolio investments. To the extent that the total assets of the Fund (including the assets obtained from leverage) are invested in higher-yielding portfolio investments, the Fund’s Common Shareholders will benefit from the incremental yield.

To illustrate these concepts, assume a Fund’s Common Shares capitalization is $100 million and it issues Preferred Shares for an additional $50 million, creating a total value of $150 million available for investment in long-term municipal bonds. If prevailing short-term interest rates are 3% and long-term interest rates are 6%, the yield curve has a strongly positive slope. In this case, the Fund pays dividends on the $50 million of Preferred Shares based on the lower short-term interest rates. At the same time, the Fund’s total portfolio of $150 million earns the income based on long-term interest rates. In this case, the dividends paid to Preferred Shareholders are significantly lower than the income earned on the Fund’s long-term investments, and therefore the Common Shareholders are the beneficiaries of the incremental yield.

Conversely, if prevailing short-term interest rates rise above long-term interest rates of 6%, the yield curve has a negative slope. In this case, the Fund pays dividends on the higher short-term interest rates whereas the Fund’s total portfolio earns income based on lower long-term interest rates. If short-term interest rates rise, narrowing the differential between short-term and long-term interest rates, the incremental yield pickup on the Common Shares will be reduced or eliminated completely.

Furthermore, the value of the Fund’s portfolio investments generally varies inversely with the direction of long-term interest rates, although other factors can influence the value of portfolio investments. In contrast, the redemption value of the Fund’s Preferred Shares does not fluctuate in relation to interest rates. As a result, changes in interest rates can influence the Fund’s NAV positively or negatively in addition to the impact on Fund performance from leverage from Preferred Shares discussed above.

The Funds may also, from time to time, leverage their assets through the use of tender option bond (“TOB”) programs, as described in Note 1 of the Notes to Financial Statements. TOB investments generally will provide the Funds with economic benefits in periods of declining short-term interest rates, but expose the Funds to risks during periods of rising short-term interest rates similar to those associated with Preferred Shares issued by the Funds, as described above. Additionally, fluctuations in the market value of municipal bonds deposited into the TOB trust may adversely affect the Funds’ NAV per share.

The use of leverage may enhance opportunities for increased returns to the Funds and Common Shareholders, but as described above, it also creates risks as short- or long-term interest rates fluctuate. Leverage also will generally cause greater changes in the Funds’ NAV, market price and dividend rate than a comparable portfolio without leverage. If the income derived from securities purchased with assets received from leverage exceeds the cost of leverage, the Funds’ net income will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Conversely, if the income from the securities purchased is not sufficient to cover the cost of leverage, the Funds’ net income will be less than if leverage had not been used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders will be reduced. The Funds may be required to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times or below fair market values in order to comply with regulatory requirements applicable to the use of leverage or as required by the terms of leverage instruments, which may cause the Funds to incur losses. The use of leverage may limit the Funds’ ability to invest in certain types of securities or use certain types of hedging strategies, such as in the case of certain restrictions imposed by ratings agencies that rate preferred shares issued by a Fund. The Funds will incur expenses in connection with the use of leverage, all of which are borne by the holders of the Common Shares and may reduce returns on the Common Shares.

Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Funds are permitted to issue Preferred Shares in an amount up to 50% of their total managed assets at the time of issuance. Under normal circumstances, each Fund anticipates that the total economic leverage from Preferred Shares and TOBs will not exceed 50% of its total managed assets at the time such leverage is incurred. As of January 31, 2009, the Funds had economic leverage from Preferred Shares and TOBs as a percentage of their total managed assets as follows: