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BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund
Fund Summary
Investment Objective

The fund seeks high current income.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares 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 in the fund or shares of other funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds that are subject to a sales charge. More information about sales charges, including these and other discounts and waivers, is available from your financial professional and in the Shareholder Guide section beginning on page 17 of the prospectus, in the Appendix on page A-1 of the prospectus and in the How to Buy Shares section and the Additional Information About How to Buy Shares section beginning on page II-1 and page III-1, respectively, of the fund's Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Class Y
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 2.50% none none none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price) none [1] 1.00% none none
[1] Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.00% if redeemed within one year.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Class Y
Management fees 0.65% 0.65% 0.65% 0.65%
Distribution (12b-1) fees none 0.75% none none
Shareholder services fees 0.25% 0.25% none none
Interest expense and commitment fees on borrowings 0.04% 0.04% 0.04% 0.04%
Miscellaneous other expenses 0.25% 0.15% 0.16% 0.06%
Total other expenses 0.54% 0.44% 0.20% 0.10%
Total annual fund operating expenses 1.19% 1.84% 0.85% 0.75%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement [1] (0.15%) (0.05%) (0.06%)
Total annual fund operating expenses (after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement) 1.04% 1.79% 0.79% 0.75%
[1] The fund's investment adviser, BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., has contractually agreed, until December 31, 2021, to waive receipt of its fees and/or assume the direct expenses of the fund so that the direct expenses of none of the fund's classes (excluding Rule 12b-1 fees, shareholder services fees, taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, commitment fees on borrowings and extraordinary expenses) exceed .75%. On or after December 31, 2021, BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. may terminate this expense limitation agreement at any time.
Example

The 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 in the fund for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The one-year example and the first year of the three-, five- and ten-years examples are based on net operating expenses, which reflect the expense limitation agreement by BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A 353 604 874 1,644
Class C 282 574 991 2,154
Class I 81 265 465 1,043
Class Y 77 240 417 930
Expense Example No Redemption - BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A 353 604 874 1,644
Class C 182 574 991 2,154
Class I 81 265 465 1,043
Class Y 77 240 417 930
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 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 93.27% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategy

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in floating rate loans and other floating rate securities. These investments effectively should enable the fund to achieve a floating rate of income. The fund's subadviser normally will focus on senior secured floating rate loans, which are loans secured by specific collateral of the borrower and are senior to most other securities of the borrower (e.g., common stock or debt instruments) in the event of bankruptcy. The fund's investments in floating rate loans and other floating rate securities also may include, without limitation, (i) second lien loans, senior unsecured loans and subordinated loans, (ii) senior and subordinated corporate debt obligations (such as bonds, debentures and notes), (iii) debt obligations issued by governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, and debt obligations issued by central banks, and (iv) fixed rate loans or debt obligations with respect to which the fund has entered into derivative instruments (principally swap agreements and options on swap agreements) to effectively convert the fixed rate interest payments into floating rate interest payments. When the fund enters into derivatives transactions, it may be required to segregate liquid assets or enter into offsetting positions, in accordance with applicable regulations. The fund may purchase participations and assignments in, and commitments to purchase, floating rate loans. The fund currently intends to invest principally in floating rate loans and other floating rate securities of U.S. issuers, but may invest up to 30% of its net assets in securities of foreign issuers, typically those located in foreign countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Floating rate instruments are loans and other securities with interest rates that adjust or "float" periodically based on a specified interest rate or other reference. Floating rate loans are made by banks and other financial institutions to their corporate clients.

The fund may invest in floating rate loans and other securities of any credit quality, maturity and duration. The floating rate loans and other floating rate securities in which the fund invests typically will be rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade (i.e., below BBB- or Baa3) by one or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) that rate such instruments, or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the fund's subadviser (commonly referred to as "junk" or "high yield" instruments). The fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the aggregate in floating rate loans and other floating rate securities and fixed rate high yield bonds rated, at the time of investment, in the lower rated categories (CCC+ or Caa1 or lower) by an NRSRO or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the fund's subadviser. The fund may not invest in issuers which are in default (i.e., failing to pay interest or principal when due) at the time of purchase, except for investments in debt issued in connection with a company in bankruptcy that is senior to all other debt, equity, and any other securities in connection with such issuer.

The fund's subadviser buys and sells securities for the fund through a value-oriented, bottom up research process that incorporates a macroeconomic overlay to analyze investment opportunities. The subadviser uses fundamental credit analysis to identify favorable and unfavorable risk/reward opportunities across sectors, industries and structures while seeking to mitigate credit risk. The subadviser's fundamental analysis is complemented by its macroeconomic outlook as

it relates to observed default trends, performance drivers and capital market liquidity. The subadviser seeks to mitigate credit risk through a disciplined approach to its credit investment selection and evaluation process.

Principal Risks

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

 Floating rate loan risk. Unlike publicly traded common stocks which trade on national exchanges, there is no central market or exchange for loans to trade. Loans trade in an over-the-counter market, and confirmation and settlement, which are effected through standardized procedures and documentation, may take significantly longer than seven days to complete. Extended trade settlement periods may, in unusual market conditions with a high volume of shareholder redemptions, present a risk to shareholders regarding the fund's ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time periods stated in this prospectus. The secondary market for floating rate loans also may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. The lack of an active trading market for certain floating rate loans may impair the ability of the fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a floating rate loan and may make it difficult to value such loans. There may be less readily available, reliable information about certain floating rate loans than is the case for many other types of securities, and the fund's portfolio managers may be required to rely primarily on their own evaluation of a borrower's credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. The value of collateral, if any, securing a floating rate loan can decline, and may be insufficient to meet the issuer's obligations in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or may be difficult to readily liquidate. In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, the fund could experience delays or limitations imposed by bankruptcy or other insolvency laws with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a loan. The floating rate loans in which the fund invests typically will be below investment grade quality and, like other below investment grade securities, are inherently speculative. As a result, the risks associated with such floating rate loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade securities, although senior loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured. Floating rate loans may not be considered to be "securities" for purposes of the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, including those with respect to the use of material non-public information, so that purchasers, such as the fund, may not have the benefit of these protections.

 Subordinated securities risk. Holders of securities that are subordinated or "junior" to more senior securities of an issuer are entitled to payment after holders of more senior securities of the issuer. Subordinated securities are more likely to suffer a credit loss than non-subordinated securities of the same issuer, any loss incurred by the subordinated securities is likely to be proportionately greater, and any recovery of interest or principal may take more time. As a result, even a perceived decline in creditworthiness of the issuer is likely to have a greater impact on the market value of these securities. Subordinated loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans, except that such loans are subordinated in payment and/or lower in lien priority to first lien holders. Consequently, subordinated loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. The risks associated with subordinated unsecured loans, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral, are higher than those for comparable loans that are secured by specific collateral.

 Credit risk. Failure of an issuer of a security to make timely interest or principal payments when due, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of the security, can cause the security's price to fall. The lower a security's credit rating, the greater the chance that the issuer of the security will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

 High yield securities risk. High yield ("junk") securities involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade securities, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to make principal and interest payments. The prices of high yield securities can fall in response to bad news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general, to a greater extent than those of higher rated securities.

 Participation interests and assignments risk. A participation interest gives the fund an undivided interest in a loan in the proportion that the fund's participation interest bears to the total principal amount of the loan, but does not establish any direct relationship between the fund and the borrower. If a floating rate loan is acquired through a participation, the fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. The fund also may invest in a loan through an assignment of all or a portion of such loan from a third party. If a floating rate loan is acquired through an assignment, the fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral.

 Market risk. The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market.  In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund.  Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market.  These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide.  Recent examples include pandemic risks related to COVID-19 and aggressive measures taken world-wide in response by governments, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations, and by businesses, including changes to operations and reducing staff. 

 Issuer risk. A security's market value may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, or to factors that affect the issuer's industry.

 Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically. Investments that are illiquid or that trade in lower volumes may be more difficult to value. The market for below investment grade securities may be less liquid and therefore these securities may be harder to value or sell at an acceptable price, especially during times of market volatility or decline. Investments in foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. No active trading market may exist for some of the floating rate loans in which the fund invests and certain loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. Because some floating rate loans that the fund invests in may have a more limited secondary market, liquidity risk is more pronounced for the fund than for mutual funds that invest primarily in other types of fixed-income instruments or equity securities. Liquidity risk also may refer to the risk that the fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period stated in this prospectus because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions, which may adversely affect the fund's share price.

 Loan valuation risk. Because there may be a lack of centralized information and trading for certain loans in which the fund may invest, reliable market value quotations may not be readily available for such loans and their valuation may require more research than for securities with a more developed secondary market. Moreover, the valuation of such loans may be affected by uncertainties in the conditions of the financial market, unreliable reference data, lack of transparency and inconsistency of valuation models and processes.

 Management conflicts risk. The fund's subadviser and its affiliates may participate in the primary and secondary market for loan obligations. Because of limitations imposed by applicable law, the presence of the subadviser and its affiliates in the loan obligations market may restrict the fund's ability to acquire some loan obligations or affect the timing or price of such acquisitions. The fund's subadviser and its affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the fund. In addition, because of the financial services and asset management activities of the subadviser and its affiliates, the subadviser may not have access to material non-public information regarding the borrower to which other lenders have access.

 Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. Investments denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund.

 Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds and other fixed rate fixed-income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect fixed-income securities and, accordingly, will cause the value of the fund's investments in these securities to decline. During periods of very low interest rates, which occur from time to time due to market forces or actions of governments and/or their central banks, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the fund may be subject to a greater risk of principal decline from rising interest rates. When interest rates fall, the fund's investments in new securities may be at lower yields and may reduce the fund's income. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Interest rates in the United States currently are at or near historic lows due to market forces and actions of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the U.S., primarily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant market disruptions. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from fund performance. The magnitude of these

fluctuations in the market price of fixed-income securities is generally greater for securities with longer effective maturities and durations because such instruments do not mature, reset interest rates or become callable for longer periods of time. Unlike investment grade bonds, however, the prices of high yield bonds may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates. In addition, the rates on floating rate instruments adjust periodically with changes in market interest rates. Although these instruments are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than fixed rate instruments, the value of floating rate loans and other floating rate securities may decline if their interest rates do not rise as quickly, or as much, as general interest rates.

 Prepayment risk. Some securities give the issuer the option to prepay or call the securities before their maturity date, which may reduce the market value of the security and the anticipated yield-to-maturity. Issuers often exercise this right when interest rates fall. If an issuer "calls" its securities during a time of declining interest rates, the fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of "callable" issues are subject to increased price fluctuation.

 Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund's use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund's other investments in the manner intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment, and involve greater risks than the underlying assets because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to liquidity risk, credit and counterparty risk (failure of the counterparty to the derivatives transaction to honor its obligation) and pricing risk (risk that the derivative cannot or will not be accurately valued).

 Management risk. The investment process used by the fund's portfolio managers could fail to achieve the fund's investment goal and cause your fund investment to lose value.

 LIBOR rate risk. Many financial instruments, including those in which the fund may invest, utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as the reference or benchmark rate for variable interest rate calculations.  In July 2017, the United Kingdom's financial regulatory body announced plans to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. Various financial industry groups around the world have begun planning the transition to the use of different benchmarks.  In the United States, the Federal Reserve Board and the New York Fed convened the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, comprised of a group of private-market participants, which recommended the Secured Overnight Financing Rate as an alternative reference rate to USD LIBOR.  Neither the effect of the transition process, in the United States or elsewhere, nor its ultimate success, can yet be known.  While some instruments tied to LIBOR may include a replacement rate in the event LIBOR is discontinued, not all instruments have such fallback provisions and the effectiveness of such replacement rates remains uncertain.  The potential cessation of LIBOR could affect the value and liquidity of investments tied to LIBOR, especially those that do not include fallback provisions, and may result in costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new trades.

 Non-diversification risk. The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund's Class A shares from year to year. Sales charges, if any, are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would have been less than those shown. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's shares to those of a broad measure of market performance. The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. More recent performance information may be available at www.bnymellonim.com/us.

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%) Class A
Bar Chart

Best Quarter
Q1, 2019: 3.11%
Worst Quarter
Q4, 2018: -3.48%

 

The year-to-date total return of the fund’s Class A shares as of September 30, 2020 was -1.00%.

 

Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/19)

After-tax performance is shown only for Class A shares. After-tax performance of the fund's other share classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through U.S. tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares may be higher than returns before taxes or returns after taxes on distributions due to an assumed tax benefit from losses on a sale of the fund's shares at the end of the period.

Average Annual Returns - BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date
Class A 4.23% 2.58% 2.47% Sep. 27, 2013
Class C 4.99% 2.34% 2.11% Sep. 27, 2013
Class I 7.12% 3.39% 3.16% Sep. 27, 2013
Class Y 7.15% 3.39% 3.16% Sep. 27, 2013
After Taxes on Distributions | Class A 2.06% 0.76% 0.74%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class A 2.48% 1.15% 1.10%  
Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes 8.17% 4.53% 4.25% [1] Sep. 30, 2013
[1] For comparative purposes, the value of the index on September 30, 2013 is used as the beginning value on September 27, 2013.