485BPOS 1 form.htm
1933 Act File No. 2-74191
1940 Act File No. 811-3266

 

Form N-1A

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933  
       
  Pre-Effective Amendment No.    
       
  Post-Effective Amendment No.   73
 
and/or
   
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940  
       
  Amendment No.   63
         

 

 

 

FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Federated Hermes Funds

4000 Ericsson Drive

Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(412) 288-1900

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

 

Peter J. Germain, Esquire

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
   
X immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
  On     pursuant to paragraph (b)
  60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
  on     pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
  75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
  on   pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
 
If appropriate, check the following box:
   
  This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

 

 

 

Prospectus
April 30, 2020
Disclosure contained herein relates to all classes of the Fund, as listed below, unless otherwise noted.
Share Class | Ticker A | FGOAX C | FGOCX F | FGOIX Institutional | GISIX

Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.

A mutual fund seeking to provide current income by investing primarily in fixed-income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities.
As with all mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO SHAREHOLDERS
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund's shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Fund or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund or your financial intermediary electronically by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank); other shareholders may call the Fund at 1-800-341-7400, Option 4.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. You can inform the Fund or your financial intermediary that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank); other shareholders may call the Fund at 1-800-341-7400, Option 4. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with the Fund complex or your financial intermediary.

Not FDIC Insured ■ May Lose Value ■ No Bank Guarantee


Fund Summary Information
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc. (the “Fund”)
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income.
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: FEES AND EXPENSES
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Class A Shares (A), Class C Shares (C), Class F Shares (F) or Institutional Shares (IS) of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000, or $1,000,000, in certain classes (e.g., A and F classes, respectively) of Federated Hermes funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional, in the “What Do Shares Cost?” section of the Prospectus on page 13 and in “Appendix B” to this Prospectus. If you purchase the Fund's IS Shares through a broker acting as an agent on behalf of its customers, you may be required to pay a commission to such broker; such commissions, if any, are not reflected in the Example below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
A C F IS
Maximum Sales Charge (Load)

4.50% 1.00% 2.00% None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

4.50% None 1.00% None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, as applicable)

0.00% 1.00% 1.00% None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends (and other Distributions) (as a percentage of offering price)

None None None None
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if applicable)

None None None None
Exchange Fee

None None None None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
       
Management Fee

0.60% 0.60% 0.60% 0.60%
Distribution (12b-1) Fee

0.00%1 0.75% None None
Other Expenses

0.66% 0.66% 0.66% 0.44%2
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.26% 2.01% 1.26% 1.04%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3

(0.25)% (0.24)% (0.25)% (0.28)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements

1.01% 1.77% 1.01% 0.76%
1 The Fund has adopted a Distribution (12b-1) Plan for its A class pursuant to which the A class of the Fund may incur and pay a Distribution (12b-1) fee of up to a maximum amount of 0.05%. No such fee is currently incurred and paid by the A class of the Fund. The A class of the Fund will not incur and pay such a Distribution (12b-1) fee until such time as approved by the Fund's Board of Directors (the “Directors”).
2 Because the Fund's Institutional Shares are new, “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
3 The Adviser and certain of its affiliates, on their own initiative, have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Effective May 1, 2020, total annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund's A, C, F and IS classes (after voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.00%, 1.76%, 1.00% and 0.75%, respectively, (the “Fee Limit”) up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) May 1, 2021; or (b) the date of the Fund's next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Directors.
Example
The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
1

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. Expenses assuming no redemption are also shown. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that operating expenses are as shown in the table above and remain the same. Although your actual costs and returns may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Share Class 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
A:        
Expenses assuming redemption $573 $832 $1,110 $1,904
Expenses assuming no redemption $573 $832 $1,110 $1,904
C:        
Expenses assuming redemption $304 $630 $1,083 $2,338
Expenses assuming no redemption $204 $630 $1,083 $2,338
F:        
Expenses assuming redemption $327 $596 $785 $1,607
Expenses assuming no redemption $227 $496 $785 $1,607
IS:        
Expenses assuming redemption $106 $331 $574 $1,271
Expenses assuming no redemption $106 $331 $574 $1,271
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 70% of the average value of its portfolio.
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENTS, RISKS and PERFORMANCE
What are the Fund's Main Investment Strategies?
The Fund seeks to provide current income by investing primarily in fixed-income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) of investment-grade quality and seeks to provide returns consistent with investments in the market for U.S. home mortgages. The Fund will invest in MBS that are issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). The Fund may invest in non-agency MBS, which are those not issued or guaranteed by GSEs. The Fund also may invest in U.S. government securities and certain derivative instruments and engage in short sales of U.S. Treasury securities and futures contracts.
The Fund typically seeks to maintain an overall average dollar-weighted portfolio duration that is within one year above or below the duration of the blended index comprised of the Bloomberg Barclays US Government Bond Index, an index composed of U.S. government and government agency securities with maturities of one year or more, and the Bloomberg Barclays US Mortgage Backed Securities Index, an index composed of MBS issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (the “Blended Index”). At times, the Fund's investment adviser's (the “Adviser”) calculation of portfolio duration may result in variances outside this range. Duration is a measure of the price volatility of a fixed-income security as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument's expected fixed interest and principal payments. The Adviser seeks to create a portfolio, consisting of MBS, derivative instruments and other securities, that outperforms the Blended Index.
Based on fundamental analysis, the Adviser will consider a variety of factors when making decisions to purchase or sell particular securities or derivative contracts. The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, and may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest, or to hedge against a potential loss in the underlying asset. There can be no assurance that the Fund's use of derivative instruments will work as intended. Derivative investments made by the Fund are included within the Fund's 80% policy (as described below) and are calculated at market value.
The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in U.S. government investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government investments.
2

What are the Main Risks of Investing in the Fund?
All mutual funds take investment risks. Therefore, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The primary factors that may reduce the Fund's returns include:
■  MBS Risk. A rise in interest rates may cause the value of MBS held by the Fund to decline. Certain MBS issued by GSEs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. A non-agency MBS is subject to the risk that the value of such security will decline, because the security is not issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or a GSE. The Fund's investments in collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) may entail greater market, prepayment and liquidity risks than other MBS.
■  Interest Rate Risk. Prices of fixed-income securities generally fall when interest rates rise. The longer the duration of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest rate risk. Recent and potential future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates.
■  Credit Risk. It is possible that borrowers of non-agency MBS in which the Fund invests will fail to pay interest or principal on these securities when due, which would result in the Fund losing money.
■  Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction involving the Fund will fail to meet its obligations. This could cause the Fund to lose money or to lose the benefit of the transaction or prevent the Fund from selling or buying other securities to implement its investment strategy.
■  Prepayment and Extension Risk. When homeowners prepay their mortgages in response to lower interest rates, the Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds at the lower interest rates available. Also, when interest rates fall, the price of mortgage-backed securities may not rise to as great an extent as those of other fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, homeowners are less likely to prepay their mortgages. A decreased rate of prepayments lengthens the expected maturity of a mortgage-backed security, and the price of mortgage-backed securities may decrease more than the price of other fixed income securities when interest rates rise.
■  Risk of Security Downgrades. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that a borrower will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.
■  Liquidity Risk. The non-agency MBS and CMOs in which the Fund invests may be less readily marketable and may be subject to greater fluctuation in price than other securities.
■  Leverage Risk. Leverage risk is created when an investment exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund's risk of loss and potential for gain.
■  Risk of Investing in Derivative Instruments. The Fund's exposure to derivative contracts (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the asset, index, rate or instrument underlying a derivative, due to failure of a counterparty, or the failure of the counterparty to meet its obligations under the contract, or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create investment leverage in the Fund, which magnifies the Fund's exposure to the underlying investment. Derivative instruments may be difficult to value, may be illiquid and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying instrument. Over-the-counter derivative contracts generally carry greater liquidity risk than exchange-traded contracts. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment.
■  Asset Segregation Risk. The requirement to secure its obligations in connection with certain transactions, including derivatives or other transactions that expose it to an obligation of another party, by owning underlying assets, entering into offsetting transactions or setting aside cash or liquid assets, may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities, or to realize losses on such offsetting transactions.
■  Short Sale Risk. The Fund may incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the sale and the date on which the Fund repurchases the security. The risk is that the securities price moves in the opposite direction than expected causing the Fund to lose money.
■  Risk Related to the Economy. The value of the Fund's portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets. Economic, political and financial conditions, industry or economic trends and developments or public health risks, such as epidemics or pandemics, may, from time to time, and for varying periods of time, cause the Fund to experience volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions, or other potentially adverse effects. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.
■  Technology Risk. The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective and strategy described in this Prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.
3

The Shares offered by this Prospectus are not deposits or obligations of any bank, are not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
Performance: Bar Chart and Table
Risk/Return Bar Chart
The bar chart and performance table below reflect historical performance data for the Fund and are intended to help you analyze the Fund's investment risks in light of its historical returns. The bar chart shows the variability of the Fund's F class total returns on a calendar year-by-year basis. The Average Annual Total Return Table shows returns averaged over the stated periods, and includes comparative performance information. The Fund's performance will fluctuate, and past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future results. Updated performance information for the Fund is available under the “Products” section at FederatedInvestors.com or by calling 1-800-341-7400.
  
The total returns shown in the bar chart do not reflect the payment of any sales charges or recurring shareholder account fees. If these charges or fees had been included, the returns shown would have been lower.
The Fund's F class total return for the three-month reporting period from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020, was 4.21%.
Within the periods shown in the bar chart, the Fund's F class highest quarterly return was 3.19% (quarter ended September 30, 2011). Its lowest quarterly return was (2.66)% (quarter ended December 31, 2016).
Average Annual Total Return Table
The Fund's IS class is expected to commence operations on May 1, 2020. For the periods prior to commencement of operations of the Fund's IS class, the performance information shown below is for the Fund's F class. The performance of the F class has not been adjusted to reflect the expenses of the IS class since the IS class has a lower expense ratio than the F class. The performance shown in the table has been adjusted to reflect differences between the sales loads and charges imposed on the purchase and redemption of the Fund's F class and IS class. In addition to Return Before Taxes, Returns After Taxes is shown for the Fund's F class to illustrate the effect of federal taxes on Fund returns. After-tax returns are shown only for the F class, and after-tax returns for A, C and IS classes will differ from those shown for the F class. Actual after-tax returns depend on each investor's personal tax situation, and are likely to differ from those shown. After-tax returns are calculated using a standard set of assumptions. The stated returns assume the highest historical federal income and capital gains tax rates. These after-tax returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable state and local taxes. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors holding shares through a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account or other tax-advantaged investment plans.
4

(For the Periods Ended December 31, 2019)
Share Class 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years
A:      
Return Before Taxes 0.99% 0.88% 1.99%
C:      
Return Before Taxes 3.89% 1.07% 1.69%
F:      
Return Before Taxes 3.74% 1.65% 2.37%
Return After Taxes on Distributions 2.80% 0.72% 1.38%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 2.20% 0.84% 1.40%
IS:      
Return Before Taxes 5.83% 1.85% 2.47%
ICE BofAML Current 5-Year US Treasury Index1
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
5.91% 2.00% 2.84%
Blended Index2
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
6.55% 2.50% 3.11%
Lipper General U.S. Government Funds Average3 6.30% 1.89% 2.82%
1 ICE BofAML 5-Year US Treasury Index is a one-security index comprised of the most recently issued 5-year U.S. Treasury note. The index is rebalanced monthly. In order to qualify for inclusion, a 5-year note must be auctioned on or before the third business day before the last business day of the month.
2 Blended Index is a blended index comprised of 60% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index tracks agency mortgage-backed pass-through securities (both fixed-rate and hybrid ARM) guaranteed by Ginnie Mae (GNMA), Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FHLMC). The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index is a market value weighted index of U.S. government and government agency securities (other than mortgage securities) with maturities of one year or more.
3 Lipper figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the mutual funds designated by Lipper, Inc. as falling into their respective categories indicated. They do not reflect sales charges.
FUND MANAGEMENT
The Fund's Investment Adviser is Federated Investment Management Company.
Todd A. Abraham, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since February of 2003.
Liam O'Connell, CFA, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since April of 2017.
purchase and sale of fund shares
You may purchase, redeem or exchange Shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open. Shares may be purchased through a financial intermediary firm that has entered into a Fund selling and/or servicing agreement with the Distributor or an affiliate (“Financial Intermediary”) or directly from the Fund, by wire or by check. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply. Redeem or exchange Shares through a financial intermediary or directly from the Fund by telephone at 1-800-341-7400 or by mail.
A, C, & F Classes
The minimum investment amount for the Fund's A, C and F classes is generally $1,500 for initial investments and $100 for subsequent investments. The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Accounts are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount required for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.
IS Class
The minimum initial investment amount for the Fund's IS class is generally $1,000,000 and there is no minimum subsequent investment amount. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment amount for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.
The Fund's IS Class will commence operations and be available for purchase on May 1, 2020. Orders for the IS class received prior to May 1, 2020 will be processed as if received on May 1, 2020.
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains except when your investment is through a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account or other tax-advantaged investment plan.
5

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
What are the Fund's Investment Strategies?
The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income. While there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, it endeavors to do so by following the principal strategies and policies described in this Prospectus. The Fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides information about the Fund's non-principal strategies.
The Fund seeks to provide current income by investing primarily in fixed-income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) of investment-grade quality and seeks to provide returns consistent with investments in the market for U.S. home mortgages. A security is considered investment-grade quality if it is either: (i) rated within the four highest ratings categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (an NRSRO); or (ii) if unrated, considered by the Fund's investment adviser (the “Adviser”) to be of investment-grade quality. The Fund will invest in MBS that are issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). The Fund may invest in non-agency MBS, which are those not issued or guaranteed by GSEs. The Fund also may invest in U.S. government securities and certain derivative instruments and engage in short sales of U.S. Treasury securities and futures contracts.
The Fund typically seeks to maintain an overall average dollar-weighted portfolio duration that is within one year above or below the duration of a blended index comprised of the Bloomberg Barclays US Government Bond Index, an index composed of U.S. government and government agency securities with maturities of one year or more, and the Bloomberg Barclays US Mortgage Backed Securities Index, an index composed of MBS issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (the “Blended Index”). At times, the Adviser's calculation of portfolio duration may result in variances outside this range. Duration is a measure of the price volatility of a fixed-income security as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument's expected fixed interest and principal payments. For example, if interest rates rise by 1% (in a parallel shift) the NAV of a fund with an average duration of five years theoretically would decline about 5.0%. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations.
The Adviser seeks to create a portfolio, consisting of MBS, derivative instruments and other securities that outperforms the Blended Index. In implementing the Fund's investment strategy, the Adviser typically will take into consideration: (i) overall levels of interest rates; (ii) volatility of interest rates; (iii) relative interest rates of securities with longer and shorter durations (known as a “yield curve”); and (iv) relative interest rates of different types of securities (such as U.S. government securities and MBS).
Based on fundamental analysis, the Adviser will consider a variety of factors when making decisions to purchase or sell particular securities or derivative contracts, including: the securities' specific interest rate and prepayment risks, and price sensitivity to changes in market spread levels and in the level of interest rate volatility. In analyzing MBS, the Adviser also may consider the average interest rates of the underlying loans, the prior and expected prepayments, any ratings issued by NRSROs, and any guarantee of the security or underlying loans by a GSE or non-agency issuer. Other than in accordance with the Fund's 80% policy (as described below), the Fund does not limit the amount of its portfolio that may be invested in non-agency MBS.
The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, and may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest, or to hedge against a potential loss in the underlying asset. The Fund may use futures contracts, options, options on futures (including those relating to interest rates) and swaps as tools in the management of portfolio assets, or other elements of its investment strategy. There can be no assurance that the Fund's use of derivative instruments will work as intended. Derivative investments made by the Fund are included within the Fund's 80% policy (as described below) and are calculated at market value.
The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in U.S. government investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government investments.
6

Portfolio Turnover
The Fund actively trades its portfolio securities in an attempt to achieve its investment objective. Active trading will cause the Fund to have an increased portfolio turnover rate and increase the Fund's trading costs, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. An active trading strategy will likely result in the Fund generating more short-term capital gains or losses. Short-term gains are generally taxed at a higher rate than long-term gains. Any short-term losses are used first to offset short-term gains.
TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS
The Fund may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies by investing its assets in shorter-term debt securities and similar obligations, or by holding cash. It may do this in response to unusual circumstances, such as: adverse market, economic or other conditions (for example, to help avoid potential losses, or during periods when there is a shortage of appropriate securities); to maintain liquidity to meet shareholder redemptions; or to accommodate cash inflows. It is possible that such investments could affect the Fund's investment returns and/or the ability to achieve the Fund's investment objective.
What are the Fund's Principal Investments?
The following provides general information on the Fund's principal investments. The Fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides information about the Fund's non-principal investments and may provide additional information about the Fund's principal investments.
Fixed-Income Securities
The Fund may invest in the fixed-income securities described below. The Fund's fixed-income investments may include bonds, notes (including structured notes), mortgage-related securities, asset-backed securities and money market instruments. Fixed-income securities may be issued by: U.S. corporations or entities; U.S. banks; and the U.S. government, its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or GSEs. These securities may have all types of interest rate payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate and zero coupon.
Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
An MBS is a type of pass-through security, which is a pooled debt obligation repackaged as interests that pass principal and interest through an intermediary to investors. In the case of MBS, the ownership interest is issued by a trust and represents participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities (“agency MBS”), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers (“non-agency MBS”). Unlike conventional debt obligations, MBS provide monthly payments derived from the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. Most MBS make these payments monthly; however, certain MBS are backed by mortgage loans which do not generate monthly payments but rather generate payments less frequently.
The mortgage loan collateral for non-agency MBS consists of residential mortgage loans that do not conform to GSEs underwriting guidelines. Non-agency MBS generally offer a higher yield than agency MBS because there are no direct or indirect government guarantees of payment.
The non-agency and agency MBS acquired by the Fund could be secured by fixed-rate mortgages, adjustable rate mortgages or hybrid adjustable rate mortgages. Adjustable rate mortgages are mortgages whose interest rates are periodically reset when market rates change. A hybrid adjustable rate mortgage (“hybrid ARM”) is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate is fixed for a specified period and then resets periodically, or floats, for the remaining mortgage term. Hybrid ARMs are usually referred to by their fixed and floating periods. For example, a “5/1 ARM” refers to a mortgage with a five-year fixed interest rate period, followed by 25 annual interest rate adjustment periods.
The Fund also may invest in collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). The two types of CMOs are: (1) MBS that are collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities; and (2) multi-class, pass-through securities, which are interests in a trust composed of mortgage loans or other MBS. CMOs may be issued by U.S. governmental or government-related enterprises, or by private entities. CMOs are issued in multiple classes, often referred to as “tranches,” with each tranche having a specific fixed or floating coupon rate, and stated maturity or final distribution date. CMOs are subject to the uncertainty of the timing of cash flows that results from the rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgages serving as collateral and from the structure of the particular CMO transaction (that is, the priority of the individual tranches). An increase or decrease in prepayment rates (resulting from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates) may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier or later than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, and will affect the yields and prices of CMOs.
7

Mortgage dollar rolls are transactions in which the Fund sells MBS for delivery in the current month with a simultaneous contract entered to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) securities on a specified future date and price (a “mortgage roll”). During the roll period, the Fund foregoes principal and interest paid on the MBS. Mortgage dollar-roll transactions may be used to seek to increase the Fund's income. The Fund uses repurchase agreements and short-term, fixed-income securities to secure its obligations in these transactions.
Investments in MBS expose the Fund to MBS, interest rate, prepayment and credit risks.
Asset-Backed Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile loans and credit-card receivables, and which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the servicer or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, the originator of the loan or accounts receivable transfers it to a specially created trust, which repackages it as an issuance of securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities then are privately placed or publicly offered. Issuers of asset-backed securities may have limited ability to enforce the security interest in the underlying assets, and credit enhancements (if any) may be inadequate in the event of default. Asset-backed securities may take the form of commercial paper, notes or pass-through certificates. Asset-backed securities have prepayment risks, interest rate risks, credit risks, and in certain instances, liquidity risks.
U.S. Government Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
U.S. government securities include U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their yields, maturities and times of issuance, and obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (“agency obligations”). Agency obligations may be guaranteed by the U.S. government or they may be backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the obligations, or the credit of the agency or instrumentality. As a result of their high credit quality and market liquidity, U.S. government securities generally provide lower current yields than obligations of other issuers. While certain U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association) may be chartered or sponsored by acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or any other segment of the U.S. government.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (A Type of Mortgage-Backed Security)
Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) represent interests in mortgage loans on commercial real estate, such as loans for hotels, shopping centers, office buildings and apartment buildings. Generally, the interest and principal payments on these loans are passed on to investors in CMBS according to a schedule of payments. The Fund may invest in individual CMBS issues or, alternately, may gain exposure to the overall CMBS market by investing in a derivative contract, the performance of which is related to changes in the value of a domestic CMBS index. The risks associated with CMBS reflect the risks of investing in the commercial real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans and are therefore different from the risks of other types of MBS. Additionally, CMBS expose the Fund to interest rate, liquidity and credit risks.
Repurchase Agreements
Repurchase agreements are transactions in which the Fund buys a security from a dealer or bank and agrees to sell the security back at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. The repurchase price exceeds the sale price, reflecting the Fund's return on the transaction. This return is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying security. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with banks and other recognized financial institutions, such as securities dealers, deemed creditworthy by the Adviser.
The Fund's custodian or subcustodian will take possession of the securities subject to repurchase agreements. The Adviser or subcustodian will monitor the value of the underlying security each day to ensure that the value of the security always equals or exceeds the repurchase price.
Repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. The Fund invests in overnight repurchase agreements in order to maintain sufficient cash to pay for daily net redemptions and portfolio transactions. The Fund uses repurchase agreements to secure its obligations in connection with dollar roll transactions.
Derivative INSTRUMENTS
The Fund may enter into derivatives transactions with respect to any security or other instrument in which it is permitted to invest, or any related security, instrument, index or economic indicator (“reference instruments”). Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from the underlying reference instrument. Derivatives may allow the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Fund incurs costs in connection with opening and closing derivatives positions.
8

The Fund may engage in transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of an asset at a specified future date at a specified price. Futures contracts involve substantial leverage risk. The Fund also is authorized to purchase or sell call and put options on futures contracts. The Fund can buy or sell financial futures (such as interest rate futures, index futures and security futures). The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are imperfect correlation, liquidity, unanticipated market movement and counterparty risk although counterparty risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a clearing house or central counterparty. The Fund also may enter into other derivative transactions with substantially similar characteristics and risks or over-the-counter derivatives such as interest rate swaps, caps and floors and options or other instruments. Payment obligations arising in connection with derivative contracts are frequently required to be secured with margin (which is commonly called “collateral”).
The market for swaps and other OTC derivatives was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of federal legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Regulations enacted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC) under the Dodd-Frank Act require the Fund to clear certain swap contracts through a clearing house or central counterparty (a CCP).
To clear a swap through the CCP, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearing house member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a financial institution other than the FCM and arrange for the contract to be transferred to the FCM for clearing or enter into the contract with the FCM itself. If the Fund must centrally clear a transaction, the CFTC's regulations also generally require that the swap be executed on registered exchange or through a market facility that is known as a “swap execution facility” or SEF. Central clearing is presently required only for certain swaps, the CFTC is expected to impose a mandatory central clearing requirement for additional derivative instruments over time.
The CCP, SEF and FCM are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, most derivative market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. Similar regulatory requirements are expected to apply to derivative contracts that are subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC, although the SEC has not yet finalized its regulations. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps will be subject to regulatory collateral requirements that could adversely affect the Fund's ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments could cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time.
Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund.
OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES
Investment Ratings for Investment-Grade Securities
The Adviser will determine whether a security is investment grade based upon the credit ratings given by one or more NRSROs. For example, Standard & Poor's, an NRSRO, assigns ratings to investment-grade securities (AAA, AA, A and BBB including modifiers, sub-categories and gradations) based on their assessment of the likelihood of the issuer's inability to pay interest or principal (default) when due on each security. Lower credit ratings correspond to higher credit risk. If a security has not received a rating, the Fund must rely entirely upon the Adviser's credit assessment that the security is comparable to investment grade. The presence of a ratings modifier, sub-category, or gradation (for example, a (+) or (-)) is intended to show relative standing within the major rating categories and does not affect the security credit rating for purposes of the Fund's investment parameters. If a security is downgraded below the minimum quality grade discussed above, the Adviser will reevaluate the security, but will not be required to sell it.
What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?
The following provides general information on the risks associated with the Fund's principal investments. Any additional risks associated with the Fund's non-principal investments are described in the Fund's SAI. The Fund's SAI also may provide additional information about the risks associated with the Fund's principal investments.
MBS RISK
MBS have unique risks. A rise in interest rates may cause the value of MBS held by the Fund to decline. The mortgage loans underlying MBS generally are subject to a greater rate of principal prepayments in a declining interest rate environment and to a lesser rate of principal prepayments in an increasing interest rate environment. If the underlying mortgages are paid off sooner than expected, the Fund may have to reinvest this money in mortgage-backed or other securities that have lower yields. Hybrid ARMs also involve special risks. Like ARMs, hybrid ARMs have periodic and lifetime limitations on the increases that can be made to the interest rates that mortgagors pay. Therefore, if during a floating
9

rate period, interest rates rise above the interest rate limits of the hybrid ARM, the Fund will not benefit from further increases in interest rates. See “Prepayment and Extension Risk” and “Interest Rate Risk.” CMOs with complex or highly variable prepayment terms generally entail greater market, prepayment and liquidity risks than other MBS. For example, their prices are more volatile and their trading market may be more limited.
MBS are subject to the risk that payments will not be made when due. Payments on MBS are primarily derived from the interest and principal payments of the underlying mortgages. Some MBS also have guarantees or other structural features that provide additional support for interest and principal payments on the MBS if payments on the underlying mortgages are not made. MBS are subject to the risks that the underlying mortgage borrowers fail to make timely payments of interest and principal and that any guarantee or other structural feature, if present, is insufficient to enable the timely payment of interest and principal on the MBS. The structure of certain CMO interests held by the Fund may cause the Fund to be paid interest and/or principal on its investment only after holders of other interests in that particular CMO have received the full repayment of principal or interest on their investments. See Credit Risks. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by GSEs, but also may be issued or guaranteed by private entities, which generally entail greater risk. Certain MBS issued by GSEs are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, but are, however, supported through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits. The Fund also may invest in certain MBS issued by GSEs that have no explicit financial support, and are supported only by the credit of the applicable GSEs (in addition to the underlying mortgages and related debt service payments). The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other GSEs in the future. Although certain MBS are guaranteed as to timely payment of interest and principal by a GSE, the market price for such securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. See “Credit Risk.”
INTEREST RATE RISK
Prices of fixed-income securities rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates. Generally, when interest rates rise, prices of fixed-income securities fall. However, market factors, such as the demand for particular fixed-income securities, may cause the price of certain fixed-income securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged.
The longer the duration of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest rate risk. The duration of a fixed-income security may be equal to or shorter than the stated maturity of a fixed-income security. Recent and potential future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates. Duration measures the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security given a change in interest rates. For example, if a fixed-income security has an effective duration of three years, a 1% increase in general interest rates would be expected to cause the security's value to decline about 3% while a 1% decrease in general interest rates would be expected to cause the security's value to increase about 3%.
CREDIT RISK
Fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled principal and interest. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may reduce the capacity of the party obligated to make principal and interest payments on such instruments when due, which may lead to defaults on such payments. Such non-payments and defaults may reduce the value of Fund shares and income distributions. Many fixed-income securities receive credit ratings from NRSROs that assign ratings to securities by assessing the likelihood of an issuer and/or guarantor default. Noninvestment-grade securities generally have a higher default risk than investment-grade securities. Higher credit ratings correspond to lower perceived credit risk and lower credit ratings correspond to higher perceived credit risk. Credit ratings may be upgraded or downgraded from time to time as an NRSRO's assessment of the financial condition of a party obligated to make payments with respect to such securities and credit risk changes. The impact of any credit rating downgrade can be uncertain. Credit rating downgrades may lead to increased interest rates and volatility in financial markets, which in turn could negatively affect the value of the Fund's portfolio holdings, its share price and its investment performance. Credit ratings are not a guarantee of quality. Credit ratings may lag behind the current financial conditions of the issuer and/or guarantor and do not provide assurance against default or other loss of money. Credit ratings do not protect against a decline in the value of a security.
Counterparty Risk
Counterparty risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction involving the Fund will fail to meet its obligations. This could cause the Fund to lose money or to lose the benefit of the transaction or prevent the Fund from selling or buying other securities to implement its investment strategy.
10

PREPAYMENT and extension RISK
Unlike traditional fixed-income securities, which pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity (when the entire principal amount is due), payments on MBS include both interest and a partial payment of principal. Partial payment of principal may be comprised of scheduled principal payments, as well as unscheduled payments from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing or foreclosure of the underlying loans. These unscheduled prepayments of principal create risks that can adversely affect the Fund's MBS holdings.
The mortgage loans underlying MBS are generally subject to a greater rate of principal prepayments in a declining interest rate environment and to a lesser rate of principal prepayments in a rising interest rate environment. Under certain interest and prepayment rate scenarios, the Fund may fail to recover the full amount of its investment in MBS, notwithstanding any direct or indirect governmental or agency guarantee. Because faster-than-expected prepayments typically are invested in lower yielding securities, MBS are less effective than conventional bonds in “locking in” a specified yield rate. For premium bonds, prepayment risk may be elevated. In a rising interest rate environment, a declining prepayment rate will extend the average life of many MBS. This possibility is often referred to as extension risk. Extending the average life of an MBS increases the risk of depreciation due to future increases in market interest rates.
RISK OF SECURITY DOWNGRADES
An investment-grade security held by the Fund may be downgraded to below investment grade after the Fund has acquired the security. In the event that the credit rating of a security held by the Fund is downgraded, the credit quality deteriorates after purchase or the security defaults, the Fund will not be obligated to dispose of that security and may continue to hold the security if, in the opinion of the Adviser, such investment is appropriate in the circumstances, although it may choose to do so in the sole discretion of the Adviser. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that a borrower will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.
LIQUIDITY RISK
The secondary market for some securities held by the Fund is less liquid than for more widely traded, fixed-income securities. In certain situations, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities at desirable times and/or prices. Liquidity risk also refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be able to sell a security or close out a derivative contract when it wants to. If this happens, the Fund will be required to continue to hold the security or keep the position open, and the Fund could incur losses.
LEVERAGE RISK
Leverage risk is created when an investment, which includes, for example, an investment in a derivative contract, exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund's risk of loss and potential for gain. Investments can have these same results if their returns are based on a multiple of a specified index, security or other benchmark.
RISK OF INVESTING IN DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
The Fund's exposure to derivative contracts (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. First, changes in the value of the derivative contracts in which the Fund invests may not be correlated with changes in the value of the underlying Reference Instruments or, if they are correlated, may move in the opposite direction than originally anticipated. Second, while some strategies involving derivatives may reduce the risk of loss, they may also reduce potential gains or, in some cases, result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in portfolio holdings. Third, there is a risk that derivative contracts may be erroneously priced or improperly valued and, as a result, the Fund may need to make increased cash payments to the counterparty. Fourth, exposure to derivative contracts may have tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders. For example, derivative contracts may cause the Fund to realize increased ordinary income or short-term capital gains (which are treated as ordinary income for Federal income tax purposes) and, as a result, may increase taxable distributions to shareholders. In addition, under certain circumstances certain derivative contracts may cause the Fund to: (a) incur an excise tax on a portion of the income related to those contracts and instruments; and/or (b) reclassify, as a return of capital, some or all of the distributions previously made to shareholders during the fiscal year as dividend income. Fifth, a common provision in OTC derivative contracts permits the counterparty to terminate any such contract between it and the Fund, if the value of the Fund's total net assets declines below a specified level over a given time period. Factors that may contribute to such a decline (which usually must be substantial) include significant shareholder redemptions and/or a marked decrease in the market value of the Fund's investments. Any such termination of the Fund's OTC derivative contracts may adversely affect the Fund (for example, by increasing losses and/or costs, and/or preventing the Fund from fully implementing its investment strategies). Sixth, the Fund may use a derivative contract to benefit from a decline in the value of a Reference Instrument. If the value of the Reference Instrument declines
11

during the term of the contract, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any payments the Fund is required to pay under the terms of the contract). Any such strategy involves risk. There is no assurance that the Reference Instrument will decline in value during the term of the contract and make a profit for the Fund. The Reference Instrument may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. Seventh, a default or failure by a CCP or an FCM (also sometimes called a “futures broker”), or the failure of a contract to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the FCM for clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the Fund from entering or exiting derivative positions, accessing margin, or fully implementing its investment strategies. The central clearing of a derivative and trading of a contract over a SEF could reduce the liquidity in, or increase costs of entering into or holding, any contracts. Finally, derivative contracts may also involve other risks described herein or in the Fund's prospectus, such as interest rate, credit, liquidity and leverage risks.
Asset Segregation RISK
In order to secure its obligations in connection with derivative contracts or other transactions that expose it to an obligation of another party, the Fund will either own the underlying assets, enter into offsetting transactions or set aside cash or readily marketable securities in each case, as provided by the SEC or SEC staff guidance. This requirement may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities, due to a lack of sufficient cash or readily marketable securities. This requirement also may cause the Fund to realize losses on offsetting or terminated derivative contracts.
SHORT SALE RISK
The Fund may incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the sale and the date on which the Fund repurchases the security. The risk is that the securities price moves in the opposite direction than expected causing the Fund to lose money.
Risk Related to the Economy
The value of the Fund's portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets based on negative developments in the U.S. and global economies. Economic, political, and financial conditions may, from time to time, cause volatility, illiquidity or other potentially adverse effects in the financial markets, including the fixed income market. The commencement, continuation or ending of government policies and economic stimulus programs, changes in monetary policy, increases or decreases in interest rates, or other factors or events that affect the financial markets, including the fixed income markets, may contribute to the development of or increase in volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions and other factors, which could negatively impact the Fund's performance. For example, the value of certain portfolio securities may rise or fall in response to changes in interest rates, which could result from a change in government policies, and has the potential to cause investors to move out of certain portfolio securities, including fixed-income securities, on a large scale. This may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of certain securities and may result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. Market factors, such as the demand for particular portfolio securities, may cause the price of certain portfolio securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.
Epidemic and Pandemic Risk
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in December 2019 and subsequently spread internationally. This coronavirus has resulted in closing borders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus may be short-term or may last for an extended period of time and result in a substantial economic downturn. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including fund service providers) and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund's performance.
technology Risk
The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective and strategy described in this Prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.
12

What Do Shares Cost?
CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
When the Fund receives your transaction request in proper form (as described in this Prospectus under the sections entitled “How to Purchase Shares” and “How to Redeem and Exchange Shares”), it is processed at the next calculated net asset value of a Share (NAV) plus any applicable front-end sales charge (“public offering price”). A Share's NAV is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share's class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The Fund's current NAV and/or public offering price may be found at FederatedInvestors.com, via online news sources and in certain newspapers.
You can purchase, redeem or exchange Shares any day the NYSE is open.
When the Fund holds fixed-income securities that trade on days the NYSE is closed, the value of the Fund's assets may change on days you cannot purchase or redeem Shares.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:
■  Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board of Directors (“Board”).
■  Derivative contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement or closing price, except that options are valued at the mean of closing bid and asked quotations.
■  Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Fund's valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures generally described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.
Shares of other mutual funds are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
Fair Valuation
The Board has ultimate responsibility for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Board has appointed a Valuation Committee comprised of officers of the Fund, the Adviser and certain of the Adviser's affiliated companies to assist in determining fair value and in overseeing the calculation of the NAV. The Board has also authorized the use of pricing services recommended by the Valuation Committee to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. The Board periodically reviews and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures. The Fund's SAI discusses the methods used by pricing services and the Valuation Committee to assist the Board in valuing investments.
Using fair value to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment's most recent closing price and from the prices used by other mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represent a good faith determination of such investment's fair value. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.
SALES CHARGE INFORMATION
The following table summarizes the minimum investment amount and the maximum sales charge, if any, that you will pay on an investment in the Fund. Keep in mind that financial intermediaries may charge you fees for their services in connection with your Share transactions.
13

  Minimum
Initial/Subsequent
Investment
Amounts1
Maximum Sales Charges
Shares Offered Front-End
Sales Charge2
Contingent
Deferred
Sales Charge3
A $1,500/$100 4.50% 0.00%
C $1,500/$100 None 1.00%
F $1,500/$100 1.00% 1.00%
1 The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount required for employer-sponsored retirement plans; however, such accounts remain subject to the Fund's policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus. Please see “By Systematic Investment Program” for applicable minimum investment. Financial intermediaries may impose higher or lower minimum investment requirements on their customers than those imposed by the Fund.
  To maximize your return and minimize the sales charges and marketing fees, purchases of C class are generally limited to $1,000,000. Purchases equal to or in excess of this limit may be made in A class. If your Shares are held on the books of the Fund in the name of a financial intermediary, you may be subject to rules of your financial intermediary that differ from those of the Fund. See “Purchase Restrictions on C Class” below.
  After C Shares have been held for ten years from the date of purchase, they will automatically convert to A Shares on the next monthly conversion processing date, provided that certain conditions are satisfied. See “How is the Fund Sold?” This conversion is a non-taxable event.
2 Front-End Sales Charge is expressed as a percentage of public offering price. See “Sales Charge When You Purchase.”
3 See “Sales Charge When You Redeem.”
As shown in the table above, each class of Shares has a different sales charge structure. In addition, the ongoing annual operating expenses (“expense ratios”), as well as the compensation payable to financial intermediaries, also vary among the classes. Before you decide which class to purchase, you should review the different charges and expenses of each class carefully, in light of your personal circumstances, and consult with your financial intermediary.
Among the important factors to consider are the amount you plan to invest and the length of time you expect to hold your investment (for example, whether the investment is in connection with a long-term retirement program). You should also consider, for example, that it may be possible to reduce, or eliminate, the front-end sales charges imposed on purchases of the A class and the F class. Among other ways, the A class and the F class have a series of “breakpoints,” which means that the front-end sales charges decrease (and can be eliminated entirely) as the amount invested increases. (The breakpoint schedule is set out below, along with detailed information on ways to reduce, or eliminate, front-end sales charges.) On the other hand, C class does not have front-end sales charges, but does impose a contingent deferred sales charge only if redeemed within one year after purchase; however, the asset-based 12b-1 fees charged to C class are greater than those charged to A class.
You should also consider that the expense ratio for A class will be lower than that for C class. Thus, the fact that no front-end charge is imposed on purchases of C class does not always make them preferable to A class.
SALES CHARGE WHEN YOU PURCHASE
The following tables list the sales charges which will be applied to your Share purchase, subject to the breakpoint discounts indicated in the tables and described below.
A:
Purchase Amount Sales Charge
as a Percentage
of Public
Offering Price
Sales Charge
as a Percentage
of NAV
Less than $100,000 4.50% 4.71%
$100,000 but less than $250,000 3.75% 3.90%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 2.50% 2.56%
$500,000 but less than $1 million 2.00% 2.04%
$1 million or greater1 0.00% 0.00%
1 A contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) of 0.75% of the redemption amount applies to Shares originally purchased in an amount of $1 million or more and redeemed up to 24 months after purchase under certain investment programs where a financial intermediary received an advance payment on the transaction. CDSC exceptions may apply. See “Sales Charge When You Redeem.”
    
14

F:
Purchase Amount   Sales Charge
as a Percentage
of Public
Offering Price
  Sales Charge
as a Percentage
of NAV
Less than $1 million   1.00%   1.01%
$1 million or greater   0.00%   0.00%
REDUCING THE SALES CHARGE WITH BREAKPOINT DISCOUNTS
Your investment may qualify for a reduction or elimination of the sales charge, also known as a breakpoint discount. The breakpoint discounts offered by the Fund are indicated in the tables above.
You or your financial intermediary must notify the Fund's Transfer Agent of eligibility for any applicable breakpoint discount at the time of purchase.
In order to receive the applicable breakpoint discount, it may be necessary at the time of purchase for you to inform your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent of the existence of other accounts in which there are holdings eligible to be aggregated to meet a sales charge breakpoint (“Qualifying Accounts”). Qualifying Accounts mean those share accounts in the Federated Hermes funds held directly or through a financial intermediary or through a single-participant retirement account by you, your spouse, your parents (if you are under age 21) and/or your children under age 21, which can be linked using tax identification numbers (TINs), social security numbers (SSNs) or broker identification numbers (BINs). Accounts held through 401(k) plans and similar multi-participant retirement plans, or through “Section 529” college savings plans or those accounts which cannot be linked using TINs, SSNs or BINs, are not Qualifying Accounts.
In order to verify your eligibility for a breakpoint discount, you will be required to provide to your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent certain information on your New Account Form and may be required to provide account statements regarding Qualifying Accounts. If you purchase through a financial intermediary, you may be asked to provide additional information and records as required by the financial intermediary. Failure to provide proper notification or verification of eligibility for a breakpoint discount may result in your not receiving a breakpoint discount to which you are otherwise entitled. Breakpoint discounts apply only to your current purchase and do not apply retroactively to previous purchases. The sales charges applicable to the Shares offered in this Prospectus, and the breakpoint discounts offered with respect to such Shares, are described in full in this Prospectus. Because the Prospectus is available on FederatedInvestors.com free of charge, Federated Hermes does not disclose this information separately on the website.
Contingent upon notification to the Transfer Agent, the sales charge at purchase of the A class and F class only, may be reduced or eliminated by:
Larger Purchases
■  Purchasing A class or F class Shares in greater quantities to reduce the applicable sales charge;
Concurrent and Accumulated Purchases
■  Excluding any Federated Hermes fund A class without a sales charge (“no-load A class”), combining concurrent purchases of and/or current investments in the A class, B class, C class, F class and R class of any Federated Hermes fund made or held by Qualifying Accounts; the purchase amount used in determining the sales charge on your additional Share purchase will be calculated by multiplying the respective maximum public offering price times the number of the A class, B class, C class, F class and R class shares of any Federated Hermes fund currently held in Qualifying Accounts and adding the dollar amount of your current purchase; or
Letter of Intent
■  Signing a letter of intent to purchase a qualifying amount of A class or F class Shares within 13 months. (Call your financial intermediary or the Fund for more information.) The Fund's custodian will hold Shares in escrow equal to the maximum applicable sales charge. If you complete the Letter of Intent, the Custodian will release the Shares in escrow to your account. If you do not fulfill the Letter of Intent, the Custodian will redeem the appropriate amount from the Shares held in escrow to pay the sales charges that were not applied to your purchases.
PURCHASE restrictions ON C CLASS
In order to maximize shareholder returns and minimize sales charges and marketing fees, an investor's purchases of the C class are generally limited to $1,000,000 (except for employer-sponsored retirement plans held in omnibus accounts). In applying the limit, the dollar amount of the current purchase is added to the product obtained by multiplying the respective maximum public offering price times the number of the A class, B class, C class, F class and R class of any Federated
15

Hermes fund currently held in linked Qualifying Accounts, as defined in the section entitled “Reducing the Sales Charge with Breakpoint Discounts.” If the sum of these two amounts would equal or exceed the limit, then the current purchase order will not be processed. Instead, the Distributor will attempt to contact the investor or the investor's financial intermediary to offer the opportunity to convert the order to the A class.
If your Shares are held on the books of the Fund in the name of a financial intermediary, you may be subject to rules of your financial intermediary that differ from those of the Fund.
ELIMINATING THE SALES CHARGE
Your investment may qualify for a sales charge waiver. Sales charge waivers offered by the Fund are listed below. In order to receive a sales charge waiver, you must inform your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent at the time of each purchase that your investment is eligible for a waiver. It is possible that your financial intermediary may not, in accordance with its policies, procedures and system limitations, be able to ensure your receipt of one or more of these waiver categories. In this situation, you would need to invest directly through the Fund's Transfer Agent. If you do not let your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent know that your investment is eligible for a sales charge waiver at the time of purchase, you may not receive the waiver to which you may otherwise be entitled.
Contingent upon notification to the Transfer Agent, the sales charge will be eliminated when you purchase or acquire Shares:
■  within 120 days of redeeming Shares of an equal or greater amount (see “120 Day Reinstatement Program” below);
■  through an eligible program offered by a Financial Intermediary that provides for the purchase of Shares without imposition of a sales charge (for example, a wrap account, self-directed brokerage account, retirement or other fee-based program offered by the Financial Intermediary);
■  with reinvested dividends or capital gains;
■  issued in connection with the merger, consolidation or acquisition of the assets of another fund. Further, the sales charge will be eliminated on purchases of Shares made by a shareholder that originally became a shareholder of a Federated Hermes Fund pursuant to the terms of an agreement and plan of reorganization which permits shareholders to acquire Shares at NAV, provided that such purchased Shares are held directly with the Fund's transfer agent. If the Shares are held through a financial intermediary, the sales charge waiver will not apply (A class only);
■  as a Federated Life Member (Federated shareholders who originally were issued shares through the “Liberty Account,” which was an account for the Liberty Family of Funds on February 28, 1987, or who invested through an affinity group prior to August 1, 1987, into the Liberty Account) (A class only);
■  as a Director, employee or former employee of the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, an employee of any financial intermediary that sells Shares according to a sales agreement with the Distributor, an immediate family member of these individuals or a trust, pension or profit-sharing plan for these individuals; or
■  pursuant to the exchange privilege.
The sales charge will not be eliminated if you purchase Shares of the Fund through an exchange of shares of any no-load A class unless your no-load A class shares were acquired through an exchange of shares on which the sales charge had previously been paid.
120 Day reinstatement program
Within 120 days of redeeming Class A, Class C and Class F Shares of the Fund, upon proper notification to the Fund's Transfer Agent, you may reinvest all or a portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A Shares of the Fund at net asset value, without the imposition of a sales charge or CDSC. Please note:
■  The ownership of the account receiving the purchase is not required to be identical to that of the account in which the redemption was placed; however, the registration of the account receiving the purchase must include at least one registered shareholder of the account from which the redemption occurred.
■  You will not be reimbursed for any fees originally incurred on the redemption (e.g., CDSC or redemption fees) by subsequently participating in the 120 Day Reinstatement Program.
■  The 120 Day Reinstatement Program does not supersede or override any restrictions placed on an account due to frequent trading and/or client contractual issues.
Additional operational restrictions may apply, please contact a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400 for more information.
16

sales charge when you redeem
Your redemption proceeds may be reduced by a sales charge, commonly referred to as a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC). Shares otherwise subject to a CDSC will not be charged a CDSC at the time of an exchange; however, the CDSC will continue to be measured from the date of your original purchase. The CDSC schedule applicable to your original purchase will continue to apply to the shares you receive in an exchange.
To keep the sales charge as low as possible, the Fund redeems your Shares in this order:
■  Shares that are not subject to a CDSC; and
■  Shares held the longest. (To determine the number of years your Shares have been held, include the time you held shares of other Federated Hermes funds that have been exchanged for Shares of this Fund.)
The CDSC is then calculated using the Share price at the time of purchase or redemption, whichever is lower.
A:    
If you make a purchase of the A class in the amount of $1 million or more and your financial intermediary received an advance commission on the sale, you will pay a 0.75% CDSC on any such Shares redeemed within 24 months of the purchase.
C:    
You will pay a 1.00% CDSC if you redeem Shares within 12 months of the purchase date.
F:    
Purchase Amount Shares Held CDSC
Up to $2 million 4 years or less 1.00%
$2 million but less than $5 million 2 years or less 0.50%
$5 million or more 1 year or less 0.25%
Your redemption may qualify for a waiver of the CDSC. The CDSC waivers offered by the Fund are listed below. In order to receive a waiver of the CDSC, you must inform your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent at the time of each redemption that your investment is eligible for a waiver. It is possible that your financial intermediary may not, in accordance with its policies, procedures and system limitations, be able to ensure your receipt of one or more of these waiver categories. In this situation, you would need to invest directly through the Fund's Transfer Agent in order to take advantage of the waiver. If you do not let your financial intermediary or the Transfer Agent know that your redemption is eligible for a CDSC waiver at the time of redemption, you may not receive the waiver to which you may otherwise be entitled.
Contingent upon notification to the Transfer Agent, you will not be charged a CDSC when redeeming Shares:
■  following the death of the last surviving shareholder on the account or the post-purchase disability of all registered shareholders, as defined in Section 72(m)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the beneficiary on an account with a Transfer on Death registration is deemed the last surviving shareholder on the account);
■  due to the termination of a trust following the death of the trustor/grantor or beneficiary, provided that the trust document specifically states that the trust is terminated upon the death;
■  representing minimum required distributions from an IRA or other retirement plan as required under the Internal Revenue Code;
■  purchased by Directors, employees of the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, by employees of a financial intermediary that sells Shares according to a sales agreement with the Distributor, by the immediate family members of the above persons and by trusts, pension or profit-sharing plans for the above persons;
■  purchased through an eligible program offered by a Financial Intermediary that provides for the purchase of Shares without imposition of a sales charge (for example, a wrap account, self-directed brokerage account, retirement or other fee-based program offered by the Financial Intermediary);
■  purchased with reinvested dividends or capital gains;
■  redeemed by the Fund when it closes an account for not meeting the minimum balance requirements;
■  purchased pursuant to the exchange privilege, if the Shares were held for the applicable CDSC holding period (the holding period on the Shares purchased in the exchange will include the holding period of the Shares sold in the exchange);
A Class Only
■  purchased in the amount of $1 million or more and redeemed within 24 months of purchase if the Shares were originally purchased through an eligible program offered by a Financial Intermediary that provides for the purchase of Shares without imposition of a sales charge (for example, a wrap account, self-directed brokerage account, retirement or other fee-based program offered by the Financial Intermediary);
17

F Class Only
■  representing a total or partial distribution from a qualified plan, which does not include account transfers, rollovers or redemptions for the purpose of reinvestment. For these purposes, qualified plan does not include an IRA, individual 401(k) or custodial account following retirement.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN WAIVERS AND DISCOUNTS
The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts will depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Fund or through a financial intermediary. Certain financial intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales load waivers or CDSC waivers which are discussed in Appendix B to this Prospectus. The information contained in Appendix B is based on information provided by these financial intermediaries. Please contact your financial intermediary to ensure that you have the most current information regarding the sales charge waivers and discounts available to you and that you understand the steps you must take to qualify for available waivers and discounts. In all instances, it is the shareholder's responsibility to notify the Fund or the shareholder's Financial Intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the investor for sales charge waivers or discounts. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular financial intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another financial intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts.
COMMISSIONS ON CERTAIN SHARES
The Fund does not charge any front-end load, deferred sales charge or other asset-based fee for sales or distribution of IS Shares. However, if you purchase IS Shares through a broker acting solely as an agent on behalf of its customers, you may be required to pay a commission to the broker in an amount determined and separately disclosed to you by the broker.
Because the Fund is not a party to any such commission arrangement between you and your broker, any purchases and redemptions of IS Shares will be made at the applicable net asset value (before imposition of the sales commission). Any such commissions charged by a broker are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the “Risk/Return Summary: Fees and Expenses” section of the Fund's Prospectus and described above nor are they reflected in the “Performance: Bar Chart and Table,” because they are not charged by the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
How is the Fund Sold?
The Fund offers the following Share classes: Class A Shares (A), Class C Shares (C), Class F Shares (F) and Institutional Shares (IS), each representing interests in a single portfolio of securities. All Share classes have different sales charges and/or other expenses which affect their performance. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply.
Under the Distributor's Contract with the Fund, the Distributor, Federated Securities Corp., offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis. The Distributor is a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.).
The Fund's IS Class will commence operations and be available for purchase on May 1, 2020. Orders for the IS Class received prior to May 1, 2020 will be processed as if received on May 1, 2020.
A, C & F Classes
The Fund's Distributor markets the A, C and F classes to individuals, directly or through financial intermediaries.
18

IS Class
The Fund's Distributor markets the IS class to Eligible Investors, as described below. In connection with a request to purchase the IS class, you should provide documentation sufficient to verify your status as an Eligible Investor. As a general matter, the IS class is not available for direct investment by natural persons.
The following categories of Eligible Investors are not subject to any minimum initial investment amount for the purchase of the IS class (however, such accounts remain subject to the Fund's policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus):
■  An investor participating in a no-load platform, network or other fee-based program offered by a financial intermediary, for example, a wrap-account or retirement platform, where Federated Hermes has entered into an agreement with the intermediary;
■  A trustee/director, employee or former employee of the Fund, the Adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates; an immediate family member of these individuals or a trust, pension or profit-sharing plan for these individuals;
■  An employer-sponsored retirement plan;
■  A trust institution investing on behalf of its trust customers;
■  A Federated Hermes Fund;
■  An investor (including a natural person) who acquired the IS class of a Federated Hermes fund pursuant to the terms of an agreement and plan of reorganization which permits the investor to acquire such shares; and
■  In connection with an acquisition of an investment management or advisory business, or related investment services, products or assets, by Federated Hermes or its investment advisory subsidiaries, an investor (including a natural person) who: (1) becomes a client of an investment advisory subsidiary of Federated Hermes; or (2) is a shareholder or interest holder of a pooled investment vehicle or product that becomes advised or subadvised by a Federated Hermes investment advisory subsidiary as a result of such an acquisition other than as a result of a fund reorganization transaction pursuant to an agreement and plan of reorganization.
The following categories of Eligible Investors are subject to applicable minimum initial investment amounts for the purchase of the IS class (see “How to Purchase Shares” below):
■  An investor, other than a natural person, purchasing the IS class directly from the Fund; and
■  In connection with an initial purchase of the IS class through an exchange, an investor (including a natural person) who owned the IS class of another Federated Hermes fund as of December 31, 2008.
Intra-Fund Share Conversion Program
A shareholder in the Fund's Shares may convert their Shares at net asset value to any other share class of the Fund if the shareholder meets the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for the share class into which the conversion is sought, as applicable. The share conversion program is not applicable to the Fund's Class A Shares, Class C Shares and Class F Shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable. For Class C Shares purchased through a financial intermediary after June 30, 2017, such shares may only be converted to another share class of the same Fund if: (i) the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC or the financial intermediary agrees to reimburse the Fund's distributor the CDSC otherwise payable upon the sale of such shares; (ii) the shareholder meets the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for the share class into which the conversion is sought, as applicable; and (iii) (a) the conversion is made to facilitate the shareholder's participation in a self-directed brokerage (non-advice) account or a fee-based advisory program offered by the intermediary; or (b) the conversion is part of a multiple-client transaction through a particular financial intermediary as pre-approved by the Fund's Administrator. Such conversion of classes should not result in a realization event for tax purposes. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 to convert your Shares.
Class C Share Automatic Conversion Feature
After Class C Shares have been held for ten years from the date of purchase, they will automatically convert into Class A Shares on the next monthly conversion processing date, provided that the Fund or financial intermediary has records confirming that the Class C Shares have been held for at least ten years and that the Class A Shares are available for purchase. For Class C Shares acquired in an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund, the date of purchase will be based on the initial purchase of the Class C Shares of the prior Federated Hermes fund. Certain financial intermediaries, record keepers and platforms do not track shareholder level share lot aging for certain types of accounts. These Class C Shares would not satisfy the conditions for the conversion. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 for more information.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its affiliated service providers may pay fees as described below to financial intermediaries (such as broker-dealers, banks, investment advisers or third-party administrators) whose customers are shareholders of the Fund.
19

FRONT-END SALES CHARGE REALLOWANCES
The Distributor receives a front-end sales charge on certain Share sales. The Distributor pays a portion of this charge to financial intermediaries that are eligible to receive it (the “Dealer Reallowance”) and retains any remaining portion of the front-end sales charge.
When a financial intermediary's customer purchases Shares, the financial intermediary may receive a Dealer Reallowance as follows:
A:  
Purchase Amount Dealer Reallowance
as a Percentage of
Public Offering Price
Less than $100,000 4.00%
$100,000 but less than $250,000 3.25%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 2.25%
$500,000 but less than $1 million 1.80%
$1 million or greater 0.00%
F:  
Less than $1 million 1.00%
$1 million or greater 0.00%
ADVANCE COMMISSIONS
When a financial intermediary's customer purchases Shares, the financial intermediary may receive an advance commission as follows:
A (for purchases over $1 million):  
Purchase Amount Advance Commission
as a Percentage of
Public Offering Price
First $1 million - $5 million 0.75%
Next $5 million - $20 million 0.50%
Over $20 million 0.25%
Advance commissions are calculated on a year-by-year basis based on amounts invested during that year. Accordingly, with respect to additional purchase amounts, the advance commission breakpoint resets annually to the first breakpoint on the anniversary of the first purchase.
The A class purchases under this program may be made by Letter of Intent or by combining concurrent purchases. The above advance commission will be paid only on those purchases that were not previously subject to a front-end sales charge or dealer advance commission. Certain retirement accounts may not be eligible for this program.
C:  
  Advance Commission
as a Percentage of
Public Offering Price
All Purchase Amounts 1.00%
F:  
Purchase Amount Advance Commission
as a Percentage of
Public Offering Price
Less than $2 million 1.00%
$2 million but less than $5 million 0.50%
$5 million or greater 0.25%
20

RULE 12b-1 FEES
A & C Classes
The Board has adopted a Rule 12b-1 Plan, which allows payment of marketing fees of up to 0.05% of average net assets of the Fund's A class and 0.75% of average net assets of the Fund's C class to the Distributor for the sale, distribution, administration and customer servicing of the Fund's A class and C class. When the Distributor receives Rule 12b-1 Fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase Shares. The Fund's A class has no present intention of paying, accruing or incurring any Rule 12b-1 Fee until such time as approved by the Fund's Board of Directors. In addition, in connection with the sale of the C class, Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries make advance commission payments to financial intermediaries and in return may receive Rule 12b-1 Fees and contingent deferred sales loads for the C class. Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries may benefit or sustain losses from such arrangements. Because these Shares pay marketing fees on an ongoing basis, your investment cost may be higher over time than other shares with different sales charges and marketing fees.
service fees
A, C & F
The Fund may pay Service Fees of up to 0.25% of average net assets to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Intermediaries that receive Service Fees may include a company affiliated with management of Federated Hermes. If a financial intermediary receives Service Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Account Administration Fees on that same account.
ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATION FEES
A, C & F
The Fund may pay Account Administration Fees of up to 0.25% of average net assets to banks that are not registered as broker-dealers or investment advisers for providing administrative services to the Fund and its shareholders. If a financial intermediary receives Account Administration Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Service Fees or Recordkeeping Fees on that same account.
RECORDKEEPING FEES
The Fund may pay Recordkeeping Fees on an average-net-assets basis or on a per-account-per-year basis to financial intermediaries for providing recordkeeping services to the Fund and its shareholders. If a financial intermediary receives Recordkeeping Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Account Administration Fees or Networking Fees on that same account.
networking fees
The Fund may reimburse Networking Fees on a per-account-per-year basis to financial intermediaries for providing administrative services to the Fund and its shareholders on certain non-omnibus accounts. If a financial intermediary receives Networking Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Recordkeeping Fees on that same account.
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators, that support the sale of Shares or provide services to Fund shareholders. The amounts of these payments could be significant, and may create an incentive for the financial intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell Shares of the Fund to you. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments, and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. In some cases, such payments may be made by or funded from the resources of companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). These payments are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fee table section of the Fund's Prospectus and described above because they are not paid by the Fund.
These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund's and/or other Federated Hermes funds' relationship with the financial intermediary. These payments may be in addition to payments, as described above, made by the Fund to the financial intermediary. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds, within the financial intermediary's organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary's organization. In addition, as discussed above in “Commissions on Certain Shares,” if
21

you purchase IS Shares through a broker acting solely as an agent on behalf of its customers, you may be required to pay a commission to the broker in an amount determined and separately disclosed to you by the broker. You can ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Fund and any services provided, as well as about fees and/or commissions it charges.
How to Purchase Shares
You may purchase Shares of the Fund any day the NYSE is open. Shares will be purchased at the NAV next calculated after your investment is received by the Fund, or its agent, in proper form. The Fund reserves the right to reject any request to purchase or exchange Shares. New investors must submit a completed New Account Form. All accounts, including those for which there is no minimum initial investment amount required, are subject to the Fund's policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus.
Where the Fund offers more than one Share class and you do not specify the class choice on your New Account Form or form of payment (e.g., Federal Reserve wire or check), you automatically will receive the A class.
For important account information, see the section “Security and Privacy Protection.”
A, C & F Classes
You may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary, directly from the Fund or through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund.
IS Class
Eligible investors may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary, directly from the Fund or through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund in the manner described above under “How is the Fund Sold?”
Where applicable, the required minimum initial investment for the IS class is generally $1,000,000. There is no minimum subsequent investment amount.
The Fund's IS Class will commence operations and be available for purchase on May 1, 2020. Orders for the IS Class received prior to May 1, 2020 will be processed as if received on May 1, 2020.
THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY
■  Establish an account with the financial intermediary; and
■  Submit your purchase order to the financial intermediary before the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time).
The Fund has authorized certain intermediaries to accept Share purchase orders on its behalf. When authorized intermediaries receive an order in proper form, the order is considered as being placed with the Fund, and Shares will be bought at the NAV next calculated after such an order is received by the authorized intermediary. If your financial intermediary is not an authorized intermediary, the Fund or its agent must receive the purchase order in proper form from your financial intermediary by the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) in order for your transaction to be priced at that day's NAV. In addition, your financial intermediary must forward your payment by the prescribed trade settlement date (typically within one to three business days) to the Fund's transfer agent, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“Transfer Agent”). You will become the owner of Shares and receive dividends when your payment is received in accordance with these time frames (provided that, if payment is received in the form of a check, the check clears). If your payment is not received in accordance with these time frames, or a check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you could be liable for any losses, fees or expenses incurred by the Fund or the Fund's Transfer Agent.
Financial intermediaries should send payments according to the instructions in the sections “By Wire” or “By Check.”
Financial intermediaries may impose higher or lower minimum investment requirements on their customers than those imposed by the Fund. Keep in mind that financial intermediaries may charge you fees for their services in connection with your Share transactions.
Shareholders are encouraged to ask their financial intermediary if they are an authorized agent for the Fund and about any fees that may be charged by the financial intermediary.
DIRECTLY FROM THE FUND
■  Establish your account with the Fund by submitting a completed New Account Form; and
■  Send your payment to the Fund by Federal Reserve wire or check.
You will become the owner of Shares and your Shares will be priced at the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives your wire or your check. If your check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you could be liable for any losses or fees incurred by the Fund or the Fund's Transfer Agent.
22

By Wire
To facilitate processing your order, please call the Fund before sending the wire. Send your wire to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Boston, MA
Dollar Amount of Wire
ABA Number 011000028
BNF: 23026552
Attention: Federated EDGEWIRE
Wire Order Number, Dealer Number or Group Number
Nominee/Institution Name
Fund Name and Number and Account Number
You cannot purchase Shares by wire on holidays when wire transfers are restricted.
By Check
Make your check payable to The Federated Funds, note your account number on the check, and send it to:
The Federated Funds
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
If you send your check by a private courier or overnight delivery service that requires a street address, send it to:
The Federated Funds
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
Payment should be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase request. For example, to protect against check fraud the Fund may reject any purchase request involving a check that is not made payable to The Federated Funds (including, but not limited to, requests to purchase Shares using third-party checks) or involving temporary checks or credit card checks.
By Direct Deposit
You may establish Payroll Deduction/Direct Deposit arrangements for investments into the Fund by either calling a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400; or by completing the Payroll Deduction/Direct Deposit Form, which is available on FederatedInvestors.com under “Resources” and then “Literature and Forms,” then “Forms.” You will receive a confirmation when this service is available.
THROUGH AN EXCHANGE
You may purchase Fund Shares through an exchange from another Federated Hermes fund. To do this you must:
■  meet any applicable shareholder eligibility requirements;
■  ensure that the account registrations are identical;
■  meet any applicable minimum initial investment requirements; and
■  receive a prospectus for the fund into which you wish to exchange.
An exchange is treated as a redemption and a subsequent purchase, and is a taxable transaction. The Fund reserves the right to reject any request to purchase or exchange Shares. The Fund may modify or terminate the exchange privilege at any time.
A, C & F Classes
You may purchase Shares through an exchange from the same share class of another Federated Hermes fund.
IS Class
You may purchase Shares through an exchange from any Federated Hermes fund or share class that does not have a stated sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge, except Shares of Federated Institutional Money Market Management, Federated Institutional Tax-Free Cash Trust, Federated Institutional Prime Obligations Fund, Federated Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, no-load Class A Shares and Class R Shares of any Fund.
23

By Online Account Services
You may access your accounts online to purchase shares through FederatedInvestors.com's Shareholder Account Access system once you have registered for access. Online transactions may be subject to certain limitations including limitations as to the amount of the transaction. For more information about the services available through Shareholder Account Access, please visit FederatedInvestors.com and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call (800) 245-4770 to speak with a Client Service Representative.
BY SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PROGRAM (SIP)
Once you have opened an account, you may automatically purchase additional Shares on a regular basis by completing the SIP section of the New Account Form or by contacting the Fund or your financial intermediary. The minimum investment amount for SIPs is $50.
BY AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE (ACH)
Once you have opened an account, you may purchase additional Shares through a depository institution that is an ACH member. This purchase option can be established by completing the appropriate sections of the New Account Form.
RETIREMENT INVESTMENTS
A, C & F Classes
You may purchase Shares as retirement investments (such as qualified plans and IRAs or transfer or rollover of assets). Call your financial intermediary or the Fund for information on retirement investments. We suggest that you discuss retirement investments with your tax adviser. You may be subject to an account fee charged by your financial intermediary.
How to Redeem and Exchange Shares
You should redeem or exchange Shares:
■  through a financial intermediary if you purchased Shares through a financial intermediary; or
■  directly from the Fund if you purchased Shares directly from the Fund.
Shares of the Fund may be redeemed for cash, or exchanged for shares of other Federated Hermes funds as described herein, on days on which the Fund computes its NAV. Redemption requests may be made by telephone or in writing.
Redemption proceeds normally are wired or mailed within one business day for each method of payment after receiving a timely request in proper form. Depending upon the method of payment, when shareholders receive redemption proceeds can differ. Payment may be delayed for up to seven days under certain circumstances (see “Limitations on Redemption Proceeds”).
For important account information, see the section “Security and Privacy Protection.”
THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY
Submit your redemption or exchange request to your financial intermediary by the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). The redemption amount you will receive is based upon the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives the order from your financial intermediary.
DIRECTLY FROM THE FUND
By Telephone
You may redeem or exchange Shares by simply calling the Fund at 1-800-341-7400.
If you call before the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), you will receive a redemption amount based on that day's NAV.
By Mail
You may redeem or exchange Shares by sending a written request to the Fund.
You will receive a redemption amount based on the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives your written request in proper form.
Send requests by mail to:
The Federated Funds
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
24

Send requests by private courier or overnight delivery service to:
The Federated Funds
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
All requests must include:
■  Fund name and Share class, account number and account registration;
■  amount to be redeemed or exchanged;
■  signatures of all shareholders exactly as registered; and
■  if exchanging, the Fund name and Share class, account number and account registration into which you are exchanging.
Call your financial intermediary or the Fund if you need special instructions.
Signature Guarantees
Signatures must be guaranteed by a financial institution which is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program if:
■  your redemption will be sent to an address other than the address of record;
■  your redemption will be sent to an address of record that was changed within the last 30 days;
■  a redemption is payable to someone other than the shareholder(s) of record; or
■  transferring into another fund with a different shareholder registration.
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect your account from fraud. Obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from a bank or trust company, savings association, credit union or broker, dealer or securities exchange member. A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee.
By Online Account Services
You may access your accounts online to redeem or exchange shares through FederatedInvestors.com's Shareholder Account Access system once you have registered for access. Online transactions may be subject to certain limitations including limitations as to the amount of the transaction. For more information about the services available through Shareholder Account Access, please visit FederatedInvestors.com and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call (800) 245-4770 to speak with a Client Service Representative.
PAYMENT METHODS FOR REDEMPTIONS
Your redemption proceeds will be mailed by check to your address of record. The following payment options are available if you complete the appropriate section of the New Account Form or an Account Service Options Form. These payment options require a signature guarantee if they were not established when the account was opened:
■  An electronic transfer to your account at a financial institution that is an ACH member; or
■  Wire payment to your account at a domestic commercial bank that is a Federal Reserve System member.
Methods the Fund May Use to Meet Redemption Requests
The Fund intends to pay Share redemptions in cash. To ensure that the Fund has cash to meet Share redemptions on any day, the Fund typically expects to hold a cash or cash equivalent reserve or sell portfolio securities.
In unusual or stressed circumstances, the Fund may generate cash in the following ways:
■  Inter-fund Borrowing and Lending. The SEC has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes (“Federated Hermes funds”) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Inter-fund borrowing and lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less.
■  Committed Line of Credit. The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a joint basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to finance temporarily the repurchase or redemption of shares of the funds, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding.
■  Redemption in Kind. Although the Fund intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by an “in-kind” distribution of the Fund's portfolio securities. Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any
25

  90-day period. Redemptions in kind are made consistent with the procedures adopted by the Fund's Board, which generally include distributions of a pro rata share of the Fund's portfolio assets. Redemption in kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. If redemption is made in kind, securities received may be subject to market risk and the shareholder could incur taxable gains and brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash.
LIMITATIONS ON REDEMPTION PROCEEDS
Redemption proceeds normally are wired or mailed within one business day after receiving a request in proper form. Payment may be delayed for up to seven days:
■  to allow your purchase to clear (as discussed below);
■  during periods of market volatility;
■  when a shareholder's trade activity or amount adversely impacts the Fund's ability to manage its assets; or
■  during any period when the Federal Reserve wire or applicable Federal Reserve banks are closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings.
If you request a redemption of Shares recently purchased by check (including a cashier's check or certified check), money order, bank draft or ACH, your redemption proceeds may not be made available for up to seven calendar days to allow the Fund to collect payment on the instrument used to purchase such Shares. If the purchase instrument does not clear, your purchase order will be canceled and you will be responsible for any losses incurred by the Fund as a result of your canceled order.
In addition, the right of redemption may be suspended, or the payment of proceeds may be delayed (including beyond seven days), during any period:
■  when the NYSE is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings;
■  when trading on the NYSE is restricted, as determined by the SEC;
■  in which an emergency exists, as determined by the SEC, so that disposal of the Fund's investments or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or
■  as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of Fund shareholders.
You will not accrue interest or dividends on uncashed redemption checks from the Fund when checks are undeliverable and returned to the Fund.
redemptions from retirement accounts
A, C & F Classes
In the absence of your specific instructions, 10% of the value of your redemption from a retirement account in the Fund may be withheld for taxes. This withholding only applies to certain types of retirement accounts.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE
You may exchange Shares of the Fund. To do this, you must:
■  meet any applicable shareholder eligibility requirements;
■  ensure that the account registrations are identical;
■  meet any applicable minimum initial investment requirements; and
■  receive a prospectus for the fund into which you wish to exchange.
An exchange is treated as a redemption and a subsequent purchase, and is a taxable transaction. The Fund reserves the right to reject any request to purchase or exchange Shares. The Fund may modify or terminate the exchange privilege at any time.
Financial intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of intra-fund exchanges (“automatic exchanges”). These exchanges which are directed by the financial intermediary and not the Fund are discussed in Appendix B to this Prospectus.
A, C & F Classes
You may exchange Shares into shares of the same class of another Federated Hermes fund.
IS Class
You may exchange Shares of the Fund for shares of any Federated Hermes fund or share class that does not have a stated sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge, except Shares of Federated Institutional Money Market Management, Federated Institutional Tax-Free Cash Trust, Federated Institutional Prime Obligations Fund, Federated Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, no-load Class A Shares and Class R Shares of any Fund.
26

Systematic Withdrawal/Exchange Program
You may automatically redeem or exchange Shares. The minimum amount for all new or revised systematic redemptions or exchanges of Shares is $50 per transaction per fund. Complete the appropriate section of the New Account Form or an Account Service Options Form or contact your financial intermediary or the Fund. Your account value must meet the minimum initial investment amount at the time the program is established. This program may reduce, and eventually deplete, your account. Payments should not be considered yield or income.
Generally, it is not advisable to continue to purchase Shares subject to a sales charge while redeeming Shares using this program.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS
Telephone Transactions
The Fund will record your telephone instructions. If the Fund does not follow reasonable procedures, it may be liable for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions.
Share Certificates
The Fund no longer issues share certificates. If you are redeeming or exchanging Shares represented by certificates previously issued by the Fund, you must return the certificates with your written redemption or exchange request. For your protection, send your certificates by registered or certified mail, but do not endorse them.
Security and Privacy Protection
ONLINE ACCOUNT and TELEPHONE ACCESS SECURITY
Federated Hermes will not be responsible for losses that result from unauthorized transactions, unless Federated Hermes does not follow procedures designed to verify your identity. When initiating a transaction by telephone or online, shareholders should be aware that any person with access to your account and other personal information including PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) may be able to submit instructions by telephone or online. Shareholders are responsible for protecting their identity by using strong usernames and complex passwords which utilize combinations of mixed case letters, numbers and symbols, and change passwords and PINs frequently.
Using FederatedInvestors.com's Account Access website means you are consenting to sending and receiving personal financial information over the Internet, so you should be sure you are comfortable with the risks. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and to establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services. The Transfer Agent has adopted security procedures to confirm that internet instructions are genuine. The Transfer Agent will also send you written confirmation of share transactions. The Transfer Agent, the Fund and any of its affiliates will not be liable for losses or expenses that occur from fraudulent Internet instructions reasonably believed to be genuine.
The Transfer Agent or the Fund will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that telephone transaction requests are genuine, which may include recording calls, asking the caller to provide certain personal identification information, sending you written confirmation, or requiring other confirmation security procedures. The Transfer Agent, the Fund and any of its affiliates will not be liable for relying on instructions submitted by telephone that the Fund reasonably believes to be genuine.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each new customer who opens a Fund account and to determine whether such person's name appears on governmental lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. Pursuant to the requirements under the USA PATRIOT Act, the information obtained will be used for compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act or other applicable laws, regulations and rules in connection with money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Information required includes your name, residential or business address, date of birth (for an individual), and other information that identifies you, including your social security number, tax identification number or other identifying number. The Fund cannot waive these requirements. The Fund is required by law to reject your Account Application if the required information is not provided. If, after reasonable effort, the Fund is unable to verify your identity or that of any other person(s) authorized to act on your behalf, or believes it has identified potentially suspicious, fraudulent or criminal activity, the Fund reserves the right to close your account and redeem your shares at the next calculated NAV without your permission. Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) will be assessed upon redemption of your shares.
27

The Fund has a strict policy designed to protect the privacy of your personal information. A copy of Federated Hermes' privacy policy notice was given to you at the time you opened your account. The Fund sends a copy of the privacy notice to you annually. You may also obtain the privacy notice by calling the Fund, or through FederatedInvestors.com.
Account and Share Information
CONFIRMATIONS AND ACCOUNT STATEMENTS
You will receive confirmation of purchases, redemptions and exchanges (except for systematic transactions). In addition, you will receive periodic statements reporting all account activity, including systematic transactions, dividends and capital gains paid.
DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS
The Fund declares and pays any dividends monthly to shareholders. Dividends are paid to all shareholders invested in the Fund on the record date. The record date is the date on which a shareholder must officially own Shares in order to earn a dividend.
In addition, the Fund pays any capital gains at least annually and may make such special distributions of dividends and capital gains as may be necessary to meet applicable regulatory requirements. Your dividends and capital gains distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional Shares without a sales charge, unless you elect cash payments. Dividends may also be reinvested without sales charges in shares of any class of any other Federated Hermes fund of which you are already a shareholder.
If you purchase Shares just before the record date for a dividend or capital gain distribution, you will pay the full price for the Shares and then receive a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution, whether or not you reinvest the distribution in Shares. Therefore, you should consider the tax implications of purchasing Shares shortly before the record date for a dividend or capital gain. Contact your financial intermediary or the Fund for information concerning when dividends and capital gains will be paid.
Under the federal securities laws, the Fund is required to provide a notice to shareholders regarding the source of distributions made by the Fund if such distributions are from sources other than ordinary investment income. In addition, important information regarding the Fund's distributions, if applicable, is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation.
Small Distributions and Uncashed Checks
Generally, dividend and/or capital gain distributions payable by check in an amount of less than $25 will be automatically reinvested in additional shares. This policy does not apply if you have elected to receive cash distributions that are directly deposited into your bank account via wire or ACH.
Additionally, if one or more dividend or capital gain distribution checks are returned as “undeliverable,” or remain uncashed for 180 days, all subsequent dividend and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in additional shares. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distribution checks. For questions on whether reinvestment applies to your distributions, please contact a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400.
Certain states, including the state of Texas, have laws that allow shareholders to designate a representative to receive abandoned or unclaimed property (“escheatment”) notifications by completing and submitting a designation form that generally can be found on the official state website. If a shareholder resides in an applicable state, and elects to designate a representative to receive escheatment notifications, escheatment notices generally will be delivered as required by such state laws, including, as applicable, to both the shareholder and the designated representative. A completed designation form may be mailed to the Fund (if Shares are held directly with the Fund) or to the shareholder's financial intermediary (if Shares are not held directly with the Fund). Shareholders should refer to relevant state law for the shareholder's specific rights and responsibilities under his or her state's escheatment law(s), which can generally be found on a state's official website.
ACCOUNTS WITH LOW BALANCES
Federated Hermes reserves the right to close accounts if redemptions or exchanges cause the account balance to fall below:
■  $1,500 for the A, C and F classes (or in the case of IRAs, $250); and
■  $25,000 for the IS class.
Before an account is closed, you will be notified and allowed at least 30 days to purchase additional Shares to meet the minimum.
28

TAX INFORMATION
The Fund sends an IRS Form 1099 and an annual statement of your account activity to assist you in completing your federal, state and local tax returns. Fund distributions of dividends and capital gains are taxable to you whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Fund. Dividends are taxable at different rates depending on the source of dividend income. Distributions of net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares.
Fund distributions are expected to be both dividends and capital gains. Redemptions and exchanges are taxable sales. Please consult your tax adviser regarding your federal, state and local tax liability.
FREQUENT TRADING POLICIES
Given the liquid nature of the Fund's investments and the low transaction costs associated with these investments, the Fund does not anticipate that in the normal case frequent or short-term trading into and out of the Fund will have significant adverse consequences for the Fund and its shareholders. For this reason, the Fund's Board has not adopted policies or procedures to monitor or discourage frequent or short-term trading of the Fund's Shares. Regardless of their frequency or short-term nature, purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares can have adverse effects on the management of the Fund's portfolio and its performance.
Other funds in the Federated Hermes family of funds may impose monitoring policies. Under normal market conditions such monitoring policies are designed to protect the funds being monitored and their shareholders and the operation of such policies and shareholder investments under such monitoring are not expected to have materially adverse impact on the Federated Hermes funds or their shareholders. If you plan to exchange your fund shares for shares of another Federated Hermes fund, please read the prospectus of that other Federated Hermes fund for more information.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter is posted on the website 30 days (or the next business day) after the end of the quarter and remains posted for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include identification of the Fund's top 10 issuer exposures and percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by effective maturity range and type of security.
You may also access portfolio information as of the end of the Fund's fiscal quarters via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com. The Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Shareholder Reports contain complete listings of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund's second and fourth fiscal quarters. Fiscal quarter information is made available on the website within 70 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. This information is also available in reports filed with the SEC at the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund's holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC's website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com.
In addition, from time to time (for example, during periods of unusual market conditions), additional information regarding the Fund's portfolio holdings and/or composition may be posted to FederatedInvestors.com. If and when such information is posted, its availability will be noted on, and the information will be accessible from, the home page of the website.
Who Manages the Fund?
The Board governs the Fund. The Board selects and oversees the Adviser, Federated Investment Management Company. The Adviser manages the Fund's assets, including buying and selling portfolio securities. Federated Advisory Services Company (FASC), an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund. The address of the Adviser and FASC is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779.
The Adviser and other subsidiaries of Federated Hermes advise approximately 135 equity, fixed-income and money market mutual funds as well as a variety of other pooled investment vehicles, private investment companies and customized separately managed accounts (including non-U.S./offshore funds) which totaled approximately $575.9 billion in assets as of December 31, 2019. Federated Hermes was established in 1955 as Federated Investors, Inc. and is one of the largest investment managers in the United States with nearly 1,900 employees. Federated Hermes provides investment products to approximately 11,500 investment professionals and institutions.
29

The Adviser advises approximately 75 fixed-income and money market mutual funds (including sub-advised funds) and private investment companies, which totaled approximately $344.3 billion in assets as of December 31, 2019.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
Todd A. Abraham
Todd A. Abraham, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since February of 2003.
Mr. Abraham is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of the Government/Mortgage-backed Fixed Income Group. He is responsible for the day to day management of the Fund focusing on asset allocation, interest rate strategy and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 1993; has worked in investment management since 1993; has managed investment portfolios since 1995. Education: B.S., Indiana University of Pennsylvania; M.B.A., Loyola College.
Liam O'Connell
Liam O'Connell, CFA, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since April of 2017.
Mr. O'Connell is responsible for providing research and advice on sector allocation and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 2003; has worked in investment management since 2003; has managed investment portfolios since 2005. Education: B.S., Webb Institute of Naval Architecture; M.S, Johns Hopkins University; M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager's compensation, management of other accounts and ownership of securities in the Fund.
ADVISORY FEES
The Fund's investment advisory contract provides for payment to the Adviser of an annual investment advisory fee of 0.60% of the Fund's average daily net assets. The Adviser may voluntarily waive a portion of its fee or reimburse the Fund for certain operating expenses. The Adviser and its affiliates have also agreed to certain “Fee Limits” as described in the footnote to the “Risk/Return Summary: Fees and Expenses” table found in the “Fund Summary” section of the Prospectus.
A discussion of the Board's review of the Fund's investment advisory contract is available in the Fund's annual and semi-annual shareholder reports for the periods ended February 28 and August 31, respectively.
Financial Information
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Financial Highlights will help you understand the Fund's financial performance for its past five fiscal years. Some of the information is presented on a per Share basis. Total returns represent the rate an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of any dividends and capital gains.
This information has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund's audited financial statements, is included in the Annual Report.
The Fund's fiscal year end is February 28 or 29. As the first fiscal year for the Fund's IS class will end on February 28, 2021, audited financial information for the IS class is not available as of the date of this Prospectus.
30

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
Year Ended February 28 or 29 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $8.59 $8.57 $8.79 $9.00 $9.06
Income From Investment Operations:          
Net investment income 0.191 0.191 0.161 0.181 0.191
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 0.53 0.02 (0.20) (0.20) (0.05)
TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 0.72 0.21 (0.04) (0.02) 0.14
Less Distributions:          
Distributions from net investment income (0.19) (0.19) (0.18) (0.19) (0.20)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $9.12 $8.59 $8.57 $8.79 $9.00
Total Return2 8.50% 2.50% (0.53)% (0.26)% 1.60%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:          
Net expenses 1.00% 1.01% 1.00% 1.00% 0.99%
Net investment income 2.18% 2.21% 1.81% 1.99% 2.11%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3 0.25% 0.26% 0.23% 0.19% 0.19%
Supplemental Data:          
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) $40,936 $28,764 $37,591 $39,867 $42,284
Portfolio turnover 71% 70% 28% 36% 36%
Portfolio turnover (excluding purchases and sales from dollar-roll transactions) 59% 70% 28% 31% 30%
1 Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2 Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3 This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above.
Further information about the Fund's performance is contained in the Fund's Annual Report, dated February 29, 2020, which can be obtained free of charge.
31

Financial HighlightsClass C Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
Year Ended February 28 or 29 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $8.59 $8.58 $8.80 $9.00 $9.07
Income From Investment Operations:          
Net investment income 0.131 0.131 0.091 0.111 0.121
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 0.54 0.01 (0.20) (0.19) (0.06)
TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 0.67 0.14 (0.11) (0.08) 0.06
Less Distributions:          
Distributions from net investment income (0.13) (0.13) (0.11) (0.12) (0.13)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $9.13 $8.59 $8.58 $8.80 $9.00
Total Return2 7.80% 1.60% (1.29)% (0.91)% 0.73%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:          
Net expenses 1.76% 1.76% 1.76% 1.76% 1.75%
Net investment income 1.42% 1.47% 1.03% 1.23% 1.34%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3 0.24% 0.25% 0.22% 0.18% 0.18%
Supplemental Data:          
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) $12,670 $9,396 $6,065 $10,610 $13,377
Portfolio turnover 71% 70% 28% 36% 36%
Portfolio turnover (excluding purchases and sales from dollar-roll transactions) 59% 70% 28% 31% 30%
1 Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2 Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3 This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above.
Further information about the Fund's performance is contained in the Fund's Annual Report, dated February 29, 2020, which can be obtained free of charge.
32

Financial HighlightsClass F Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
Year Ended February 28 or 29 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $8.57 $8.55 $8.77 $8.98 $9.04
Income From Investment Operations:          
Net investment income 0.191 0.191 0.161 0.181 0.191
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 0.53 0.02 (0.20) (0.20) (0.05)
TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 0.72 0.21 (0.04) (0.02) 0.14
Less Distributions:          
Distributions from net investment income (0.19) (0.19) (0.18) (0.19) (0.20)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $9.10 $8.57 $8.55 $8.77 $8.98
Total Return2 8.52% 2.51% (0.52)% (0.26)% 1.61%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:          
Net expenses 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 1.00% 0.99%
Net investment income 2.19% 2.21% 1.80% 2.00% 2.11%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3 0.25% 0.25% 0.23% 0.19% 0.18%
Supplemental Data:          
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) $108,006 $109,477 $126,767 $147,860 $166,148
Portfolio turnover 71% 70% 28% 36% 36%
Portfolio turnover (excluding purchases and sales from dollar-roll transactions) 59% 70% 28% 31% 30%
1 Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2 Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3 This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above.
Further information about the Fund's performance is contained in the Fund's Annual Report, dated February 29, 2020, which can be obtained free of charge.
33

Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information
The following charts provide additional hypothetical information about the effect of the Fund's expenses, including investment advisory fees and other Fund costs, on the Fund's assumed returns over a 10-year period. The charts show the estimated expenses that would be incurred in respect of a hypothetical investment, of $10,000, assuming a 5% return each year, and no redemption of Shares. Each chart also assumes that the Fund's annual expense ratio stays the same throughout the 10-year period and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used in each chart is the same as stated in the “Fees and Expenses” table of this Prospectus (and thus may not reflect any fee waiver or expense reimbursement currently in effect). The maximum amount of any sales charge that might be imposed on the purchase of Shares (and deducted from the hypothetical initial investment of $10,000; the “Front-End Sales Charge”) is reflected in the “Hypothetical Expenses” column. The hypothetical investment information does not reflect the effect of charges (if any) normally applicable to redemptions of Shares (e.g., deferred sales charges, redemption fees). Mutual fund returns, as well as fees and expenses, may fluctuate over time, and your actual investment returns and total expenses may be higher or lower than those shown below.
FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC. - A CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.26%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: 4.50%
Year Hypothetical
Beginning
Investment
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
Investment
After
Returns
Hypothetical
Expenses
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1 $10,000.00 $477.50 $10,027.50 $572.58 $9,907.17
2 $9,907.17 $495.36 $10,402.53 $127.16 $10,277.70
3 $10,277.70 $513.89 $10,791.59 $131.92 $10,662.09
4 $10,662.09 $533.10 $11,195.19 $136.85 $11,060.85
5 $11,060.85 $553.04 $11,613.89 $141.97 $11,474.53
6 $11,474.53 $573.73 $12,048.26 $147.28 $11,903.68
7 $11,903.68 $595.18 $12,498.86 $152.79 $12,348.88
8 $12,348.88 $617.44 $12,966.32 $158.51 $12,810.73
9 $12,810.73 $640.54 $13,451.27 $164.43 $13,289.85
10 $13,289.85 $664.49 $13,954.34 $170.58 $13,786.89
Cumulative   $5,664.27   $1,904.07  
    
FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC. - C CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 2.01%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: NONE
Year Hypothetical
Beginning
Investment
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
Investment
After
Returns
Hypothetical
Expenses
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1 $10,000.00 $500.00 $10,500.00 $204.00 $10,299.00
2 $10,299.00 $514.95 $10,813.95 $210.10 $10,606.94
3 $10,606.94 $530.35 $11,137.29 $216.39 $10,924.09
4 $10,924.09 $546.20 $11,470.29 $222.86 $11,250.72
5 $11,250.72 $562.54 $11,813.26 $229.52 $11,587.12
6 $11,587.12 $579.36 $12,166.48 $236.38 $11,933.57
7 $11,933.57 $596.68 $12,530.25 $243.45 $12,290.38
8 $12,290.38 $614.52 $12,904.90 $250.73 $12,657.86
9 $12,657.86 $632.89 $13,290.75 $258.23 $13,036.33
10 $13,036.33 $651.82 $13,688.15 $265.95 $13,426.12
Cumulative   $5,729.31   $2,337.61  
34

FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC. - F CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.26%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: 1.00%
Year Hypothetical
Beginning
Investment
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
Investment
After
Returns
Hypothetical
Expenses
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1 $10,000.00 $495.00 $10,395.00 $227.07 $10,270.26
2 $10,270.26 $513.51 $10,783.77 $131.83 $10,654.37
3 $10,654.37 $532.72 $11,187.09 $136.76 $11,052.84
4 $11,052.84 $552.64 $11,605.48 $141.87 $11,466.22
5 $11,466.22 $573.31 $12,039.53 $147.18 $11,895.06
6 $11,895.06 $594.75 $12,489.81 $152.68 $12,339.94
7 $12,339.94 $617.00 $12,956.94 $158.39 $12,801.45
8 $12,801.45 $640.07 $13,441.52 $164.31 $13,280.22
9 $13,280.22 $664.01 $13,944.23 $170.46 $13,776.90
10 $13,776.90 $688.85 $14,465.75 $176.84 $14,292.16
Cumulative   $5,871.86   $1,607.39  
    
FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC. - IS CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.04%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: NONE
Year Hypothetical
Beginning
Investment
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
Investment
After
Returns
Hypothetical
Expenses
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1 $10,000.00 $500.00 $10,500.00 $106.06 $10,396.00
2 $10,396.00 $519.80 $10,915.80 $110.26 $10,807.68
3 $10,807.68 $540.38 $11,348.06 $114.63 $11,235.66
4 $11,235.66 $561.78 $11,797.44 $119.16 $11,680.59
5 $11,680.59 $584.03 $12,264.62 $123.88 $12,143.14
6 $12,143.14 $607.16 $12,750.30 $128.79 $12,624.01
7 $12,624.01 $631.20 $13,255.21 $133.89 $13,123.92
8 $13,123.92 $656.20 $13,780.12 $139.19 $13,643.63
9 $13,643.63 $682.18 $14,325.81 $144.70 $14,183.92
10 $14,183.92 $709.20 $14,893.12 $150.43 $14,745.60
Cumulative   $5,991.93   $1,270.99  
35

Appendix B: Sales Charge Waivers and Exchange Features for Shareholders Purchasing Through Certain Financial Intermediaries
The term “fund family,” used herein, shall refer to the Federated Hermes mutual funds.
Ameriprise Financial
CLASS A SHARES FRONT-END SALES CHARGE WAIVERS AVAILABLE AT AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL:
The following information applies to Class A shares purchases if you have an account with or otherwise purchase Fund shares through Ameriprise Financial:
Effective April 30, 2018, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account will be eligible for the following front-end sales charge waivers and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's prospectus:
■  Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs.
■  Shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial investment advisory program (if an Advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available).
■  Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Ameriprise Financial's platform (if an Advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available).
■  Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same Fund (but not any other fund within the same fund family).
■  Shares exchanged from Class C shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Class C shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges.
■  Employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members.
■  Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor and/or the advisor's spouse, advisor's lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), advisor's lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant.
■  Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption; (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account; and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., Rights of Reinstatement).
EXCHANGE Feature of CLASS C SHARES AVAILABLE AT AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL:
Automatic Exchange of Class C shares. Class C shares will automatically exchange to Class A shares in the month of the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date.
EDWARD JONES
Effective on or after May 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's prospectus or SAI. In all instances, it is the shareholder's responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of fund family or other facts qualifying the purchaser for waivers or discounts. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance.
36

Front-End Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Edward Jones
Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations:
■  Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and their family members who are in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate's life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing.
■  Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.
■  Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.
■  Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1) the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, and 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in a non-retirement account.
■  Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share Class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in the prospectus.
■  Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones will be responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable.
CDSC Waivers on A, B and C Shares Available at Edward Jones
If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder will be responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions:
■  Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder
■  Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan (limited to up to 10% per year of the account value)
■  Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
■  Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations
■  Shares sold to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones
■  Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program. Edward Jones is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable.
■  Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement
Front-End Load Discounts Available at Edward Jones:
Rights of Accumulation (ROA)
■  The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any money market funds and retirement plan share classes) of the fund family held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations (“pricing groups”). This includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the rights of accumulation calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation.
■  ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value (current shares x NAV).
Letter of Intent (LOI)
■  Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to make over a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying his or her financial advisor of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not covered under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.
37

Other Important Information
Minimum Purchase Amounts
1. $250 initial purchase minimum
2. $50 subsequent purchase minimum
Minimum Balances
3. Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:
1. A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform
2. A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform
3. An account with an active systematic investment plan or letter of intent (LOI)
Changing Share Classes
4. At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder's holdings in a fund to Class A shares.
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Effective May 1, 2020, if you purchase or redeem Fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (“Janney”) brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's Prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A Shares available at Janney
■  Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).
■  Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.
■  Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement).
■  Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans.
■  Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
■  Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the same fund pursuant to Janney's intra-fund share class policies and procedures.
CDSC Waivers on Class A and C Shares available at Janney
■  Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.
■  Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's Prospectus.
■  Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.
■  Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.
■  Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.
■  Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
■  Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different Federated Hermes fund, if the shares were held for the applicable CDSC holding period (the holding period on the shares purchased in the exchange will include the holding period of the shares sold in the exchange).
Front-end sales charge discounts available at Janney: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation, and/or Letters of Intent
■  Breakpoints as described in the fund's Prospectus.
38

■  Rights of accumulation (“ROA”), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
■  Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
Merrill Lynch
Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's prospectus or SAI.
Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Merrill Lynch
■  Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan;
■  Shares purchased by a 529 Plan (does not include 529 Plan units or 529-specific share classes or equivalents;
■  Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program or exchanged due to the holdings moving from the program;
■  Shares exchanged due to the holdings moving from a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch's policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers;
■  Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch's platform;
■  Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform (if applicable);
■  Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family);
■  Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e., level-load) shares of the same fund pursuant to Merrill Lynch's policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers;
■  Employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members;
■  Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in the prospectus;
■  Eligible shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption; (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account; and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e., systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill Lynch's account maintenance fees are not eligible for reinstatement.
CDSC Waivers on A, B and C Shares available at Merrill Lynch
■  Death or disability of the shareholder;
■  Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus;
■  Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account;
■  Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code;
■  Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch;
■  Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement;
■  Shares held in retirement brokerage accounts, that are exchanged for a lower cost share class due to transfer to certain fee based accounts or platforms (applicable to A and C shares only);
■  Class A Shares received through an exchange due to the holdings moving from a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account pursuant to Merrill Lynch's policies relating to sales load discounts and waivers.
Front-end load Discounts Available at Merrill Lynch:
Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
■  
Breakpoints as described in this prospectus;
39

■  Rights of Accumulation (ROA) which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the Fund's prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) within the purchaser's household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible fund family assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets;
■  Letters of Intent (LOI) which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time (if applicable).
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Class A Shares Front-End Sales Charge Waivers Available at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney:
Effective July 1, 2018, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management transactional brokerage account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers with respect to Class A shares, which may differ from and may be more limited than those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's Prospectus or SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
■  Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans;
■  Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley's account linking rules;
■  Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund;
■  Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account;
■  Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's intra-fund share class exchange program;
■  Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (i) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption; (ii) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account; and (iii) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge.
OPPENHEIMER & CO. INC.
Effective May 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. (“OPCO”) platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's prospectus or SAI.
Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at OPCO
■  Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan
■  Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan
■  Shares purchased through an OPCO affiliated investment advisory program
■  Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family)
■  Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement).
■  A shareholder in the Fund's Class C shares will have their shares automatically exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the automatic exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of OPCO
■  Employees and registered representatives of OPCO or its affiliates and their family members
■  Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus
CDSC Waivers on A, B and C Shares available at OPCO
■  Death or disability of the shareholder
■  Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus
40

■  Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account
■  Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code
■  Shares sold to pay OPCO fees but only if the transaction is initiated by OPCO
■  Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement
Front-end load Discounts Available at OPCO: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
■  Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.
■  Rights of Accumulation (ROA), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts, will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at OPCO. Eligible fund family assets not held at OPCO may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets
Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and each entity's affiliates (“Raymond James”)
Effective March 1, 2019, shareholders purchasing and redeeming Fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which Raymond James provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's prospectus or SAI.
Front-End Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Raymond James
■  Shares purchased in an investment advisory program.
■  Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.
■  Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James.
■  Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided: (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement).
■  A shareholder in the Fund's Class C shares will have their shares automatically exchanged at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the automatic exchange is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James.
CDSC Waivers on A, B and C Shares Available at Raymond James
■  Death or disability of the shareholder.
■  Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's prospectus.
■  Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.
■  Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the fund's prospectus.
■  Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James.
■  Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-End Load Discounts Available at Raymond James: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation, and/or Letters of Intent
■  Breakpoints as described in this prospectus;
■  Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Raymond James. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
■  Letters of Intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.
41

An SAI dated April 30, 2020, is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund and its investments is contained in the Fund's SAI and Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders as they become available. The Annual Report's Management's Discussion of Fund Performance discusses market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year. The SAI contains a description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities. To obtain the SAI, Annual Report, Semi-Annual Report and other information without charge, and to make inquiries, call your financial intermediary or the Fund at 1-800-341-7400.
These documents, as well as additional information about the Fund (including portfolio holdings, performance and distributions), are also available on FederatedInvestors.com.
You can obtain information about the Fund (including the SAI) by accessing Fund information from the EDGAR Database on the SEC's website at sec.gov. You can purchase copies of this information by contacting the SEC by email at publicinfo@sec.gov.
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedInvestors.com
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
Investment Company Act File No. 811-3266
CUSIP 313912206
CUSIP 313912404
CUSIP 313912107
CUSIP 313912602
28301 (4/20)
© 2020 Federated Hermes, Inc.

 

 

Statement of Additional Information
April 30, 2020
Share Class | Ticker A | FGOAX C | FGOCX F | FGOIX Institutional | GISIX

Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a Prospectus. Read this SAI in conjunction with the Prospectus for Federated Government Income Securities, Inc. (the “Fund”), dated April 30, 2020.
This SAI incorporates by reference the Fund's Annual Report. Obtain the Prospectus or the Annual Report without charge by calling 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedInvestors.com
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
8040406B (4/20)
© 2020 Federated Hermes, Inc.

How is the Fund Organized?
The Fund is a diversified open-end, management investment company that was established under the laws of the State of Maryland on February 4, 1986. The Fund's investment adviser is Federated Investment Management Company (the “Adviser”).
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) has established the following classes of shares of the Fund, known as Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Class F Shares, Institutional Shares and Class T Shares (“Shares”). The Class T Shares are effective but are not yet offered for sale. This SAI only relates to Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Class F Shares and Institutional Shares.
Securities in Which the Fund Invests
The principal securities or other investments in which the Fund invests are described in the Fund's Prospectus. The Fund also may invest in securities or other investments as non-principal investments for any purpose that is consistent with its investment objective. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal security or other investment referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal security or other investment (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).
Securities Descriptions And Techniques
Fixed-Income Securities
Fixed-income securities pay interest, dividends or distributions at a specified rate. The rate may be a fixed percentage of the principal or may be adjusted periodically. In addition, the principal amount of the security must be paid normally within a specified time.
A security's yield measures the annual income earned on a security as a percentage of its price. A security's yield will increase or decrease depending upon whether it costs less (a “discount”) or more (a “premium”) than the principal amount. If the issuer may redeem the security before its scheduled maturity, the price and yield on a discount or premium security may change based upon the probability of an early redemption. Securities with higher risks generally have higher yields.
The following describes the types of fixed-income securities, in addition to those listed in the Prospectus, in which the Fund invests.
Mortgage-Backed Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)
An MBS is a type of pass-through security, which is a pooled debt obligation repackaged as interests that pass principal and interest through an intermediary to investors. In the case of MBS, the ownership interest is in a pool of mortgage loans. MBS represent participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government (or one of its agencies or instrumentalities), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers (“non-agency MBS”). Unlike conventional debt obligations, MBS provide monthly payments derived from the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans.
There are two markets for MBS. A specified pool transaction is a trade in which the pool number of the security to be delivered on the settlement date is known at the time the trade is made. This is in contrast with the typical MBS transaction, called a TBA (“To Be Announced”) transaction, in which the type of MBS to be delivered is specified at the time of trade but the actual pool numbers of the securities that will be delivered are not known at the time of the trade. The pool numbers of the pools to be delivered at settlement are announced shortly before settlement takes place. The terms of the TBA trade may be made more specific if desired. Generally, agency pass-through MBS are traded on a TBA basis. The Fund may enter into TBA trades in order to buy or sell MBS on a delayed delivery basis.
Lease-Backed Securities and Rental-Based MBS
Rental-based MBS are mortgage-backed securities where the underlying properties are rental homes. In rental-based MBS the mortgage loan or loans may be different in structure from typical owner occupied single family mortgage as the loans may be secured by more than one property and the mortgage loans may have terms and conditions that are different from a typical owner occupied single family home mortgage. The structure of the MBS themselves may also have characteristics that are different from typical MBS. Lease-backed securities are securities whereby the investor cash flows are generated from lease payments on rental properties.
1

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (A Type of Mortgage-Backed Security)
Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), including interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs), allocate payments and prepayments from an underlying pass-through certificate among holders of different classes of mortgage-backed securities. This creates different prepayment and interest rate risks for each CMO class. The degree of increased or decreased prepayment risks depends upon the structure of the CMOs. However, the actual returns on any type of mortgage-backed security depend upon the performance of the underlying pool of mortgages, which no one can predict and will vary among pools.
Sequential CMOs (A Type of CMO)
In a sequential pay CMO, one class of CMOs receives all principal payments and prepayments. The next class of CMOs receives all principal payments after the first class is paid off. This process repeats for each sequential class of CMO. As a result, each class of sequential pay CMOs reduces the prepayment risks of subsequent classes.
PACs, TACs and Companion Classes (Types of CMOs)
More sophisticated CMOs include planned amortization classes (PACs) and targeted amortization classes (TACs). PACs and TACs are issued with companion classes. PACs and TACs receive principal payments and prepayments at a specified rate. The companion classes receive principal payments and prepayments in excess of the specified rate. In addition, PACs will receive the companion classes' share of principal payments, if necessary, to cover a shortfall in the prepayment rate. This helps PACs and TACs to control prepayment risks by increasing the risks to their companion classes.
IOs and POs (Types of CMOs)
CMOs may allocate interest payments to one class (“Interest Only” or IOs) and principal payments to another class (“Principal Only” or POs). POs increase in value when prepayment rates increase. In contrast, IOs decrease in value when prepayments increase, because the underlying mortgages generate less interest payments. However, IOs tend to increase in value when interest rates rise (and prepayments decrease), making IOs a useful hedge against interest rate risks.
Floaters and Inverse Floaters (Types of CMOs)
Another variant allocates interest payments between two classes of CMOs. One class (“Floaters”) receives a share of interest payments based upon a market index such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The other class (“Inverse Floaters”) receives any remaining interest payments from the underlying mortgages. Floater classes receive more interest (and Inverse Floater classes receive correspondingly less interest) as interest rates rise. This shifts prepayment and interest rate risks from the Floater to the Inverse Floater class, reducing the price volatility of the Floater class and increasing the price volatility of the Inverse Floater class.
Z Classes and Residual Classes (Types of CMOs)
CMOs must allocate all payments received from the underlying mortgages to some class. To capture any unallocated payments, CMOs generally have an accrual (Z) class. Z classes do not receive any payments from the underlying mortgages until all other CMO classes have been paid off. Once this happens, holders of Z class CMOs receive all payments and prepayments.
Inflation-Protected Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)
Inflation-protected securities are fixed-income securities whose principal value or interest rate is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls (deflation), the principal value or interest rate of the securities will be adjusted downward and consequently the interest payable on these securities will be reduced. U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, also known as TIPs, are adjusted as to principal; repayment of the original principal upon maturity of the security is guaranteed if the security is purchased when originally issued. With respect to other types of inflation-protected securities that are adjusted to the principal amount, the adjusted principal value of the security repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal. Most other types of inflation-protected securities, however, are adjusted with respect to the interest rate, which has a minimum coupon of 0%, and the principal value does not change.
Government Securities (A Fixed-Income Investment)
Government securities are issued or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality acting under federal authority. Some government securities, including those issued by Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States and are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal.
Other government securities receive support through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. For example, the U.S. Treasury is authorized to purchase specified amounts of securities issued by (or otherwise make funds available to) the Federal Home Loan Bank System, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) in support of such obligations.
2

Some government agency securities have no explicit financial support, and are supported only by the credit of the applicable agency, instrumentality or corporation. The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other agencies in the future.
Investors regard government securities as having minimal credit risks, but not as low as Treasury securities.
The Fund treats mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality as government securities. Although such a guarantee helps protect against credit risk, it does not eliminate it entirely or reduce other risks.
Additional Information Related to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets beginning in 2008 led to market concerns regarding the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 7, 2008, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to: (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator's appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.
In connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the Treasury has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements (SPAs) with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which establish the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The senior preferred stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Although the SPAs are subject to amendment from time to time currently the Treasury is obligated to provide such financial contributions up to an aggregate maximum amount determined by a formula set forth in the SPAs and until such aggregate maximum amount is reached there is not a specific end date to the Treasury's obligations.
The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac's and Fannie Mae's operations and activities under the SPAs, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, downgrades or upgrades in the credit ratings assigned to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) or ratings services, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
In addition, the future of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprises that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (GSEs), remains in question as the U.S. government continues to consider options ranging from structural reform, nationalization, privatization, or consolidation, to outright elimination. The issues that have led to significant U.S. government support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have sparked serious debate regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing mortgage loan liquidity.
Risk Transfer Notes
The Fund may invest in fixed- or floating-rate unsecured general obligations issued from time to time by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or other issuers. These obligations are referred to as “Risk Transfer Notes.” Typically, such Notes are issued at par and have stated final maturities. Often, the Notes are structured so that: (i) interest is paid directly by the issuer; and (ii) principal is paid by the issuer in accordance with the principal payments and default performance of a certain pool of mortgage loans of either single-family or multi-family properties (“Reference Obligations”). The issuer selects the pool of Reference Obligations based on that issuer's eligibility criteria. The performance of the Notes will be directly affected by the performance of the Reference Obligations selected by the issuer. Such Notes are issued in tranches to which are allocated certain principal repayments and credit losses corresponding to the seniority of the particular tranche. Each tranche of Notes will have credit exposure to the Reference Obligations and the yield to maturity will be directly related to the amount and timing of certain defined credit events on the Reference Obligations, any prepayments by borrowers and any removals of a Reference Obligation from the pool.
While the structure of Risk Transfer Notes mimics the cash flows of a mezzanine securitized tranche, the Notes may not be directly linked to the Reference Obligations. Thus, the payment of principal and interest on the Notes is tied to the performance of the pool of Reference Obligations. However, the actual cash flow from the Reference Obligation may not be made available to the holders of the Notes. This is different than in the case of covered notes, where the issuer default would allow investors to have an additional lien on the underlying loans.
3

Zero-Coupon Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)
Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest or principal until final maturity unlike debt securities that provide periodic payments of interest (referred to as a coupon payment). Investors buy zero-coupon securities at a price below the amount payable at maturity. The difference between the purchase price and the amount paid at maturity represents interest on the zero-coupon security. Investors must wait until maturity to receive interest and principal, which increases the interest rate and credit risks of a zero-coupon security. A zero-coupon, step-up security converts to a coupon security before final maturity.
There are many forms of zero-coupon securities. Some are issued at a discount and are referred to as zero-coupon or capital appreciation bonds. Others are created from interest bearing bonds by separating the right to receive the bond's coupon payments from the right to receive the bond's principal due at maturity, a process known as coupon stripping. Treasury STRIPs, IOs and POs are the most common forms of stripped, zero-coupon securities. In addition, some securities give the issuer the option to deliver additional securities in place of cash interest payments, thereby increasing the amount payable at maturity. These are referred to as pay-in-kind, PIK securities or toggle securities.
Derivative Contracts
Derivative contracts are financial instruments that require payments based upon changes in the values of designated securities, commodities, currencies, indices, or other assets or instruments including other derivative contracts, (each a “Reference Instrument” and collectively, “Reference Instruments”). Each party to a derivative contract may sometimes be referred to as a counterparty. Some derivative contracts require payments relating to an actual, future trade involving the Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are frequently referred to as “physically settled” derivatives. Other derivative contracts require payments relating to the income or returns from, or changes in the market value of, a Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are known as “cash-settled” derivatives, since they require cash payments in lieu of delivery of the Reference Instrument.
Many derivative contracts are traded on securities or commodities exchanges. In this case, the exchange sets all the terms of the contract except for the price. Investors make payments due under their contracts through the exchange. Most exchanges require investors to maintain margin accounts through their brokers to cover their potential obligations to the exchange. Parties to the contract make (or collect) daily payments to the margin accounts to reflect losses (or gains) in the value of their contracts. This protects investors against potential defaults by the other party to the contract. Trading contracts on an exchange also allows investors to close out their contracts by entering into offsetting contracts.
For example, the Fund could close out an open contract to buy an asset at a future date by entering into an offsetting contract to sell the same asset on the same date. If the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. Exchanges may limit the amount of open contracts permitted at any one time. Such limits may prevent the Fund from closing out a position. If this happens, the Fund will be required to keep the contract open (even if it is losing money on the contract), and to make any payments required under the contract (even if it has to sell portfolio securities at unfavorable prices to do so). Inability to close out a contract could also harm the Fund by preventing it from disposing of or trading any assets it has been using to secure its obligations under the contract.
The Fund may also trade derivative contracts over-the-counter (OTC) in transactions negotiated directly between the Fund and a financial institution. OTC contracts do not necessarily have standard terms, so they may be less liquid and more difficult to close-out than exchange-traded contracts. In addition, OTC contracts with more specialized terms may be more difficult to value than exchange traded contracts, especially in times of financial stress.
The market for swaps and other OTC derivatives was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of federal legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Regulations enacted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC) under the Dodd-Frank Act require the Fund to clear certain swap contracts through a clearing house or central counterparty (a CCP).
To clear a swap through the CCP, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearing house member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a financial institution other than the FCM and arrange for the contract to be transferred to the FCM for clearing or enter into the contract with the FCM itself. If the Fund must centrally clear a transaction, the CFTC's regulations also generally require that the swap be executed on registered exchange or through a market facility that is known as a swap execution facility or SEF. Central clearing is presently required only for certain swaps; the CFTC is expected to impose a mandatory central clearing requirement for additional derivative instruments over time.
4

The CCP, SEF and FCM are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, most derivative market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. Similar regulatory requirements are expected to apply to derivative contracts that are subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC, although the SEC has not yet finalized its regulations. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps will be subject to regulatory collateral requirements that could adversely affect the Fund's ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments could cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time.
Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund.
Depending on how the Fund uses derivative contracts and the relationships between the market value of a derivative contract and the Reference Instrument, derivative contracts may increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the risks of the Reference Instrument, and may also expose the fund to liquidity and leverage risks. OTC contracts also expose the Fund to credit risks in the event that a counterparty defaults on the contract, although this risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a CCP.
The Fund may invest in a derivative contract if it is permitted to own, invest in, or otherwise have economic exposure to the Reference Instrument. The Fund is not required to own a Reference Instrument in order to buy or sell a derivative contract relating to that Reference Instrument. The Fund may trade in the following specific types and/or combinations of derivative contracts:
Futures Contracts (A Type of Derivative)
Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a Reference Instrument at a specified price, date and time. Entering into a contract to buy a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as buying a contract or holding a long position in the asset. Entering into a contract to sell a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the Reference Instrument. Futures contracts are considered to be commodity contracts. The Adviser has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to the Fund and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation with respect to the Fund. Futures contracts traded OTC are frequently referred to as forward contracts. The Fund can buy or sell financial futures (such as index futures and security futures).
Option Contracts (A Type of Derivative)
Option contracts (also called “options”) are rights to buy or sell a Reference Instrument for a specified price (the exercise price) during, or at the end of, a specified period. The seller (or writer) of the option receives a payment, or premium, from the buyer, which the writer keeps regardless of whether the buyer uses (or exercises) the option. Options may be bought or sold on a wide variety of Reference Instruments. Options that are written on futures contracts will be subject to margin requirements similar to those applied to futures contracts.
The Fund may buy and/or sell the following types of options:
Call Options
A call option gives the holder (buyer) the right to buy the Reference Instrument from the seller (writer) of the option. The Fund may use call options in the following ways:
■  Buy call options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of an increase in the value of the Reference Instrument; and
■  Write call options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of a decrease or only limited increase in the value of the Reference Instrument. If the Fund writes a call option on a Reference Instrument that it owns and that call option is exercised, the Fund foregoes any possible profit from an increase in the market price of the Reference Instrument over the exercise price plus the premium received.
Put Options
A put option gives the holder the right to sell the Reference Instrument to the writer of the option. The Fund may use put options in the following ways:
■  Buy put options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of a decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument; and
■  Write put options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of an increase or only limited decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument. In writing puts, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to take delivery of the Reference Instrument when its current market price is lower than the exercise price.
The Fund may also buy or write options, as needed, to close out existing option positions.
5

Finally, the Fund may enter into combinations of options contracts in an attempt to benefit from changes in the prices of those options contracts (without regard to changes in the value of the Reference Instrument).
Swap Contracts (A Type of Derivative)
A swap contract (also known as a “swap”) is a type of derivative contract in which two parties agree to pay each other (swap) the returns derived from Reference Instruments. Most swaps do not involve the delivery of the underlying assets by either party, and the parties might not own the Reference Instruments. The payments are usually made on a net basis so that, on any given day, the Fund would receive (or pay) only the amount by which its payment under the contract is less than (or exceeds) the amount of the other party's payment. Swap agreements are sophisticated instruments that can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. Common swap agreements that the Fund may use include:
Interest Rate Swaps
Interest rate swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a fixed or floating interest rate times a stated principal amount (commonly referred to as a “notional principal amount”) in return for payments equal to a different fixed or floating rate times the same principal amount, for a specific period. For example, a $10 million London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) swap would require one party to pay the equivalent of the London Interbank Offered Rate of interest (which fluctuates) on $10 million principal amount in exchange for the right to receive the equivalent of a stated fixed rate of interest on $10 million principal amount.
Total Return Swaps
A total return swap is an agreement between two parties whereby one party agrees to make payments of the total return from a Reference Instrument (or a basket of such instruments) during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another Reference Instrument. Alternately, a total return swap can be structured so that one party will make payments to the other party if the value of a Reference Instrument increases, but receive payments from the other party if the value of that instrument decreases.
Credit Default Swaps
A credit default swap (CDS) is an agreement between two parties whereby one party (the “Protection Buyer”) agrees to make payments over the term of the CDS to the other party (the “Protection Seller”), provided that no designated event of default, restructuring or other credit related event (each a “Credit Event”) occurs with respect to the Reference Instrument that is usually a particular bond, loan or the unsecured credit of an issuer, in general (the “Reference Obligation”). Many CDS are physically settled, which means that if a Credit Event occurs, the Protection Seller must pay the Protection Buyer the full notional value, or “par value,” of the Reference Obligation in exchange for delivery by the Protection Buyer of the Reference Obligation or another similar obligation issued by the issuer of the Reference Obligation (the “Deliverable Obligation”). The Counterparties agree to the characteristics of the Deliverable Obligation at the time that they enter into the CDS. Alternately, a CDS can be “cash settled,” which means that upon the occurrence of a Credit Event, the Protection Buyer will receive a payment from the Protection Seller equal to the difference between the par amount of the Reference Obligation and its market value at the time of the Credit Event. The Fund may be either the Protection Buyer or the Protection Seller in a CDS. If the Fund is a Protection Buyer and no Credit Event occurs, the Fund will lose its entire investment in the CDS (i.e., an amount equal to the payments made to the Protection Seller over the term of the CDS). However, if a Credit Event occurs, the Fund (as Protection Buyer) will deliver the Deliverable Obligation and receive a payment equal to the full notional value of the Reference Obligation, even though the Reference Obligation may have little or no value. If the Fund is the Protection Seller and no Credit Event occurs, the Fund will receive a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the CDS. However, if a Credit Event occurs, the Fund (as Protection Seller) will pay the Protection Buyer the full notional value of the Reference Obligation and receive the Deliverable Obligation from the Protection Buyer. A CDS may involve greater risks than if the Fund invested directly in the Reference Obligation. For example, a CDS may increase credit risk since the Fund has exposure to both the issuer of the Reference Obligation and the Counterparty to the CDS.
Caps and Floors
Caps and Floors are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments only if an interest rate or index goes above (Cap) or below (Floor) a certain level in return for a fee from the other party.
6

OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Reverse repurchase agreements (which are considered a type of special transaction for asset segregation or asset coverage purposes) are repurchase agreements in which the Fund is the seller (rather than the buyer) of the securities, and agrees to repurchase them at an agreed-upon time and price. A reverse repurchase agreement may be viewed as a type of borrowing by the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements create leverage risks because the Fund must repurchase the underlying security at a higher price, regardless of the market value of the security at the time of repurchase.
Hedging
Hedging transactions are intended to reduce specific risks. For example, to protect the Fund against circumstances that would normally cause the Fund's portfolio securities to decline in value, the Fund may buy or sell a derivative contract that would normally increase in value under the same circumstances. The Fund may also attempt to hedge by using combinations of different derivative contracts, or derivative contracts and securities. The Fund's ability to hedge may be limited by the costs of the derivative contracts. The Fund may attempt to lower the cost of hedging by entering into transactions that provide only limited protection, including transactions that: (1) hedge only a portion of its portfolio; (2) use derivative contracts that cover a narrow range of circumstances; or (3) involve the sale of derivative contracts with different terms. Consequently, hedging transactions will not eliminate risk even if they work as intended. In addition, hedging strategies are not always successful, and could result in increased expenses and losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending
The Fund may lend portfolio securities to borrowers that the Adviser deems creditworthy. In return, the Fund receives cash or liquid securities from the borrower as collateral. The borrower must furnish additional collateral if the market value of the loaned securities increases. Also, the borrower must pay the Fund the equivalent of any dividends or interest received on the loaned securities.
The Fund will reinvest cash collateral in securities that qualify as an acceptable investment for the Fund. However, the Fund must pay interest to the borrower for the use of cash collateral. An acceptable investment into which the Fund may reinvest cash collateral includes, among other acceptable investments, securities of affiliated money market funds (including affiliated institutional prime money market funds with a “floating” net asset value that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if net asset value decreases, result in the Fund having to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral).
Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon. The Fund may pay administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan and may pay a negotiated portion of the interest earned on the cash collateral to a securities lending agent or broker.
Securities lending activities are subject to interest rate risks and counterparty credit risks.
Asset Segregation
In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and SEC staff positions regarding the interpretation of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), with respect to derivatives that create a future payment obligation of the Fund, the Fund must “set aside” (referred to sometimes as “asset segregation”) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, while the derivative contracts are open. For example, with respect to forwards and futures contracts that are not contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund must cover its open positions by setting aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to the contracts' full, notional value. With respect to forwards and futures that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” however, the Fund is permitted to set aside cash or readily marketable securities in an amount equal to the Fund's daily marked-to-market (“net”) obligations, if any (i.e., the Fund's daily net liability, if any), rather than the notional value.
The Fund will employ another approach to segregating assets to cover options that it sells. If the Fund sells a call option, the Fund will set aside either the Reference Instrument subject to the option, cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the current market value of the Reference Instrument. In no event, will the value of the cash or readily marketable securities set aside by the Fund be less than the exercise price of the call option. If the Fund sells a put option, the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the exercise price of the put option.
7

The Fund's asset segregation approach for swap agreements varies among different types of swaps. For example, if the Fund enters into a credit default swap as the Protection Buyer, then it will set aside cash or readily marketable securities necessary to meet any accrued payment obligations under the swap. By comparison, if the Fund enters into a credit default swap as the Protection Seller, then the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to the full notional amount of the swap that must be paid upon the occurrence of a Credit Event. For some other types of swaps, such as interest rate swaps, the Fund will calculate the obligations of the counterparties to the swap on a net basis. Consequently, the Fund's current obligation (or rights) under this type of swap will equal only the net amount to be paid or received based on the relative values of the positions held by each counterparty to the swap (the “net amount”). The net amount currently owed by or to the Fund will be accrued daily and the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to any accrued but unpaid net amount owed by the Fund under the swap.
The Fund may reduce the liquid assets segregated to cover obligations under a derivative contract by entering into an offsetting derivative contract. For example, if the Fund sells a put option for the same Reference Instrument as a call option the Fund has sold, and the exercise price of the call option is the same as or higher than the exercise price of the put option, then the Fund may net its obligations under the options and set aside cash or readily marketable securities (including any margin deposited for the options) with a value equal to the greater of: (a) the current market value of the Reference Instrument deliverable under the call option; or (b) the exercise price of the put option.
By setting aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to only its net obligations under swaps and certain cash-settled derivative contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate cash or readily marketable securities equal to the full notional value of such contracts. The use of leverage involves certain risks. Unless the Fund has other cash or readily marketable securities to set aside, it cannot trade assets set aside in connection with derivative contracts or special transactions without entering into an offsetting derivative contract or terminating a special transaction. This may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities or to realize losses on derivative contracts or special transactions. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions articulated from time to time by the SEC and its staff.
Generally, special transactions do not cash-settle on a net basis. Consequently, with respect to special transactions, the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the Fund's obligations.
Investing in Securities of Other Investment Companies
The Fund may invest its assets in securities of other investment companies, including the securities of affiliated money market funds, as an efficient means of implementing its investment strategies and/or managing its uninvested cash. The Fund may also invest in mortgage-backed securities primarily by investing in another investment company (which is not available for general investment by the public) that owns those securities and that is advised by an affiliate of the Adviser. The Fund may also invest in such securities directly. These other investment companies are managed independently of the Fund and incur additional fees and/or expenses which would, therefore, be borne indirectly by the Fund in connection with any such investment. However, the Adviser believes that the benefits and efficiencies of this approach should outweigh the potential additional fees and/or expenses.
Inter-Fund Borrowing and Third-Party Lending Arrangements
Inter-Fund Borrowing
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds (“Federated Hermes funds”) advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Participation in this inter-fund lending program is voluntary for both borrowing and lending Federated Hermes funds, and an inter-fund loan is only made if it benefits each participating Federated Hermes fund. Federated Hermes administers the program according to procedures approved by the Fund's Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. Any inter-fund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemption, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating Federated Hermes funds.
For example, inter-fund lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less. The Fund's participation in this program must be consistent with its investment policies and limitations, and must meet certain percentage tests. Inter-fund loans may be made only when the rate of interest to be charged is more attractive to the lending Federated Hermes fund than market-competitive rates on overnight repurchase agreements (“Repo Rate”) and more attractive to the borrowing Federated Hermes fund than the rate of interest that would be charged by an unaffiliated bank for short-term borrowings (“Bank Loan Rate”), as determined by the Board. The interest rate imposed on inter-fund loans is the average of the Repo Rate and the Bank Loan Rate.
8

Third-Party Line of Credit
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to finance temporarily the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund's ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest, on any day, of: (a) (i) the federal funds effective rate; (ii) the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR); and (iii) 0.0%; plus (b) a margin. The LOC also requires the Fund to pay, quarterly in arrears and at maturity, its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders' commitment that has not been utilized. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there were no outstanding loans. During the most recently ended fiscal year, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The Fund has adopted and implemented a written liquidity risk management program (LRMP) and related procedures to assess and manage the liquidity risk of the Fund in accordance with Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act and Rule 22e-4 thereunder. The Board has designated the Adviser, together with Federated Hermes, Inc.'s (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) other affiliated registered investment advisory subsidiaries that serve as investment advisers to other Federated Hermes funds, to collectively serve as the administrator of the LRMP and the related procedures (the “Administrator”). Rule 22e-4 defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund will be unable to meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors' interests in the Fund. As a part of the LRMP, the Administrator is responsible for classifying the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio investments in accordance with Rule 22e-4. As part of the LRMP, the Administrator is also responsible for assessing, managing and periodically reviewing the Fund's liquidity risk, for making periodic reports to the Board and the SEC regarding the liquidity of the Fund's investments, and for notifying the Board and the SEC of certain liquidity events specified in Rule 22e-4. The liquidity of the Fund's portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the LRMP.
Investment Risks
There are many risk factors which may affect an investment in the Fund. The Fund's principal risks are described in its Prospectus. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal risk factor referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal risk factor applicable to the Fund (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).
Risk of Investing in Certain MBS
MBS backed by participations in reverse mortgages may carry risk different from and in addition to risk of other MBS. A reverse mortgage is a home loan in which a lender makes a loan to a homeowner based on the equity in the home. To qualify for a reverse mortgage loan, a homeowner must be older than a certain specified age. Unlike a traditional mortgage, there are no scheduled payments of principal or interest. Repayment does not occur until, in most cases, the borrower ceases to own the home (including, as a result of the borrower's death) or to use it as a primary residence. Accordingly, the timing of payments made on these loans (and, by extension, MBS backed by such loans) is uncertain and may occur sooner or later than anticipated. The rate of principal and total amount of interest payments on any reverse mortgage is based on many factors, including relevant interest rates and borrower mortality, that may in turn affect the value of the pools of such mortgages. Due to the nature of reverse mortgages, they may react differently from traditional mortgages to economic, geographic and other factors. There is a limited amount of historical data regarding the performance of reverse MBS pools.
Risk Transfer Notes Risk
Risk Transfer Notes may be issued by GSEs and non-GSEs. Non-GSEs are private issuers such as banks or other financial institutions the Notes of which are not issued, guaranteed or supported by the government. The risks associated with an investment in Risk Transfer Notes will be different than the risks associated with an investment in MBS. The Notes are the corporate obligations of the issuer and are often not secured by the Reference Obligation, the mortgaged properties or the borrowers' payments under the Reference Obligations. Holders of the Notes are general creditors of the issuer and will be subject to the risk that the issuer will be unable to meet its obligation to pay the principal and interest of the Notes in accordance with their terms of issuance. Such risks may be increased where the Reference Obligations of the Note are multi-family properties, which may include low-income housing. The Notes may be considered high risk and complex securities.
9

Event-Linked Bonds and other Insurance-Linked Securities Risk
The return of principal and the payment of interest on “event-linked” bonds and other insurance-linked securities are contingent on the non-occurrence of a pre-defined “trigger” event, such as an event that leads to physical or economic loss. If a trigger event, as defined within the terms of an event-linked bond, involves losses or other metrics exceeding a specific magnitude in the geographic region and time period specified, the fund may lose a portion or all of its accrued interest and/or principal invested in the event-linked bond. In addition to the specified trigger events, event-linked bonds may expose the fund to other risks, including but not limited to issuer (credit) default, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations and adverse tax consequences. Certain insurance-linked securities may have limited liquidity, or may be illiquid. The fund has limited transparency into the individual contracts underlying certain insurance-linked securities, which may make the risk assessment and valuation of such securities more difficult.
Risk of Lease-Backed Securities and Rental-Based MBS
The market for lease-backed securities and rental-based MBS is new and there may be variation in how the securities are collateralized. By way of nonlimiting example, some structures may afford a bondholder with indirect, limited or even no rights to the underlying real estate. Further, different classes of a particular issue may receive different credit ratings than other classes of the same issue depending upon the level of collateral or distribution of collateral in a default scenario. Several factors may adversely affect the performance of an investment in these lease-backed securities and rental-based MBS. First, the renters of the pooled properties underlying the securities generally sign monthly or yearly leases, increasing the likelihood of the renters canceling their leases. As a result, renters have the opportunity to not renew their leases, which would result in decreased payments being made into the pooled structure. Second, renters may also have low incentive for paying their rent on time. Finally, there is risk related to the ability of large institutional investors to manage rental homes where there are potentially greater maintenance costs given the lack of construction uniformity.
Risk of Inflation-Protected Securities
The value of inflation-protected securities is subject to the effects of changes in market interest rates caused by factors other than inflation (“real interest rates”). If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, the Fund's investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the security's inflation measure. Generally, when real interest rates rise, the value of inflation-protected securities will fall and the Fund's value may decline as a result of this exposure to these securities. The greatest risk occurs when interest rates rise and inflation declines.
Risk of Investing in Derivative Contracts
The Fund's exposure to derivative contracts (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. First, changes in the value of the derivative contracts in which the Fund invests may not be correlated with changes in the value of the underlying Reference Instruments or, if they are correlated, may move in the opposite direction than originally anticipated. Second, while some strategies involving derivatives may reduce the risk of loss, they may also reduce potential gains or, in some cases, result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in portfolio holdings. Third, there is a risk that derivative contracts may be erroneously priced or improperly valued and, as a result, the Fund may need to make increased cash payments to the counterparty. Fourth, exposure to derivative contracts may have tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders. For example, derivative contracts may cause the Fund to realize increased ordinary income or short-term capital gains (which are treated as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes) and, as a result, may increase taxable distributions to shareholders. In addition, under certain circumstances certain derivative contracts may cause the Fund to: (a) incur an excise tax on a portion of the income related to those contracts and instruments; and/or (b) reclassify, as a return of capital, some or all of the distributions previously made to shareholders during the fiscal year as dividend income. Fifth, a common provision in OTC derivative contracts permits the counterparty to terminate any such contract between it and the Fund, if the value of the Fund's total net assets declines below a specified level over a given time period. Factors that may contribute to such a decline (which usually must be substantial) include significant shareholder redemptions and/or a marked decrease in the market value of the Fund's investments. Any such termination of the Fund's OTC derivative contracts may adversely affect the Fund (for example, by increasing losses and/or costs and/or preventing the Fund from fully implementing its investment strategies). Sixth, the Fund may use a derivative contract to benefit from a decline in the value of a Reference Instrument. If the value of the Reference Instrument declines during the term of the contract, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any payments the Fund is required to pay under the terms of the contract). Any strategy involves risk. There is no assurance that the Reference Instrument will decline in value during the term of the contract and make a profit for the Fund. The Reference Instrument may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. Seventh, a default or failure by a CCP or an FCM (also sometimes called a “futures broker”), or the failure of a contract to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the FCM for clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the
10

Fund from entering or exiting derivative positions, accessing margin or fully implementing its investment strategies. The central clearing of a derivative and trading of a contract over a SEF could reduce the liquidity in, or increase costs of entering into or holding, any contracts. Finally, derivative contracts may also involve other risks described herein or in the Fund's Prospectus, such as interest rate, credit, liquidity and leverage risks.
Risk Associated with the Investment Activities of Other Accounts
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Therefore, it is possible that investment-related actions taken by such other accounts could adversely impact the Fund with respect to, for example, the value of Fund portfolio holdings, and/or prices paid to or received by the Fund on its portfolio transactions, and/or the Fund's ability to obtain or dispose of portfolio securities. Related considerations are discussed elsewhere in this SAI under “Brokerage Transactions and Investment Allocation.”
LIBOR Risk
Certain derivatives or debt securities, or other financial instruments in which the Fund may invest, as well as the Fund's committed, revolving line of credit agreement, utilize or may utilize in the future the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as the reference or benchmark rate for interest rate calculations. LIBOR is a measure of the average interest rate at which major global banks can borrow from one another. It is quoted in multiple currencies and tenors using data reported by a panel of private-sector banks. Following allegations of rate manipulation in 2012 and concerns regarding its thin liquidity, the use of LIBOR came under increasing pressure, and in July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it will stop encouraging banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR after 2021. This may cause LIBOR to cease to be published. LIBOR panel banks have agreed to submit quotations to LIBOR through the end of 2021. Before then, it is expected that market participants will transition to the use of different reference or benchmark rates. However, there is currently no definitive information regarding the future utilization of LIBOR or of any particular replacement rate. Regulators have suggested alternative reference rates, but global consensus is lacking and the process for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR remains unclear.
While it is expected that market participants will amend financial instruments referencing LIBOR to include fallback provisions and other measures that contemplate the discontinuation of LIBOR or other similar market disruption events, neither the effect of the transition process nor the viability of such measures is known. While market participants have begun transitioning away from LIBOR, there are obstacles to converting certain longer term securities and transactions to a new benchmark or benchmarks. The effectiveness of multiple alternative reference rates as opposed to one primary reference rate has not been determined. The effectiveness of alternative reference rates used in new or existing financial instruments and products has also not yet been determined. As market participants transition away from LIBOR, LIBOR's usefulness may deteriorate, which could occur prior to the end of 2021. The transition process may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. LIBOR's deterioration may adversely affect the liquidity and/or market value of securities that use LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate, including securities and other financial instruments held by the Fund. Further, the utilization of an alternative reference rate, or the transition process to an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect the Fund's performance.
CYBERSECURITY RISK
Like other funds and business enterprises, Federated Hermes' business relies on the security and reliability of information and communications technology, systems and networks. Federated Hermes uses digital technology, including, for example, networked systems, email and the Internet, to conduct business operations and engage clients, customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders, and relevant service providers, among others. Federated Hermes, as well as its funds and certain service providers, also generate, compile and process information for purposes of preparing and making filings or reports to governmental agencies, and a cybersecurity attack or incident that impacts that information, or the generation and filing processes, may prevent required regulatory filings and reports from being made. The use of the Internet and other electronic media and technology exposes the Fund, the Fund's shareholders, and the Fund's service providers, and their respective operations, to potential risks from cybersecurity attacks or incidents (collectively, “cyber-events”).
Cyber-events can result from intentional (or deliberate) attacks or unintentional events by insiders or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber-events may include, for example, phishing, use of stolen access credentials, unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as, for example, through “hacking” activity), structured query language attacks, infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software code, corruption of data, and attacks (including, but not limited to, denial of service attacks on websites) which shut down, disable, slow, impair or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, technology, connectivity or website or internet access, functionality
11

or performance. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund and its service providers have experienced, and will continue to experience, cyber-events on a daily basis. In addition to intentional cyber-events, unintentional cyber-events can occur, such as, for example, the inadvertent release of confidential information. To date, cyber-events have not had a material adverse effect on the Fund's business operations or performance.
Cyber-events can affect, potentially in a material way, Federated Hermes' relationships with its customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers. Any cyber-event could adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures. A cyber-event may cause the Fund, or its service providers, to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity (such as, for example, the loss of the ability to process transactions, calculate the Fund's NAV, or allow shareholders to transact business or other disruptions to operations), and/or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber-events also may result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, cyber-events affecting issuers in which the Fund invests could cause the Fund's investments to lose value.
The Fund's Adviser and its relevant affiliates have established risk management systems reasonably designed to seek to reduce the risks associated with cyber-events. The Fund's Adviser employs various measures aimed at mitigating cybersecurity risk, including, among others, use of firewalls, system segmentation, system monitoring, virus scanning, periodic penetration testing, employee phishing training and an employee cybersecurity awareness campaign. Among other vendor management efforts, Federated Hermes also conducts due diligence on key service providers (or vendors) relating to cybersecurity. Federated Hermes has established a committee to oversee Federated Hermes' information security and data governance efforts, and updates on cyber-events and risks are reviewed with relevant committees, as well as Federated Hermes' and the Fund's Boards of Directors or Trustees (or a committee thereof), on a periodic (generally quarterly) basis (and more frequently when circumstances warrant) as part of risk management oversight responsibilities. However, there is no guarantee that the efforts of Federated Hermes, the Fund's Adviser or its affiliates, or other service providers, will succeed, either entirely or partially as there are limits on Federated Hermes' and the Fund's ability to prevent, detect or mitigate cyber-events. Among other reasons, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, the nature of malicious cyber-events is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the Fund's Adviser, and its relevant affiliates, cannot control the cyber systems and cybersecurity systems of issuers or third-party service providers.
Investment Objective (and Policies) and Investment Limitations
Investment Objective
The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income. The investment objective may not be changed by the Fund's Board without shareholder approval. While there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, it endeavors to do so by following the strategies and policies described the Prospectus and in this SAI.
Investment Limitations
Issuing Senior Securities and Borrowing Money
The Fund may borrow money, directly or indirectly, and issue senior securities to the maximum extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”).
Investing in Real Estate
The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein. The Fund may exercise its rights under agreements relating to such securities, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold real estate acquired by reason of such enforcement until that real estate can be liquidated in an orderly manner.
Investing in Commodities
The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities, provided that the Fund may purchase securities of companies that deal in commodities.
Underwriting
The Fund may not underwrite the securities of other issuers, except that the Fund may engage in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities, under circumstances where it may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933.
12

Lending Cash or Securities
The Fund may not make loans, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from purchasing debt obligations, entering into repurchase agreements, lending its assets to broker/dealers or institutional investors and investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests.
Diversification
With respect to securities comprising 75% of the value of its total assets, the Fund will not purchase securities of any one issuer (other than cash; cash items; securities issued or guaranteed by the government of the United States or its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements collateralized by such U.S. government securities; and securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Concentration
The Fund will not make investments that will result in the concentration of its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in the same industry. Government securities, municipal securities and bank instruments will not be deemed to constitute an industry.
The above limitations cannot be changed unless authorized by the Board and by the vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities, as defined by the 1940 Act. The following limitations, however, may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified before any material change in these limitations becomes effective.
Buying on Margin
The Fund will not purchase securities on margin, provided that the Fund may obtain short-term credits necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities, and further provided that the Fund may make margin deposits in connection with its use of financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments.
Pledging Assets
The Fund will not mortgage, pledge, or hypothecate any of its assets, provided that this shall not apply to the transfer of securities in connection with any permissible borrowing or to collateral arrangements in connection with permissible activities.
Restricted Securities
The Fund may invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities are any securities in which the Fund may invest pursuant to its investment objective and policies but which are subject to restrictions on resale under federal securities law. Under criteria established by the Directors, certain restricted securities are determined to be liquid. To the extent that restricted securities are not determined to be liquid, the Fund will limit their purchase, together with other illiquid securities, to 15% of its net assets.
Investing in Illiquid Securities
The Fund will not purchase securities for which there is no readily available market, or enter into repurchase agreements or purchase time deposits that the Fund cannot dispose of within seven days, if immediately after and as a result, the value of such securities would exceed, in the aggregate, 15% of the Fund's net assets.
Additional Information
For purposes of the above limitations, the Fund considers certificates of deposit and demand and time deposits issued by a U.S. branch of a domestic bank or savings association having capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 at the time of investment to be “cash items” and “bank instruments.” Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitations is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such limitation.
Cash items may include short-term obligations such as:
■  obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; and
■  repurchase agreements.
As a matter of non-fundamental policy, for purposes of the commodities policy, investments in transactions involving futures contracts and options, forward currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts that settle by payment of cash are not deemed to be investments in commodities.
As a matter of non-fundamental policy, for purposes of the illiquid securities policy, illiquid securities are securities that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.
13

Non-Fundamental Names Rule Policy
The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in U.S. government investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government investments.
What Do Shares Cost?
Determining Market Value of Securities
A Share's net asset value (NAV) is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share's class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The NAV is calculated to the nearest whole cent per Share.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:
■  Equity securities listed on a U.S. securities exchange or traded through the U.S. national market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations from one or more dealers.
■  Other equity securities traded primarily in the United States are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations from one or more dealers.
■  Equity securities traded primarily through securities exchanges and regulated market systems outside the United States are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. These prices may be adjusted for significant events occurring after the closing of such exchanges or market systems as described below. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations from one or more dealers.
■  Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below. If a price evaluation from a pricing service is not readily available, such fixed-income securities are fair valued based upon price evaluations from one or more dealers.
■  Futures contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement price. Option contracts listed on exchanges are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations reported by the exchange or from one or more futures commission merchants.
■  OTC derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below. If a price evaluation from a pricing service is not readily available, such derivative contracts may be fair valued based upon price evaluations from one or more dealers or using a recognized pricing model for the contract.
■  Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Fund's valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund will use the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could purchase or sell an investment at the price used to calculate the Fund's NAV. The Fund will not use a pricing service or dealer who is an affiliated person of the Adviser to value investments.
Noninvestment assets and liabilities are valued in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The NAV calculation includes expenses, dividend income, interest income, other income and realized and unrealized investment gains and losses through the date of the calculation. Changes in holdings of investments and in the number of outstanding Shares are included in the calculation not later than the first business day following such change. Any assets or liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate obtained from one or more currency dealers.
14

The Fund follows procedures that are common in the mutual fund industry regarding errors made in the calculation of its NAV. This means that, generally, the Fund will not correct errors of less than one cent per Share or errors that did not result in net dilution to the Fund.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
The Board has ultimate responsibility for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Board has appointed a Valuation Committee comprised of officers of the Fund, the Adviser and certain of the Adviser's affiliated companies to assist in determining fair value and in overseeing the calculation of the NAV. The Board has also authorized the use of pricing services recommended by the Valuation Committee to provide price evaluations of the current fair value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV.
Pricing Service Valuations. Based on the recommendations of the Valuation Committee, the Board has authorized the Fund, subject to Board oversight, to use pricing services that provide daily fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments, primarily fixed-income securities and OTC derivatives contracts. Different pricing services may provide different price evaluations for the same security because of differences in their methods of evaluating market values. Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. A pricing service may find it more difficult to apply these and other factors to relatively illiquid or volatile investments, which may result in less frequent or more significant changes in the price evaluations of these investments. If a pricing service determines that it does not have sufficient information to use its standard methodology, it may evaluate an investment based on the present value of what investors can reasonably expect to receive from the issuer's operations or liquidation.
Special valuation considerations may apply with respect to the Fund's “odd-lot” positions, if any, as the Fund may receive lower prices when it sells such positions than it would receive for sales of institutional round lot positions. Typically, these securities are valued assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot sizes, but the Fund may hold or, from time to time, transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes.
The Valuation Committee engages in oversight activities with respect to the Fund's pricing services, which includes, among other things, monitoring significant or unusual price fluctuations above predetermined tolerance levels from the prior day, back-testing of pricing services' prices against actual sale transactions, conducting periodic due diligence meetings and reviews, and periodically reviewing the inputs, assumptions and methodologies used by these pricing services. If information furnished by a pricing service is not readily available or, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the security will be fair valued by the Valuation Committee in accordance with procedures established by the Directors as discussed below in “Fair Valuation Procedures.”
Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and asked for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts.
Fair Valuation Procedures. The Board has established procedures for determining the fair value of investments for which price evaluations from pricing services or dealers and market quotations are not readily available. The procedures define an investment's “fair value” as the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale. The procedures assume that any sale would be made to a willing buyer in the ordinary course of trading. The procedures require consideration of factors that vary based on the type of investment and the information available. Factors that may be considered in determining an investment's fair value include: (1) the last reported price at which the investment was traded; (2) information provided by dealers or investment analysts regarding the investment or the issuer; (3) changes in financial conditions and business prospects disclosed in the issuer's financial statements and other reports; (4) publicly announced transactions (such as tender offers and mergers) involving the issuer; (5) comparisons to other investments or to financial indices that are correlated to the investment; (6) with respect to fixed-income investments, changes in market yields and spreads; (7) with respect to investments that have been suspended from trading, the circumstances leading to the suspension; and (8) other factors that might affect the investment's value.
The Valuation Committee is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of these procedures subject to Board oversight. The Valuation Committee may also authorize the use of a financial valuation model to determine the fair value of a specific type of investment. The Board periodically reviews and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures.
15

Using fair value to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment's most recent closing price and from the prices used by other mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represent a good faith determination of an investment's fair value. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.
Significant Events. The Board has adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Adviser determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment's value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:
■  With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;
■  Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded; and
■  Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations or litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer's operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer's industry.
The Board has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. The pricing service uses models that correlate changes between the closing and opening price of equity securities traded primarily in non-U.S. markets to changes in prices in U.S.-traded securities and derivative contracts. The pricing service seeks to employ the model that provides the most significant correlation based on a periodic review of the results. The model uses the correlation to adjust the reported closing price of a foreign equity security based on information available up to the close of the NYSE.
For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the fair value of the investment is determined using the methods discussed above in “Fair Valuation Procedures.” The Board has ultimate responsibility for any fair valuations made in response to a significant event.
How is the Fund Sold?
Under the Distributor's Contract with the Fund, the Distributor (“Federated Securities Corp.”) offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis.
The Fund's IS Class will commence operations and be available for purchase on May 1, 2020. Orders for the IS Class received prior to May 1, 2020 will be processed as if received on May 1, 2020.
Rule 12b-1 Plan (CLASS A SHARES AND CLASS C SHARES)
As a compensation-type plan, the Rule 12b-1 Plan is designed to pay the Distributor for activities principally intended to result in the sale of Shares such as advertising and marketing of Shares (including printing and distributing prospectuses and sales literature to prospective shareholders and financial intermediaries) and providing incentives to financial intermediaries to sell Shares. The Plan is also designed to cover the cost of administrative services performed in conjunction with the sale of Shares, including, but not limited to, shareholder services, recordkeeping services and educational services, as well as the costs of implementing and operating the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan allows the Distributor to contract with financial intermediaries to perform activities covered by the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan is expected to benefit the Fund in a number of ways. For example, it is anticipated that the Plan will help the Fund attract and retain assets, thus providing cash for orderly portfolio management and Share redemptions and possibly helping to stabilize or reduce other operating expenses.
In addition, the Plan is integral to the multiple class structure of the Fund, which promotes the sale of Shares by providing a range of options to investors. The Fund's service providers that receive asset-based fees also benefit from stable or increasing Fund assets.
The Fund may compensate the Distributor more or less than its actual marketing expenses. In no event will the Fund pay for any expenses of the Distributor that exceed the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee.
For some classes of shares, the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee that can be paid in any one year may not be sufficient to cover the marketing-related expenses the Distributor has incurred. Therefore, it may take the Distributor a number of years to recoup these expenses.
16

In addition, in connection with the sale of Class C Shares, Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries make advance commission payments to financial intermediaries and in return may receive Rule 12b-1 fees and contingent deferred sales loads from the Class C Shares. Federated Hermes and its subsidiaries may benefit or sustain losses from such arrangements.
Regarding the Fund's A Shares, the A Shares of the Fund currently does not accrue, pay or incur any Rule 12b-1 Plan fee, although the Board of Directors has adopted a Plan that permits the A Shares of the Fund to accrue, pay and incur a Rule 12b-1 Plan fee of up to a maximum amount of up to 0.05% of average net assets, or some lesser amount as the Board of Directors shall approve from time to time. The A Shares of the Fund will not accrue, pay or incur such Rule 12b-1 Plan fees until such time as approved by the Fund's Board of Directors.
Additional Payments To Financial Intermediaries
The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators. In some cases, such payments may be made by, or funded from the resources of, companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). While Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) regulations limit the sales charges that you may bear, there are no limits with regard to the amounts that the Distributor may pay out of its own resources. In addition to the payments which are generally described herein and in the Prospectus, the financial intermediary also may receive payments under the Rule 12b-1 Plan and/or Service Fees. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds within the financial intermediary's organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary's organization. The same financial intermediaries may receive payments under more than one or all categories. These payments assist in the Distributor's efforts to support the sale of Shares. These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund's and/or other Federated Hermes funds' relationship with the financial intermediary. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Federated Hermes funds and any services it provides, as well as the fees and/or commissions it charges.
The categories of additional payments are described below.
Supplemental Payments
The Distributor may make supplemental payments to certain financial intermediaries that are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Federated Hermes funds. These payments may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; or the type and nature of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary.
Processing Support Payments
The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries that sell Federated Hermes fund shares to help offset their costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement processing and transaction processing. The types of payments that the Distributor may make under this category include: payment of ticket charges on a per-transaction basis; payment of networking fees; and payment for ancillary services such as setting up funds on the financial intermediary's mutual fund trading system.
Retirement Plan Program Servicing Payments
The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries who sell Federated Hermes fund shares through retirement plan programs. A financial intermediary may perform retirement plan program services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform retirement plan program services. In addition to participant recordkeeping, reporting or transaction processing, retirement plan program services may include: services rendered to a plan in connection with fund/investment selection and monitoring; employee enrollment and education; plan balance rollover or separation; or other similar services.
Marketing Support Payments
From time to time, the Distributor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of Shares. Such compensation, provided by the Distributor, may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client entertainment, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. Such compensation may also be used for the provision of sales-related data to the Adviser and/or its affiliates.
17

The Distributor also may hold or sponsor, at its expense, sales events, conferences and programs for employees or associated persons of financial intermediaries and may pay the travel and lodging expenses of attendees. The Distributor also may provide, at its expense, meals and entertainment in conjunction with meetings with financial intermediaries. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state law or regulations, or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. These payments may vary depending on the nature of the event or the relationship.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the following is a list of FINRA member firms that received additional payments from the Distributor or an affiliate. Additional payments may also be made to certain other financial intermediaries that are not FINRA member firms that sell Federated Hermes fund shares or provide services to the Federated Hermes funds and shareholders. These firms are not included in this list. Any additions, modifications or deletions to the member firms identified in this list that have occurred since December 31, 2019, are not reflected. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any additional payments it receives from the Distributor.
Access Point, LLC
ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.
American Portfolios Advisors Inc.
Ascensus Broker Dealer Services LLC
Avantax Investment Services, Inc.
Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.
BB&T Securities, LLC
BBVA Securities Inc.
BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.
Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Brown Brothers Harriman & Company
Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc.
Caitlin John, LLC
Calton & Associates, Inc.
Cambridge Financial Group, Inc.
Castle Rock Wealth Management, LLC
CBIZ Financial Solutions, Inc.
Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Cetera Advisors LLC
Cetera Financial Specialists LLC
Cetera Investment Advisers LLC
Cetera Investment Services LLC
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Citizens Securities, Inc.
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
Concord Wealth Partners
CVAGS, Inc.
D.A. Davidson & Co.
Davenport & Company LLC
David Lerner Associates, Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
E*Trade Securities LLC
Edward D. Jones & Co., LP
Emerald Advisors, LLC
Envestnet Asset Management, Inc.
Epic Advisors Inc.
ESL Investment Services, LLC
FBL Marketing Services, LLC
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC)
Fiducia Group, LLC
Fieldpoint Private Securities, LLC
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC
Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Incorporated
Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc.
FSC Securities Corporation
Gitterman Wealth Management LLC
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company
GWFS Equities, Inc.
Hancock Whitney Investment Services, Inc.
Hefren-Tillotson Inc.
Henderson Global Investors Limited
HighTower Securities, LLC
Hilltop Securities Inc.
The Huntington Investment Company
Independent Financial Group, LLC
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Financial Services LLC
Infinex Investments, Inc.
Institutional Cash Distributors, LLC
INTL FCStone Financial Inc.
J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Kestra Investment Services, LLC
Key Investment Services, LLC
KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc.
KMS Financial Services, Inc.
Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC
Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation
Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC
LPL Financial LLC
M Holdings Securities, Inc.
M&T Securities Inc.
Materetsky Financial Group
Mercer Global Advisors Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated
Mid Atlantic Capital Corp.
MML Investors Services, LLC
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
National Financial Services LLC
 
18

Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
NBC Securities, Inc.
Newport Group, Inc.
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
NYLIFE Distributors LLC
NYLIFE Securities LLC
Oneamerica Securities, Inc.
Open Range Financial Group, LLC
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc.
Paychex Securities Corp
Pensionmark Financial Group, LLC
People's Securities, Inc.
Pershing LLC
Piper Jaffray & Co.
Pitcairn Trust Company
Planmember Securities Corporation
PNC Capital Markets, LLC
PNC Investments LLC
Principal Securities, Inc.
Private Client Services, LLC
Procyon Private Wealth Partners, LLC
Proequities, Inc.
Prudential Investment Management Services, LLC
Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Regal Investment Advisors LLC
Resources Investment Advisors, Inc.
Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc.
Royal Alliance Associates Inc.
SA Stone Wealth Management Inc.
SagePoint Financial, Inc.
Sageview Advisory Group, LLC
Securian Financial Services, Inc.
Securities America, Inc.
Securities Service Network, Inc.
Security Distributors LLC
Sentry Advisors, LLC
Sigma Financial Corporation
Spire Securities LLC
State Street Global Markets, LLC
Stephens Inc.
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Strategic Benefits Consultants, Inc.
Summit Financial Group, Inc.
Suntrust Investment Services, Inc.
Suntrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
TD Ameritrade, Inc.
Thrivent Investment Management, Inc.
TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services LLC
Towerpoint Wealth, LLC
Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc.
Triad Advisors, LLC
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc.
UBS Securities LLC
United Planners Financial Services of America
Valic Financial Advisors, Inc.
Valor Financial Securities LLC
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Vanguard Marketing Corporation
Vining-Sparks IBG, Limited Partnership
Vision Financial Markets, LLC
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Voya Financial Partners, LLC
Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC
The Wealth Enhancement Group, Inc.
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Wintrust Investments, LLC
Woloshin Investment Management LLC
Woodbury Financial Services, Inc.
World Equity Group, Inc.
XML Financial, LLC
UNDERWRITING COMMISSIONS
The following chart reflects the total front-end sales charges and/or contingent deferred sales charges paid in connection with the sale of Class A Shares, Class B Shares, Class C Shares and Class F Shares and the amount retained by the Distributor for the last three fiscal years ended February 28 or 29.
  2020 2019 2018
  Total Sales
Charges
Amount
Retained
Total Sales
Charges
Amount
Retained
Total Sales
Charges
Amount
Retained
Class A Shares $17,222 $2,049 $10,975 $1,448 $34,844 $4,186
Class B Shares1 $$$$$ 2,500 $2,500
Class C Shares $268 $268 $$$ 1,644 $1,644
Class F Shares $3,672 $3,191 $457 $18 $22,293 $8,989
1 Effective February 2, 2018, Class B shares were converted into Class A Shares.
19

Purchases In-Kind
You may contact the Distributor to request a purchase of Shares using securities you own. The Fund reserves the right to determine whether to accept your securities and the minimum market value to accept. The Fund will value your securities in the same manner as it values its assets. An in-kind purchase may be treated as a sale of your securities for federal tax purposes; please consult your tax adviser regarding potential tax liability.
Redemption In-Kind
Although the Fund generally intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right, on its own initiative or in response to a shareholder request, to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of the Fund's portfolio securities.
Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period.
Any Share redemption payment greater than this amount will also be in cash unless the Fund elects to pay all or a portion of the remainder of the redemption in portfolio securities, valued in the same way as the Fund determines its NAV.
Redemption in-kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. Shareholders receiving the portfolio securities could have difficulty selling them, may incur related transaction costs and would be subject to risks of fluctuations in the securities' values prior to sale.
Account and Share Information
Voting Rights
Each Share of the Fund gives the shareholder one vote in Director elections and other matters submitted to shareholders for vote.
All Shares of the Fund have equal voting rights, except that in matters affecting only a particular class, only Shares of that class are entitled to vote.
Directors may be removed by the Board or by shareholders at a special meeting. A special meeting of shareholders will be called by the Board upon the written request of shareholders who own at least 10% of the Fund's outstanding Shares.
As of April 7, 2020, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class A Shares: Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 524,309 Shares (17.46%); MLPF&S, Jacksonville, FL owned approximately 364,861 Shares (12.15%); Edward D. Jones & Co., Saint Louis, MO, owned approximately 319,222 Shares (10.63%); National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 263,088 Shares (8.76%); Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ owned approximately 237,474 Shares (7.91%); Stifel Nicolaus & CO INC., St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 229,640 Shares (7.64%) and Wells Fargo Clearing Services, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 220,465 Shares (7.34%).
As of April 7, 2020, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class C Shares: Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 522,411 Shares (42.99%); Wells Fargo Clearing Services, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 364,365 Shares (29.99%) and National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 95,798 Shares (7.88%).
As of April 7, 2020, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class F Shares: MLPF&S, Jacksonville, FL, owned approximately 3,139,135 Shares (26.30%); National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 936,515 Shares (7.84%); UBS WM USA, Weehawken, NJ, owned approximately 687,522 Shares (5.76%) and Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 630,030 Shares (5.27%).
Shareholders owning 25% or more of outstanding Shares may be in control and be able to affect the outcome of certain matters presented for a vote of shareholders.
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. is organized in the state of California.First Clearing, LLC is a trade name of Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC which is organized in the state of Delaware.Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation organized in the state of Delaware.
Tax Information
Federal Income Tax
The Fund intends to meet requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) applicable to regulated investment companies. If these requirements are not met, it will not receive special tax treatment and will be subject to federal corporate income tax.
20

The Fund is entitled to a loss carryforward, which may reduce the taxable income or gain that the Fund would realize, and to which the shareholder would be subject, in the future.
Tax Basis Information
The Fund's Transfer Agent is required to provide you with the cost basis information on the sale of any of your Shares in the Fund, subject to certain exceptions.
Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for managing the Fund's business affairs and for exercising all the Fund's powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Director and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Directors who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Directors) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Directors). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Directors listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2019, the Fund comprised one portfolio, and the Federated Hermes Fund Complex consisted of 41 investment companies (comprising 135 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Director oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Complex and serves for an indefinite term.
As of April 7, 2020, the Fund's Board and Officers as a group owned less than 1% of each Class of the Fund's outstanding Shares.
qualifications of Independent Directors
Individual Director qualifications are noted in the “Independent Directors Background and Compensation” chart. In addition, the following characteristics are among those that were considered for each existing Director and will be considered for any Nominee Director.
■  Outstanding skills in disciplines deemed by the Independent Directors to be particularly relevant to the role of Independent Director and to the Federated Hermes funds, including legal, accounting, business management, the financial industry generally and the investment industry particularly.
■  Desire and availability to serve for a substantial period of time, taking into account the Board's current mandatory retirement age of 75 years.
■  No conflicts which would interfere with qualifying as independent.
■  Appropriate interpersonal skills to work effectively with other Independent Directors.
■  Understanding and appreciation of the important role occupied by Independent Directors in the regulatory structure governing regulated investment companies.
■  Diversity of background.
interested Directors Background and Compensation
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 2000
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company; Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director, Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania; Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director, Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling; President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
$0 $0
21

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President, Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company; President of some of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex and Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and Director of Federated Investment Counseling; President and CEO of Passport Research, Ltd.; Director, Edgewood Securities Corp.; Director, Federated Services Company; Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Director, Southpointe Distribution Services, Inc. and President, Technology, Federated Services Company.
$0 $0
* Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Independent Directors Background, Qualifications and Compensation
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chairman of the Compensation Committee, KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp. Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University Affiliate Hospital).
$1,105.28 $286,000
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit Committee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Vice Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Member of Governance and Compensation Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.; Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, Equifax, Inc.; Director, Member of the Audit Committee, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business management and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough serves on the President's Cabinet and Business School Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the United States Golf Association.
$832.87 $286,000
22

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Adjunct Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green previously served as a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve on the Supreme Court's Board of Continuing Judicial Education and the Supreme Court's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee. Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC Mercy Hospital; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church Alive!, Inc.; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member, Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director, Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute; Director, Saint Vincent College; and Director and Chair, North Catholic High School, Inc.
$1,105.28 $286,000
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.
Birth Date: April 10, 1945
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 1999
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Management Consultant and Author.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Mansfield has served as a Marine Corps officer and in several banking, business management, educational roles and directorship positions throughout his long career. He remains active as a Management Consultant and Author.
$1,004.82 $260,000
Thomas M. O'Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, of the Federated Hermes Complex; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company (investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O'Neill has served in several business, mutual fund and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. O'Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity and Director, The Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, Florida. Mr. O'Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies, Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management software); and Director, Midway Pacific (lumber).
$272.41 $321,000
23

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Management Consultant; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.) and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
$1,004.82 $260,000
John S. Walsh
Birth Date: November 28, 1957
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 1999
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Board of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Complex; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of construction temporary heaters); President and Director, Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc. (paving contractors).
$1,333.29 $345,000
OFFICERS*
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
Treasurer
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Senior Vice President, Federated Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp. and Edgewood Services, Inc.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research, Ltd. and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date: September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: January 2005
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Complex. He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President, Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes in 1984 and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel, Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
24

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Robert J. Ostrowski
Birth Date: April 26, 1963
Chief Investment Officer
Officer since: May 2004
Principal Occupations: Robert J. Ostrowski joined Federated Hermes in 1987 as an Investment Analyst and became a Portfolio Manager in 1990. He was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes' taxable fixed-income products in 2004 and also serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ostrowski became an Executive Vice President of the Fund's Adviser in 2009 and served as a Senior Vice President of the Fund's Adviser from 1997 to 2009. Mr. Ostrowski has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He received his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.
* Officers do not receive any compensation from the Fund.
In addition, the Fund has appointed an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.
DIRECTOR/TRUSTEE EMERITUS PROGRAM
The Board has created a position of Director/Trustee Emeritus, whereby an incumbent Director/Trustee who has attained the age of 75 and completed a minimum of five years of service as a director/trustee, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee of Independent Directors/Trustees (“Committee”), be recommended to the full Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund to serve as Director/Trustee Emeritus.
A Director/Trustee Emeritus that has been approved as such receives an annual fee in an amount equal to a percent of the annual base compensation paid to a Director/Trustee. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least five years but less than 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 10%. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 20%. The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in connection with their service, including expenses of travel and lodging incurred in attendance at Board meetings. Director/Trustee Emeritus will continue to receive relevant materials concerning the Funds, will be expected to attend at least one regularly scheduled quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors/Trustees each year and will be available to consult with the Committees or its representatives at reasonable times as requested by the Chairman; however, a Director/Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Funds.
The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be permitted to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Committee, but the annual fee will cease to be paid at the end of the calendar year during which he or she has attained the age of 80 years, thereafter the position will be honorary.
The following table shows the fees paid to each Director/Trustee Emeritus for the Fund's most recently ended fiscal year and the portion of that fee paid by the Fund or Trust.1
EMERITUS Directors and Compensation
Director/Trustee Emeritus
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total
Compensation
Paid to
Director/Trustee
Emeritus1
Peter E. Madden $25.70 $52,000.00
1 The fees paid to a Director/Trustee are allocated among the funds that were in existence at the time the Director/Trustee elected Emeritus status, based on each fund's net assets at that time.
BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
As required under the terms of certain regulatory settlements, the Chairman of the Board is not an interested person of the Fund and neither the Chairman, nor any firm with which the Chairman is affiliated, has a prior relationship with Federated Hermes or its affiliates or (other than his position as a Director) with the Fund.
25

Committees of the Board
Board
Committee
Committee
Members
Committee Functions Meetings Held
During Last
Fiscal Year
Executive J. Christopher Donahue
John T. Collins
John S. Walsh
In between meetings of the full Board, the Executive Committee generally may exercise all the powers of the full Board in the management and direction of the business and conduct of the affairs of the Fund in such manner as the Executive Committee shall deem to be in the best interests of the Fund. However, the Executive Committee cannot elect or remove Board members, increase or decrease the number of Directors, elect or remove any Officer, declare dividends, issue shares or recommend to shareholders any action requiring shareholder approval. One
Audit John T. Collins
G. Thomas Hough
Maureen Lally-Green
Thomas M. O'Neill
The purposes of the Audit Committee are to oversee the accounting and financial reporting process of the Fund, the Fund's internal control over financial reporting and the quality, integrity and independent audit of the Fund's financial statements. The Committee also oversees or assists the Board with the oversight of compliance with legal requirements relating to those matters, approves the engagement and reviews the qualifications, independence and performance of the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, acts as a liaison between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Board and reviews the Fund's internal audit function. Seven
Nominating John T. Collins
G. Thomas Hough
Maureen Lally-Green
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.
Thomas M. O'Neill
P. Jerome Richey
John S. Walsh
The Nominating Committee, whose members consist of all Independent Directors, selects and nominates persons for election to the Fund's Board when vacancies occur. The Committee will consider candidates recommended by shareholders, Independent Directors, officers or employees of any of the Fund's agents or service providers and counsel to the Fund. Any shareholder who desires to have an individual considered for nomination by the Committee must submit a recommendation in writing to the Secretary of the Fund, at the Fund's address appearing on the back cover of this SAI. The recommendation should include the name and address of both the shareholder and the candidate and detailed information concerning the candidate's qualifications and experience. In identifying and evaluating candidates for consideration, the Committee shall consider such factors as it deems appropriate. Those factors will ordinarily include: integrity, intelligence, collegiality, judgment, diversity, skill, business and other experience, qualification as an “Independent Director,” the existence of material relationships which may create the appearance of a lack of independence, financial or accounting knowledge and experience and dedication and willingness to devote the time and attention necessary to fulfill Board responsibilities. One
BOARD'S ROLE IN RISK OVERSIGHT
The Board's role in overseeing the Fund's general risks includes receiving performance reports for the Fund and risk management reports from Federated Hermes' Chief Risk Officer at each regular Board meeting. The Chief Risk Officer is responsible for enterprise risk management at Federated Hermes, which includes risk management committees for investment management and for investor services. The Board also receives regular reports from the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer regarding significant compliance risks.
On behalf of the Board, the Audit Committee plays a key role overseeing the Fund's financial reporting and valuation risks. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Fund's Principal Financial Officer and outside auditors, as well as with Federated Hermes' Chief Audit Executive to discuss financial reporting and audit issues, including risks relating to financial controls.
26

Board Ownership Of Shares In The Fund And In The Federated Hermes Family Of Investment Companies As Of December 31, 2019
Interested Board
Member Name
Dollar Range of
Shares Owned in
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Aggregate
Dollar Range of
Shares Owned in
Federated Hermes Family of
Investment Companies
J. Christopher Donahue None Over $100,000
John B. Fisher None Over $100,000
Independent Board
Member Name
   
John T. Collins None Over $100,000
G. Thomas Hough None Over $100,000
Maureen Lally-Green None Over $100,000
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr. None $50,001-$100,000
Thomas M. O'Neill None Over $100,000
P. Jerome Richey None Over $100,000
John S. Walsh None Over $100,000
Investment Adviser
The Adviser conducts investment research and makes investment decisions for the Fund.
The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated Hermes.
The Adviser shall not be liable to the Fund or any Fund shareholder for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding, or sale of any security or for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its contract with the Fund.
In December 2017, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is an investor initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Commitments made as a signatory to the PRI are not legally binding, but are voluntary and aspirational. They include efforts, where consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities, to incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and investment decision making, to be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices, to seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest, to promote acceptance and implementation of the PRI within the investment industry, to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the PRI, and to report on our activities and progress towards implementing the PRI. Being a signatory to the PRI does not obligate Federated Hermes to take, or not take, any particular action as it relates to investment decisions or other activities.
In July 2018, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, acquired a 60% interest in Hermes Fund Managers Limited (Hermes), which operates as Hermes Investment Management, a pioneer of integrated ESG investing. Hermes' experience with ESG issues contributes to Federated Hermes' understanding of material risks and opportunities these issues may present.
Portfolio Manager Information
As a general matter, certain conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager's management of a fund's investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other funds/pooled investment vehicles or accounts (collectively, including the Fund, as applicable, “accounts”) for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, it is possible that the various accounts managed could have different investment strategies that, at times, might conflict with one another to the possible detriment of the Fund. Alternatively, to the extent that the same investment opportunities might be desirable for more than one account, possible conflicts could arise in determining how to allocate them. Other potential conflicts can include, for example, conflicts created by specific portfolio manager compensation arrangements (including, for example, the allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which the portfolio manager is responsible in calculating the portfolio manager's compensation), and conflicts relating to selection of brokers or dealers to execute Fund portfolio trades and/or specific uses of commissions from Fund portfolio trades (for example, research or “soft dollars”). The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures and has structured the portfolio managers' compensation in a manner reasonably designed to safeguard the Fund from being negatively affected as a result of any such potential conflicts.
The following information about the Fund's Portfolio Manager is provided as of the end of the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year unless otherwise indicated.
27

Todd Abraham, Portfolio Manager
Types of Accounts Managed
by Todd Abraham
Total Number of Additional Accounts
Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies 17/$4.2 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0/$0
Other Accounts 0/$0
* None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.
Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.
Todd Abraham is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager's experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.
IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year pre-tax gross total return basis versus the Fund's benchmark (i.e., 60% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index) and versus the Fund's designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.
As noted above, Mr. Abraham is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. Abraham is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. In addition, Mr. Abraham has oversight responsibility for other portfolios that he does not personally manage and serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes' senior management's assessment of team contributions.
For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of two IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or activity engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is greater than or equal to the weighting assigned to other accounts or activities used to determine IPP (but can be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management's assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.
Any individual allocations from the discretionary pool may be determined, by executive management on a discretionary basis using various factors, such as, for example, on a product, strategy or asset class basis, and considering overall contributions and any other factors deemed relevant (and may be adjusted periodically).
28

Liam O'Connell, Portfolio Manager
Types of Accounts Managed
by Liam O'Connell
Total Number of Additional Accounts
Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies 9/$4.6 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0/$0
Other Accounts 0/$0
* None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.
Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.
Liam O'Connell is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager's experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.
IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year pre-tax gross total return basis versus the Fund's benchmark (i.e., 60% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index) and versus the Fund's designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.
As noted above, Mr. O'Connell is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. O'Connell is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. In addition, Mr. O'Connell serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes' senior management's assessment of team contributions.
For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of two IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or activity engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is lesser than or equal to the weighting assigned to other accounts or activities used to determine IPP (but can be adjusted periodically). Additionally, a portion of Mr. O'Connell's IPP score is based on the performance of the accounts for which he provides research and analytic support. A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management's assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.
Any individual allocations from the discretionary pool may be determined, by executive management on a discretionary basis using various factors, such as, for example, on a product, strategy or asset class basis, and considering overall contributions and any other factors deemed relevant (and may be adjusted periodically).
Services Agreement
Federated Advisory Services Company, an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.
Other Related Services
Affiliates of the Adviser may, from time to time, provide certain electronic equipment and software to institutional customers in order to facilitate the purchase of Fund Shares offered by the Distributor.
Code Of Ethics Restrictions On Personal Trading
As required by Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (as applicable), the Fund, its Adviser and its Distributor have adopted codes of ethics. These codes govern securities trading activities of investment personnel, Fund Directors and certain other employees. Although they do permit these people to trade in securities, including those that the Fund could buy, as well as Shares of the Fund, they also contain significant safeguards designed to protect the Fund and its shareholders from abuses in this area, such as requirements to obtain prior approval for, and to report, particular transactions.
29

Voting Proxies On Fund Portfolio Securities
The Board has delegated to the Adviser authority to vote proxies on the securities held in the Fund's portfolio. The Board has also approved the Adviser's policies and procedures for voting the proxies, which are described below.
Proxy Voting Policies
As an investment adviser with a fiduciary duty to the Fund and its shareholders, the Adviser's general policy is to cast proxy votes in favor of management proposals and shareholder proposals that the Adviser anticipates will enhance the long-term value of the securities being voted in a manner that is consistent with the investment objectives of the Fund. Generally, this will mean voting for proposals that the Adviser believes will improve the management of a company, increase the rights or preferences of the voted securities, or increase the chance that a premium offer would be made for the company or for the voted securities. This approach to voting proxy proposals will be referred to hereafter as the “General Policy.”
The Adviser generally votes consistently on the same matter when securities of an issuer are held by multiple client portfolios. However, the Adviser may vote differently if a particular client's investment objectives differ from those of other clients or if a client explicitly instructs the Adviser to vote differently.
The following examples illustrate how the General Policy may apply to the most common management proposals and shareholder proposals. However, whether the Adviser supports or opposes a proposal will always depend on a thorough understanding of the Fund's investment objectives and the specific circumstances described in the proxy statement and other available information.
On matters related to the board of directors, generally the Adviser will vote to elect nominees to the board in uncontested elections except in certain circumstances, such as where the director: (1) had not attended at least 75% of the board meetings during the previous year; (2) serves as the company's chief financial officer; (3) has become overboarded (more than five boards for retired executives and more than two boards for CEOs); (4) is the chair of the nominating or governance committee when the roles of chairman of the board and CEO are combined and there is no lead independent director; (5) served on the compensation committee during a period in which compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers; or (6) served on a board that did not implement a shareholder proposal that the Adviser supported and received more than 50% shareholder support the previous year. In addition, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of; (7) a full slate of directors, where the directors are elected as a group and not individually, unless more than half of the nominees are not independent; (8) shareholder proposals to declassify the board of directors; (9) shareholder proposals to require a majority voting standard in the election of directors; (10) shareholder proposals to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO; and (11) a proposal to require a company's audit committee to be comprised entirely of independent directors.
On other matters of corporate governance, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of: (1) proposals to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting if owners of at least 25% of the outstanding stock agree; (2) a proposal to require independent tabulation of proxies and/or confidential voting of shareholders; (3) a proposal to ratify the board's selection of auditors, unless: (a) compensation for non-audit services exceeded 50% of the total compensation received from the company; or (b) the previous auditor was dismissed because of a disagreement with the company; (4) a proposal to repeal a shareholder rights plan (also known as a “poison pill”) and against the adoption of such a plan, unless the plan is designed to facilitate, rather than prevent, unsolicited offers for the company; (5) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority requirements in company bylaws; and (6) shareholder proposals calling for “Proxy Access,” that is, a bylaw change allowing shareholders owning at least 3% of the outstanding common stock for at least three years to nominate candidates for election to the board of directors. The Adviser will generally withhold support from shareholder proposals to grant shareholders the right to act by written consent.
On environmental and social matters, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of shareholder proposals calling for: (1) enhanced disclosure of the company's approach to mitigating climate change and other environmental risks; (2) managing risks related to manufacturing or selling of guns and opioids; (3) monitoring gender pay equity; and (4) achieving and maintaining diversity on the board of directors. Generally, the Adviser will not support shareholder proposals calling for limitations on political activity by the company, including political contributions, lobbying and memberships in trade associations.
On matters of capital structure, generally the Adviser will vote against a proposal to authorize or issue shares that are senior in priority or voting rights to the voted securities, and in favor of a proposal to: (1) reduce the amount of shares authorized for issuance (subject to adequate provisions for outstanding convertible securities, options, warrants, rights and other existing obligations to issue shares); and (2) grant authorities to issue shares with and without pre-emptive rights unless the size of the authorities would threaten to unreasonably dilute existing shareholders. The Adviser will decide how to vote on proposals to authorize a stock repurchase or special dividend program on a case-by-case basis.
30

On matters relating to management compensation, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of stock incentive plans (including plans for directors) that align the recipients of stock incentives with the interests of shareholders, without creating undue dilution, and against: (1) the advisory vote on executive compensation plans (“Say On Pay”) when the plan has failed to align executive compensation with corporate performance; (2) the advisory vote on the frequency of the Say On Pay vote when the frequency is other than annual; (3) proposals that would permit the amendment or replacement of outstanding stock incentives having more favorable terms (e.g., lower purchase prices or easier vesting requirements); and (4) executive compensation plans that do not disclose the maximum amounts of compensation that may be awarded or the criteria for determining awards.
On matters relating to corporate transactions, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of mergers, acquisitions and sales of assets if the Adviser's analysis of the proposed business strategy and the transaction price would have a positive impact on the total return for shareholders.
If a shareholders meeting is contested, that is, shareholders are presented with a set of director candidates nominated by company management and a set of director candidates nominated by a dissident shareholder, the Adviser will study the proposed business strategies of both groups and vote in a way that maximizes expected total return for the Fund.
In addition, the Adviser will not vote any proxy if it determines that the consequences or costs of voting outweigh the potential benefit of voting. For example, if a foreign market requires shareholders voting proxies to retain the voted shares until the meeting date (thereby rendering the shares “illiquid” for some period of time), the Adviser will not vote proxies for such shares. In addition, the Adviser is not obligated to incur any expense to send a representative to a shareholder meeting or to translate proxy materials into English.
To the extent that the Adviser is permitted to loan securities, the Adviser does not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Adviser will take all reasonable steps to recall shares prior to the record date when the meeting raises issues that the Adviser believes materially affect shareholder value, including, but not limited to, excessive compensation, mergers and acquisitions, contested elections and weak oversight by the audit committee. However, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
If proxies are not delivered in a timely or otherwise appropriate basis, the Adviser may not be able to vote a particular proxy.
For an Adviser that employs a quantitative investment strategy for certain funds or accounts that does not make use of qualitative research (“Non-Qualitative Accounts”), the Adviser may not have the kind of research to make decisions about how to vote proxies for them. Therefore, the Adviser will vote the proxies of these Non-Qualitative Accounts as follows: (a) in accordance with the Standard Voting Instructions (defined below); (b) if the Adviser is casting votes for the same proxy on behalf of a regular qualitative account and a Non-Qualitative Account, the Non-Qualitative Account would vote in the same manner as the regular qualitative account; (c) if neither of the first two conditions apply, as the proxy voting service is recommending; and (d) if none of the previous conditions apply, as recommended by the Proxy Voting Committee.
Proxy Voting Procedures
The Adviser has established a Proxy Voting Committee (“Proxy Committee”), to exercise all voting discretion granted to the Adviser by the Board in accordance with the proxy voting policies. To assist it in carrying out the day-to-day operations related to proxy voting, the Proxy Committee has created the Proxy Voting Management Group (PVMG). The day-to-day operations related to proxy voting are carried out by the Proxy Voting Operations Team (PVOT) and overseen by the PVMG. Besides voting the proxies, this work includes engaging with investee companies on corporate governance matters, managing the proxy voting service, soliciting voting recommendations from the Adviser's investment professionals, bringing voting recommendations to the Proxy Committee for approval, filing with regulatory agencies any required proxy voting reports, providing proxy voting reports to clients and investment companies as they are requested from time to time, and keeping the Proxy Committee informed of any issues related to corporate governance and proxy voting.
The Adviser has compiled a list of specific voting instructions based on the General Policy (the “Standard Voting Instructions”). The Standard Voting Instructions and any modifications to them are approved by the Proxy Committee. The Standard Voting Instructions sometimes call for an investment professional to review the ballot question and provide a voting recommendation to the Proxy Committee (a “case-by-case vote”). The foregoing notwithstanding, the Proxy Committee always has the authority to determine a final voting decision.
The Adviser has hired a proxy voting service to perform various proxy voting related administrative services such as ballot reconciliation, vote processing, and recordkeeping functions. The Proxy Committee has supplied the proxy voting services with the Standard Voting Instructions. The Proxy Committee retains the right to modify the Standard Voting Instructions at any time or to vote contrary to them at any time in order to cast proxy votes in a manner that the Proxy Committee believes is in accordance with the General Policy. The proxy voting service may vote any proxy as directed in the Standard Voting Instructions without further direction from the Proxy Committee. However, if the Standard Voting Instructions require case-by-case handling for a
31

proposal, the PVOT will work with the investment professionals and the proxy voting service to develop a voting recommendation for the Proxy Committee and to communicate the Proxy Committee's final voting decision to the proxy voting service. Further, if the Standard Voting Instructions require the PVOT to analyze a ballot question and make the final voting decision, the PVOT will report such votes to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis for review.
Conflicts of Interest
The Adviser has adopted procedures to address situations where a matter on which a proxy is sought may present a potential conflict between the interests of the Fund (and its shareholders) and those of the Adviser or Distributor. This may occur where a significant business relationship exists between the Adviser (or its affiliates) and a company involved with a proxy vote.
A company that is a proponent, opponent, or the subject of a proxy vote, and which to the knowledge of the Proxy Committee has this type of significant business relationship, is referred to below as an “Interested Company.”
The Adviser has implemented the following procedures in order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the Adviser or its affiliates have influenced proxy votes. Any employee of the Adviser or its affiliates who is contacted by an Interested Company regarding proxies to be voted by the Adviser must refer the Interested Company to a member of the Proxy Committee, and must inform the Interested Company that the Proxy Committee has exclusive authority to determine how the proxy will be voted. Any Proxy Committee member contacted by an Interested Company must report it to the full Proxy Committee and provide a written summary of the communication. This requirement includes engagement meetings with investee companies and does not include communications with proxy solicitation firms. Under no circumstances will the Proxy Committee or any member of the Proxy Committee make a commitment to an Interested Company regarding the voting of proxies or disclose to an Interested Company how the Proxy Committee has directed such proxies to be voted. If the Standard Voting Instructions already provide specific direction on the proposal in question, the Proxy Committee shall not alter or amend such directions. If the Standard Voting Instructions require the Proxy Committee to provide further direction, the Proxy Committee shall do so in accordance with the proxy voting policies, without regard for the interests of the Adviser with respect to the Interested Company. If the Proxy Committee provides any direction as to the voting of proxies relating to a proposal affecting an Interested Company, it must disclose annually to the Fund's Board information regarding: the significant business relationship; any material communication with the Interested Company; the matter(s) voted on; and how, and why, the Adviser voted as it did. In certain circumstances it may be appropriate for the Adviser to vote in the same proportion as all other shareholders, so as to not affect the outcome beyond helping to establish a quorum at the shareholders' meeting. This is referred to as “proportional voting.” If the Fund owns shares of another Federated Hermes mutual fund, generally the Adviser will proportionally vote the client's proxies for that fund or seek direction from the Board or the client on how the proposal should be voted. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated mutual fund, the Adviser may proportionally vote the Fund's proxies for that fund depending on the size of the position. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated exchange-traded fund, the Adviser will proportionally vote the Fund's proxies for that fund.
Downstream Affiliates
If the Proxy Committee gives further direction, or seeks to vote contrary to the Standard Voting Instructions, for a proxy relating to a portfolio company in which the Fund owns more than 10% of the portfolio company's outstanding voting securities at the time of the vote (“Downstream Affiliate”), the Proxy Committee must first receive guidance from counsel to the Proxy Committee as to whether any relationship between the Adviser and the portfolio company, other than such ownership of the portfolio company's securities, gives rise to an actual conflict of interest. If counsel determines that an actual conflict exists, the Proxy Committee must address any such conflict with the executive committee of the board of directors or trustees of any investment company client prior to taking any action on the proxy at issue.
Proxy Advisers' Conflicts of Interest
Proxy advisory firms may have significant business relationships with the subjects of their research and voting recommendations. For example, a proxy voting service client may be a public company with an upcoming shareholders' meeting and the proxy voting service has published a research report with voting recommendations. In another example, a proxy voting service board member also sits on the board of a public company for which the proxy voting service will write a research report. These and similar situations give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
In order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the engaged proxy voting service have influenced proxy voting recommendations, the Adviser will take the following steps:
■  A due diligence team made up of employees of the Adviser and/or its affiliates will meet with the proxy voting service on an annual basis and determine through a review of their policies and procedures and through inquiry that the proxy voting service has established a system of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance that their voting recommendations are not influenced by the business relationships they have with the subjects of their research.
32

■  Whenever the standard voting guidelines call for voting a proposal in accordance with the proxy voting service recommendation and the proxy voting service has disclosed that they have a conflict of interest with respect to that issuer, the PVOT will take the following steps: (a) the PVOT will obtain a copy of the research report and recommendations published by another proxy voting service for that issuer; (b) the Director of Proxy Voting, or his designee, will review both the engaged proxy voting service research report and the research report of the other proxy voting service and determine what vote will be cast. The PVOT will report all proxies voted in this manner to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, the PVOT may seek direction from the Committee on how the proposal shall be voted.
Proxy Voting Report
A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter is posted on the website 30 days (or the next business day) after the end of the quarter and remains posted for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include: identification of the Fund's top 10 issuer exposures and percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by effective maturity range and type of security.
You may also access portfolio information as of the end of the Fund's fiscal quarters via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com. The Fund's Annual Shareholder Report and Semi-Annual Shareholder Report contain complete listings of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund's second and fourth fiscal quarters. Fiscal quarter information is made available on the website within 70 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. This information is also available in reports filed with the SEC at the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund's holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC's website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com.
The disclosure policy of the Fund and the Adviser prohibits the disclosure of portfolio holdings information to any investor or intermediary before the same information is made available to other investors. Employees of the Adviser or its affiliates who have access to nonpublic information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings are prohibited from trading securities on the basis of this information. Such persons must report all personal securities trades and obtain pre-clearance for all personal securities trades other than mutual fund shares.
Firms that provide administrative, custody, financial, accounting, legal or other services to the Fund may receive nonpublic information about Fund portfolio holdings for purposes relating to their services. The Fund may also provide portfolio holdings information to publications that rate, rank or otherwise categorize investment companies. Traders or portfolio managers may provide “interest” lists to facilitate portfolio trading if the list reflects only that subset of the portfolio for which the trader or portfolio manager is seeking market interest. A list of service providers, publications and other third parties who may receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information appears in the Appendix to this SAI.
The furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to any third party (other than authorized governmental or regulatory personnel) requires the prior approval of the President of the Adviser and of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund. The President of the Adviser and the Chief Compliance Officer will approve the furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to a third party only if they consider the furnishing of such information to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In that regard, and to address possible conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders and those of the Adviser and its affiliates, the following procedures apply. No consideration may be received by the Fund, the Adviser, any affiliate of the Adviser or any of their employees in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Before information is furnished, the third party must sign a written agreement that it will safeguard the confidentiality of the information, will use it only for the purposes for which it is furnished and will not use it in connection with the trading of any security. Persons approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information will receive it as often as necessary for the purpose for which it is provided. Such information may be furnished as frequently as daily and often with no time lag between the date of the information and the date it is furnished. The Board receives and reviews annually a list of the persons who receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information and the purposes for which it is furnished.
33

Brokerage Transactions And Investment Allocation
When selecting brokers and dealers to handle the purchase and sale of portfolio instruments, the Adviser looks for prompt execution of the order at a favorable price. Fixed-income securities are generally traded in an over-the-counter market on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through dealers acting as principal or in transactions directly with the issuer. Dealers derive an undisclosed amount of compensation by offering securities at a higher price than they bid for them. Some fixed-income securities may have only one primary market maker. The Adviser seeks to use dealers it believes to be actively and effectively trading the security being purchased or sold, but may not always obtain the lowest purchase price or highest sale price with respect to a security. The Adviser makes decisions on portfolio transactions and selects brokers and dealers subject to review by the Fund's Board.
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. When the Fund and one or more of those accounts invests in, or disposes of, the same security, available investments or opportunities for sales will be allocated among the Fund and the account(s) in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable. While the coordination and ability to participate in volume transactions may benefit the Fund, it is possible that this procedure could adversely impact the price paid or received and/or the position obtained or disposed of by the Fund. Investment decisions, and trading, for certain separately managed or wrap-fee accounts, and other accounts, of the Adviser and/or certain investment adviser affiliates of the Adviser are generally made, and conducted, independently from the Fund. It is possible that such independent trading activity could adversely impact the prices paid or received and/or positions obtained or disposed of by the Fund.
Administrator
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, provides administrative personnel and services, including certain legal, compliance, recordkeeping and financial reporting services (“Administrative Services”), necessary for the operation of the Fund. FAS provides Administrative Services for a fee based upon the rates set forth below paid on the average daily net assets of the Fund. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement with FAS. FAS is also entitled to reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing Administrative Services to the Fund.
Administrative Services
Fee Rate
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100 of 1% on assets up to $50 billion
0.075 of 1% on assets over $50 billion
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian for the securities and cash of the Fund.
Transfer Agent And Dividend Disbursing Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Fund's registered transfer agent, maintains all necessary shareholder records.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, Ernst & Young LLP, conducts its audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), which require it to plan and perform its audits to provide reasonable assurance about whether the Fund's financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement.
34

Fees Paid by the Fund for Services
For the Year Ended February 28 or 29 2020 2019 2018
Advisory Fee Earned $893,029 $930,463 $1,127,743
Advisory Fee Waived $364,733 $381,373 $417,851
Advisory Fee Reimbursed $2,269 $1,987 $3,026
Net Administrative Fee $120,598 $124,136 $149,308
12b-1 Fee:      
Class B Shares1 $$$10,648
Class C Shares $82,496 $43,599 $61,291
Net Shareholder Services Fee:      
Class A Shares $71,022 $77,353 $93,607
Class B Shares1 $$$3,549
Class C Shares $27,499 $14,487 $20,430
Class F Shares $256,226 $278,179 $328,069
1 Effective February 2, 2018, Class B shares were converted into Class A Shares.
   
Fees are allocated among classes based on their pro rata share of Fund assets, except for marketing (“Rule 12b-1”) fees and shareholder services fees, which are borne only by the applicable class of Shares.
Securities Lending Activities
The services provided to the Fund by Citibank, N.A. as securities lending agent may include the following: selecting securities previously identified by the Fund as available for loan to be loaned; locating borrowers identified in the securities lending agency agreement; negotiating loan terms; monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral; requiring additional collateral as necessary; marking to market non-cash collateral; instructing the Fund's custodian with respect to the transfer of loaned securities; indemnifying the Fund in the event of a borrower default; and arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.
The Fund did not participate in any securities lending activities during the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year.
Gross income from securities lending activities
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services  
Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split
Fees paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included in the revenue split
Administrative fees not included in revenue split
Indemnification fee not included in revenue split
Rebate (paid to borrower)
Other fees not included in revenue split (specify)
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities
Net income from securities lending activities
Financial Information
35

Addresses
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Class A Shares
Class C Shares
Class F Shares
Institutional Shares
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Distributor
Federated Securities Corp.
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
Investment Adviser
Federated Investment Management Company
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company
1 Iron Street
Boston, MA 02110
Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP
200 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116-5072
36

Appendix
The following is a list of persons, other than the Adviser and its affiliates, that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information concerning the Federated Hermes Complex; however, certain persons below might not receive such information concerning the Fund:
CUSTODIAN(S)
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Securities Lending Agent
Citibank, N.A.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Ernst & Young LLP
LEGAL COUNSEL
Goodwin Procter LLP
K&L Gates LLP
Financial Printer(S)
Donnelley Financial Solutions
Proxy Voting Administrator
Glass Lewis & Co., LLC
SECURITY PRICING SERVICES
Bloomberg L.P.
IHS Markit (Markit North America)
ICE Data Pricing & Reference Data, LLC
JPMorgan PricingDirect
Refinitiv US Holdings Inc.
RATINGS AGENCIES
Fitch, Inc.
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC
Other SERVICE PROVIDERS
Other types of service providers that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information include service providers offering, for example, trade order management systems, portfolio analytics, or performance and accounting systems, such as:
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Bloomberg L.P.
Citibank, N.A.
Eagle Investment Systems LLC
Electra Information Systems
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
FISGlobal
Institutional Shareholder Services
Investortools, Inc.
MSCI ESG Research LLC
Sustainalytics U.S. Inc.
The Yield Book, Inc.
Wolters Kluwer N.V.
37

 

 

Prospectus
April 30, 2020
Share Class | T        

Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.

A mutual fund seeking to provide current income by investing primarily in fixed-income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities.
As with all mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO SHAREHOLDERS
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund's shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Fund or from your financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund or your financial intermediary electronically by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank); other shareholders may call the Fund at 1-800-341-7400, Option 4.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. You can inform the Fund or your financial intermediary that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by contacting your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank); other shareholders may call the Fund at 1-800-341-7400, Option 4. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with the Fund complex or your financial intermediary.

Not FDIC Insured ■ May Lose Value ■ No Bank Guarantee


Fund Summary Information
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc. (the “Fund”)
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income.
RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: FEES AND EXPENSES
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Class T Shares (T) of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
T
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

2.50%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, as applicable)

None
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends (and other Distributions) (as a percentage of offering price)

None
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed, if applicable)

None
Exchange Fee

None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
Management Fee

0.60%
Distribution (12b-1) Fee

None
Other Expenses1

0.66%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.26%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements2

(0.25)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements

1.01%
1 Because the Fund's T Shares are new, “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
2 The Adviser and certain of its affiliates, on their own initiative, have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the T Shares (after voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.00%, (the “Fee Limit”) up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) May 1, 2021; or (b) the date of the Fund's next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Directors.
Example
The following Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that operating expenses are as shown in the table above and remain the same. Although your actual costs and returns may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year $375
3 Years $640
5 Years $924
10 Years $1,735
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 70% of the average value of its portfolio.
1

RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENTS, RISKS and PERFORMANCE
What are the Fund's Main Investment Strategies?
The Fund seeks to provide current income by investing primarily in fixed-income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) of investment-grade quality and seeks to provide returns consistent with investments in the market for U.S. home mortgages. The Fund will invest in MBS that are issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). The Fund may invest in non-agency MBS, which are those not issued or guaranteed by GSEs. The Fund also may invest in U.S. government securities and certain derivative instruments and engage in short sales of U.S. Treasury securities and futures contracts.
The Fund typically seeks to maintain an overall average dollar-weighted portfolio duration that is within one year above or below the duration of the blended index comprised of the Bloomberg Barclays US Government Bond Index, an index composed of U.S. government and government agency securities with maturities of one year or more, and the Bloomberg Barclays US Mortgage Backed Securities Index, an index composed of MBS issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (the “Blended Index”). At times, the Fund's investment adviser's (the “Adviser”) calculation of portfolio duration may result in variances outside this range. Duration is a measure of the price volatility of a fixed-income security as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument's expected fixed interest and principal payments. The Adviser seeks to create a portfolio, consisting of MBS, derivative instruments and other securities, that outperforms the Blended Index.
Based on fundamental analysis, the Adviser will consider a variety of factors when making decisions to purchase or sell particular securities or derivative contracts. The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, and may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest, or to hedge against a potential loss in the underlying asset. There can be no assurance that the Fund's use of derivative instruments will work as intended. Derivative investments made by the Fund are included within the Fund's 80% policy (as described below) and are calculated at market value.
The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in U.S. government investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government investments.
What are the Main Risks of Investing in the Fund?
All mutual funds take investment risks. Therefore, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The primary factors that may reduce the Fund's returns include:
■  MBS Risk. A rise in interest rates may cause the value of MBS held by the Fund to decline. Certain MBS issued by GSEs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. A non-agency MBS is subject to the risk that the value of such security will decline, because the security is not issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government or a GSE. The Fund's investments in collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) may entail greater market, prepayment and liquidity risks than other MBS.
■  Interest Rate Risk. Prices of fixed-income securities generally fall when interest rates rise. The longer the duration of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest rate risk. Recent and potential future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates.
■  Credit Risk. It is possible that borrowers of non-agency MBS in which the Fund invests will fail to pay interest or principal on these securities when due, which would result in the Fund losing money.
■  Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction involving the Fund will fail to meet its obligations. This could cause the Fund to lose money or to lose the benefit of the transaction or prevent the Fund from selling or buying other securities to implement its investment strategy.
■  Prepayment and Extension Risk. When homeowners prepay their mortgages in response to lower interest rates, the Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds at the lower interest rates available. Also, when interest rates fall, the price of mortgage-backed securities may not rise to as great an extent as those of other fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, homeowners are less likely to prepay their mortgages. A decreased rate of prepayments lengthens the expected maturity of a mortgage-backed security, and the price of mortgage-backed securities may decrease more than the price of other fixed income securities when interest rates rise.
■  Risk of Security Downgrades. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that a borrower will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.
■  Liquidity Risk. The non-agency MBS and CMOs in which the Fund invests may be less readily marketable and may be subject to greater fluctuation in price than other securities.
2

■  Leverage Risk. Leverage risk is created when an investment exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund's risk of loss and potential for gain.
■  Risk of Investing in Derivative Instruments. The Fund's exposure to derivative contracts (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the asset, index, rate or instrument underlying a derivative, due to failure of a counterparty, or the failure of the counterparty to meet its obligations under the contract, or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create investment leverage in the Fund, which magnifies the Fund's exposure to the underlying investment. Derivative instruments may be difficult to value, may be illiquid and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying instrument. Over-the-counter derivative contracts generally carry greater liquidity risk than exchange-traded contracts. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment.
■  Asset Segregation Risk. The requirement to secure its obligations in connection with certain transactions, including derivatives or other transactions that expose it to an obligation of another party, by owning underlying assets, entering into offsetting transactions or setting aside cash or liquid assets, may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities, or to realize losses on such offsetting transactions.
■  Short Sale Risk. The Fund may incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the sale and the date on which the Fund repurchases the security. The risk is that the securities price moves in the opposite direction than expected causing the Fund to lose money.
■  Risk Related to the Economy. The value of the Fund's portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets. Economic, political and financial conditions, industry or economic trends and developments or public health risks, such as epidemics or pandemics, may, from time to time, and for varying periods of time, cause the Fund to experience volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions, or other potentially adverse effects. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.
■  Technology Risk. The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective and strategy described in this Prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.
The Shares offered by this Prospectus are not deposits or obligations of any bank, are not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
Performance: Bar Chart and Table
Risk/Return Bar Chart
The bar chart and performance table below reflect historical performance data for the Fund. The Fund's Class T Shares (“T class”) has not yet commenced operations. The Fund currently offers three other classes of shares: Class A Shares (“A class”), Class C Shares and Class F Shares.
The T class performance information shown below is for the Fund's A class and has not been adjusted since the T class is expected to have the same net expense ratio as the A class.
The bar chart and performance table below are intended to help you analyze the Fund's investment risks in light of its historical returns. The bar chart shows the variability of the Fund's T class total returns on a calendar year-by-year basis. The Average Annual Total Return Table shows returns averaged over the stated periods, and includes comparative performance information. The Fund's performance will fluctuate, and past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future
3

results. Updated performance information for the Fund is available under the “Products” section at FederatedInvestors.com or by calling 1-800-341-7400.
  
The total returns shown in the bar chart do not reflect the payment of any sales charges or recurring shareholder account fees. If these charges or fees had been included, the returns shown would have been lower.
The Fund's T class total return for the three-month reporting period from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020, was 4.31%.
Within the periods shown in the bar chart, the Fund's T class highest quarterly return was 3.07% (quarter ended September 30, 2011). Its lowest quarterly return was (2.65)% (quarter ended December 31, 2016).
Average Annual Total Return Table
The Fund's T class has not yet commenced operations. The T class performance information shown below is for the Fund's A class as described above.
In addition to Return Before Taxes, Returns After Taxes is shown for the Fund's T class to illustrate the effect of federal taxes on Fund returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on each investor's personal tax situation, and are likely to differ from those shown. After-tax returns are calculated using a standard set of assumptions. The stated returns assume the highest historical federal income and capital gains tax rates. These after-tax returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable state and local taxes. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors holding shares through a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account or other tax-advantaged investment plans.
(For the Period Ended December 31, 2019)
Share Class 1 Year 5 Years 10 Years
T:      
Return Before Taxes 0.99% 0.88% 1.99%
Return After Taxes on Distributions 0.08% (0.04)% 1.01%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 0.58% 0.25% 1.11%
ICE BofAML Current 5-Year US Treasury Index1
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
5.91% 2.00% 2.84%
Blended Index2
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
6.55% 2.50% 3.11%
Lipper General U.S. Government Funds Average3 6.30% 1.89% 2.82%
1 ICE BofAML 5-Year US Treasury Index is a one-security index comprised of the most recently issued 5-year U.S. Treasury note. The index is rebalanced monthly. In order to qualify for inclusion, a 5-year note must be auctioned on or before the third business day before the last business day of the month.
2 The Blended Index is a blended index comprised of 60% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index. The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index tracks agency mortgage-backed pass-through securities (both fixed-rate and hybrid ARM) guaranteed by Ginnie Mae (GNMA), Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FHLMC). The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index is a market value weighted index of U.S. government and government agency securities (other than mortgage securities) with maturities of one year or more.
3 Lipper figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the mutual funds designated by Lipper, Inc. as falling into their respective categories indicated. They do not reflect sales charges.
FUND MANAGEMENT
The Fund's Investment Adviser is Federated Investment Management Company.
Todd A. Abraham, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since February of 2003.
Liam O'Connell, CFA, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since April of 2017.
4

purchase and sale of fund shares
You may purchase or redeem Shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open. Shares may not be exchanged for shares of another Federated Hermes fund. Shares may be purchased through a financial intermediary firm that has entered into a Fund selling and/or servicing agreement with the Distributor or an affiliate (“Financial Intermediary”) or directly from the Fund, by wire or by check. Please note that certain purchase restrictions may apply. Redeem Shares through a financial intermediary or directly from the Fund by telephone at 1-800-341-7400 or by mail.
The minimum investment amount for the Fund's T class is generally $1,500 for initial investments and $100 for subsequent investments. The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Accounts are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount for employer-sponsored retirement plans. Certain types of accounts are eligible for lower minimum investments. The minimum investment for Systematic Investment Programs is $50.
Tax Information
The Fund's distributions are taxable as ordinary income or capital gains except when your investment is through a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account or other tax-advantaged investment plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
What are the Fund's Investment Strategies?
The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income. While there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, it endeavors to do so by following the principal strategies and policies described in this Prospectus. The Fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides information about the Fund's non-principal strategies.
The Fund seeks to provide current income by investing primarily in fixed-income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) of investment-grade quality and seeks to provide returns consistent with investments in the market for U.S. home mortgages. A security is considered investment-grade quality if it is either: (i) rated within the four highest ratings categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (an NRSRO); or (ii) if unrated, considered by the Fund's investment adviser (the “Adviser”) to be of investment-grade quality. The Fund will invest in MBS that are issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). The Fund may invest in non-agency MBS, which are those not issued or guaranteed by GSEs. The Fund also may invest in U.S. government securities and certain derivative instruments and engage in short sales of U.S. Treasury securities and futures contracts.
The Fund typically seeks to maintain an overall average dollar-weighted portfolio duration that is within one year above or below the duration of a blended index comprised of the Bloomberg Barclays US Government Bond Index, an index composed of U.S. government and government agency securities with maturities of one year or more, and the Bloomberg Barclays US Mortgage Backed Securities Index, an index composed of MBS issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (the “Blended Index”). At times, the Adviser's calculation of portfolio duration may result in variances outside this range. Duration is a measure of the price volatility of a fixed-income security as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument's expected fixed interest and principal payments. For example, if interest rates rise by 1% (in a parallel shift) the NAV of a fund with an average duration of five years theoretically would decline about 5.0%. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations.
The Adviser seeks to create a portfolio, consisting of MBS, derivative instruments and other securities that outperforms the Blended Index. In implementing the Fund's investment strategy, the Adviser typically will take into consideration: (i) overall levels of interest rates; (ii) volatility of interest rates; (iii) relative interest rates of securities with longer and shorter durations (known as a “yield curve”); and (iv) relative interest rates of different types of securities (such as U.S. government securities and MBS).
5

Based on fundamental analysis, the Adviser will consider a variety of factors when making decisions to purchase or sell particular securities or derivative contracts, including: the securities' specific interest rate and prepayment risks, and price sensitivity to changes in market spread levels and in the level of interest rate volatility. In analyzing MBS, the Adviser also may consider the average interest rates of the underlying loans, the prior and expected prepayments, any ratings issued by NRSROs, and any guarantee of the security or underlying loans by a GSE or non-agency issuer. Other than in accordance with the Fund's 80% policy (as described below), the Fund does not limit the amount of its portfolio that may be invested in non-agency MBS.
The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, and may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest, or to hedge against a potential loss in the underlying asset. The Fund may use futures contracts, options, options on futures (including those relating to interest rates) and swaps as tools in the management of portfolio assets, or other elements of its investment strategy. There can be no assurance that the Fund's use of derivative instruments will work as intended. Derivative investments made by the Fund are included within the Fund's 80% policy (as described below) and are calculated at market value.
The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in U.S. government investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government investments.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund actively trades its portfolio securities in an attempt to achieve its investment objective. Active trading will cause the Fund to have an increased portfolio turnover rate and increase the Fund's trading costs, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. An active trading strategy will likely result in the Fund generating more short-term capital gains or losses. Short-term gains are generally taxed at a higher rate than long-term gains. Any short-term losses are used first to offset short-term gains.
TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS
The Fund may temporarily depart from its principal investment strategies by investing its assets in shorter-term debt securities and similar obligations, or by holding cash. It may do this in response to unusual circumstances, such as: adverse market, economic or other conditions (for example, to help avoid potential losses, or during periods when there is a shortage of appropriate securities); to maintain liquidity to meet shareholder redemptions; or to accommodate cash inflows. It is possible that such investments could affect the Fund's investment returns and/or the ability to achieve the Fund's investment objective.
What are the Fund's Principal Investments?
The following provides general information on the Fund's principal investments. The Fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI) provides information about the Fund's non-principal investments and may provide additional information about the Fund's principal investments.
Fixed-Income Securities
The Fund may invest in the fixed-income securities described below. The Fund's fixed-income investments may include bonds, notes (including structured notes), mortgage-related securities, asset-backed securities and money market instruments. Fixed-income securities may be issued by: U.S. corporations or entities; U.S. banks; and the U.S. government, its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or GSEs. These securities may have all types of interest rate payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate and zero coupon.
Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
An MBS is a type of pass-through security, which is a pooled debt obligation repackaged as interests that pass principal and interest through an intermediary to investors. In the case of MBS, the ownership interest is issued by a trust and represents participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities (“agency MBS”), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers (“non-agency MBS”). Unlike conventional debt obligations, MBS provide monthly payments derived from the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans. Most MBS make these payments monthly; however, certain MBS are backed by mortgage loans which do not generate monthly payments but rather generate payments less frequently.
6

The mortgage loan collateral for non-agency MBS consists of residential mortgage loans that do not conform to GSEs underwriting guidelines. Non-agency MBS generally offer a higher yield than agency MBS because there are no direct or indirect government guarantees of payment.
The non-agency and agency MBS acquired by the Fund could be secured by fixed-rate mortgages, adjustable rate mortgages or hybrid adjustable rate mortgages. Adjustable rate mortgages are mortgages whose interest rates are periodically reset when market rates change. A hybrid adjustable rate mortgage (“hybrid ARM”) is a type of mortgage in which the interest rate is fixed for a specified period and then resets periodically, or floats, for the remaining mortgage term. Hybrid ARMs are usually referred to by their fixed and floating periods. For example, a “5/1 ARM” refers to a mortgage with a five-year fixed interest rate period, followed by 25 annual interest rate adjustment periods.
The Fund also may invest in collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). The two types of CMOs are: (1) MBS that are collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities; and (2) multi-class, pass-through securities, which are interests in a trust composed of mortgage loans or other MBS. CMOs may be issued by U.S. governmental or government-related enterprises, or by private entities. CMOs are issued in multiple classes, often referred to as “tranches,” with each tranche having a specific fixed or floating coupon rate, and stated maturity or final distribution date. CMOs are subject to the uncertainty of the timing of cash flows that results from the rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgages serving as collateral and from the structure of the particular CMO transaction (that is, the priority of the individual tranches). An increase or decrease in prepayment rates (resulting from a decrease or increase in mortgage interest rates) may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier or later than their stated maturities or final distribution dates, and will affect the yields and prices of CMOs.
Mortgage dollar rolls are transactions in which the Fund sells MBS for delivery in the current month with a simultaneous contract entered to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) securities on a specified future date and price (a “mortgage roll”). During the roll period, the Fund foregoes principal and interest paid on the MBS. Mortgage dollar-roll transactions may be used to seek to increase the Fund's income. The Fund uses repurchase agreements and short-term, fixed-income securities to secure its obligations in these transactions.
Investments in MBS expose the Fund to MBS, interest rate, prepayment and credit risks.
Asset-Backed Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
Asset-backed securities are securities issued by trusts and special purpose entities that are backed by pools of assets, such as automobile loans and credit-card receivables, and which pass through the payments on the underlying obligations to the security holders (less servicing fees paid to the servicer or fees for any credit enhancement). Typically, the originator of the loan or accounts receivable transfers it to a specially created trust, which repackages it as an issuance of securities with a minimum denomination and a specific term. The securities then are privately placed or publicly offered. Issuers of asset-backed securities may have limited ability to enforce the security interest in the underlying assets, and credit enhancements (if any) may be inadequate in the event of default. Asset-backed securities may take the form of commercial paper, notes or pass-through certificates. Asset-backed securities have prepayment risks, interest rate risks, credit risks, and in certain instances, liquidity risks.
U.S. Government Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
U.S. government securities include U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their yields, maturities and times of issuance, and obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities (“agency obligations”). Agency obligations may be guaranteed by the U.S. government or they may be backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the obligations, or the credit of the agency or instrumentality. As a result of their high credit quality and market liquidity, U.S. government securities generally provide lower current yields than obligations of other issuers. While certain U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association) may be chartered or sponsored by acts of Congress, their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or any other segment of the U.S. government.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (A Type of Mortgage-Backed Security)
Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) represent interests in mortgage loans on commercial real estate, such as loans for hotels, shopping centers, office buildings and apartment buildings. Generally, the interest and principal payments on these loans are passed on to investors in CMBS according to a schedule of payments. The Fund may invest in individual CMBS issues or, alternately, may gain exposure to the overall CMBS market by investing in a derivative contract, the performance of which is related to changes in the value of a domestic CMBS index. The risks associated with CMBS reflect the risks of investing in the commercial real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans and are therefore different from the risks of other types of MBS. Additionally, CMBS expose the Fund to interest rate, liquidity and credit risks.
7

Repurchase Agreements
Repurchase agreements are transactions in which the Fund buys a security from a dealer or bank and agrees to sell the security back at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. The repurchase price exceeds the sale price, reflecting the Fund's return on the transaction. This return is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying security. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with banks and other recognized financial institutions, such as securities dealers, deemed creditworthy by the Adviser.
The Fund's custodian or subcustodian will take possession of the securities subject to repurchase agreements. The Adviser or subcustodian will monitor the value of the underlying security each day to ensure that the value of the security always equals or exceeds the repurchase price.
Repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. The Fund invests in overnight repurchase agreements in order to maintain sufficient cash to pay for daily net redemptions and portfolio transactions. The Fund uses repurchase agreements to secure its obligations in connection with dollar roll transactions.
Derivative INSTRUMENTS
The Fund may enter into derivatives transactions with respect to any security or other instrument in which it is permitted to invest, or any related security, instrument, index or economic indicator (“reference instruments”). Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from the underlying reference instrument. Derivatives may allow the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Fund incurs costs in connection with opening and closing derivatives positions.
The Fund may engage in transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of an asset at a specified future date at a specified price. Futures contracts involve substantial leverage risk. The Fund also is authorized to purchase or sell call and put options on futures contracts. The Fund can buy or sell financial futures (such as interest rate futures, index futures and security futures). The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are imperfect correlation, liquidity, unanticipated market movement and counterparty risk although counterparty risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a clearing house or central counterparty. The Fund also may enter into other derivative transactions with substantially similar characteristics and risks or over-the-counter derivatives such as interest rate swaps, caps and floors and options or other instruments. Payment obligations arising in connection with derivative contracts are frequently required to be secured with margin (which is commonly called “collateral”).
The market for swaps and other OTC derivatives was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of federal legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Regulations enacted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC) under the Dodd-Frank Act require the Fund to clear certain swap contracts through a clearing house or central counterparty (a CCP).
To clear a swap through the CCP, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearing house member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a financial institution other than the FCM and arrange for the contract to be transferred to the FCM for clearing or enter into the contract with the FCM itself. If the Fund must centrally clear a transaction, the CFTC's regulations also generally require that the swap be executed on registered exchange or through a market facility that is known as a “swap execution facility” or SEF. Central clearing is presently required only for certain swaps, the CFTC is expected to impose a mandatory central clearing requirement for additional derivative instruments over time.
The CCP, SEF and FCM are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, most derivative market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. Similar regulatory requirements are expected to apply to derivative contracts that are subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC, although the SEC has not yet finalized its regulations. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps will be subject to regulatory collateral requirements that could adversely affect the Fund's ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments could cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time.
Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund.
8

OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES
Investment Ratings for Investment-Grade Securities
The Adviser will determine whether a security is investment grade based upon the credit ratings given by one or more NRSROs. For example, Standard & Poor's, an NRSRO, assigns ratings to investment-grade securities (AAA, AA, A and BBB including modifiers, sub-categories and gradations) based on their assessment of the likelihood of the issuer's inability to pay interest or principal (default) when due on each security. Lower credit ratings correspond to higher credit risk. If a security has not received a rating, the Fund must rely entirely upon the Adviser's credit assessment that the security is comparable to investment grade. The presence of a ratings modifier, sub-category, or gradation (for example, a (+) or (-)) is intended to show relative standing within the major rating categories and does not affect the security credit rating for purposes of the Fund's investment parameters. If a security is downgraded below the minimum quality grade discussed above, the Adviser will reevaluate the security, but will not be required to sell it.
What are the Specific Risks of Investing in the Fund?
The following provides general information on the risks associated with the Fund's principal investments. Any additional risks associated with the Fund's non-principal investments are described in the Fund's SAI. The Fund's SAI also may provide additional information about the risks associated with the Fund's principal investments.
MBS RISK
MBS have unique risks. A rise in interest rates may cause the value of MBS held by the Fund to decline. The mortgage loans underlying MBS generally are subject to a greater rate of principal prepayments in a declining interest rate environment and to a lesser rate of principal prepayments in an increasing interest rate environment. If the underlying mortgages are paid off sooner than expected, the Fund may have to reinvest this money in mortgage-backed or other securities that have lower yields. Hybrid ARMs also involve special risks. Like ARMs, hybrid ARMs have periodic and lifetime limitations on the increases that can be made to the interest rates that mortgagors pay. Therefore, if during a floating rate period, interest rates rise above the interest rate limits of the hybrid ARM, the Fund will not benefit from further increases in interest rates. See “Prepayment and Extension Risk” and “Interest Rate Risk.” CMOs with complex or highly variable prepayment terms generally entail greater market, prepayment and liquidity risks than other MBS. For example, their prices are more volatile and their trading market may be more limited.
MBS are subject to the risk that payments will not be made when due. Payments on MBS are primarily derived from the interest and principal payments of the underlying mortgages. Some MBS also have guarantees or other structural features that provide additional support for interest and principal payments on the MBS if payments on the underlying mortgages are not made. MBS are subject to the risks that the underlying mortgage borrowers fail to make timely payments of interest and principal and that any guarantee or other structural feature, if present, is insufficient to enable the timely payment of interest and principal on the MBS. The structure of certain CMO interests held by the Fund may cause the Fund to be paid interest and/or principal on its investment only after holders of other interests in that particular CMO have received the full repayment of principal or interest on their investments. See Credit Risks. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by GSEs, but also may be issued or guaranteed by private entities, which generally entail greater risk. Certain MBS issued by GSEs are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, but are, however, supported through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits. The Fund also may invest in certain MBS issued by GSEs that have no explicit financial support, and are supported only by the credit of the applicable GSEs (in addition to the underlying mortgages and related debt service payments). The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other GSEs in the future. Although certain MBS are guaranteed as to timely payment of interest and principal by a GSE, the market price for such securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. See “Credit Risk.”
INTEREST RATE RISK
Prices of fixed-income securities rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates. Generally, when interest rates rise, prices of fixed-income securities fall. However, market factors, such as the demand for particular fixed-income securities, may cause the price of certain fixed-income securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged.
The longer the duration of a fixed-income security, the more susceptible it is to interest rate risk. The duration of a fixed-income security may be equal to or shorter than the stated maturity of a fixed-income security. Recent and potential future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates. Duration measures the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security given a change in interest rates. For example, if a fixed-income security has an effective duration of three years, a 1% increase in general interest rates would be expected to cause the security's value to decline about 3% while a 1% decrease in general interest rates would be expected to cause the security's value to increase about 3%.
9

CREDIT RISK
Fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled principal and interest. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may reduce the capacity of the party obligated to make principal and interest payments on such instruments when due, which may lead to defaults on such payments. Such non-payments and defaults may reduce the value of Fund shares and income distributions. Many fixed-income securities receive credit ratings from NRSROs that assign ratings to securities by assessing the likelihood of an issuer and/or guarantor default. Noninvestment-grade securities generally have a higher default risk than investment-grade securities. Higher credit ratings correspond to lower perceived credit risk and lower credit ratings correspond to higher perceived credit risk. Credit ratings may be upgraded or downgraded from time to time as an NRSRO's assessment of the financial condition of a party obligated to make payments with respect to such securities and credit risk changes. The impact of any credit rating downgrade can be uncertain. Credit rating downgrades may lead to increased interest rates and volatility in financial markets, which in turn could negatively affect the value of the Fund's portfolio holdings, its share price and its investment performance. Credit ratings are not a guarantee of quality. Credit ratings may lag behind the current financial conditions of the issuer and/or guarantor and do not provide assurance against default or other loss of money. Credit ratings do not protect against a decline in the value of a security.
Counterparty Risk
Counterparty risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction involving the Fund will fail to meet its obligations. This could cause the Fund to lose money or to lose the benefit of the transaction or prevent the Fund from selling or buying other securities to implement its investment strategy.
PREPAYMENT and extension RISK
Unlike traditional fixed-income securities, which pay a fixed rate of interest until maturity (when the entire principal amount is due), payments on MBS include both interest and a partial payment of principal. Partial payment of principal may be comprised of scheduled principal payments, as well as unscheduled payments from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing or foreclosure of the underlying loans. These unscheduled prepayments of principal create risks that can adversely affect the Fund's MBS holdings.
The mortgage loans underlying MBS are generally subject to a greater rate of principal prepayments in a declining interest rate environment and to a lesser rate of principal prepayments in a rising interest rate environment. Under certain interest and prepayment rate scenarios, the Fund may fail to recover the full amount of its investment in MBS, notwithstanding any direct or indirect governmental or agency guarantee. Because faster-than-expected prepayments typically are invested in lower yielding securities, MBS are less effective than conventional bonds in “locking in” a specified yield rate. For premium bonds, prepayment risk may be elevated. In a rising interest rate environment, a declining prepayment rate will extend the average life of many MBS. This possibility is often referred to as extension risk. Extending the average life of an MBS increases the risk of depreciation due to future increases in market interest rates.
RISK OF SECURITY DOWNGRADES
An investment-grade security held by the Fund may be downgraded to below investment grade after the Fund has acquired the security. In the event that the credit rating of a security held by the Fund is downgraded, the credit quality deteriorates after purchase or the security defaults, the Fund will not be obligated to dispose of that security and may continue to hold the security if, in the opinion of the Adviser, such investment is appropriate in the circumstances, although it may choose to do so in the sole discretion of the Adviser. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that a borrower will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.
LIQUIDITY RISK
The secondary market for some securities held by the Fund is less liquid than for more widely traded, fixed-income securities. In certain situations, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities at desirable times and/or prices. Liquidity risk also refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be able to sell a security or close out a derivative contract when it wants to. If this happens, the Fund will be required to continue to hold the security or keep the position open, and the Fund could incur losses.
LEVERAGE RISK
Leverage risk is created when an investment, which includes, for example, an investment in a derivative contract, exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund's risk of loss and potential for gain. Investments can have these same results if their returns are based on a multiple of a specified index, security or other benchmark.
10

RISK OF INVESTING IN DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
The Fund's exposure to derivative contracts (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. First, changes in the value of the derivative contracts in which the Fund invests may not be correlated with changes in the value of the underlying Reference Instruments or, if they are correlated, may move in the opposite direction than originally anticipated. Second, while some strategies involving derivatives may reduce the risk of loss, they may also reduce potential gains or, in some cases, result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in portfolio holdings. Third, there is a risk that derivative contracts may be erroneously priced or improperly valued and, as a result, the Fund may need to make increased cash payments to the counterparty. Fourth, exposure to derivative contracts may have tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders. For example, derivative contracts may cause the Fund to realize increased ordinary income or short-term capital gains (which are treated as ordinary income for Federal income tax purposes) and, as a result, may increase taxable distributions to shareholders. In addition, under certain circumstances certain derivative contracts may cause the Fund to: (a) incur an excise tax on a portion of the income related to those contracts and instruments; and/or (b) reclassify, as a return of capital, some or all of the distributions previously made to shareholders during the fiscal year as dividend income. Fifth, a common provision in OTC derivative contracts permits the counterparty to terminate any such contract between it and the Fund, if the value of the Fund's total net assets declines below a specified level over a given time period. Factors that may contribute to such a decline (which usually must be substantial) include significant shareholder redemptions and/or a marked decrease in the market value of the Fund's investments. Any such termination of the Fund's OTC derivative contracts may adversely affect the Fund (for example, by increasing losses and/or costs, and/or preventing the Fund from fully implementing its investment strategies). Sixth, the Fund may use a derivative contract to benefit from a decline in the value of a Reference Instrument. If the value of the Reference Instrument declines during the term of the contract, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any payments the Fund is required to pay under the terms of the contract). Any such strategy involves risk. There is no assurance that the Reference Instrument will decline in value during the term of the contract and make a profit for the Fund. The Reference Instrument may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. Seventh, a default or failure by a CCP or an FCM (also sometimes called a “futures broker”), or the failure of a contract to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the FCM for clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the Fund from entering or exiting derivative positions, accessing margin, or fully implementing its investment strategies. The central clearing of a derivative and trading of a contract over a SEF could reduce the liquidity in, or increase costs of entering into or holding, any contracts. Finally, derivative contracts may also involve other risks described herein or in the Fund's prospectus, such as interest rate, credit, liquidity and leverage risks.
Asset Segregation RISK
In order to secure its obligations in connection with derivative contracts or other transactions that expose it to an obligation of another party, the Fund will either own the underlying assets, enter into offsetting transactions or set aside cash or readily marketable securities in each case, as provided by the SEC or SEC staff guidance. This requirement may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities, due to a lack of sufficient cash or readily marketable securities. This requirement also may cause the Fund to realize losses on offsetting or terminated derivative contracts.
SHORT SALE RISK
The Fund may incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the sale and the date on which the Fund repurchases the security. The risk is that the securities price moves in the opposite direction than expected causing the Fund to lose money.
Risk Related to the Economy
The value of the Fund's portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets based on negative developments in the U.S. and global economies. Economic, political, and financial conditions may, from time to time, cause volatility, illiquidity or other potentially adverse effects in the financial markets, including the fixed income market. The commencement, continuation or ending of government policies and economic stimulus programs, changes in monetary policy, increases or decreases in interest rates, or other factors or events that affect the financial markets, including the fixed income markets, may contribute to the development of or increase in volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions and other factors, which could negatively impact the Fund's performance. For example, the value of certain portfolio securities may rise or fall in response to changes in interest rates, which could result from a change in government policies, and has the potential to cause investors to move out of certain portfolio securities, including fixed-income securities, on a large scale. This may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of
11

certain securities and may result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets. Market factors, such as the demand for particular portfolio securities, may cause the price of certain portfolio securities to fall while the prices of other securities rise or remain unchanged. Among other investments, lower-grade bonds may be particularly sensitive to changes in the economy.
Epidemic and Pandemic Risk
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in December 2019 and subsequently spread internationally. This coronavirus has resulted in closing borders, enhanced health screenings, healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and customer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus may be short-term or may last for an extended period of time and result in a substantial economic downturn. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including fund service providers) and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund's performance.
technology Risk
The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective and strategy described in this Prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.
What Do Shares Cost?
CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
When the Fund receives your transaction request in proper form (as described in this Prospectus under the sections entitled “How to Purchase Shares” and “How to Redeem Shares”), it is processed at the next calculated net asset value of a Share (NAV) plus any applicable front-end sales charge (“public offering price”). A Share's NAV is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share's class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The Fund's current NAV and/or public offering price may be found at FederatedInvestors.com, via online news sources and in certain newspapers.
You can purchase or redeem Shares any day the NYSE is open.
When the Fund holds fixed-income securities that trade on days the NYSE is closed, the value of the Fund's assets may change on days you cannot purchase or redeem Shares.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:
■  Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board of Directors (“Board”).
■  Derivative contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement or closing price, except that options are valued at the mean of closing bid and asked quotations.
■  Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Fund's valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures generally described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.
Shares of other mutual funds are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
12

Fair Valuation
The Board has ultimate responsibility for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Board has appointed a Valuation Committee comprised of officers of the Fund, the Adviser and certain of the Adviser's affiliated companies to assist in determining fair value and in overseeing the calculation of the NAV. The Board has also authorized the use of pricing services recommended by the Valuation Committee to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board. The Board periodically reviews and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures. The Fund's SAI discusses the methods used by pricing services and the Valuation Committee to assist the Board in valuing investments.
Using fair value to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment's most recent closing price and from the prices used by other mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represent a good faith determination of such investment's fair value. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.
SALES CHARGE INFORMATION
The following table summarizes the minimum investment amount and the maximum sales charge that you will pay on an investment in the Fund. Keep in mind that financial intermediaries may charge you fees for their services in connection with your Share transactions.
  Minimum
Initial/Subsequent
Investment
Amounts1
Maximum Sales Charges
Shares Offered Front-End
Sales Charge2
Contingent
Deferred
Sales Charge
T $1,500/$100 2.50% None
1 The minimum initial and subsequent investment amounts for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are generally $250 and $100, respectively. There is no minimum initial or subsequent investment amount required for employer-sponsored retirement plans; however, such accounts remain subject to the Fund's policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus. Please see “By Systematic Investment Program” for applicable minimum investment. Financial intermediaries may impose higher or lower minimum investment requirements on their customers than those imposed by the Fund.
2 Front-End Sales Charge is expressed as a percentage of public offering price. See “Sales Charge When You Purchase.”
SALES CHARGE WHEN YOU PURCHASE
The following table lists the sales charges which will be applied to your Share purchase, subject to the breakpoint discounts indicated in the table and described below.
T:
Purchase Amount Sales Charge
as a Percentage
of Public
Offering Price
Sales Charge
as a Percentage
of NAV
Less than $250,000 2.50% 2.56%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 2.00% 2.04%
$500,000 but less than $1 million 1.50% 1.52%
$1 million or greater 1.00% 1.01%
REDUCING THE SALES CHARGE WITH BREAKPOINT DISCOUNTS
Your purchase transaction may qualify for a reduction of the sales charge, also known as a breakpoint discount. The breakpoint discounts offered by the Fund are indicated in the table above. You or your financial intermediary must notify the Fund's Transfer Agent of eligibility for any applicable breakpoint discount at the time of purchase. Share class availability depends upon your financial intermediary's policies and procedures. Consult with your financial intermediary for more information.
Rights of Accumulation and Letter of Intent privileges are not available for you to reduce the front-end sales charge you pay on Class T Shares. The applicable front-end sales charge applies to each individual transaction in the Fund.
13

Waiver of the Class T Sales Charge
No sales charge is imposed on Class T Shares of the Fund if the shares were purchased with the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions.
No sales charge is imposed on Class T Shares if the shares are issued in connection with the merger, consolidation or acquisition of the assets of another fund.
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge
Redemptions of Class T Shares are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge.
How is the Fund Sold?
The Fund has established the following Share classes: Class A Shares (A), Class C Shares (C), Class F Shares (F), Institutional Shares (IS) and Class T Shares (T) each representing interests in a single portfolio of securities. This Prospectus relates only to the T class. All Share classes have different sales charges and other expenses which affect their performance. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 for more information concerning another class. Share class availability depends upon your financial intermediary's policies and procedures. Consult with your financial intermediary for more information.
Under the Distributor's Contract with the Fund, the Distributor, Federated Securities Corp., offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis. The Distributor is a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.).
The Fund's Distributor markets the T class to customers of financial institutions or to individuals, directly or through financial intermediaries.
Intra-Fund Share Conversion Program
A shareholder in the Fund's Shares may convert their Shares at net asset value to any other share class of the Fund if the shareholder meets the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for the share class into which the conversion is sought, as applicable. The share conversion program is not applicable to the Fund's Class A Shares, Class C Shares and Class F Shares subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable. For Class C Shares purchased through a financial intermediary after June 30, 2017, such shares may only be converted to another share class of the same Fund if: (i) the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC or the financial intermediary agrees to reimburse the Fund's distributor the CDSC otherwise payable upon the sale of such shares; (ii) the shareholder meets the investment minimum and eligibility requirements for the share class into which the conversion is sought, as applicable; and (iii) (a) the conversion is made to facilitate the shareholder's participation in a self-directed brokerage (non-advice) account or a fee-based advisory program offered by the intermediary; or (b) the conversion is part of a multiple-client transaction through a particular financial intermediary as pre-approved by the Fund's Administrator. Such conversion of classes should not result in a realization event for tax purposes. Contact your financial intermediary or call 1-800-341-7400 to convert your Shares.
Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Fund and its affiliated service providers may pay fees as described below to financial intermediaries (such as broker-dealers, banks, investment advisers or third-party administrators) whose customers are shareholders of the Fund.
The services provided (and the fees and sales charges received) by financial intermediaries may vary.
14

FRONT-END SALES CHARGE REALLOWANCES
The Distributor receives a front-end sales charge on Share sales. The Distributor pays all of this charge to financial intermediaries that are eligible to receive it (the “Dealer Reallowance”) and retains any remaining portion of the front-end sales charge.
When a financial intermediary's customer purchases Shares, the financial intermediary will receive a Dealer Reallowance as follows:
T:  
Purchase Amount Dealer Reallowance
as a Percentage of
Public Offering Price
Less than $250,000 2.50%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 2.00%
$500,000 but less than $1 million 1.50%
$1 million or greater 1.00%
service fees
The Fund may pay Service Fees of up to 0.25% of average net assets to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Intermediaries that receive Service Fees may include a company affiliated with management of Federated Hermes. If a financial intermediary receives Service Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Account Administration Fees on that same account.
ACCOUNT ADMINISTRATION FEES
The Fund may pay Account Administration Fees of up to 0.25% of average net assets to banks that are not registered as broker-dealers or investment advisers for providing administrative services to the Fund and its shareholders. If a financial intermediary receives Account Administration Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Service Fees or Recordkeeping Fees on that same account.
RECORDKEEPING FEES
The Fund may pay Recordkeeping Fees on an average-net-assets basis or on a per-account-per-year basis to financial intermediaries for providing recordkeeping services to the Fund and its shareholders. If a financial intermediary receives Recordkeeping Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Account Administration Fees or Networking Fees on that same account.
networking fees
The Fund may reimburse Networking Fees on a per-account-per-year basis to financial intermediaries for providing administrative services to the Fund and its shareholders on certain non-omnibus accounts. If a financial intermediary receives Networking Fees on an account, it is not eligible to also receive Recordkeeping Fees on that same account.
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators, that support the sale of Shares or provide services to Fund shareholders. The amounts of these payments could be significant, and may create an incentive for the financial intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend or sell Shares of the Fund to you. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments, and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. In some cases, such payments may be made by or funded from the resources of companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). These payments are not reflected in the fees and expenses listed in the fee table section of the Fund's Prospectus and described above because they are not paid by the Fund.
These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund's and/or other Federated Hermes funds' relationship with the financial intermediary. These payments may be in addition to payments, as described above, made by the Fund to the financial intermediary. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other
15

Federated Hermes funds, within the financial intermediary's organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary's organization. You can ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Fund and any services provided, as well as about fees and/or commissions it charges.
How to Purchase Shares
You may purchase Shares of the Fund any day the NYSE is open. Shares will be purchased at the NAV next calculated after your investment is received by the Fund, or its agent, in proper form. The Fund reserves the right to reject any request to purchase Shares. New investors must submit a completed New Account Form. All accounts, including those for which there is no minimum initial investment amount required, are subject to the Fund's policy on “Accounts with Low Balances” as discussed later in this Prospectus.
Where the Fund offers more than one Share class and you do not specify the class choice on your New Account Form or form of payment (e.g., Federal Reserve wire or check), you automatically will receive the A class.
For important account information, see the section “Security and Privacy Protection.”
You may purchase Shares through a financial intermediary or directly from the Fund.
THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY
■  Establish an account with the financial intermediary; and
■  Submit your purchase order to the financial intermediary before the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time).
The Fund has authorized certain intermediaries to accept Share purchase orders on its behalf. When authorized intermediaries receive an order in proper form, the order is considered as being placed with the Fund, and Shares will be bought at the NAV next calculated after such an order is received by the authorized intermediary. If your financial intermediary is not an authorized intermediary, the Fund or its agent must receive the purchase order in proper form from your financial intermediary by the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) in order for your transaction to be priced at that day's NAV. In addition, your financial intermediary must forward your payment by the prescribed trade settlement date (typically within one to three business days) to the Fund's transfer agent, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“Transfer Agent”). You will become the owner of Shares and receive dividends when your payment is received in accordance with these time frames (provided that, if payment is received in the form of a check, the check clears). If your payment is not received in accordance with these time frames, or a check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you could be liable for any losses, fees or expenses incurred by the Fund or the Fund's Transfer Agent.
Financial intermediaries should send payments according to the instructions in the sections “By Wire” or “By Check.”
Financial intermediaries may impose higher or lower minimum investment requirements on their customers than those imposed by the Fund. Keep in mind that financial intermediaries may charge you fees for their services in connection with your Share transactions.
Shareholders are encouraged to ask their financial intermediary if they are an authorized agent for the Fund and about any fees that may be charged by the financial intermediary.
DIRECTLY FROM THE FUND
■  Establish your account with the Fund by submitting a completed New Account Form; and
■  Send your payment to the Fund by Federal Reserve wire or check.
You will become the owner of Shares and your Shares will be priced at the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives your wire or your check. If your check does not clear, your purchase will be canceled and you could be liable for any losses or fees incurred by the Fund or the Fund's Transfer Agent.
16

By Wire
To facilitate processing your order, please call the Fund before sending the wire. Send your wire to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Boston, MA
Dollar Amount of Wire
ABA Number 011000028
BNF: 23026552
Attention: Federated EDGEWIRE
Wire Order Number, Dealer Number or Group Number
Nominee/Institution Name
Fund Name and Number and Account Number
You cannot purchase Shares by wire on holidays when wire transfers are restricted.
By Check
Make your check payable to The Federated Funds, note your account number on the check, and send it to:
The Federated Funds
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
If you send your check by a private courier or overnight delivery service that requires a street address, send it to:
The Federated Funds
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
Payment should be made in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase request. For example, to protect against check fraud the Fund may reject any purchase request involving a check that is not made payable to The Federated Funds (including, but not limited to, requests to purchase Shares using third-party checks) or involving temporary checks or credit card checks.
By Direct Deposit
You may establish Payroll Deduction/Direct Deposit arrangements for investments into the Fund by either calling a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400; or by completing the Payroll Deduction/Direct Deposit Form, which is available on FederatedInvestors.com under “Resources” and then “Literature and Forms,” then “Forms.” You will receive a confirmation when this service is available.
By Online Account Services
You may access your accounts online to purchase shares through Federated Hermes' Shareholder Account Access system once you have registered for access. This is only available for accounts held directly with the Fund. Online transactions may be subject to certain limitations including limitations as to the amount of the transaction. For more information about the services available through Shareholder Account Access, please visit FederatedInvestors.com and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call (800) 245-4770 to speak with a Client Service Representative.
BY SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PROGRAM (SIP)
Once you have opened an account, you may automatically purchase additional Shares on a regular basis by completing the SIP section of the New Account Form or by contacting the Fund or your financial intermediary. The minimum investment amount for SIPs is $50.
BY AUTOMATED CLEARING HOUSE (ACH)
Once you have opened an account, you may purchase additional Shares through a depository institution that is an ACH member. This purchase option can be established by completing the appropriate sections of the New Account Form.
RETIREMENT INVESTMENTS
You may purchase Shares as retirement investments (such as qualified plans and IRAs or transfer or rollover of assets). Call your financial intermediary or the Fund for information on retirement investments. We suggest that you discuss retirement investments with your tax adviser. You may be subject to an account fee charged by your financial intermediary.
17

How to Redeem Shares
You should redeem Shares:
■  through a financial intermediary if you purchased Shares through a financial intermediary; or
■  directly from the Fund if you purchased Shares directly from the Fund.
Shares of the Fund may be redeemed for cash as described herein, on days on which the Fund computes its NAV. Redemption requests may be made by telephone or in writing.
Redemption proceeds normally are wired or mailed within one business day for each method of payment after receiving a timely request in proper form. Depending upon the method of payment, when shareholders receive redemption proceeds can differ. Payment may be delayed for up to seven days under certain circumstances (see “Limitations on Redemption Proceeds”).
For important account information, see the section “Security and Privacy Protection.”
THROUGH A FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY
Submit your redemption request to your financial intermediary by the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). The redemption amount you will receive is based upon the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives the order from your financial intermediary.
DIRECTLY FROM THE FUND
By Telephone
You may redeem Shares by simply calling the Fund at 1-800-341-7400.
If you call before the end of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), you will receive a redemption amount based on that day's NAV.
By Mail
You may redeem Shares by sending a written request to the Fund.
You will receive a redemption amount based on the next calculated NAV after the Fund receives your written request in proper form.
Send requests by mail to:
The Federated Funds
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
Send requests by private courier or overnight delivery service to:
The Federated Funds
430 W 7th Street
Suite 219318
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
All requests must include:
■  Fund name and Share class, account number and account registration;
■  amount to be redeemed; and
■  signatures of all shareholders exactly as registered.
  Call your financial intermediary or the Fund if you need special instructions.
Signature Guarantees
Signatures must be guaranteed by a financial institution which is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program if:
■  your redemption will be sent to an address other than the address of record;
■  your redemption will be sent to an address of record that was changed within the last 30 days;
■  a redemption is payable to someone other than the shareholder(s) of record; or
■  transferring into another fund with a different shareholder registration.
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect your account from fraud. Obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from a bank or trust company, savings association, credit union or broker, dealer or securities exchange member. A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee.
18

By Online Account Services
You may access your accounts online to redeem shares through Federated Hermes' Shareholder Account Access system once you have registered for access. This is only available for accounts held directly with the Fund. Online transactions may be subject to certain limitations including limitations as to the amount of the transaction. For more information about the services available through Shareholder Account Access, please visit FederatedInvestors.com and select “Sign In” and “Access and Manage Investments,” or call (800) 245-4770 to speak with a Client Service Representative.
PAYMENT METHODS FOR REDEMPTIONS
Your redemption proceeds will be mailed by check to your address of record. The following payment options are available if you complete the appropriate section of the New Account Form or an Account Service Options Form. These payment options require a signature guarantee if they were not established when the account was opened:
■  An electronic transfer to your account at a financial institution that is an ACH member; or
■  Wire payment to your account at a domestic commercial bank that is a Federal Reserve System member.
Methods the Fund May Use to Meet Redemption Requests
The Fund intends to pay Share redemptions in cash. To ensure that the Fund has cash to meet Share redemptions on any day, the Fund typically expects to hold a cash or cash equivalent reserve or sell portfolio securities if consistent with management of the Fund.
In unusual or stressed circumstances, the Fund may generate cash in the following ways:
■  Inter-fund Borrowing and Lending. The SEC has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes (“Federated Hermes funds”) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Inter-fund borrowing and lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less.
■  Committed Line of Credit. The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a joint basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to finance temporarily the repurchase or redemption of shares of the funds, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding.
■  Redemption in Kind. Although the Fund intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right to pay the redemption proceeds in whole or in part by an “in-kind” distribution of the Fund's portfolio securities. Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period. Redemptions in-kind are made consistent with the procedures adopted by the Fund's Board, which generally include distributions of a pro rata share of the Fund's portfolio assets. Redemption in kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. If redemption is made in kind, securities received may be subject to market risk and the shareholder could incur taxable gains and brokerage or other changes in converting the securities to cash.
LIMITATIONS ON REDEMPTION PROCEEDS
Redemption proceeds normally are wired or mailed within one business day after receiving a request in proper form. Payment may be delayed for up to seven days:
■  to allow your purchase to clear (as discussed below);
■  during periods of market volatility;
■  when a shareholder's trade activity or amount adversely impacts the Fund's ability to manage its assets; or
■  during any period when the Federal Reserve wire or applicable Federal Reserve banks are closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings.
If you request a redemption of Shares recently purchased by check (including a cashier's check or certified check), money order, bank draft or ACH, your redemption proceeds may not be made available for up to seven calendar days to allow the Fund to collect payment on the instrument used to purchase such Shares. If the purchase instrument does not clear, your purchase order will be canceled and you will be responsible for any losses incurred by the Fund as a result of your canceled order.
In addition, the right of redemption may be suspended, or the payment of proceeds may be delayed (including beyond seven days), during any period:
■  when the NYSE is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings;
■  when trading on the NYSE is restricted, as determined by the SEC;
19

■  in which an emergency exists, as determined by the SEC, so that disposal of the Fund's investments or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or
■  as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of Fund shareholders.
You will not accrue interest or dividends on uncashed redemption checks from the Fund when checks are undeliverable and returned to the Fund.
redemptions from retirement accounts
In the absence of your specific instructions, 10% of the value of your redemption from a retirement account in the Fund may be withheld for taxes. This withholding only applies to certain types of retirement accounts.
Systematic Withdrawal Program
You may automatically redeem Shares. The minimum amount for all new or revised systematic redemptions of Shares is $50 per transaction per fund. Complete the appropriate section of the New Account Form or an Account Service Options Form or contact your financial intermediary or the Fund. Your account value must meet the minimum initial investment amount at the time the program is established. This program may reduce, and eventually deplete, your account. Payments should not be considered yield or income.
Generally, it is not advisable to continue to purchase Shares subject to a sales charge while redeeming Shares using this program.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS
Telephone Transactions
The Fund will record your telephone instructions. If the Fund does not follow reasonable procedures, it may be liable for losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone instructions.
Share Certificates
The Fund no longer issues share certificates. If you are redeeming or exchanging Shares represented by certificates previously issued by the Fund, you must return the certificates with your written redemption or exchange request. For your protection, send your certificates by registered or certified mail, but do not endorse them.
Security and Privacy Protection
ONLINE ACCOUNT and TELEPHONE ACCESS SECURITY
Federated Hermes will not be responsible for losses that result from unauthorized transactions, unless Federated Hermes does not follow procedures designed to verify your identity. When initiating a transaction by telephone or online, shareholders should be aware that any person with access to your account and other personal information including PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) may be able to submit instructions by telephone or online. Shareholders are responsible for protecting their identity by using strong usernames and complex passwords which utilize combinations of mixed case letters, numbers and symbols, and change passwords and PINs frequently.
Using FederatedInvestors.com's Account Access website means you are consenting to sending and receiving personal financial information over the Internet, so you should be sure you are comfortable with the risks. You will be required to accept the terms of an online agreement and to establish and utilize a password in order to access online account services. The Transfer Agent has adopted security procedures to confirm that internet instructions are genuine. The Transfer Agent will also send you written confirmation of share transactions. The Transfer Agent, the Fund and any of its affiliates will not be liable for losses or expenses that occur from fraudulent Internet instructions reasonably believed to be genuine.
The Transfer Agent or the Fund will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that telephone transaction requests are genuine, which may include recording calls, asking the caller to provide certain personal identification information, sending you written confirmation, or requiring other confirmation security procedures. The Transfer Agent, the Fund and any of its affiliates will not be liable for relying on instructions submitted by telephone that the Fund reasonably believes to be genuine.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each new customer who opens a Fund account and to determine whether such person's name appears on governmental lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations. Pursuant to the requirements under the USA PATRIOT Act, the information obtained will be used for compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act or other applicable laws, regulations and rules in connection with money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
20

Information required includes your name, residential or business address, date of birth (for an individual), and other information that identifies you, including your social security number, tax identification number or other identifying number. The Fund cannot waive these requirements. The Fund is required by law to reject your Account Application if the required information is not provided. If, after reasonable effort, the Fund is unable to verify your identity or that of any other person(s) authorized to act on your behalf, or believes it has identified potentially suspicious, fraudulent or criminal activity, the Fund reserves the right to close your account and redeem your shares at the next calculated NAV without your permission. Any applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) will be assessed upon redemption of your shares.
The Fund has a strict policy designed to protect the privacy of your personal information. A copy of Federated Hermes' privacy policy notice was given to you at the time you opened your account. The Fund sends a copy of the privacy notice to you annually. You may also obtain the privacy notice by calling the Fund, or through FederatedInvestors.com.
Account and Share Information
CONFIRMATIONS AND ACCOUNT STATEMENTS
You will receive confirmation of purchases and redemptions (except for systematic transactions). In addition, you will receive periodic statements reporting all account activity, including systematic transactions, dividends and capital gains paid.
DIVIDENDS AND CAPITAL GAINS
The Fund declares and pays any dividends monthly to shareholders. Dividends are paid to all shareholders invested in the Fund on the record date. The record date is the date on which a shareholder must officially own Shares in order to earn a dividend.
In addition, the Fund pays any capital gains at least annually and may make such special distributions of dividends and capital gains as may be necessary to meet applicable regulatory requirements. Your dividends and capital gains distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional Shares without a sales charge, unless you elect cash payments.
If you purchase Shares just before the record date for a dividend or capital gain distribution, you will pay the full price for the Shares and then receive a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution, whether or not you reinvest the distribution in Shares. Therefore, you should consider the tax implications of purchasing Shares shortly before the record date for a dividend or capital gain. Contact your financial intermediary or the Fund for information concerning when dividends and capital gains will be paid.
Under the federal securities laws, the Fund is required to provide a notice to shareholders regarding the source of distributions made by the Fund if such distributions are from sources other than ordinary investment income. In addition, important information regarding the Fund's distributions, if applicable, is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation.
Small Distributions and Uncashed Checks
Generally, dividend and/or capital gain distributions payable by check in an amount of less than $25 will be automatically reinvested in additional shares. This policy does not apply if you have elected to receive cash distributions that are directly deposited into your bank account via wire or ACH.
Additionally, if one or more dividend or capital gain distribution checks are returned as “undeliverable,” or remain uncashed for 180 days, all subsequent dividend and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in additional shares. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distribution checks. For questions on whether reinvestment applies to your distributions, please contact a Client Service Representative at 1-800-341-7400.
Certain states, including the state of Texas, have laws that allow shareholders to designate a representative to receive abandoned or unclaimed property (“escheatment”) notifications by completing and submitting a designation form that generally can be found on the official state website. If a shareholder resides in an applicable state, and elects to designate a representative to receive escheatment notifications, escheatment notices generally will be delivered as required by such state laws, including, as applicable, to both the shareholder and the designated representative. A completed designation form may be mailed to the Fund (if Shares are held directly with the Fund) or to the shareholder's financial intermediary (if Shares are not held directly with the Fund). Shareholders should refer to relevant state law for the shareholder's specific rights and responsibilities under his or her state's escheatment law(s), which can generally be found on a state's official website.
ACCOUNTS WITH LOW BALANCES
Federated Hermes reserves the right to close accounts if redemptions cause the account balance to fall below:
■  $1,500 for the T class (or in the case of IRAs, $250).
Before an account is closed, you will be notified and allowed at least 30 days to purchase additional Shares to meet the minimum.
21

TAX INFORMATION
The Fund sends an IRS Form 1099 and an annual statement of your account activity to assist you in completing your federal, state and local tax returns. Fund distributions of dividends and capital gains are taxable to you whether paid in cash or reinvested in the Fund. Dividends are taxable at different rates depending on the source of dividend income. Distributions of net short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares.
Fund distributions are expected to be both dividends and capital gains. Redemptions are taxable sales. Please consult your tax adviser regarding your federal, state and local tax liability.
FREQUENT TRADING POLICIES
Special Notice Regarding the Fund's T Shares and Frequent Trading
With respect to the Frequent Trading Policies described below, the Fund's T Shares are not eligible for exchanges and therefore references to exchanges below should be disregarded with respect to the Fund's T Shares.
Given the liquid nature of the Fund's investments and the low transaction costs associated with these investments, the Fund does not anticipate that in the normal case frequent or short-term trading into and out of the Fund will have significant adverse consequences for the Fund and its shareholders. For this reason, the Fund's Board has not adopted policies or procedures to monitor or discourage frequent or short-term trading of the Fund's Shares. Regardless of their frequency or short-term nature, purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares can have adverse effects on the management of the Fund's portfolio and its performance.
Other funds in the Federated Hermes family of funds may impose monitoring policies. Under normal market conditions such monitoring policies are designed to protect the funds being monitored and their shareholders and the operation of such policies and shareholder investments under such monitoring are not expected to have materially adverse impact on the Federated Hermes funds or their shareholders. If you plan to exchange your fund shares for shares of another Federated Hermes fund, please read the prospectus of that other Federated Hermes fund for more information.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
Information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter is posted on the website 30 days (or the next business day) after the end of the quarter and remains posted for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include identification of the Fund's top 10 issuer exposures and percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by effective maturity range and type of security.
You may also access portfolio information as of the end of the Fund's fiscal quarters via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com. The Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Shareholder Reports contain complete listings of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund's second and fourth fiscal quarters. Fiscal quarter information is made available on the website within 70 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. This information is also available in reports filed with the SEC at the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund's holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC's website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com.
In addition, from time to time (for example, during periods of unusual market conditions), additional information regarding the Fund's portfolio holdings and/or composition may be posted to FederatedInvestors.com. If and when such information is posted, its availability will be noted on, and the information will be accessible from, the home page of the website.
Who Manages the Fund?
The Board governs the Fund. The Board selects and oversees the Adviser, Federated Investment Management Company. The Adviser manages the Fund's assets, including buying and selling portfolio securities. Federated Advisory Services Company (FASC), an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund. The address of the Adviser and FASC is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779.
22

The Adviser and other subsidiaries of Federated Hermes advise approximately 135 equity, fixed-income and money market mutual funds as well as a variety of other pooled investment vehicles, private investment companies and customized separately managed accounts (including non-U.S./offshore funds) which totaled approximately $575.9 billion in assets as of December 31, 2019. Federated Hermes was established in 1955 as Federated Investors, Inc. and is one of the largest investment managers in the United States with nearly 1,900 employees. Federated Hermes provides investment products to approximately 11,500 investment professionals and institutions.
The Adviser advises approximately 75 fixed-income and money market mutual funds (including sub-advised funds) and private investment companies, which totaled approximately $344.3 billion in assets as of December 31, 2019.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
Todd A. Abraham
Todd A. Abraham, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since February of 2003.
Mr. Abraham is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of the Government/Mortgage-backed Fixed Income Group. He is responsible for the day to day management of the Fund focusing on asset allocation, interest rate strategy and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 1993; has worked in investment management since 1993; has managed investment portfolios since 1995. Education: B.S., Indiana University of Pennsylvania; M.B.A., Loyola College.
Liam O'Connell
Liam O'Connell, CFA, has been the Fund's portfolio manager since April of 2017.
Mr. O'Connell is responsible for providing research and advice on sector allocation and security selection. He has been with the Adviser or an affiliate since 2003; has worked in investment management since 2003; has managed investment portfolios since 2005. Education: B.S., Webb Institute of Naval Architecture; M.S, Johns Hopkins University; M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Manager's compensation, management of other accounts and ownership of securities in the Fund.
ADVISORY FEES
The Fund's investment advisory contract provides for payment to the Adviser of an annual investment advisory fee of 0.60% of the Fund's average daily net assets. The Adviser may voluntarily waive a portion of its fee or reimburse the Fund for certain operating expenses. The Adviser and its affiliates have also agreed to certain “Fee Limits” as described in the footnote to the “Risk/Return Summary: Fees and Expenses” table found in the “Fund Summary” section of the Prospectus.
A discussion of the Board's review of the Fund's investment advisory contract is available in the Fund's annual and semi-annual shareholder reports for the periods ended February 28 and August 31, respectively.
Financial Information
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Financial Highlights will help you understand the Fund's financial performance for its past five fiscal years. Some of the information is presented on a per Share basis. Total returns represent the rate an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of any dividends and capital gains.
The Class T Shares have not yet commenced operation.
The Financial Highlights information presented in this Prospectus is for the Fund's A class and is for illustrative purposes only. Please note that the T class is expected to have a lower net expense ratio than the A class, as the T class does not include a Rule 12b-1 distribution fee and therefore the financial performance of the two share classes may differ accordingly.
This information has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund's audited financial statements, is included in the Annual Report.
23

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
Year Ended February 28 or 29 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period $8.59 $8.57 $8.79 $9.00 $9.06
Income From Investment Operations:          
Net investment income 0.191 0.191 0.161 0.181 0.191
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) 0.53 0.02 (0.20) (0.20) (0.05)
TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 0.72 0.21 (0.04) (0.02) 0.14
Less Distributions:          
Distributions from net investment income (0.19) (0.19) (0.18) (0.19) (0.20)
Net Asset Value, End of Period $9.12 $8.59 $8.57 $8.79 $9.00
Total Return2 8.50% 2.50% (0.53)% (0.26)% 1.60%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:          
Net expenses 1.00% 1.01% 1.00% 1.00% 0.99%
Net investment income 2.18% 2.21% 1.81% 1.99% 2.11%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3 0.25% 0.26% 0.23% 0.19% 0.19%
Supplemental Data:          
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) $40,936 $28,764 $37,591 $39,867 $42,284
Portfolio turnover 71% 70% 28% 36% 36%
Portfolio turnover (excluding purchases and sales from dollar-roll transactions) 59% 70% 28% 31% 30%
1 Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2 Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3 This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios shown above.
Further information about the Fund's performance is contained in the Fund's Annual Report, dated February 29, 2020, which can be obtained free of charge.
24

Appendix A: Hypothetical Investment and Expense Information
The following chart provides additional hypothetical information about the effect of the Fund's expenses, including investment advisory fees and other Fund costs, on the Fund's assumed returns over a 10-year period. The chart shows the estimated expenses that would be incurred in respect of a hypothetical investment of $10,000, assuming a 5% return each year, and no redemption of Shares. The chart also assumes that the Fund's annual expense ratio stays the same throughout the 10-year period and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. The annual expense ratio used in the chart is the same as stated in the “Fees and Expenses” table of this Prospectus (and thus may not reflect any fee waiver or expense reimbursement currently in effect). The maximum amount of any sales charge that might be imposed on the purchase of Shares (and deducted from the hypothetical initial investment of $10,000; the “Front-End Sales Charge”) is reflected in the “Hypothetical Expenses” column. The hypothetical investment information does not reflect the effect of charges (if any) normally applicable to redemptions of Shares (e.g., deferred sales charges, redemption fees). Mutual fund returns, as well as fees and expenses, may fluctuate over time, and your actual investment returns and total expenses may be higher or lower than those shown below.
FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC. - T CLASS
ANNUAL EXPENSE RATIO: 1.26%
MAXIMUM FRONT-END SALES CHARGE: 2.50%
Year Hypothetical
Beginning
Investment
Hypothetical
Performance
Earnings
Investment
After
Returns
Hypothetical
Expenses
Hypothetical
Ending
Investment
1 $10,000.00 $487.50 $10,237.50 $375.15 $10,114.65
2 $10,114.65 $505.73 $10,620.38 $129.83 $10,492.94
3 $10,492.94 $524.65 $11,017.59 $134.68 $10,885.38
4 $10,885.38 $544.27 $11,429.65 $139.72 $11,292.49
5 $11,292.49 $564.62 $11,857.11 $144.95 $11,714.83
6 $11,714.83 $585.74 $12,300.57 $150.37 $12,152.96
7 $12,152.96 $607.65 $12,760.61 $155.99 $12,607.48
8 $12,607.48 $630.37 $13,237.85 $161.82 $13,079.00
9 $13,079.00 $653.95 $13,732.95 $167.88 $13,568.15
10 $13,568.15 $678.41 $14,246.56 $174.16 $14,075.60
Cumulative   $5,782.89   $1,734.55  
25

An SAI dated April 30, 2020, is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Additional information about the Fund and its investments is contained in the Fund's SAI and Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders as they become available. The Annual Report's Management's Discussion of Fund Performance discusses market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year. The SAI contains a description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities. To obtain the SAI, Annual Report, Semi-Annual Report and other information without charge, and to make inquiries, call your financial intermediary or the Fund at 1-800-341-7400.
These documents, as well as additional information about the Fund (including portfolio holdings, performance and distributions), are also available on FederatedInvestors.com.
You can obtain information about the Fund (including the SAI) by accessing Fund information from the EDGAR Database on the SEC's website at sec.gov. You can purchase copies of this information by contacting the SEC by email at publicinfo@sec.gov.
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedInvestors.com
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
Investment Company Act File No. 811-3266
CUSIP 313912503
Q453439 (4/20)
© 2020 Federated Hermes, Inc.

 

 

Statement of Additional Information
April 30, 2020
Share Class | T        

Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a Prospectus. Read this SAI in conjunction with the Prospectus for Federated Government Income Securities, Inc. Class T Shares (the “Fund”), dated April 30, 2020.
This SAI incorporates by reference the Fund's Annual Report. Obtain the Prospectus or the Annual Report without charge by calling 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedInvestors.com
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
Q453441 (4/20)
© 2020 Federated Hermes, Inc.

How is the Fund Organized?
The Fund is a diversified open-end, management investment company that was established under the laws of the State of Maryland on February 4, 1986. The Fund's investment adviser is Federated Investment Management Company (the “Adviser”).
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) has established the following classes of shares of the Fund, known as Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Class F Shares, Institutional Shares and Class T Shares (“Shares”). This SAI only relates to the Class T Shares.
Securities in Which the Fund Invests
The principal securities or other investments in which the Fund invests are described in the Fund's Prospectus. The Fund also may invest in securities or other investments as non-principal investments for any purpose that is consistent with its investment objective. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal security or other investment referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal security or other investment (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).
Securities Descriptions And Techniques
Fixed-Income Securities
Fixed-income securities pay interest, dividends or distributions at a specified rate. The rate may be a fixed percentage of the principal or may be adjusted periodically. In addition, the principal amount of the security must be paid normally within a specified time.
A security's yield measures the annual income earned on a security as a percentage of its price. A security's yield will increase or decrease depending upon whether it costs less (a “discount”) or more (a “premium”) than the principal amount. If the issuer may redeem the security before its scheduled maturity, the price and yield on a discount or premium security may change based upon the probability of an early redemption. Securities with higher risks generally have higher yields.
The following describes the types of fixed-income securities, in addition to those listed in the Prospectus, in which the Fund invests.
Mortgage-Backed Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)
An MBS is a type of pass-through security, which is a pooled debt obligation repackaged as interests that pass principal and interest through an intermediary to investors. In the case of MBS, the ownership interest is in a pool of mortgage loans. MBS represent participation interests in pools of adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans. MBS are most commonly issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government (or one of its agencies or instrumentalities), but also may be issued or guaranteed by other private issuers (“non-agency MBS”). Unlike conventional debt obligations, MBS provide monthly payments derived from the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans.
There are two markets for MBS. A specified pool transaction is a trade in which the pool number of the security to be delivered on the settlement date is known at the time the trade is made. This is in contrast with the typical MBS transaction, called a TBA (“To Be Announced”) transaction, in which the type of MBS to be delivered is specified at the time of trade but the actual pool numbers of the securities that will be delivered are not known at the time of the trade. The pool numbers of the pools to be delivered at settlement are announced shortly before settlement takes place. The terms of the TBA trade may be made more specific if desired. Generally, agency pass-through MBS are traded on a TBA basis. The Fund may enter into TBA trades in order to buy or sell MBS on a delayed delivery basis.
Lease-Backed Securities and Rental-Based MBS
Rental-based MBS are mortgage-backed securities where the underlying properties are rental homes. In rental-based MBS the mortgage loan or loans may be different in structure from typical owner occupied single family mortgage as the loans may be secured by more than one property and the mortgage loans may have terms and conditions that are different from a typical owner occupied single family home mortgage. The structure of the MBS themselves may also have characteristics that are different from typical MBS. Lease-backed securities are securities whereby the investor cash flows are generated from lease payments on rental properties.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (A Type of Mortgage-Backed Security)
Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), including interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs), allocate payments and prepayments from an underlying pass-through certificate among holders of different classes of mortgage-backed securities. This creates different prepayment and interest rate risks for each CMO class. The degree of increased or decreased prepayment risks depends upon the structure of the CMOs. However, the actual returns on any type of mortgage-backed security depend upon the performance of the underlying pool of mortgages, which no one can predict and will vary among pools.
1

Sequential CMOs (A Type of CMO)
In a sequential pay CMO, one class of CMOs receives all principal payments and prepayments. The next class of CMOs receives all principal payments after the first class is paid off. This process repeats for each sequential class of CMO. As a result, each class of sequential pay CMOs reduces the prepayment risks of subsequent classes.
PACs, TACs and Companion Classes (Types of CMOs)
More sophisticated CMOs include planned amortization classes (PACs) and targeted amortization classes (TACs). PACs and TACs are issued with companion classes. PACs and TACs receive principal payments and prepayments at a specified rate. The companion classes receive principal payments and prepayments in excess of the specified rate. In addition, PACs will receive the companion classes' share of principal payments, if necessary, to cover a shortfall in the prepayment rate. This helps PACs and TACs to control prepayment risks by increasing the risks to their companion classes.
IOs and POs (Types of CMOs)
CMOs may allocate interest payments to one class (“Interest Only” or IOs) and principal payments to another class (“Principal Only” or POs). POs increase in value when prepayment rates increase. In contrast, IOs decrease in value when prepayments increase, because the underlying mortgages generate less interest payments. However, IOs tend to increase in value when interest rates rise (and prepayments decrease), making IOs a useful hedge against interest rate risks.
Floaters and Inverse Floaters (Types of CMOs)
Another variant allocates interest payments between two classes of CMOs. One class (“Floaters”) receives a share of interest payments based upon a market index such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The other class (“Inverse Floaters”) receives any remaining interest payments from the underlying mortgages. Floater classes receive more interest (and Inverse Floater classes receive correspondingly less interest) as interest rates rise. This shifts prepayment and interest rate risks from the Floater to the Inverse Floater class, reducing the price volatility of the Floater class and increasing the price volatility of the Inverse Floater class.
Z Classes and Residual Classes (Types of CMOs)
CMOs must allocate all payments received from the underlying mortgages to some class. To capture any unallocated payments, CMOs generally have an accrual (Z) class. Z classes do not receive any payments from the underlying mortgages until all other CMO classes have been paid off. Once this happens, holders of Z class CMOs receive all payments and prepayments.
Inflation-Protected Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)
Inflation-protected securities are fixed-income securities whose principal value or interest rate is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls (deflation), the principal value or interest rate of the securities will be adjusted downward and consequently the interest payable on these securities will be reduced. U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, also known as TIPs, are adjusted as to principal; repayment of the original principal upon maturity of the security is guaranteed if the security is purchased when originally issued. With respect to other types of inflation-protected securities that are adjusted to the principal amount, the adjusted principal value of the security repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal. Most other types of inflation-protected securities, however, are adjusted with respect to the interest rate, which has a minimum coupon of 0%, and the principal value does not change.
Government Securities (A Fixed-Income Investment)
Government securities are issued or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality acting under federal authority. Some government securities, including those issued by Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States and are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal.
Other government securities receive support through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. For example, the U.S. Treasury is authorized to purchase specified amounts of securities issued by (or otherwise make funds available to) the Federal Home Loan Bank System, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) in support of such obligations.
Some government agency securities have no explicit financial support, and are supported only by the credit of the applicable agency, instrumentality or corporation. The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other agencies in the future.
Investors regard government securities as having minimal credit risks, but not as low as Treasury securities.
The Fund treats mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality as government securities. Although such a guarantee helps protect against credit risk, it does not eliminate it entirely or reduce other risks.
2

Additional Information Related to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets beginning in 2008 led to market concerns regarding the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 7, 2008, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to: (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator's appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.
In connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the Treasury has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements (SPAs) with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which establish the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The senior preferred stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Although the SPAs are subject to amendment from time to time currently the Treasury is obligated to provide such financial contributions up to an aggregate maximum amount determined by a formula set forth in the SPAs and until such aggregate maximum amount is reached there is not a specific end date to the Treasury's obligations.
The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac's and Fannie Mae's operations and activities under the SPAs, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, downgrades or upgrades in the credit ratings assigned to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) or ratings services, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
In addition, the future of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprises that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (GSEs), remains in question as the U.S. government continues to consider options ranging from structural reform, nationalization, privatization, or consolidation, to outright elimination. The issues that have led to significant U.S. government support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have sparked serious debate regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing mortgage loan liquidity.
Risk Transfer Notes
The Fund may invest in fixed- or floating-rate unsecured general obligations issued from time to time by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or other issuers. These obligations are referred to as “Risk Transfer Notes.” Typically, such Notes are issued at par and have stated final maturities. Often, the Notes are structured so that: (i) interest is paid directly by the issuer; and (ii) principal is paid by the issuer in accordance with the principal payments and default performance of a certain pool of mortgage loans of either single-family or multi-family properties (“Reference Obligations”). The issuer selects the pool of Reference Obligations based on that issuer's eligibility criteria. The performance of the Notes will be directly affected by the performance of the Reference Obligations selected by the issuer. Such Notes are issued in tranches to which are allocated certain principal repayments and credit losses corresponding to the seniority of the particular tranche. Each tranche of Notes will have credit exposure to the Reference Obligations and the yield to maturity will be directly related to the amount and timing of certain defined credit events on the Reference Obligations, any prepayments by borrowers and any removals of a Reference Obligation from the pool.
While the structure of Risk Transfer Notes mimics the cash flows of a mezzanine securitized tranche, the Notes may not be directly linked to the Reference Obligations. Thus, the payment of principal and interest on the Notes is tied to the performance of the pool of Reference Obligations. However, the actual cash flow from the Reference Obligation may not be made available to the holders of the Notes. This is different than in the case of covered notes, where the issuer default would allow investors to have an additional lien on the underlying loans.
Zero-Coupon Securities (A Fixed-Income Security)
Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest or principal until final maturity unlike debt securities that provide periodic payments of interest (referred to as a coupon payment). Investors buy zero-coupon securities at a price below the amount payable at maturity. The difference between the purchase price and the amount paid at maturity represents interest on the zero-coupon security. Investors must wait until maturity to receive interest and principal, which increases the interest rate and credit risks of a zero-coupon security. A zero-coupon, step-up security converts to a coupon security before final maturity.
3

There are many forms of zero-coupon securities. Some are issued at a discount and are referred to as zero-coupon or capital appreciation bonds. Others are created from interest bearing bonds by separating the right to receive the bond's coupon payments from the right to receive the bond's principal due at maturity, a process known as coupon stripping. Treasury STRIPs, IOs and POs are the most common forms of stripped, zero-coupon securities. In addition, some securities give the issuer the option to deliver additional securities in place of cash interest payments, thereby increasing the amount payable at maturity. These are referred to as pay-in-kind, PIK securities or toggle securities.
Derivative Contracts
Derivative contracts are financial instruments that require payments based upon changes in the values of designated securities, commodities, currencies, indices, or other assets or instruments including other derivative contracts, (each a “Reference Instrument” and collectively, “Reference Instruments”). Each party to a derivative contract may sometimes be referred to as a counterparty. Some derivative contracts require payments relating to an actual, future trade involving the Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are frequently referred to as “physically settled” derivatives. Other derivative contracts require payments relating to the income or returns from, or changes in the market value of, a Reference Instrument. These types of derivatives are known as “cash-settled” derivatives, since they require cash payments in lieu of delivery of the Reference Instrument.
Many derivative contracts are traded on securities or commodities exchanges. In this case, the exchange sets all the terms of the contract except for the price. Investors make payments due under their contracts through the exchange. Most exchanges require investors to maintain margin accounts through their brokers to cover their potential obligations to the exchange. Parties to the contract make (or collect) daily payments to the margin accounts to reflect losses (or gains) in the value of their contracts. This protects investors against potential defaults by the other party to the contract. Trading contracts on an exchange also allows investors to close out their contracts by entering into offsetting contracts.
For example, the Fund could close out an open contract to buy an asset at a future date by entering into an offsetting contract to sell the same asset on the same date. If the offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a gain; if it is less, the Fund realizes a loss. Exchanges may limit the amount of open contracts permitted at any one time. Such limits may prevent the Fund from closing out a position. If this happens, the Fund will be required to keep the contract open (even if it is losing money on the contract), and to make any payments required under the contract (even if it has to sell portfolio securities at unfavorable prices to do so). Inability to close out a contract could also harm the Fund by preventing it from disposing of or trading any assets it has been using to secure its obligations under the contract.
The Fund may also trade derivative contracts over-the-counter (OTC) in transactions negotiated directly between the Fund and a financial institution. OTC contracts do not necessarily have standard terms, so they may be less liquid and more difficult to close-out than exchange-traded contracts. In addition, OTC contracts with more specialized terms may be more difficult to value than exchange traded contracts, especially in times of financial stress.
The market for swaps and other OTC derivatives was largely unregulated prior to the enactment of federal legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). Regulations enacted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC) under the Dodd-Frank Act require the Fund to clear certain swap contracts through a clearing house or central counterparty (a CCP).
To clear a swap through the CCP, the Fund will submit the contract to, and post margin with, a futures commission merchant (FCM) that is a clearing house member. The Fund may enter into the swap with a financial institution other than the FCM and arrange for the contract to be transferred to the FCM for clearing or enter into the contract with the FCM itself. If the Fund must centrally clear a transaction, the CFTC's regulations also generally require that the swap be executed on registered exchange or through a market facility that is known as a swap execution facility or SEF. Central clearing is presently required only for certain swaps; the CFTC is expected to impose a mandatory central clearing requirement for additional derivative instruments over time.
The CCP, SEF and FCM are all subject to regulatory oversight by the CFTC. In addition, most derivative market participants are now regulated as swap dealers or major swap participants and are subject to certain minimum capital and margin requirements and business conduct standards. Similar regulatory requirements are expected to apply to derivative contracts that are subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC, although the SEC has not yet finalized its regulations. In addition, uncleared OTC swaps will be subject to regulatory collateral requirements that could adversely affect the Fund's ability to enter into swaps in the OTC market. These developments could cause the Fund to terminate new or existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such instruments at an inopportune time.
Until the mandated rulemaking and regulations are implemented completely, it will not be possible to determine the complete impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations on the Fund.
4

Depending on how the Fund uses derivative contracts and the relationships between the market value of a derivative contract and the Reference Instrument, derivative contracts may increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to the risks of the Reference Instrument, and may also expose the fund to liquidity and leverage risks. OTC contracts also expose the Fund to credit risks in the event that a counterparty defaults on the contract, although this risk may be mitigated by submitting the contract for clearing through a CCP.
The Fund may invest in a derivative contract if it is permitted to own, invest in, or otherwise have economic exposure to the Reference Instrument. The Fund is not required to own a Reference Instrument in order to buy or sell a derivative contract relating to that Reference Instrument. The Fund may trade in the following specific types and/or combinations of derivative contracts:
Futures Contracts (A Type of Derivative)
Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a Reference Instrument at a specified price, date and time. Entering into a contract to buy a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as buying a contract or holding a long position in the asset. Entering into a contract to sell a Reference Instrument is commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short position in the Reference Instrument. Futures contracts are considered to be commodity contracts. The Adviser has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to the Fund and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation with respect to the Fund. Futures contracts traded OTC are frequently referred to as forward contracts. The Fund can buy or sell financial futures (such as index futures and security futures).
Option Contracts (A Type of Derivative)
Option contracts (also called “options”) are rights to buy or sell a Reference Instrument for a specified price (the exercise price) during, or at the end of, a specified period. The seller (or writer) of the option receives a payment, or premium, from the buyer, which the writer keeps regardless of whether the buyer uses (or exercises) the option. Options may be bought or sold on a wide variety of Reference Instruments. Options that are written on futures contracts will be subject to margin requirements similar to those applied to futures contracts.
The Fund may buy and/or sell the following types of options:
Call Options
A call option gives the holder (buyer) the right to buy the Reference Instrument from the seller (writer) of the option. The Fund may use call options in the following ways:
■  Buy call options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of an increase in the value of the Reference Instrument; and
■  Write call options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of a decrease or only limited increase in the value of the Reference Instrument. If the Fund writes a call option on a Reference Instrument that it owns and that call option is exercised, the Fund foregoes any possible profit from an increase in the market price of the Reference Instrument over the exercise price plus the premium received.
Put Options
A put option gives the holder the right to sell the Reference Instrument to the writer of the option. The Fund may use put options in the following ways:
■  Buy put options on a Reference Instrument in anticipation of a decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument; and
■  Write put options on a Reference Instrument to generate income from premiums, and in anticipation of an increase or only limited decrease in the value of the Reference Instrument. In writing puts, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to take delivery of the Reference Instrument when its current market price is lower than the exercise price.
The Fund may also buy or write options, as needed, to close out existing option positions.
Finally, the Fund may enter into combinations of options contracts in an attempt to benefit from changes in the prices of those options contracts (without regard to changes in the value of the Reference Instrument).
5

Swap Contracts (A Type of Derivative)
A swap contract (also known as a “swap”) is a type of derivative contract in which two parties agree to pay each other (swap) the returns derived from Reference Instruments. Most swaps do not involve the delivery of the underlying assets by either party, and the parties might not own the Reference Instruments. The payments are usually made on a net basis so that, on any given day, the Fund would receive (or pay) only the amount by which its payment under the contract is less than (or exceeds) the amount of the other party's payment. Swap agreements are sophisticated instruments that can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names. Common swap agreements that the Fund may use include:
Interest Rate Swaps
Interest rate swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a fixed or floating interest rate times a stated principal amount (commonly referred to as a “notional principal amount”) in return for payments equal to a different fixed or floating rate times the same principal amount, for a specific period. For example, a $10 million London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) swap would require one party to pay the equivalent of the London Interbank Offered Rate of interest (which fluctuates) on $10 million principal amount in exchange for the right to receive the equivalent of a stated fixed rate of interest on $10 million principal amount.
Total Return Swaps
A total return swap is an agreement between two parties whereby one party agrees to make payments of the total return from a Reference Instrument (or a basket of such instruments) during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from another Reference Instrument. Alternately, a total return swap can be structured so that one party will make payments to the other party if the value of a Reference Instrument increases, but receive payments from the other party if the value of that instrument decreases.
Credit Default Swaps
A credit default swap (CDS) is an agreement between two parties whereby one party (the “Protection Buyer”) agrees to make payments over the term of the CDS to the other party (the “Protection Seller”), provided that no designated event of default, restructuring or other credit related event (each a “Credit Event”) occurs with respect to the Reference Instrument that is usually a particular bond, loan or the unsecured credit of an issuer, in general (the “Reference Obligation”). Many CDS are physically settled, which means that if a Credit Event occurs, the Protection Seller must pay the Protection Buyer the full notional value, or “par value,” of the Reference Obligation in exchange for delivery by the Protection Buyer of the Reference Obligation or another similar obligation issued by the issuer of the Reference Obligation (the “Deliverable Obligation”). The Counterparties agree to the characteristics of the Deliverable Obligation at the time that they enter into the CDS. Alternately, a CDS can be “cash settled,” which means that upon the occurrence of a Credit Event, the Protection Buyer will receive a payment from the Protection Seller equal to the difference between the par amount of the Reference Obligation and its market value at the time of the Credit Event. The Fund may be either the Protection Buyer or the Protection Seller in a CDS. If the Fund is a Protection Buyer and no Credit Event occurs, the Fund will lose its entire investment in the CDS (i.e., an amount equal to the payments made to the Protection Seller over the term of the CDS). However, if a Credit Event occurs, the Fund (as Protection Buyer) will deliver the Deliverable Obligation and receive a payment equal to the full notional value of the Reference Obligation, even though the Reference Obligation may have little or no value. If the Fund is the Protection Seller and no Credit Event occurs, the Fund will receive a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the CDS. However, if a Credit Event occurs, the Fund (as Protection Seller) will pay the Protection Buyer the full notional value of the Reference Obligation and receive the Deliverable Obligation from the Protection Buyer. A CDS may involve greater risks than if the Fund invested directly in the Reference Obligation. For example, a CDS may increase credit risk since the Fund has exposure to both the issuer of the Reference Obligation and the Counterparty to the CDS.
Caps and Floors
Caps and Floors are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments only if an interest rate or index goes above (Cap) or below (Floor) a certain level in return for a fee from the other party.
6

OTHER INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, TECHNIQUES
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Reverse repurchase agreements (which are considered a type of special transaction for asset segregation or asset coverage purposes) are repurchase agreements in which the Fund is the seller (rather than the buyer) of the securities, and agrees to repurchase them at an agreed-upon time and price. A reverse repurchase agreement may be viewed as a type of borrowing by the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements create leverage risks because the Fund must repurchase the underlying security at a higher price, regardless of the market value of the security at the time of repurchase.
Hedging
Hedging transactions are intended to reduce specific risks. For example, to protect the Fund against circumstances that would normally cause the Fund's portfolio securities to decline in value, the Fund may buy or sell a derivative contract that would normally increase in value under the same circumstances. The Fund may also attempt to hedge by using combinations of different derivative contracts, or derivative contracts and securities. The Fund's ability to hedge may be limited by the costs of the derivative contracts. The Fund may attempt to lower the cost of hedging by entering into transactions that provide only limited protection, including transactions that: (1) hedge only a portion of its portfolio; (2) use derivative contracts that cover a narrow range of circumstances; or (3) involve the sale of derivative contracts with different terms. Consequently, hedging transactions will not eliminate risk even if they work as intended. In addition, hedging strategies are not always successful, and could result in increased expenses and losses to the Fund.
Securities Lending
The Fund may lend portfolio securities to borrowers that the Adviser deems creditworthy. In return, the Fund receives cash or liquid securities from the borrower as collateral. The borrower must furnish additional collateral if the market value of the loaned securities increases. Also, the borrower must pay the Fund the equivalent of any dividends or interest received on the loaned securities.
The Fund will reinvest cash collateral in securities that qualify as an acceptable investment for the Fund. However, the Fund must pay interest to the borrower for the use of cash collateral. An acceptable investment into which the Fund may reinvest cash collateral includes, among other acceptable investments, securities of affiliated money market funds (including affiliated institutional prime money market funds with a “floating” net asset value that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if net asset value decreases, result in the Fund having to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral).
Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or the borrower. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon. The Fund may pay administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan and may pay a negotiated portion of the interest earned on the cash collateral to a securities lending agent or broker.
Securities lending activities are subject to interest rate risks and counterparty credit risks.
Asset Segregation
In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and SEC staff positions regarding the interpretation of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), with respect to derivatives that create a future payment obligation of the Fund, the Fund must “set aside” (referred to sometimes as “asset segregation”) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, while the derivative contracts are open. For example, with respect to forwards and futures contracts that are not contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund must cover its open positions by setting aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to the contracts' full, notional value. With respect to forwards and futures that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” however, the Fund is permitted to set aside cash or readily marketable securities in an amount equal to the Fund's daily marked-to-market (“net”) obligations, if any (i.e., the Fund's daily net liability, if any), rather than the notional value.
The Fund will employ another approach to segregating assets to cover options that it sells. If the Fund sells a call option, the Fund will set aside either the Reference Instrument subject to the option, cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the current market value of the Reference Instrument. In no event, will the value of the cash or readily marketable securities set aside by the Fund be less than the exercise price of the call option. If the Fund sells a put option, the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the exercise price of the put option.
7

The Fund's asset segregation approach for swap agreements varies among different types of swaps. For example, if the Fund enters into a credit default swap as the Protection Buyer, then it will set aside cash or readily marketable securities necessary to meet any accrued payment obligations under the swap. By comparison, if the Fund enters into a credit default swap as the Protection Seller, then the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to the full notional amount of the swap that must be paid upon the occurrence of a Credit Event. For some other types of swaps, such as interest rate swaps, the Fund will calculate the obligations of the counterparties to the swap on a net basis. Consequently, the Fund's current obligation (or rights) under this type of swap will equal only the net amount to be paid or received based on the relative values of the positions held by each counterparty to the swap (the “net amount”). The net amount currently owed by or to the Fund will be accrued daily and the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to any accrued but unpaid net amount owed by the Fund under the swap.
The Fund may reduce the liquid assets segregated to cover obligations under a derivative contract by entering into an offsetting derivative contract. For example, if the Fund sells a put option for the same Reference Instrument as a call option the Fund has sold, and the exercise price of the call option is the same as or higher than the exercise price of the put option, then the Fund may net its obligations under the options and set aside cash or readily marketable securities (including any margin deposited for the options) with a value equal to the greater of: (a) the current market value of the Reference Instrument deliverable under the call option; or (b) the exercise price of the put option.
By setting aside cash or readily marketable securities equal to only its net obligations under swaps and certain cash-settled derivative contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate cash or readily marketable securities equal to the full notional value of such contracts. The use of leverage involves certain risks. Unless the Fund has other cash or readily marketable securities to set aside, it cannot trade assets set aside in connection with derivative contracts or special transactions without entering into an offsetting derivative contract or terminating a special transaction. This may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities or to realize losses on derivative contracts or special transactions. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions articulated from time to time by the SEC and its staff.
Generally, special transactions do not cash-settle on a net basis. Consequently, with respect to special transactions, the Fund will set aside cash or readily marketable securities with a value that equals or exceeds the Fund's obligations.
Investing in Securities of Other Investment Companies
The Fund may invest its assets in securities of other investment companies, including the securities of affiliated money market funds, as an efficient means of implementing its investment strategies and/or managing its uninvested cash. The Fund may also invest in mortgage-backed securities primarily by investing in another investment company (which is not available for general investment by the public) that owns those securities and that is advised by an affiliate of the Adviser. The Fund may also invest in such securities directly. These other investment companies are managed independently of the Fund and incur additional fees and/or expenses which would, therefore, be borne indirectly by the Fund in connection with any such investment. However, the Adviser believes that the benefits and efficiencies of this approach should outweigh the potential additional fees and/or expenses.
Inter-Fund Borrowing and Third-Party Lending Arrangements
Inter-Fund Borrowing
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds (“Federated Hermes funds”) advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Participation in this inter-fund lending program is voluntary for both borrowing and lending Federated Hermes funds, and an inter-fund loan is only made if it benefits each participating Federated Hermes fund. Federated Hermes administers the program according to procedures approved by the Fund's Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. Any inter-fund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemption, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating Federated Hermes funds.
For example, inter-fund lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less. The Fund's participation in this program must be consistent with its investment policies and limitations, and must meet certain percentage tests. Inter-fund loans may be made only when the rate of interest to be charged is more attractive to the lending Federated Hermes fund than market-competitive rates on overnight repurchase agreements (“Repo Rate”) and more attractive to the borrowing Federated Hermes fund than the rate of interest that would be charged by an unaffiliated bank for short-term borrowings (“Bank Loan Rate”), as determined by the Board. The interest rate imposed on inter-fund loans is the average of the Repo Rate and the Bank Loan Rate.
8

Third-Party Line of Credit
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement. The LOC was made available to finance temporarily the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund's ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the 1940 Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest, on any day, of: (a) (i) the federal funds effective rate; (ii) the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR); and (iii) 0.0%; plus (b) a margin. The LOC also requires the Fund to pay, quarterly in arrears and at maturity, its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders' commitment that has not been utilized. As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, there were no outstanding loans. During the most recently ended fiscal year, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The Fund has adopted and implemented a written liquidity risk management program (LRMP) and related procedures to assess and manage the liquidity risk of the Fund in accordance with Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act and Rule 22e-4 thereunder. The Board has designated the Adviser, together with Federated Hermes, Inc.'s (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) other affiliated registered investment advisory subsidiaries that serve as investment advisers to other Federated Hermes funds, to collectively serve as the administrator of the LRMP and the related procedures (the “Administrator”). Rule 22e-4 defines “liquidity risk” as the risk that the Fund will be unable to meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors' interests in the Fund. As a part of the LRMP, the Administrator is responsible for classifying the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio investments in accordance with Rule 22e-4. As part of the LRMP, the Administrator is also responsible for assessing, managing and periodically reviewing the Fund's liquidity risk, for making periodic reports to the Board and the SEC regarding the liquidity of the Fund's investments, and for notifying the Board and the SEC of certain liquidity events specified in Rule 22e-4. The liquidity of the Fund's portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the LRMP.
Investment Risks
There are many risk factors which may affect an investment in the Fund. The Fund's principal risks are described in its Prospectus. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal risk factor referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal risk factor applicable to the Fund (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).
Risk of Investing in Certain MBS
MBS backed by participations in reverse mortgages may carry risk different from and in addition to risk of other MBS. A reverse mortgage is a home loan in which a lender makes a loan to a homeowner based on the equity in the home. To qualify for a reverse mortgage loan, a homeowner must be older than a certain specified age. Unlike a traditional mortgage, there are no scheduled payments of principal or interest. Repayment does not occur until, in most cases, the borrower ceases to own the home (including, as a result of the borrower's death) or to use it as a primary residence. Accordingly, the timing of payments made on these loans (and, by extension, MBS backed by such loans) is uncertain and may occur sooner or later than anticipated. The rate of principal and total amount of interest payments on any reverse mortgage is based on many factors, including relevant interest rates and borrower mortality, that may in turn affect the value of the pools of such mortgages. Due to the nature of reverse mortgages, they may react differently from traditional mortgages to economic, geographic and other factors. There is a limited amount of historical data regarding the performance of reverse MBS pools.
Risk Transfer Notes Risk
Risk Transfer Notes may be issued by GSEs and non-GSEs. Non-GSEs are private issuers such as banks or other financial institutions the Notes of which are not issued, guaranteed or supported by the government. The risks associated with an investment in Risk Transfer Notes will be different than the risks associated with an investment in MBS. The Notes are the corporate obligations of the issuer and are often not secured by the Reference Obligation, the mortgaged properties or the borrowers' payments under the Reference Obligations. Holders of the Notes are general creditors of the issuer and will be subject to the risk that the issuer will be unable to meet its obligation to pay the principal and interest of the Notes in accordance with their terms of issuance. Such risks may be increased where the Reference Obligations of the Note are multi-family properties, which may include low-income housing. The Notes may be considered high risk and complex securities.
9

Event-Linked Bonds and other Insurance-Linked Securities Risk
The return of principal and the payment of interest on “event-linked” bonds and other insurance-linked securities are contingent on the non-occurrence of a pre-defined “trigger” event, such as an event that leads to physical or economic loss. If a trigger event, as defined within the terms of an event-linked bond, involves losses or other metrics exceeding a specific magnitude in the geographic region and time period specified, the fund may lose a portion or all of its accrued interest and/or principal invested in the event-linked bond. In addition to the specified trigger events, event-linked bonds may expose the fund to other risks, including but not limited to issuer (credit) default, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations and adverse tax consequences. Certain insurance-linked securities may have limited liquidity, or may be illiquid. The fund has limited transparency into the individual contracts underlying certain insurance-linked securities, which may make the risk assessment and valuation of such securities more difficult.
Risk of Lease-Backed Securities and Rental-Based MBS
The market for lease-backed securities and rental-based MBS is new and there may be variation in how the securities are collateralized. By way of nonlimiting example, some structures may afford a bondholder with indirect, limited or even no rights to the underlying real estate. Further, different classes of a particular issue may receive different credit ratings than other classes of the same issue depending upon the level of collateral or distribution of collateral in a default scenario. Several factors may adversely affect the performance of an investment in these lease-backed securities and rental-based MBS. First, the renters of the pooled properties underlying the securities generally sign monthly or yearly leases, increasing the likelihood of the renters canceling their leases. As a result, renters have the opportunity to not renew their leases, which would result in decreased payments being made into the pooled structure. Second, renters may also have low incentive for paying their rent on time. Finally, there is risk related to the ability of large institutional investors to manage rental homes where there are potentially greater maintenance costs given the lack of construction uniformity.
Risk of Inflation-Protected Securities
The value of inflation-protected securities is subject to the effects of changes in market interest rates caused by factors other than inflation (“real interest rates”). If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, the Fund's investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the security's inflation measure. Generally, when real interest rates rise, the value of inflation-protected securities will fall and the Fund's value may decline as a result of this exposure to these securities. The greatest risk occurs when interest rates rise and inflation declines.
Risk of Investing in Derivative Contracts
The Fund's exposure to derivative contracts (either directly or through its investment in another investment company) involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. First, changes in the value of the derivative contracts in which the Fund invests may not be correlated with changes in the value of the underlying Reference Instruments or, if they are correlated, may move in the opposite direction than originally anticipated. Second, while some strategies involving derivatives may reduce the risk of loss, they may also reduce potential gains or, in some cases, result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in portfolio holdings. Third, there is a risk that derivative contracts may be erroneously priced or improperly valued and, as a result, the Fund may need to make increased cash payments to the counterparty. Fourth, exposure to derivative contracts may have tax consequences to the Fund and its shareholders. For example, derivative contracts may cause the Fund to realize increased ordinary income or short-term capital gains (which are treated as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes) and, as a result, may increase taxable distributions to shareholders. In addition, under certain circumstances certain derivative contracts may cause the Fund to: (a) incur an excise tax on a portion of the income related to those contracts and instruments; and/or (b) reclassify, as a return of capital, some or all of the distributions previously made to shareholders during the fiscal year as dividend income. Fifth, a common provision in OTC derivative contracts permits the counterparty to terminate any such contract between it and the Fund, if the value of the Fund's total net assets declines below a specified level over a given time period. Factors that may contribute to such a decline (which usually must be substantial) include significant shareholder redemptions and/or a marked decrease in the market value of the Fund's investments. Any such termination of the Fund's OTC derivative contracts may adversely affect the Fund (for example, by increasing losses and/or costs and/or preventing the Fund from fully implementing its investment strategies). Sixth, the Fund may use a derivative contract to benefit from a decline in the value of a Reference Instrument. If the value of the Reference Instrument declines during the term of the contract, the Fund makes a profit on the difference (less any payments the Fund is required to pay under the terms of the contract). Any strategy involves risk. There is no assurance that the Reference Instrument will decline in value during the term of the contract and make a profit for the Fund. The Reference Instrument may instead appreciate in value creating a loss for the Fund. Seventh, a default or failure by a CCP or an FCM (also sometimes called a “futures broker”), or the failure of a contract to be transferred from an Executing Dealer to the FCM for clearing, may expose the Fund to losses, increase its costs, or prevent the
10

Fund from entering or exiting derivative positions, accessing margin or fully implementing its investment strategies. The central clearing of a derivative and trading of a contract over a SEF could reduce the liquidity in, or increase costs of entering into or holding, any contracts. Finally, derivative contracts may also involve other risks described herein or in the Fund's Prospectus, such as interest rate, credit, liquidity and leverage risks.
Risk Associated with the Investment Activities of Other Accounts
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Therefore, it is possible that investment-related actions taken by such other accounts could adversely impact the Fund with respect to, for example, the value of Fund portfolio holdings, and/or prices paid to or received by the Fund on its portfolio transactions, and/or the Fund's ability to obtain or dispose of portfolio securities. Related considerations are discussed elsewhere in this SAI under “Brokerage Transactions and Investment Allocation.”
LIBOR Risk
Certain derivatives or debt securities, or other financial instruments in which the Fund may invest, as well as the Fund's committed, revolving line of credit agreement, utilize or may utilize in the future the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as the reference or benchmark rate for interest rate calculations. LIBOR is a measure of the average interest rate at which major global banks can borrow from one another. It is quoted in multiple currencies and tenors using data reported by a panel of private-sector banks. Following allegations of rate manipulation in 2012 and concerns regarding its thin liquidity, the use of LIBOR came under increasing pressure, and in July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it will stop encouraging banks to provide the quotations needed to sustain LIBOR after 2021. This may cause LIBOR to cease to be published. LIBOR panel banks have agreed to submit quotations to LIBOR through the end of 2021. Before then, it is expected that market participants will transition to the use of different reference or benchmark rates. However, there is currently no definitive information regarding the future utilization of LIBOR or of any particular replacement rate. Regulators have suggested alternative reference rates, but global consensus is lacking and the process for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR remains unclear.
While it is expected that market participants will amend financial instruments referencing LIBOR to include fallback provisions and other measures that contemplate the discontinuation of LIBOR or other similar market disruption events, neither the effect of the transition process nor the viability of such measures is known. While market participants have begun transitioning away from LIBOR, there are obstacles to converting certain longer term securities and transactions to a new benchmark or benchmarks. The effectiveness of multiple alternative reference rates as opposed to one primary reference rate has not been determined. The effectiveness of alternative reference rates used in new or existing financial instruments and products has also not yet been determined. As market participants transition away from LIBOR, LIBOR's usefulness may deteriorate, which could occur prior to the end of 2021. The transition process may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. LIBOR's deterioration may adversely affect the liquidity and/or market value of securities that use LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate, including securities and other financial instruments held by the Fund. Further, the utilization of an alternative reference rate, or the transition process to an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect the Fund's performance.
CYBERSECURITY RISK
Like other funds and business enterprises, Federated Hermes' business relies on the security and reliability of information and communications technology, systems and networks. Federated Hermes uses digital technology, including, for example, networked systems, email and the Internet, to conduct business operations and engage clients, customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders, and relevant service providers, among others. Federated Hermes, as well as its funds and certain service providers, also generate, compile and process information for purposes of preparing and making filings or reports to governmental agencies, and a cybersecurity attack or incident that impacts that information, or the generation and filing processes, may prevent required regulatory filings and reports from being made. The use of the Internet and other electronic media and technology exposes the Fund, the Fund's shareholders, and the Fund's service providers, and their respective operations, to potential risks from cybersecurity attacks or incidents (collectively, “cyber-events”).
Cyber-events can result from intentional (or deliberate) attacks or unintentional events by insiders or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber-events may include, for example, phishing, use of stolen access credentials, unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as, for example, through “hacking” activity), structured query language attacks, infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software code, corruption of data, and attacks (including, but not limited to, denial of service attacks on websites) which shut down, disable, slow, impair or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, technology, connectivity or website or internet access, functionality
11

or performance. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund and its service providers have experienced, and will continue to experience, cyber-events on a daily basis. In addition to intentional cyber-events, unintentional cyber-events can occur, such as, for example, the inadvertent release of confidential information. To date, cyber-events have not had a material adverse effect on the Fund's business operations or performance.
Cyber-events can affect, potentially in a material way, Federated Hermes' relationships with its customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers. Any cyber-event could adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures. A cyber-event may cause the Fund, or its service providers, to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity (such as, for example, the loss of the ability to process transactions, calculate the Fund's NAV, or allow shareholders to transact business or other disruptions to operations), and/or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber-events also may result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, cyber-events affecting issuers in which the Fund invests could cause the Fund's investments to lose value.
The Fund's Adviser and its relevant affiliates have established risk management systems reasonably designed to seek to reduce the risks associated with cyber-events. The Fund's Adviser employs various measures aimed at mitigating cybersecurity risk, including, among others, use of firewalls, system segmentation, system monitoring, virus scanning, periodic penetration testing, employee phishing training and an employee cybersecurity awareness campaign. Among other vendor management efforts, Federated Hermes also conducts due diligence on key service providers (or vendors) relating to cybersecurity. Federated Hermes has established a committee to oversee Federated Hermes' information security and data governance efforts, and updates on cyber-events and risks are reviewed with relevant committees, as well as Federated Hermes' and the Fund's Boards of Directors or Trustees (or a committee thereof), on a periodic (generally quarterly) basis (and more frequently when circumstances warrant) as part of risk management oversight responsibilities. However, there is no guarantee that the efforts of Federated Hermes, the Fund's Adviser or its affiliates, or other service providers, will succeed, either entirely or partially as there are limits on Federated Hermes' and the Fund's ability to prevent, detect or mitigate cyber-events. Among other reasons, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, the nature of malicious cyber-events is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the Fund's Adviser, and its relevant affiliates, cannot control the cyber systems and cybersecurity systems of issuers or third-party service providers.
Investment Objective (and Policies) and Investment Limitations
Investment Objective
The Fund's investment objective is to provide current income. The investment objective may not be changed by the Fund's Board without shareholder approval. While there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, it endeavors to do so by following the strategies and policies described the Prospectus and in this SAI.
Investment Limitations
Issuing Senior Securities and Borrowing Money
The Fund may borrow money, directly or indirectly, and issue senior securities to the maximum extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”).
Investing in Real Estate
The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein. The Fund may exercise its rights under agreements relating to such securities, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold real estate acquired by reason of such enforcement until that real estate can be liquidated in an orderly manner.
Investing in Commodities
The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities, provided that the Fund may purchase securities of companies that deal in commodities.
Underwriting
The Fund may not underwrite the securities of other issuers, except that the Fund may engage in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities, under circumstances where it may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933.
12

Lending Cash or Securities
The Fund may not make loans, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from purchasing debt obligations, entering into repurchase agreements, lending its assets to broker/dealers or institutional investors and investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests.
Diversification
With respect to securities comprising 75% of the value of its total assets, the Fund will not purchase securities of any one issuer (other than cash; cash items; securities issued or guaranteed by the government of the United States or its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements collateralized by such U.S. government securities; and securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Concentration
The Fund will not make investments that will result in the concentration of its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in the same industry. Government securities, municipal securities and bank instruments will not be deemed to constitute an industry.
The above limitations cannot be changed unless authorized by the Board and by the vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities, as defined by the 1940 Act. The following limitations, however, may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified before any material change in these limitations becomes effective.
Buying on Margin
The Fund will not purchase securities on margin, provided that the Fund may obtain short-term credits necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities, and further provided that the Fund may make margin deposits in connection with its use of financial options and futures, forward and spot currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts or derivative instruments.
Pledging Assets
The Fund will not mortgage, pledge, or hypothecate any of its assets, provided that this shall not apply to the transfer of securities in connection with any permissible borrowing or to collateral arrangements in connection with permissible activities.
Restricted Securities
The Fund may invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities are any securities in which the Fund may invest pursuant to its investment objective and policies but which are subject to restrictions on resale under federal securities law. Under criteria established by the Directors, certain restricted securities are determined to be liquid. To the extent that restricted securities are not determined to be liquid, the Fund will limit their purchase, together with other illiquid securities, to 15% of its net assets.
Investing in Illiquid Securities
The Fund will not purchase securities for which there is no readily available market, or enter into repurchase agreements or purchase time deposits that the Fund cannot dispose of within seven days, if immediately after and as a result, the value of such securities would exceed, in the aggregate, 15% of the Fund's net assets.
Additional Information
For purposes of the above limitations, the Fund considers certificates of deposit and demand and time deposits issued by a U.S. branch of a domestic bank or savings association having capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 at the time of investment to be “cash items” and “bank instruments.” Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitations is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such limitation.
Cash items may include short-term obligations such as:
■  obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; and
■  repurchase agreements.
As a matter of non-fundamental policy, for purposes of the commodities policy, investments in transactions involving futures contracts and options, forward currency contracts, swap transactions and other financial contracts that settle by payment of cash are not deemed to be investments in commodities.
As a matter of non-fundamental policy, for purposes of the illiquid securities policy, illiquid securities are securities that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.
13

Non-Fundamental Names Rule Policy
The Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) are invested in U.S. government investments. The Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days in advance of any change in its investment policy that would enable the Fund to invest, under normal circumstances, less than 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. government investments.
What Do Shares Cost?
Determining Market Value of Securities
A Share's net asset value (NAV) is determined as of the end of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) each day the NYSE is open. The Fund calculates the NAV of each class by valuing the assets allocated to the Share's class, subtracting the liabilities allocated to each class and dividing the balance by the number of Shares of the class outstanding. The NAV for each class of Shares may differ due to the level of expenses allocated to each class as well as a result of the variance between the amount of accrued investment income and capital gains or losses allocated to each class and the amount actually distributed to shareholders of each class. The NAV is calculated to the nearest whole cent per Share.
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:
■  Equity securities listed on a U.S. securities exchange or traded through the U.S. national market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations from one or more dealers.
■  Other equity securities traded primarily in the United States are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations from one or more dealers.
■  Equity securities traded primarily through securities exchanges and regulated market systems outside the United States are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market. These prices may be adjusted for significant events occurring after the closing of such exchanges or market systems as described below. If a price is not readily available, such equity securities are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations from one or more dealers.
■  Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below. If a price evaluation from a pricing service is not readily available, such fixed-income securities are fair valued based upon price evaluations from one or more dealers.
■  Futures contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement price. Option contracts listed on exchanges are valued based upon the mean of closing bid and asked quotations reported by the exchange or from one or more futures commission merchants.
■  OTC derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Board. The methods used by pricing services to determine such price evaluations are described below. If a price evaluation from a pricing service is not readily available, such derivative contracts may be fair valued based upon price evaluations from one or more dealers or using a recognized pricing model for the contract.
■  Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs. The prospectuses for these mutual funds explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Fund's valuation policies and procedures, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund will use the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could purchase or sell an investment at the price used to calculate the Fund's NAV. The Fund will not use a pricing service or dealer who is an affiliated person of the Adviser to value investments.
Noninvestment assets and liabilities are valued in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The NAV calculation includes expenses, dividend income, interest income, other income and realized and unrealized investment gains and losses through the date of the calculation. Changes in holdings of investments and in the number of outstanding Shares are included in the calculation not later than the first business day following such change. Any assets or liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars using an exchange rate obtained from one or more currency dealers.
14

The Fund follows procedures that are common in the mutual fund industry regarding errors made in the calculation of its NAV. This means that, generally, the Fund will not correct errors of less than one cent per Share or errors that did not result in net dilution to the Fund.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
The Board has ultimate responsibility for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Board has appointed a Valuation Committee comprised of officers of the Fund, the Adviser and certain of the Adviser's affiliated companies to assist in determining fair value and in overseeing the calculation of the NAV. The Board has also authorized the use of pricing services recommended by the Valuation Committee to provide price evaluations of the current fair value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV.
Pricing Service Valuations. Based on the recommendations of the Valuation Committee, the Board has authorized the Fund, subject to Board oversight, to use pricing services that provide daily fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments, primarily fixed-income securities and OTC derivatives contracts. Different pricing services may provide different price evaluations for the same security because of differences in their methods of evaluating market values. Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. A pricing service may find it more difficult to apply these and other factors to relatively illiquid or volatile investments, which may result in less frequent or more significant changes in the price evaluations of these investments. If a pricing service determines that it does not have sufficient information to use its standard methodology, it may evaluate an investment based on the present value of what investors can reasonably expect to receive from the issuer's operations or liquidation.
Special valuation considerations may apply with respect to the Fund's “odd-lot” positions, if any, as the Fund may receive lower prices when it sells such positions than it would receive for sales of institutional round lot positions. Typically, these securities are valued assuming orderly transactions of institutional round lot sizes, but the Fund may hold or, from time to time, transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes.
The Valuation Committee engages in oversight activities with respect to the Fund's pricing services, which includes, among other things, monitoring significant or unusual price fluctuations above predetermined tolerance levels from the prior day, back-testing of pricing services' prices against actual sale transactions, conducting periodic due diligence meetings and reviews, and periodically reviewing the inputs, assumptions and methodologies used by these pricing services. If information furnished by a pricing service is not readily available or, in the opinion of the Valuation Committee, is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the security will be fair valued by the Valuation Committee in accordance with procedures established by the Directors as discussed below in “Fair Valuation Procedures.”
Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and asked for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts.
Fair Valuation Procedures. The Board has established procedures for determining the fair value of investments for which price evaluations from pricing services or dealers and market quotations are not readily available. The procedures define an investment's “fair value” as the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon its current sale. The procedures assume that any sale would be made to a willing buyer in the ordinary course of trading. The procedures require consideration of factors that vary based on the type of investment and the information available. Factors that may be considered in determining an investment's fair value include: (1) the last reported price at which the investment was traded; (2) information provided by dealers or investment analysts regarding the investment or the issuer; (3) changes in financial conditions and business prospects disclosed in the issuer's financial statements and other reports; (4) publicly announced transactions (such as tender offers and mergers) involving the issuer; (5) comparisons to other investments or to financial indices that are correlated to the investment; (6) with respect to fixed-income investments, changes in market yields and spreads; (7) with respect to investments that have been suspended from trading, the circumstances leading to the suspension; and (8) other factors that might affect the investment's value.
The Valuation Committee is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of these procedures subject to Board oversight. The Valuation Committee may also authorize the use of a financial valuation model to determine the fair value of a specific type of investment. The Board periodically reviews and approves the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee and any changes made to the procedures.
15

Using fair value to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment's most recent closing price and from the prices used by other mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The application of the fair value procedures to an investment represent a good faith determination of an investment's fair value. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.
Significant Events. The Board has adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Adviser determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment's value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:
■  With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;
■  Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded; and
■  Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations or litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer's operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer's industry.
The Board has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. The pricing service uses models that correlate changes between the closing and opening price of equity securities traded primarily in non-U.S. markets to changes in prices in U.S.-traded securities and derivative contracts. The pricing service seeks to employ the model that provides the most significant correlation based on a periodic review of the results. The model uses the correlation to adjust the reported closing price of a foreign equity security based on information available up to the close of the NYSE.
For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the fair value of the investment is determined using the methods discussed above in “Fair Valuation Procedures.” The Board has ultimate responsibility for any fair valuations made in response to a significant event.
How is the Fund Sold?
Under the Distributor's Contract with the Fund, the Distributor (“Federated Securities Corp.”) offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis.
Additional Payments To Financial Intermediaries
The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators. In some cases, such payments may be made by, or funded from the resources of, companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). While Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) regulations limit the sales charges that you may bear, there are no limits with regard to the amounts that the Distributor may pay out of its own resources. In addition to the payments which are generally described herein and in the Prospectus, the financial intermediary also may receive payments under the Rule 12b-1 Plan and/or Service Fees. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds within the financial intermediary's organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary's organization. The same financial intermediaries may receive payments under more than one or all categories. These payments assist in the Distributor's efforts to support the sale of Shares. These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund's and/or other Federated Hermes funds' relationship with the financial intermediary. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Federated Hermes funds and any services it provides, as well as the fees and/or commissions it charges.
The categories of additional payments are described below.
16

Supplemental Payments
The Distributor may make supplemental payments to certain financial intermediaries that are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Federated Hermes funds. These payments may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; or the type and nature of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary.
Processing Support Payments
The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries that sell Federated Hermes fund shares to help offset their costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement processing and transaction processing. The types of payments that the Distributor may make under this category include: payment of ticket charges on a per-transaction basis; payment of networking fees; and payment for ancillary services such as setting up funds on the financial intermediary's mutual fund trading system.
Retirement Plan Program Servicing Payments
The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries who sell Federated Hermes fund shares through retirement plan programs. A financial intermediary may perform retirement plan program services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform retirement plan program services. In addition to participant recordkeeping, reporting or transaction processing, retirement plan program services may include: services rendered to a plan in connection with fund/investment selection and monitoring; employee enrollment and education; plan balance rollover or separation; or other similar services.
Marketing Support Payments
From time to time, the Distributor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of Shares. Such compensation, provided by the Distributor, may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client entertainment, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. Such compensation may also be used for the provision of sales-related data to the Adviser and/or its affiliates.
The Distributor also may hold or sponsor, at its expense, sales events, conferences and programs for employees or associated persons of financial intermediaries and may pay the travel and lodging expenses of attendees. The Distributor also may provide, at its expense, meals and entertainment in conjunction with meetings with financial intermediaries. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state law or regulations, or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. These payments may vary depending on the nature of the event or the relationship.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the following is a list of FINRA member firms that received additional payments from the Distributor or an affiliate. Additional payments may also be made to certain other financial intermediaries that are not FINRA member firms that sell Federated Hermes fund shares or provide services to the Federated Hermes funds and shareholders. These firms are not included in this list. Any additions, modifications or deletions to the member firms identified in this list that have occurred since December 31, 2019, are not reflected. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any additional payments it receives from the Distributor.
Access Point, LLC
ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.
American Portfolios Advisors Inc.
Ascensus Broker Dealer Services LLC
Avantax Investment Services, Inc.
Banc of America Investment Services, Inc.
BB&T Securities, LLC
BBVA Securities Inc.
BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.
Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Brown Brothers Harriman & Company
Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc.
Caitlin John, LLC
Calton & Associates, Inc.
Cambridge Financial Group, Inc.
Castle Rock Wealth Management, LLC
CBIZ Financial Solutions, Inc.
Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Cetera Advisors LLC
Cetera Financial Specialists LLC
Cetera Investment Advisers LLC
Cetera Investment Services LLC
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Citizens Securities, Inc.
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
Concord Wealth Partners
CVAGS, Inc.
D.A. Davidson & Co.
Davenport & Company LLC
David Lerner Associates, Inc.
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
 
17

E*Trade Securities LLC
Edward D. Jones & Co., LP
Emerald Advisors, LLC
Envestnet Asset Management, Inc.
Epic Advisors Inc.
ESL Investment Services, LLC
FBL Marketing Services, LLC
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC)
Fiducia Group, LLC
Fieldpoint Private Securities, LLC
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC
Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Incorporated
Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc.
FSC Securities Corporation
Gitterman Wealth Management LLC
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company
GWFS Equities, Inc.
Hancock Whitney Investment Services, Inc.
Hefren-Tillotson Inc.
Henderson Global Investors Limited
HighTower Securities, LLC
Hilltop Securities Inc.
The Huntington Investment Company
Independent Financial Group, LLC
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Financial Services LLC
Infinex Investments, Inc.
Institutional Cash Distributors, LLC
INTL FCStone Financial Inc.
J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Kestra Investment Services, LLC
Key Investment Services, LLC
KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc.
KMS Financial Services, Inc.
Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC
Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation
Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC
LPL Financial LLC
M Holdings Securities, Inc.
M&T Securities Inc.
Materetsky Financial Group
Mercer Global Advisors Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated
Mid Atlantic Capital Corp.
MML Investors Services, LLC
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
National Financial Services LLC
Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
NBC Securities, Inc.
Newport Group, Inc.
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
NYLIFE Distributors LLC
NYLIFE Securities LLC
Oneamerica Securities, Inc.
Open Range Financial Group, LLC
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc.
Paychex Securities Corp
Pensionmark Financial Group, LLC
People's Securities, Inc.
Pershing LLC
Piper Jaffray & Co.
Pitcairn Trust Company
Planmember Securities Corporation
PNC Capital Markets, LLC
PNC Investments LLC
Principal Securities, Inc.
Private Client Services, LLC
Procyon Private Wealth Partners, LLC
Proequities, Inc.
Prudential Investment Management Services, LLC
Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Regal Investment Advisors LLC
Resources Investment Advisors, Inc.
Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc.
Royal Alliance Associates Inc.
SA Stone Wealth Management Inc.
SagePoint Financial, Inc.
Sageview Advisory Group, LLC
Securian Financial Services, Inc.
Securities America, Inc.
Securities Service Network, Inc.
Security Distributors LLC
Sentry Advisors, LLC
Sigma Financial Corporation
Spire Securities LLC
State Street Global Markets, LLC
Stephens Inc.
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Strategic Benefits Consultants, Inc.
Summit Financial Group, Inc.
Suntrust Investment Services, Inc.
Suntrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
TD Ameritrade, Inc.
Thrivent Investment Management, Inc.
TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services LLC
Towerpoint Wealth, LLC
Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc.
Triad Advisors, LLC
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc.
18

UBS Securities LLC
United Planners Financial Services of America
Valic Financial Advisors, Inc.
Valor Financial Securities LLC
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Vanguard Marketing Corporation
Vining-Sparks IBG, Limited Partnership
Vision Financial Markets, LLC
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Voya Financial Partners, LLC
Voya Retirement Advisors, LLC
The Wealth Enhancement Group, Inc.
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Wintrust Investments, LLC
Woloshin Investment Management LLC
Woodbury Financial Services, Inc.
World Equity Group, Inc.
XML Financial, LLC
UNDERWRITING COMMISSIONS
The following chart reflects the total front-end sales charges and/or contingent deferred sales charges paid in connection with the sale of Class A Shares, Class B Shares, Class C Shares and Class F Shares and the amount retained by the Distributor for the last three fiscal years ended February 28 or 29.
  2020 2019 2018
  Total Sales
Charges
Amount
Retained
Total Sales
Charges
Amount
Retained
Total Sales
Charges
Amount
Retained
Class A Shares $17,222 $2,049 $10,975 $1,448 $34,844 $4,186
Class B Shares1 $$$$$ 2,500 $2,500
Class C Shares $268 $268 $$$ 1,644 $1,644
Class F Shares $3,672 $3,191 $457 $18 $22,293 $8,989
1 Effective February 2, 2018, Class B shares were converted into Class A Shares.
Purchases In-Kind
You may contact the Distributor to request a purchase of Shares using securities you own. The Fund reserves the right to determine whether to accept your securities and the minimum market value to accept. The Fund will value your securities in the same manner as it values its assets. An in-kind purchase may be treated as a sale of your securities for federal tax purposes; please consult your tax adviser regarding potential tax liability.
Redemption In-Kind
Although the Fund generally intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right, on its own initiative or in response to a shareholder request, to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of the Fund's portfolio securities.
Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period.
Any Share redemption payment greater than this amount will also be in cash unless the Fund elects to pay all or a portion of the remainder of the redemption in portfolio securities, valued in the same way as the Fund determines its NAV.
Redemption in-kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. Shareholders receiving the portfolio securities could have difficulty selling them, may incur related transaction costs and would be subject to risks of fluctuations in the securities' values prior to sale.
Account and Share Information
Voting Rights
Each Share of the Fund gives the shareholder one vote in Director elections and other matters submitted to shareholders for vote.
All Shares of the Fund have equal voting rights, except that in matters affecting only a particular class, only Shares of that class are entitled to vote.
Directors may be removed by the Board or by shareholders at a special meeting. A special meeting of shareholders will be called by the Board upon the written request of shareholders who own at least 10% of the Fund's outstanding Shares.
19

As of April 7, 2020, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class A Shares: Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 524,309 Shares (17.46%); MLPF&S, Jacksonville, FL owned approximately 364,861 Shares (12.15%); Edward D. Jones & Co., Saint Louis, MO, owned approximately 319,222 Shares (10.63%); National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 263,088 Shares (8.76%); Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ owned approximately 237,474 Shares (7.91%); Stifel Nicolaus & CO INC., St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 229,640 Shares (7.64%) and Wells Fargo Clearing Services, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 220,465 Shares (7.34%).
As of April 7, 2020, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class C Shares: Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., San Francisco, CA, owned approximately 522,411 Shares (42.99%); Wells Fargo Clearing Services, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 364,365 Shares (29.99%) and National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 95,798 Shares (7.88%).
As of April 7, 2020, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially, or both, 5% or more of outstanding Class F Shares: MLPF&S, Jacksonville, FL, owned approximately 3,139,135 Shares (26.30%); National Financial Services LLC, New York, NY, owned approximately 936,515 Shares (7.84%); UBS WM USA, Weehawken, NJ, owned approximately 687,522 Shares (5.76%) and Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, St. Louis, MO, owned approximately 630,030 Shares (5.27%).
Shareholders owning 25% or more of outstanding Shares may be in control and be able to affect the outcome of certain matters presented for a vote of shareholders.
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. is organized in the state of California.First Clearing, LLC is a trade name of Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC which is organized in the state of Delaware.Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation organized in the state of Delaware.
Tax Information
Federal Income Tax
The Fund intends to meet requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) applicable to regulated investment companies. If these requirements are not met, it will not receive special tax treatment and will be subject to federal corporate income tax.
The Fund is entitled to a loss carryforward, which may reduce the taxable income or gain that the Fund would realize, and to which the shareholder would be subject, in the future.
Tax Basis Information
The Fund's Transfer Agent is required to provide you with the cost basis information on the sale of any of your Shares in the Fund, subject to certain exceptions.
Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for managing the Fund's business affairs and for exercising all the Fund's powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Director and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Directors who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Directors) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Directors). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Directors listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2019, the Fund comprised one portfolio, and the Federated Hermes Fund Complex consisted of 41 investment companies (comprising 135 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Director oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Complex and serves for an indefinite term.
As of April 7, 2020, the Fund's Board and Officers as a group owned less than 1% of each Class of the Fund's outstanding Shares.
qualifications of Independent Directors
Individual Director qualifications are noted in the “Independent Directors Background and Compensation” chart. In addition, the following characteristics are among those that were considered for each existing Director and will be considered for any Nominee Director.
20

■  Outstanding skills in disciplines deemed by the Independent Directors to be particularly relevant to the role of Independent Director and to the Federated Hermes funds, including legal, accounting, business management, the financial industry generally and the investment industry particularly.
■  Desire and availability to serve for a substantial period of time, taking into account the Board's current mandatory retirement age of 75 years.
■  No conflicts which would interfere with qualifying as independent.
■  Appropriate interpersonal skills to work effectively with other Independent Directors.
■  Understanding and appreciation of the important role occupied by Independent Directors in the regulatory structure governing regulated investment companies.
■  Diversity of background.
interested Directors Background and Compensation
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 2000
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company; Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director, Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania; Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director, Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling; President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
$0 $0
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President, Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company; President of some of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex and Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and Director of Federated Investment Counseling; President and CEO of Passport Research, Ltd.; Director, Edgewood Securities Corp.; Director, Federated Services Company; Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Director, Southpointe Distribution Services, Inc. and President, Technology, Federated Services Company.
$0 $0
* Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
21

Independent Directors Background, Qualifications and Compensation
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chairman of the Compensation Committee, KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp. Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University Affiliate Hospital).
$1,105.28 $286,000
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit Committee of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly, Vice Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Member of Governance and Compensation Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.; Director, Chair of the Audit Committee, Equifax, Inc.; Director, Member of the Audit Committee, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business management and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough serves on the President's Cabinet and Business School Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the United States Golf Association.
$832.87 $286,000
22

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Adjunct Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green previously served as a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve on the Supreme Court's Board of Continuing Judicial Education and the Supreme Court's Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee. Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC Mercy Hospital; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church Alive!, Inc.; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member, Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director, Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute; Director, Saint Vincent College; and Director and Chair, North Catholic High School, Inc.
$1,105.28 $286,000
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.
Birth Date: April 10, 1945
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 1999
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Management Consultant and Author.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Mansfield has served as a Marine Corps officer and in several banking, business management, educational roles and directorship positions throughout his long career. He remains active as a Management Consultant and Author.
$1,004.82 $260,000
Thomas M. O'Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, of the Federated Hermes Complex; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company (investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O'Neill has served in several business, mutual fund and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. O'Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity and Director, The Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, Florida. Mr. O'Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies, Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management software); and Director, Midway Pacific (lumber).
$272.41 $321,000
23

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Director
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes Complex; Management Consultant; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President, CNX Resources Corporation (formerly known as CONSOL Energy Inc.) and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
$1,004.82 $260,000
John S. Walsh
Birth Date: November 28, 1957
Director

Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 1999
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Board of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Complex; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of construction temporary heaters); President and Director, Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc. (paving contractors).
$1,333.29 $345,000
OFFICERS*
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
Treasurer
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Senior Vice President, Federated Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp. and Edgewood Services, Inc.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research, Ltd. and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date: September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: January 2005
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Complex. He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President, Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes in 1984 and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel, Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
24

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Fund
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Robert J. Ostrowski
Birth Date: April 26, 1963
Chief Investment Officer
Officer since: May 2004
Principal Occupations: Robert J. Ostrowski joined Federated Hermes in 1987 as an Investment Analyst and became a Portfolio Manager in 1990. He was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes' taxable fixed-income products in 2004 and also serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ostrowski became an Executive Vice President of the Fund's Adviser in 2009 and served as a Senior Vice President of the Fund's Adviser from 1997 to 2009. Mr. Ostrowski has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He received his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.
* Officers do not receive any compensation from the Fund.
In addition, the Fund has appointed an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.
DIRECTOR/TRUSTEE EMERITUS PROGRAM
The Board has created a position of Director/Trustee Emeritus, whereby an incumbent Director/Trustee who has attained the age of 75 and completed a minimum of five years of service as a director/trustee, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee of Independent Directors/Trustees (“Committee”), be recommended to the full Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund to serve as Director/Trustee Emeritus.
A Director/Trustee Emeritus that has been approved as such receives an annual fee in an amount equal to a percent of the annual base compensation paid to a Director/Trustee. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least five years but less than 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 10%. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 20%. The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in connection with their service, including expenses of travel and lodging incurred in attendance at Board meetings. Director/Trustee Emeritus will continue to receive relevant materials concerning the Funds, will be expected to attend at least one regularly scheduled quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors/Trustees each year and will be available to consult with the Committees or its representatives at reasonable times as requested by the Chairman; however, a Director/Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Funds.
The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be permitted to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Committee, but the annual fee will cease to be paid at the end of the calendar year during which he or she has attained the age of 80 years, thereafter the position will be honorary.
The following table shows the fees paid to each Director/Trustee Emeritus for the Fund's most recently ended fiscal year and the portion of that fee paid by the Fund or Trust.1
EMERITUS Directors and Compensation
Director/Trustee Emeritus
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total
Compensation
Paid to
Director/Trustee
Emeritus1
Peter E. Madden $25.70 $52,000.00
1 The fees paid to a Director/Trustee are allocated among the funds that were in existence at the time the Director/Trustee elected Emeritus status, based on each fund's net assets at that time.
BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
As required under the terms of certain regulatory settlements, the Chairman of the Board is not an interested person of the Fund and neither the Chairman, nor any firm with which the Chairman is affiliated, has a prior relationship with Federated Hermes or its affiliates or (other than his position as a Director) with the Fund.
25

Committees of the Board
Board
Committee
Committee
Members
Committee Functions Meetings Held
During Last
Fiscal Year
Executive J. Christopher Donahue
John T. Collins
John S. Walsh
In between meetings of the full Board, the Executive Committee generally may exercise all the powers of the full Board in the management and direction of the business and conduct of the affairs of the Fund in such manner as the Executive Committee shall deem to be in the best interests of the Fund. However, the Executive Committee cannot elect or remove Board members, increase or decrease the number of Directors, elect or remove any Officer, declare dividends, issue shares or recommend to shareholders any action requiring shareholder approval. One
Audit John T. Collins
G. Thomas Hough
Maureen Lally-Green
Thomas M. O'Neill
The purposes of the Audit Committee are to oversee the accounting and financial reporting process of the Fund, the Fund's internal control over financial reporting and the quality, integrity and independent audit of the Fund's financial statements. The Committee also oversees or assists the Board with the oversight of compliance with legal requirements relating to those matters, approves the engagement and reviews the qualifications, independence and performance of the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, acts as a liaison between the independent registered public accounting firm and the Board and reviews the Fund's internal audit function. Seven
Nominating John T. Collins
G. Thomas Hough
Maureen Lally-Green
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.
Thomas M. O'Neill
P. Jerome Richey
John S. Walsh
The Nominating Committee, whose members consist of all Independent Directors, selects and nominates persons for election to the Fund's Board when vacancies occur. The Committee will consider candidates recommended by shareholders, Independent Directors, officers or employees of any of the Fund's agents or service providers and counsel to the Fund. Any shareholder who desires to have an individual considered for nomination by the Committee must submit a recommendation in writing to the Secretary of the Fund, at the Fund's address appearing on the back cover of this SAI. The recommendation should include the name and address of both the shareholder and the candidate and detailed information concerning the candidate's qualifications and experience. In identifying and evaluating candidates for consideration, the Committee shall consider such factors as it deems appropriate. Those factors will ordinarily include: integrity, intelligence, collegiality, judgment, diversity, skill, business and other experience, qualification as an “Independent Director,” the existence of material relationships which may create the appearance of a lack of independence, financial or accounting knowledge and experience and dedication and willingness to devote the time and attention necessary to fulfill Board responsibilities. One
BOARD'S ROLE IN RISK OVERSIGHT
The Board's role in overseeing the Fund's general risks includes receiving performance reports for the Fund and risk management reports from Federated Hermes' Chief Risk Officer at each regular Board meeting. The Chief Risk Officer is responsible for enterprise risk management at Federated Hermes, which includes risk management committees for investment management and for investor services. The Board also receives regular reports from the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer regarding significant compliance risks.
On behalf of the Board, the Audit Committee plays a key role overseeing the Fund's financial reporting and valuation risks. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Fund's Principal Financial Officer and outside auditors, as well as with Federated Hermes' Chief Audit Executive to discuss financial reporting and audit issues, including risks relating to financial controls.
26

Board Ownership Of Shares In The Fund And In The Federated Hermes Family Of Investment Companies As Of December 31, 2019
Interested Board
Member Name
Dollar Range of
Shares Owned in
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Aggregate
Dollar Range of
Shares Owned in
Federated Hermes Family of
Investment Companies
J. Christopher Donahue None Over $100,000
John B. Fisher None Over $100,000
Independent Board
Member Name
   
John T. Collins None Over $100,000
G. Thomas Hough None Over $100,000
Maureen Lally-Green None Over $100,000
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr. None $50,001-$100,000
Thomas M. O'Neill None Over $100,000
P. Jerome Richey None Over $100,000
John S. Walsh None Over $100,000
Investment Adviser
The Adviser conducts investment research and makes investment decisions for the Fund.
The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated Hermes.
The Adviser shall not be liable to the Fund or any Fund shareholder for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding, or sale of any security or for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its contract with the Fund.
In December 2017, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is an investor initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Commitments made as a signatory to the PRI are not legally binding, but are voluntary and aspirational. They include efforts, where consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities, to incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and investment decision making, to be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices, to seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest, to promote acceptance and implementation of the PRI within the investment industry, to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the PRI, and to report on our activities and progress towards implementing the PRI. Being a signatory to the PRI does not obligate Federated Hermes to take, or not take, any particular action as it relates to investment decisions or other activities.
In July 2018, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, acquired a 60% interest in Hermes Fund Managers Limited (Hermes), which operates as Hermes Investment Management, a pioneer of integrated ESG investing. Hermes' experience with ESG issues contributes to Federated Hermes' understanding of material risks and opportunities these issues may present.
Portfolio Manager Information
As a general matter, certain conflicts of interest may arise in connection with a portfolio manager's management of a fund's investments, on the one hand, and the investments of other funds/pooled investment vehicles or accounts (collectively, including the Fund, as applicable, “accounts”) for which the portfolio manager is responsible, on the other. For example, it is possible that the various accounts managed could have different investment strategies that, at times, might conflict with one another to the possible detriment of the Fund. Alternatively, to the extent that the same investment opportunities might be desirable for more than one account, possible conflicts could arise in determining how to allocate them. Other potential conflicts can include, for example, conflicts created by specific portfolio manager compensation arrangements (including, for example, the allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which the portfolio manager is responsible in calculating the portfolio manager's compensation), and conflicts relating to selection of brokers or dealers to execute Fund portfolio trades and/or specific uses of commissions from Fund portfolio trades (for example, research or “soft dollars”). The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures and has structured the portfolio managers' compensation in a manner reasonably designed to safeguard the Fund from being negatively affected as a result of any such potential conflicts.
The following information about the Fund's Portfolio Manager is provided as of the end of the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year unless otherwise indicated.
27

Todd Abraham, Portfolio Manager
Types of Accounts Managed
by Todd Abraham
Total Number of Additional Accounts
Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies 17/$4.2 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0/$0
Other Accounts 0/$0
* None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.
Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.
Todd Abraham is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager's experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.
IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year pre-tax gross total return basis versus the Fund's benchmark (i.e., 60% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index) and versus the Fund's designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.
As noted above, Mr. Abraham is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. Abraham is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. In addition, Mr. Abraham has oversight responsibility for other portfolios that he does not personally manage and serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes' senior management's assessment of team contributions.
For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of two IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or activity engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is greater than or equal to the weighting assigned to other accounts or activities used to determine IPP (but can be adjusted periodically). A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management's assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.
Any individual allocations from the discretionary pool may be determined, by executive management on a discretionary basis using various factors, such as, for example, on a product, strategy or asset class basis, and considering overall contributions and any other factors deemed relevant (and may be adjusted periodically).
28

Liam O'Connell, Portfolio Manager
Types of Accounts Managed
by Liam O'Connell
Total Number of Additional Accounts
Managed/Total Assets*
Registered Investment Companies 9/$4.6 billion
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles 0/$0
Other Accounts 0/$0
* None of the Accounts has an advisory fee that is based on the performance of the account.
Dollar value range of shares owned in the Fund: None.
Liam O'Connell is paid a fixed base salary and a variable annual incentive. Base salary is determined within a market competitive, position-specific salary range, based on the portfolio manager's experience and performance. The annual incentive amount is determined based primarily on Investment Product Performance (IPP) and may also include a discretionary component based on a variety of factors deemed relevant, such as financial measures and performance and may be paid entirely in cash, or in a combination of cash and restricted stock of Federated Hermes, Inc. (“Federated Hermes”). The total combined annual incentive opportunity is intended to be competitive in the market for this portfolio manager role.
IPP is measured on a rolling one, three and five calendar year pre-tax gross total return basis versus the Fund's benchmark (i.e., 60% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Mortgage Backed Securities Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Government Bond Index) and versus the Fund's designated peer group of comparable accounts. Performance periods are adjusted if a portfolio manager has been managing an account for less than five years; accounts with less than one year of performance history under a portfolio manager may be excluded.
As noted above, Mr. O'Connell is also the portfolio manager for other accounts in addition to the Fund. Such other accounts may have different benchmarks and performance measures. The allocation or weighting given to the performance of the Fund or other accounts or activities for which Mr. O'Connell is responsible when his compensation is calculated may be equal or can vary. In addition, Mr. O'Connell serves on one or more Investment Teams that establish guidelines on various performance drivers (e.g., currency, duration, sector, volatility and/or yield curve) for taxable, fixed-income accounts. A portion of the IPP score is based on Federated Hermes' senior management's assessment of team contributions.
For purposes of calculating the annual incentive amount, each account managed by the portfolio manager currently is categorized into one of two IPP groups (which may be adjusted periodically). Within each performance measurement period and IPP group, IPP currently is calculated on the basis of an assigned weighting to each account managed or activity engaged in by the portfolio manager and included in the IPP groups. At the account level, the weighting assigned to the Fund is lesser than or equal to the weighting assigned to other accounts or activities used to determine IPP (but can be adjusted periodically). Additionally, a portion of Mr. O'Connell's IPP score is based on the performance of the accounts for which he provides research and analytic support. A portion of the bonus tied to the IPP score may be adjusted based on management's assessment of overall contributions to account performance and any other factors as deemed relevant.
Any individual allocations from the discretionary pool may be determined, by executive management on a discretionary basis using various factors, such as, for example, on a product, strategy or asset class basis, and considering overall contributions and any other factors deemed relevant (and may be adjusted periodically).
Services Agreement
Federated Advisory Services Company, an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.
Other Related Services
Affiliates of the Adviser may, from time to time, provide certain electronic equipment and software to institutional customers in order to facilitate the purchase of Fund Shares offered by the Distributor.
Code Of Ethics Restrictions On Personal Trading
As required by Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (as applicable), the Fund, its Adviser and its Distributor have adopted codes of ethics. These codes govern securities trading activities of investment personnel, Fund Directors and certain other employees. Although they do permit these people to trade in securities, including those that the Fund could buy, as well as Shares of the Fund, they also contain significant safeguards designed to protect the Fund and its shareholders from abuses in this area, such as requirements to obtain prior approval for, and to report, particular transactions.
29

Voting Proxies On Fund Portfolio Securities
The Board has delegated to the Adviser authority to vote proxies on the securities held in the Fund's portfolio. The Board has also approved the Adviser's policies and procedures for voting the proxies, which are described below.
Proxy Voting Policies
As an investment adviser with a fiduciary duty to the Fund and its shareholders, the Adviser's general policy is to cast proxy votes in favor of management proposals and shareholder proposals that the Adviser anticipates will enhance the long-term value of the securities being voted in a manner that is consistent with the investment objectives of the Fund. Generally, this will mean voting for proposals that the Adviser believes will improve the management of a company, increase the rights or preferences of the voted securities, or increase the chance that a premium offer would be made for the company or for the voted securities. This approach to voting proxy proposals will be referred to hereafter as the “General Policy.”
The Adviser generally votes consistently on the same matter when securities of an issuer are held by multiple client portfolios. However, the Adviser may vote differently if a particular client's investment objectives differ from those of other clients or if a client explicitly instructs the Adviser to vote differently.
The following examples illustrate how the General Policy may apply to the most common management proposals and shareholder proposals. However, whether the Adviser supports or opposes a proposal will always depend on a thorough understanding of the Fund's investment objectives and the specific circumstances described in the proxy statement and other available information.
On matters related to the board of directors, generally the Adviser will vote to elect nominees to the board in uncontested elections except in certain circumstances, such as where the director: (1) had not attended at least 75% of the board meetings during the previous year; (2) serves as the company's chief financial officer; (3) has become overboarded (more than five boards for retired executives and more than two boards for CEOs); (4) is the chair of the nominating or governance committee when the roles of chairman of the board and CEO are combined and there is no lead independent director; (5) served on the compensation committee during a period in which compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers; or (6) served on a board that did not implement a shareholder proposal that the Adviser supported and received more than 50% shareholder support the previous year. In addition, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of; (7) a full slate of directors, where the directors are elected as a group and not individually, unless more than half of the nominees are not independent; (8) shareholder proposals to declassify the board of directors; (9) shareholder proposals to require a majority voting standard in the election of directors; (10) shareholder proposals to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO; and (11) a proposal to require a company's audit committee to be comprised entirely of independent directors.
On other matters of corporate governance, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of: (1) proposals to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting if owners of at least 25% of the outstanding stock agree; (2) a proposal to require independent tabulation of proxies and/or confidential voting of shareholders; (3) a proposal to ratify the board's selection of auditors, unless: (a) compensation for non-audit services exceeded 50% of the total compensation received from the company; or (b) the previous auditor was dismissed because of a disagreement with the company; (4) a proposal to repeal a shareholder rights plan (also known as a “poison pill”) and against the adoption of such a plan, unless the plan is designed to facilitate, rather than prevent, unsolicited offers for the company; (5) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority requirements in company bylaws; and (6) shareholder proposals calling for “Proxy Access,” that is, a bylaw change allowing shareholders owning at least 3% of the outstanding common stock for at least three years to nominate candidates for election to the board of directors. The Adviser will generally withhold support from shareholder proposals to grant shareholders the right to act by written consent.
On environmental and social matters, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of shareholder proposals calling for: (1) enhanced disclosure of the company's approach to mitigating climate change and other environmental risks; (2) managing risks related to manufacturing or selling of guns and opioids; (3) monitoring gender pay equity; and (4) achieving and maintaining diversity on the board of directors. Generally, the Adviser will not support shareholder proposals calling for limitations on political activity by the company, including political contributions, lobbying and memberships in trade associations.
On matters of capital structure, generally the Adviser will vote against a proposal to authorize or issue shares that are senior in priority or voting rights to the voted securities, and in favor of a proposal to: (1) reduce the amount of shares authorized for issuance (subject to adequate provisions for outstanding convertible securities, options, warrants, rights and other existing obligations to issue shares); and (2) grant authorities to issue shares with and without pre-emptive rights unless the size of the authorities would threaten to unreasonably dilute existing shareholders. The Adviser will decide how to vote on proposals to authorize a stock repurchase or special dividend program on a case-by-case basis.
30

On matters relating to management compensation, generally the Adviser will vote in favor of stock incentive plans (including plans for directors) that align the recipients of stock incentives with the interests of shareholders, without creating undue dilution, and against: (1) the advisory vote on executive compensation plans (“Say On Pay”) when the plan has failed to align executive compensation with corporate performance; (2) the advisory vote on the frequency of the Say On Pay vote when the frequency is other than annual; (3) proposals that would permit the amendment or replacement of outstanding stock incentives having more favorable terms (e.g., lower purchase prices or easier vesting requirements); and (4) executive compensation plans that do not disclose the maximum amounts of compensation that may be awarded or the criteria for determining awards.
On matters relating to corporate transactions, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of mergers, acquisitions and sales of assets if the Adviser's analysis of the proposed business strategy and the transaction price would have a positive impact on the total return for shareholders.
If a shareholders meeting is contested, that is, shareholders are presented with a set of director candidates nominated by company management and a set of director candidates nominated by a dissident shareholder, the Adviser will study the proposed business strategies of both groups and vote in a way that maximizes expected total return for the Fund.
In addition, the Adviser will not vote any proxy if it determines that the consequences or costs of voting outweigh the potential benefit of voting. For example, if a foreign market requires shareholders voting proxies to retain the voted shares until the meeting date (thereby rendering the shares “illiquid” for some period of time), the Adviser will not vote proxies for such shares. In addition, the Adviser is not obligated to incur any expense to send a representative to a shareholder meeting or to translate proxy materials into English.
To the extent that the Adviser is permitted to loan securities, the Adviser does not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Adviser will take all reasonable steps to recall shares prior to the record date when the meeting raises issues that the Adviser believes materially affect shareholder value, including, but not limited to, excessive compensation, mergers and acquisitions, contested elections and weak oversight by the audit committee. However, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
If proxies are not delivered in a timely or otherwise appropriate basis, the Adviser may not be able to vote a particular proxy.
For an Adviser that employs a quantitative investment strategy for certain funds or accounts that does not make use of qualitative research (“Non-Qualitative Accounts”), the Adviser may not have the kind of research to make decisions about how to vote proxies for them. Therefore, the Adviser will vote the proxies of these Non-Qualitative Accounts as follows: (a) in accordance with the Standard Voting Instructions (defined below); (b) if the Adviser is casting votes for the same proxy on behalf of a regular qualitative account and a Non-Qualitative Account, the Non-Qualitative Account would vote in the same manner as the regular qualitative account; (c) if neither of the first two conditions apply, as the proxy voting service is recommending; and (d) if none of the previous conditions apply, as recommended by the Proxy Voting Committee.
Proxy Voting Procedures
The Adviser has established a Proxy Voting Committee (“Proxy Committee”), to exercise all voting discretion granted to the Adviser by the Board in accordance with the proxy voting policies. To assist it in carrying out the day-to-day operations related to proxy voting, the Proxy Committee has created the Proxy Voting Management Group (PVMG). The day-to-day operations related to proxy voting are carried out by the Proxy Voting Operations Team (PVOT) and overseen by the PVMG. Besides voting the proxies, this work includes engaging with investee companies on corporate governance matters, managing the proxy voting service, soliciting voting recommendations from the Adviser's investment professionals, bringing voting recommendations to the Proxy Committee for approval, filing with regulatory agencies any required proxy voting reports, providing proxy voting reports to clients and investment companies as they are requested from time to time, and keeping the Proxy Committee informed of any issues related to corporate governance and proxy voting.
The Adviser has compiled a list of specific voting instructions based on the General Policy (the “Standard Voting Instructions”). The Standard Voting Instructions and any modifications to them are approved by the Proxy Committee. The Standard Voting Instructions sometimes call for an investment professional to review the ballot question and provide a voting recommendation to the Proxy Committee (a “case-by-case vote”). The foregoing notwithstanding, the Proxy Committee always has the authority to determine a final voting decision.
The Adviser has hired a proxy voting service to perform various proxy voting related administrative services such as ballot reconciliation, vote processing, and recordkeeping functions. The Proxy Committee has supplied the proxy voting services with the Standard Voting Instructions. The Proxy Committee retains the right to modify the Standard Voting Instructions at any time or to vote contrary to them at any time in order to cast proxy votes in a manner that the Proxy Committee believes is in accordance with the General Policy. The proxy voting service may vote any proxy as directed in the Standard Voting Instructions without further direction from the Proxy Committee. However, if the Standard Voting Instructions require case-by-case handling for a
31

proposal, the PVOT will work with the investment professionals and the proxy voting service to develop a voting recommendation for the Proxy Committee and to communicate the Proxy Committee's final voting decision to the proxy voting service. Further, if the Standard Voting Instructions require the PVOT to analyze a ballot question and make the final voting decision, the PVOT will report such votes to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis for review.
Conflicts of Interest
The Adviser has adopted procedures to address situations where a matter on which a proxy is sought may present a potential conflict between the interests of the Fund (and its shareholders) and those of the Adviser or Distributor. This may occur where a significant business relationship exists between the Adviser (or its affiliates) and a company involved with a proxy vote.
A company that is a proponent, opponent, or the subject of a proxy vote, and which to the knowledge of the Proxy Committee has this type of significant business relationship, is referred to below as an “Interested Company.”
The Adviser has implemented the following procedures in order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the Adviser or its affiliates have influenced proxy votes. Any employee of the Adviser or its affiliates who is contacted by an Interested Company regarding proxies to be voted by the Adviser must refer the Interested Company to a member of the Proxy Committee, and must inform the Interested Company that the Proxy Committee has exclusive authority to determine how the proxy will be voted. Any Proxy Committee member contacted by an Interested Company must report it to the full Proxy Committee and provide a written summary of the communication. This requirement includes engagement meetings with investee companies and does not include communications with proxy solicitation firms. Under no circumstances will the Proxy Committee or any member of the Proxy Committee make a commitment to an Interested Company regarding the voting of proxies or disclose to an Interested Company how the Proxy Committee has directed such proxies to be voted. If the Standard Voting Instructions already provide specific direction on the proposal in question, the Proxy Committee shall not alter or amend such directions. If the Standard Voting Instructions require the Proxy Committee to provide further direction, the Proxy Committee shall do so in accordance with the proxy voting policies, without regard for the interests of the Adviser with respect to the Interested Company. If the Proxy Committee provides any direction as to the voting of proxies relating to a proposal affecting an Interested Company, it must disclose annually to the Fund's Board information regarding: the significant business relationship; any material communication with the Interested Company; the matter(s) voted on; and how, and why, the Adviser voted as it did. In certain circumstances it may be appropriate for the Adviser to vote in the same proportion as all other shareholders, so as to not affect the outcome beyond helping to establish a quorum at the shareholders' meeting. This is referred to as “proportional voting.” If the Fund owns shares of another Federated Hermes mutual fund, generally the Adviser will proportionally vote the client's proxies for that fund or seek direction from the Board or the client on how the proposal should be voted. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated mutual fund, the Adviser may proportionally vote the Fund's proxies for that fund depending on the size of the position. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated exchange-traded fund, the Adviser will proportionally vote the Fund's proxies for that fund.
Downstream Affiliates
If the Proxy Committee gives further direction, or seeks to vote contrary to the Standard Voting Instructions, for a proxy relating to a portfolio company in which the Fund owns more than 10% of the portfolio company's outstanding voting securities at the time of the vote (“Downstream Affiliate”), the Proxy Committee must first receive guidance from counsel to the Proxy Committee as to whether any relationship between the Adviser and the portfolio company, other than such ownership of the portfolio company's securities, gives rise to an actual conflict of interest. If counsel determines that an actual conflict exists, the Proxy Committee must address any such conflict with the executive committee of the board of directors or trustees of any investment company client prior to taking any action on the proxy at issue.
Proxy Advisers' Conflicts of Interest
Proxy advisory firms may have significant business relationships with the subjects of their research and voting recommendations. For example, a proxy voting service client may be a public company with an upcoming shareholders' meeting and the proxy voting service has published a research report with voting recommendations. In another example, a proxy voting service board member also sits on the board of a public company for which the proxy voting service will write a research report. These and similar situations give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
In order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the engaged proxy voting service have influenced proxy voting recommendations, the Adviser will take the following steps:
■  A due diligence team made up of employees of the Adviser and/or its affiliates will meet with the proxy voting service on an annual basis and determine through a review of their policies and procedures and through inquiry that the proxy voting service has established a system of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance that their voting recommendations are not influenced by the business relationships they have with the subjects of their research.
32

■  Whenever the standard voting guidelines call for voting a proposal in accordance with the proxy voting service recommendation and the proxy voting service has disclosed that they have a conflict of interest with respect to that issuer, the PVOT will take the following steps: (a) the PVOT will obtain a copy of the research report and recommendations published by another proxy voting service for that issuer; (b) the Director of Proxy Voting, or his designee, will review both the engaged proxy voting service research report and the research report of the other proxy voting service and determine what vote will be cast. The PVOT will report all proxies voted in this manner to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, the PVOT may seek direction from the Committee on how the proposal shall be voted.
Proxy Voting Report
A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com/FundInformation. A complete listing of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar quarter is posted on the website 30 days (or the next business day) after the end of the quarter and remains posted for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains posted until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include: identification of the Fund's top 10 issuer exposures and percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by effective maturity range and type of security.
You may also access portfolio information as of the end of the Fund's fiscal quarters via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com. The Fund's Annual Shareholder Report and Semi-Annual Shareholder Report contain complete listings of the Fund's portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund's second and fourth fiscal quarters. Fiscal quarter information is made available on the website within 70 days after the end of the fiscal quarter. This information is also available in reports filed with the SEC at the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund's holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC's website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedInvestors.com.
The disclosure policy of the Fund and the Adviser prohibits the disclosure of portfolio holdings information to any investor or intermediary before the same information is made available to other investors. Employees of the Adviser or its affiliates who have access to nonpublic information concerning the Fund's portfolio holdings are prohibited from trading securities on the basis of this information. Such persons must report all personal securities trades and obtain pre-clearance for all personal securities trades other than mutual fund shares.
Firms that provide administrative, custody, financial, accounting, legal or other services to the Fund may receive nonpublic information about Fund portfolio holdings for purposes relating to their services. The Fund may also provide portfolio holdings information to publications that rate, rank or otherwise categorize investment companies. Traders or portfolio managers may provide “interest” lists to facilitate portfolio trading if the list reflects only that subset of the portfolio for which the trader or portfolio manager is seeking market interest. A list of service providers, publications and other third parties who may receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information appears in the Appendix to this SAI.
The furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to any third party (other than authorized governmental or regulatory personnel) requires the prior approval of the President of the Adviser and of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund. The President of the Adviser and the Chief Compliance Officer will approve the furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to a third party only if they consider the furnishing of such information to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In that regard, and to address possible conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders and those of the Adviser and its affiliates, the following procedures apply. No consideration may be received by the Fund, the Adviser, any affiliate of the Adviser or any of their employees in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Before information is furnished, the third party must sign a written agreement that it will safeguard the confidentiality of the information, will use it only for the purposes for which it is furnished and will not use it in connection with the trading of any security. Persons approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information will receive it as often as necessary for the purpose for which it is provided. Such information may be furnished as frequently as daily and often with no time lag between the date of the information and the date it is furnished. The Board receives and reviews annually a list of the persons who receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information and the purposes for which it is furnished.
33

Brokerage Transactions And Investment Allocation
When selecting brokers and dealers to handle the purchase and sale of portfolio instruments, the Adviser looks for prompt execution of the order at a favorable price. Fixed-income securities are generally traded in an over-the-counter market on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through dealers acting as principal or in transactions directly with the issuer. Dealers derive an undisclosed amount of compensation by offering securities at a higher price than they bid for them. Some fixed-income securities may have only one primary market maker. The Adviser seeks to use dealers it believes to be actively and effectively trading the security being purchased or sold, but may not always obtain the lowest purchase price or highest sale price with respect to a security. The Adviser makes decisions on portfolio transactions and selects brokers and dealers subject to review by the Fund's Board.
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. When the Fund and one or more of those accounts invests in, or disposes of, the same security, available investments or opportunities for sales will be allocated among the Fund and the account(s) in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable. While the coordination and ability to participate in volume transactions may benefit the Fund, it is possible that this procedure could adversely impact the price paid or received and/or the position obtained or disposed of by the Fund. Investment decisions, and trading, for certain separately managed or wrap-fee accounts, and other accounts, of the Adviser and/or certain investment adviser affiliates of the Adviser are generally made, and conducted, independently from the Fund. It is possible that such independent trading activity could adversely impact the prices paid or received and/or positions obtained or disposed of by the Fund.
Administrator
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, provides administrative personnel and services, including certain legal, compliance, recordkeeping and financial reporting services (“Administrative Services”), necessary for the operation of the Fund. FAS provides Administrative Services for a fee based upon the rates set forth below paid on the average daily net assets of the Fund. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement with FAS. FAS is also entitled to reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing Administrative Services to the Fund.
Administrative Services
Fee Rate
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100 of 1% on assets up to $50 billion
0.075 of 1% on assets over $50 billion
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian for the securities and cash of the Fund.
Transfer Agent And Dividend Disbursing Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company, the Fund's registered transfer agent, maintains all necessary shareholder records.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, Ernst & Young LLP, conducts its audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), which require it to plan and perform its audits to provide reasonable assurance about whether the Fund's financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement.
34

Fees Paid by the Fund for Services
For the Year Ended February 28 or 29 2020 2019 2018
Advisory Fee Earned $893,029 $930,463 $1,127,743
Advisory Fee Waived $364,733 $381,373 $417,851
Advisory Fee Reimbursed $2,269 $1,987 $3,026
Net Administrative Fee $120,598 $124,136 $149,308
12b-1 Fee:      
Class B Shares1 $$$10,648
Class C Shares $82,496 $43,599 $61,291
Net Shareholder Services Fee:      
Class A Shares $71,022 $77,353 $93,607
Class B Shares1 $$$3,549
Class C Shares $27,499 $14,487 $20,430
Class F Shares $256,226 $278,179 $328,069
1 Effective February 2, 2018, Class B shares were converted into Class A Shares.
   
Fees are allocated among classes based on their pro rata share of Fund assets, except for marketing (“Rule 12b-1”) fees and shareholder services fees, which are borne only by the applicable class of Shares.
Securities Lending Activities
The services provided to the Fund by Citibank, N.A. as securities lending agent may include the following: selecting securities previously identified by the Fund as available for loan to be loaned; locating borrowers identified in the securities lending agency agreement; negotiating loan terms; monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral; requiring additional collateral as necessary; marking to market non-cash collateral; instructing the Fund's custodian with respect to the transfer of loaned securities; indemnifying the Fund in the event of a borrower default; and arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.
The Fund did not participate in any securities lending activities during the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year.
Gross income from securities lending activities
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services  
Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split
Fees paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) that are not included in the revenue split
Administrative fees not included in revenue split
Indemnification fee not included in revenue split
Rebate (paid to borrower)
Other fees not included in revenue split (specify)
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities
Net income from securities lending activities
Financial Information
35

Addresses
Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
Class T Shares
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Distributor
Federated Securities Corp.
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
Investment Adviser
Federated Investment Management Company
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company
1 Iron Street
Boston, MA 02110
Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP
200 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116-5072
36

Appendix
The following is a list of persons, other than the Adviser and its affiliates, that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information concerning the Federated Hermes Complex; however, certain persons below might not receive such information concerning the Fund:
CUSTODIAN(S)
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Securities Lending Agent
Citibank, N.A.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Ernst & Young LLP
LEGAL COUNSEL
Goodwin Procter LLP
K&L Gates LLP
Financial Printer(S)
Donnelley Financial Solutions
Proxy Voting Administrator
Glass Lewis & Co., LLC
SECURITY PRICING SERVICES
Bloomberg L.P.
IHS Markit (Markit North America)
ICE Data Pricing & Reference Data, LLC
JPMorgan PricingDirect
Refinitiv US Holdings Inc.
RATINGS AGENCIES
Fitch, Inc.
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC
Other SERVICE PROVIDERS
Other types of service providers that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information include service providers offering, for example, trade order management systems, portfolio analytics, or performance and accounting systems, such as:
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Bloomberg L.P.
Citibank, N.A.
Eagle Investment Systems LLC
Electra Information Systems
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
FISGlobal
Institutional Shareholder Services
Investortools, Inc.
MSCI ESG Research LLC
Sustainalytics U.S. Inc.
The Yield Book, Inc.
Wolters Kluwer N.V.
37

 

 

Item 28. Exhibits

(a) Articles of Incorporation  
  Conformed copy of Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated July 17, 1996 including Certificate of Correction, Certificate of Correction dated April 11, 1997 and Articles Supplementary dated February 22, 2017 and January 17, 2018

+

 

 

(b) By-Laws  
  Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant including Amendment Nos. 2 through 12

+

 

 

(c) Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders  
1

Copy of Specimen Certificate for Shares of Beneficial Interest for Federated Government Income Securities, Inc., as filed in Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 on April 21, 1995 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266)

 

 

 

2 Copy of Specimen Certificates for Shares of Beneficial Interest for Class A Shares, Class B Shares, Class C Shares and Class F Shares of Federated Government Income Securities, Inc., as filed in Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 on August 2, 1996 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266)  
  As of September 1, 1997, Federated Securities Corp. stopped issuing share certificates.  

 

(d) Investment Advisory Contracts  
 

Conformed copy of the Investment Advisory Contract of the Registrant dated August 1, 1989, including Amendment #1 dated June 1, 2008, Amendment dated June 1, 2001 and Limited Power of Attorney dated June 1, 2017

 

+

 

 

(e) Underwriting Contracts  
 

Conformed copy of the Distributor’s Contract of the Registrant dated July 17, 1996, including Exhibits A through F, Amendment No. 1 to Exhibit B dated December 1, 2007, and Amendments dated June 1, 2001 and October 1, 2003

 

+

 

 

(f) Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts  
 

Not applicable

 

 

 

 
 

 

(g) Custodian Agreements  
 

Conformed copy of Amended and Restated Master Custodian Agreement dated March 1, 2017 by and between State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Registrant, including Appendix A, updated as of March 1, 2020

 

+

 

(h) Other Material Contracts  
     
1 Services Agreement  
(a)

Conformed copy of Services Agreement between Federated Advisory Services Company and Federated Investment Management Company dated January 1, 2004, including Schedule 1 (revised March 1, 2020)

 

+

 

(b) Conformed copy of the Second Amended and Restated Services Agreement, amended and restated as of December 1, 2001, between Federated Shareholder Services Company and the Registrant, including Schedule 1 (revised March 1, 2020)

+

 

     
2 Transfer Agency Agreement  
  Conformed copy of the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Federated Funds and State Street Bank and Trust dated January 31, 2017, including Exhibit A (revised January 2, 2020) and Schedules

+

 

     
3 Administrative Services Agreement  
  Conformed copy of the Second Amended and Restated Agreement for Administrative Services between the Federated Funds and Federated Administrative Services dated September 1, 2017, including Exhibit A (revised March 1, 2020) and Exhibit B

+

 

     
4 Financial Administration and Accounting Agreement  
  Conformed copy of the Financial Administration and Accounting Services Agreement between the Federated Funds and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated March 1, 2011, as amended

+

 

 

 

(i) Legal Opinion  
 

Conformed copy of Opinion and Consent of Counsel as to legality of shares being registered, as filed in Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 on Form N-1A filed April 21, 1995. (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266)

 

 

 

 

 

(j) Other Opinions  
 

Conformed copy of Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Ernst & Young LLP

 

+

 

 

(k) Omitted Financial Statements  
 

Not Applicable

 

 

 

(l) Initial Capital Agreements  
 

Conformed copy of Initial Capital Understanding, as filed in Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 on April 21, 1995 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266)

 

 

 

(m) Rule 12b-1 Plan  
  Conformed copy of the Distribution Plan between certain classes of the Registrant and Federated Securities Corp., dated February 13, 2004, including Exhibits A through C and Amendment #1 to Exhibit A dated December 1, 2007  

+

 

 

(n) Rule 18f-3 Plan  
 

Conformed copy of the Multiple Class Plan and all share class Exhibits as adopted by certain Federated investment companies offering separate classes of shares

 

+

 

 

(o) Powers of Attorney  
1

Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of the Registrant, including Power of Attorney of Charles F. Mansfield, Director of the Registrant and James F. Walsh, Director of the Registrant,, as filed via EDGAR in PEA No. 38 filed February 26, 1999 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266) 

 

 
2

Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of J. Christopher Donohue, President, of the Registrant, as filed via EDGAR in PEA No. 43 filed April 29, 2003 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266) 

 

 
3

Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of Maureen E. Lally-Green, Director, of the Registrant, as filed via EDGAR in PEA No. 50 filed April 26, 2010 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266) 

 

 
4

Conformed copy of Powers of Attorney of Lori A. Hensler, Treasurer of the Registrant, John T. Collins, Director of the Registrant and P. Jerome Richey, Director of the Registrant, as filed via EDGAR in PEA No. 58 filed April 25, 2014 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266) 

 

 
5

Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of G. Thomas Hough, Director, of the Registrant, as filed via EDGAR in PEA No. 62 filed April 27, 2016 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266) 

 

 
6

Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of John B. Fisher, Director, of the Registrant, as filed via EDGAR in PEA No. 64 filed March 28, 2017 on Form N-1A (File Nos. 2-74191 and 811-3266) 

 

 
7

Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of Thomas O’Neill, Director, of the Registrant.

 

+
8 Conformed copy of Power of Attorney of the Registrant, including Power of Attorney of J. Christopher Donohue, Director, of the Registrant. +

 

 

 

 

(p) Codes of Ethics  
 

Conformed copy of the Federated Hermes, Inc. Code of Ethics for Access Persons, effective January 31, 2020

 

+

 

 

+

Exhibit is being filed electronically with registration statement

 

 

 

  ALL RESPONSES ARE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE TO A POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT (PEA) OF THE REGISTRANT FILED ON FORM N-1A (FILE NOS. 2-74191 and 811-3266)  
6 PEA No. 16 filed April 22, 1988  
8 PEA No. 19 filed February 26, 1990  
12 PEA No. 30 filed April 20, 1995  
15 PEA No. 36 filed April 29, 1997  
16 PEA No. 37 filed April 28, 1998  
17 PEA No. 38 filed February 26, 1999  
18 PEA No. 42 filed April 26, 2002  
19 PEA No. 43 filed April 29, 2003  
20 PEA No. 44 filed April 29, 2004  
21 PEA No. 45 filed April 28, 2005  
22 PEA No. 46 filed April 28, 2006  
23 PEA No. 47 filed April 27, 2007  
24 PEA No. 48 filed June 27, 2008  
25 PEA No. 49 filed April 29, 2009  
26 PEA No. 50 filed April 26, 2010  
27 PEA No. 51 filed April 27, 2011  
28 PEA No. 53 filed April 27, 2012  
29 PEA No. 56 filed April 25, 2013  
30 PEA No. 58 filed April 25, 2014  
31 PEA No. 60 filed April 27, 2015  
32 PEA No. 62 filed April 27, 2016  
33 PEA No. 64 filed March 28, 2017  
34 PEA No. 66 filed April 26, 2017  
35 PEA No. 68 filed April 26, 2018  
36 PEA No. 70 filed April 24, 2018  

 

Item 29  Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund:
None

 

Item 30.  Indemnification

Indemnification is provided to Officers and Directors of the Registrant pursuant to the Registrant's By-Laws, as amended. This includes indemnification against: (a) any liabilities or expenses incurred in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or proceeding in which an Officer or Director may be or may have been involved; and (b) any liabilities and expenses incurred by an Officer or Director as a result of having provided personally identifiable information to a regulator or counterparty by or with whom the Registrant (or its series, as applicable) is regulated or engages in business to satisfy a legal or procedural requirement of such regulator or counterparty.

The Investment Advisory Contract, and Sub-advisory Agreement as applicable, (collectively, “Advisory Contracts”) between the Registrant and the investment adviser, and sub-adviser as applicable, (collectively, “Advisers”) of its series, provide that, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the obligations or duties under the Advisory Contracts on the part of the Advisers, Advisers shall not be liable to the Registrant or to any shareholder for any act or omission in the course of or connected in any way with rendering services or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding, or sale of any security.

The Registrant’s distribution contract contains provisions limiting the liability, and providing for indemnification, of the Officers and Directors under certain circumstances.

Registrant's Directors and Officers are covered by an Investment Trust Errors and Omissions Policy.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to Directors, Officers, and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the By-Laws, as amended, or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and, therefore, is unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by Directors), Officers, or controlling persons of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any act, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such Directors, Officers, or controlling persons in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities may be permitted pursuant to Section 17 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for Directors, Officers, and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the By-Laws, as amended, or otherwise, the Registrant is aware of the position of the Securities and Exchange Commission as set forth in Investment Company Act Release No. IC-11330. Therefore, the Registrant undertakes that in addition to complying with the applicable provisions of the By-Laws, as amended, or otherwise, in the absence of a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before which the proceeding was brought, that an indemnification payment will not be made unless in the absence of such a decision, a reasonable determination based upon factual review has been made (i) by a majority vote of a quorum of non-party Directors who are not interested persons of the Registrant or (ii) by independent legal counsel in a written opinion that the indemnitee was not liable for an act of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of duties. The Registrant further undertakes that advancement of expenses incurred in the defense of a proceeding (upon undertaking for repayment unless it is ultimately determined that indemnification is appropriate) against an Officer, Director or controlling person of the Registrant will not be made absent the fulfillment of at least one of the following conditions: (i) the indemnitee provides security for his undertaking; (ii) the Registrant is insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances; or (iii) a majority of a quorum of disinterested non-party Directors or independent legal counsel in a written opinion makes a factual determination that there is reason to believe the indemnitee will be entitled to indemnification.

 

 

 

 

 

Item 31  Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser: Federated Investment Management Company
For a description of the other business of the Investment Adviser, see the section entitled “Who Manages the Fund?” in Part A. The affiliations with the Registrant of two of the Trustees and 2 of the Officers of the Investment Adviser are included in Part B of this Registration Statement under "Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?"  The remaining Trustees of the Investment Adviser and, in parentheses, their principal occupations are:  Thomas R. Donahue, (Chief Financial Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc.), 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779, John B. Fisher, (Vice Chairman, Federated Hermes, Inc.) 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222-3779 and James J. Gallagher, II, Partner, Morris James LLP, 500 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1500, Wilmington, DE  19801-1494.  The business address of each of the Officers of the Investment Adviser is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779.  These individuals are also officers of a majority of the Investment Advisers to the investment companies in the Federated Hermes Fund Complex described in Part B of this Registration Statement.
The Officers of the Investment Adviser are:
Chairman: J. Christopher Donahue
President/ Chief Executive Officer: John B. Fisher
Executive Vice Presidents:

Deborah A. Cunningham

Robert J. Ostrowski

Senior Vice Presidents:

Todd Abraham

J. Scott Albrecht

Randall S. Bauer

Jonathan C. Conley

Mark E. Durbiano

Donald T. Ellenberger

Eamonn G. Folan

Richard J. Gallo

John T. Gentry

Susan R. Hill

William R. Jamison

Jeffrey A. Kozemchak

Anne H. Kruczek

Marian R. Marinack

Mary Jo Ochson

Jeffrey A. Petro

Ihab Salib

Michael W. Sirianni, Jr.

Steven J. Wagner

Paige Wilhelm

 

Vice Presidents:

Christopher S. Bodamer

G. Andrew Bonnewell

Hanan Callas

David B. Catalane, Jr.

Leslie Ciferno

Jerome Conner

Lee R. Cunningham, II

Gregory Czamara, V

B. Anthony Delserone, Jr.

Joseph A. Delvecchio

Jason DeVito

Bryan Dingle

William Ehling

Ann Ferentino

Kevin M. Fitzpatrick

Timothy P. Gannon

Kathryn P. Glass

James L. Grant

Patricia L. Heagy

Nathan H. Kehm

John C. Kerber

J. Andrew Kirschler

Allen J. Knizner

Tracey Lusk

Karen Manna

Daniel James Mastalski

Robert J. Matthews

Christopher McGinley

Keith E. Michaud

Karl Mocharko

Joseph M. Natoli

Gene Neavin

Bob Nolte

Liam O’Connell

Mary Kay Pavuk

John Polinski

Rae Ann Rice

Brian Ruffner

Thomas C. Scherr

John Sidawi

Kyle Stewart

Patrick J. Strollo, III

Mary Ellen Tesla

James Damen Thompson

Timothy G. Trebilcock

Nicholas S. Tripodes

Anthony A. Venturino

Mark Weiss

George B. Wright

Christopher Wu

 

Assistant Vice Presidents:

John Badeer

Ian Paul Bangor

Patrick Benacci

Nicholas Cecchini

James Chelmu

Joseph Engel

Brandon Ray Hochstetler

Jeff J. Ignelzi

Nick Navari

Bradley Payne

Braden Rotberg

John W. Scullion

Steven J. Slanika

Peter Snook

Randal Stuckwish

Michael S. Wilson

 

Secretary: G. Andrew Bonnewell
Assistant Secretaries:

Edward C. Bartley

George F. Magera

 

Treasurer: Thomas R. Donahue
Assistant Treasurers: Jeremy D. Boughton
Richard A. Novak
Chief Compliance Officer: Stephen Van Meter

 

Item 32  Principal Underwriters:
(a) Federated Securities Corp., the Distributor for shares of the Registrant, acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies, including the Registrant:
  Federated Adjustable Rate Securities Fund
  Federated Adviser Series
  Federated Core Trust
  Federated Core Trust III
  Federated Equity Funds
  Federated Equity Income Fund, Inc.
  Federated Fixed Income Securities, Inc.
  Federated Global Allocation Fund
  Federated Government Income Securities, Inc.
  Federated Government Income Trust
  Federated High Income Bond Fund, Inc.
  Federated High Yield Trust
  Federated Income Securities Trust
  Federated Index Trust
  Federated Institutional Trust
  Federated Hermes Insurance Series
  Federated International Series, Inc.
  Federated Investment Series Funds, Inc.
  Federated Managed Pool Series
  Federated MDT Series
  Federated Municipal Bond Fund, Inc.
  Federated Municipal Securities Income Trust
  Federated Premier Municipal Income Fund
  Federated Project and Trade Finance Tender Fund
  Federated Short-Intermediate Duration Municipal Trust
  Federated Total Return Government Bond Fund
  Federated Total Return Series, Inc.
  Federated U.S. Government Securities Fund: 1-3 Years
  Federated U.S. Government Securities Fund: 2-5 Years
  Federated World Investment Series, Inc.
  Intermediate Municipal Trust
  Money Market Obligations Trust

 

(b)    

(1)

Positions and Offices with Distributor

(2)

Name

 

(3)

Positions and Offices With Registrant

Executive Vice President, Assistant Secretary and Director: Thomas R. Donahue  
President and Director: Paul Uhlman  
Vice President and Director: Peter J. Germain  
Director: Frank C. Senchak  

 

(1)

Positions and Offices with Distributor

(2)

Name

 

(3)

Positions and Offices With Registrant

Executive Vice Presidents:

Michael Bappert

Peter W. Eisenbrandt

Solon A. Person, IV

 
Senior Vice Presidents:

Irving Anderson

Daniel G. Berry

Jack Bohnet

Edwin J. Brooks, III

Bryan Burke

Scott J. Charlton

Steven R. Cohen

James S. Conley

Stephen R. Cronin

Charles L. Davis, Jr.

Michael T. Dieschborg

Michael T. DiMarsico

Jack C. Ebenreiter

James Getz, Jr.

Scott A. Gunderson

Dayna C. Haferkamp

Vincent L. Harper, Jr.

Bruce E. Hastings

Donald Jacobson

Jeffrey S. Jones

Scott D. Kavanagh

Harry J. Kennedy

Michael Koenig

Edwin C. Koontz

Anne H. Kruczek

Jane E. Lambesis

Jerry Landrum

Hans W. Lange, Jr.

Michael Liss

Diane Marzula

Amy Michaliszyn

Richard C. Mihm

Vincent T. Morrow

Alec H. Neilly

Keith Nixon

James E. Ostrowski

Stephen Otto

Richard P. Paulson

Richard A. Recker

Diane M. Robinson

Brian S. Ronayne

Timothy A. Rosewicz

Eduardo G. Sanchez

Tom Schinabeck

Edward L. Smith

John Staley

William C. Tustin

Michael N. Vahl

G. Walter Whalen

Lewis C. Williams

Michael Wolff

Daniel R. Wroble

Erik Zettlemayer

Paul Zuber

 
Vice Presidents:

Frank Amato

Catherine M. Applegate

Kenneth C. Baber

Raisa E. Barkaloff

Robert W. Bauman

Marc Benacci

Christopher D. Berg

Bill Boarts

Matthew A. Boyle

Edward R. Bozek

Thomas R. Brown

Mark Carroll

Dan Casey

Stephen J. Costlow

Mary Ellen Coyne

Kevin J. Crenny

David G. Dankmyer

Christopher T. Davis

Donald Edwards

Mark A. Flisek

Stephen Francis

Heather W. Froelich

David D. Gregoire

Raymond J. Hanley

George M. Hnaras

Scott A. Holick

Ryan W. Jones

Todd Jones

Patrick Kelly

Nicholas R. Kemerer

Robert H. Kern

Shawn E. Knutson

Crystal C. Kwok

David M. Larrick

John P. Liekar

Jonathan Lipinski

Paul J. Magan

Margaret M. Magrish

Alexi A. Maravel

Meghan McAndrew

Martin J. McCaffrey

Samuel McGowan

Daniel McGrath

Brian McInis

John C. Mosko

Mark J. Murphy

Catherine M. Nied

Ted Noethling

John A. O’Neill

Mark Patsy

Marcus Persichetti

Max E. Recker

Emory Redd

Matt Ryan

 
 

John Shrewsbury

Peter Siconolfi

Neal Siena

Justin Slomkowski

Bradley Smith

John R. Stanley

Mark Strubel

Jonathan Sullivan

David Wasik

Theodore Williams

Brian R. Willer

Littell L. Wilson

James J. Wojciak

 
Assistant Vice Presidents:

Debbie Adams-Marshall

Zachary J. Bono

Edward R. Costello

Madison Dischinger

Chris Jackson

Kristen C. Kiesling

Anthony W. Lennon

Stephen R. Massey

Carol McEvoy McCool

John K. Murray

Melissa R. Ryan

Carol Anne Sheppard

Scott A. Vallina

Laura Vickerman

 
Secretary: Kary A. Moore  
Assistant Secretaries: Edward C. Bartley  
  Thomas R. Donahue  
  George F. Magera  
Treasurer: Richard A. Novak  
Assistant Treasurer: Jeremy D. Boughton  
Chief Compliance Officer: Stephen Van Meter  

 

(c) Not Applicable

 

 

 

 

 

Item 33  Location of Accounts and Records:
All accounts and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rules 31a-1 through 31a-3 promulgated thereunder are maintained at one of the following locations:

 

Registrant

Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

(Notices should be sent to the Agent for Service at the address listed on the facing page of this filing.)

Federated Administrative Services (“Administrator”)

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

Federated Investment Management Company

(“Adviser”)

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779

State Street Bank and Trust Company

(“Transfer Agent, Dividend Disbursing Agent” and “Custodian”)

P.O. Box 219318

Kansas City, MO 64121-9318

 

Item 34 Management Services:  Not applicable.
 

 

Item 35  Undertakings:
Registrant hereby undertakes to comply with the provisions of Section 16(c) of the 1940 Act with respect to the removal of Trustees and the calling of special shareholder meetings by shareholders.

 

 

 
 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant, FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES INC., certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Amendment to its Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Pittsburgh and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the 27th day of April, 2020.

FEDERATED GOVERNMENT INCOME SECURITIES, INC.

BY: /s/ George F. Magera

George F. Magera, Assistant Secretary

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment to its Registration Statement has been signed below by the following person in the capacity and on the date indicated:

 

NAME TITLE DATE

BY: /s/ George F. Magera

George F. Magera,
Assistant Secretary

Attorney In Fact For the Persons Listed Below April 27, 2020
J. Christopher Donahue * President and Director (Principal Executive Officer)  
John B. Fisher* Director  
Lori A. Hensler* Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer/Principal Accounting Officer)  
John T. Collins* Director  
G. Thomas Hough* Director  
Maureen E. Lally-Green* Director  
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.* Director  
Thomas O’Neill* Director  
P. Jerome Richey* Director  
John S. Walsh* Director  
*By Power of Attorney