15 U.S.C. § 80a–19 — Payments or distributions

(a) Dividends; restriction; exception. It is unlawful for a registered investment company to pay a dividend, or make a distribution in the nature of a dividend, wholly or partly from any source other than (1) the company's accumulated undistributed net income, figured under good accounting practice and not counting profits or losses from selling securities or other property, or (2) the company's net income for the current or preceding fiscal year — unless the payment comes with a written statement that fully discloses where the money came from. The Commission may set the form of that statement by rule, in the public interest and for the protection of investors. (b) Long-term capital gains; limitation. It is unlawful, in violation of Commission rules adopted as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, for a registered investment company to distribute long-term capital gains, as title 26 defines them, more often than once every twelve months.