Abbreviation Legend
ADR
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American
Depositary Receipt
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Currency
Legend
Investments are valued using
policies described in the Notes to Financial Statements in the most recent shareholder report.
Fair value measurements
The Fund categorizes its fair value measurements according to
a three-level hierarchy that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by prioritizing that the most observable input be used when available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in
pricing an investment based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are those that reflect the Fund’s assumptions about the information market participants would use in pricing an
investment. An investment’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is deemed significant to the asset’s or liability’s fair value measurement. The input levels are not necessarily an
indication of the risk or liquidity associated with investments at that level. For example, certain U.S. government securities are generally high quality and liquid, however, they are reflected as Level 2 because the inputs used to determine fair
value may not always be quoted prices in an active market.
Fair value inputs are summarized in the three broad levels
listed below:
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Level 1 — Valuations
based on quoted prices for investments in active markets that the Fund has the ability to access at the measurement date. Valuation adjustments are not applied to Level 1 investments.
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Level 2 — Valuations
based on other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risks, etc.).
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Level 3 — Valuations
based on significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions and judgment in determining the fair value of investments).
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Inputs that are used in determining fair value of an investment
may include price information, credit data, volatility statistics, and other factors. These inputs can be either observable or unobservable. The availability of observable inputs can vary between investments, and is affected by various factors such
as the type of investment, and the volume and level of activity for that investment or similar investments in the marketplace. The inputs will be considered by the Investment Manager, along with any other relevant factors in the calculation of an
investment’s fair value. The Fund uses prices and inputs that are current as of the measurement date, which may include periods of market dislocations. During these periods, the availability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many
investments. This condition could cause an investment to be reclassified between the various levels within the hierarchy.
Certain investments that have been measured at fair value using
the net asset value (NAV) per share (or its equivalent) are not categorized in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value amounts presented in the table are intended to reconcile the fair value hierarchy to the amounts presented in the Portfolio of
Investments. The Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund seeks to provide shareholders with maximum current income consistent with liquidity and stability of principal. Columbia Short-Term Cash Fund prices its shares with a floating NAV and no longer seeks to
maintain a stable NAV.
Investments falling into the Level
3 category are primarily supported by quoted prices from brokers and dealers participating in the market for those investments. However, these may be classified as Level 3 investments due to lack of market transparency and corroboration to support
these quoted prices. Additionally, valuation models may be used as the pricing source for any remaining investments classified as Level 3. These models may rely on one or more significant unobservable inputs and/or significant assumptions by the
Investment Manager. Inputs used in valuations may include, but are not limited to, financial statement analysis, capital account balances, discount rates and estimated cash flows, and comparable company data.
Under the direction of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the
Board), the Investment Manager’s Valuation Committee (the Committee) is responsible for overseeing the valuation procedures approved by the Board. The Committee consists of voting and non-voting members from various groups within the
Investment Manager’s organization, including operations and accounting, trading and investments, compliance, risk management and legal.
The Committee meets at least monthly to review and approve
valuation matters, which may include a description of specific valuation determinations, data regarding pricing information received from approved pricing vendors and brokers and the results of Board-approved valuation control policies and
procedures (the Policies). The Policies address, among other things, instances when market quotations are or are not readily available, including recommendations of third party pricing vendors and a determination of appropriate pricing
methodologies; events that require specific valuation determinations and assessment of fair value techniques; securities with a potential for stale pricing, including those that are illiquid, restricted, or in default; and the effectiveness of third
party pricing vendors, including periodic reviews of vendors. The Committee meets more frequently, as needed, to discuss additional valuation matters, which may include the need to review back-testing results, review time-sensitive information or
approve related valuation actions. The Committee reports to the Board, with members of the Committee meeting with the Board at each of its regularly scheduled meetings to discuss valuation matters and actions during the period, similar to those
described earlier.
For investments categorized as Level
3, the Committee monitors information similar to that described above, which may include: (i) data specific to the issuer or comparable issuers, (ii) general market or specific sector news and (iii) quoted prices and specific or similar security
transactions. The Committee considers this data and any changes from prior periods in order to assess the reasonableness of observable and unobservable inputs, any assumptions or internal models used to value those securities and changes in fair
value. This data is also used to corroborate, when available, information received from approved pricing vendors and brokers. Various factors impact the frequency of monitoring this information (which may occur as often as daily). However, the
Committee may determine that changes to inputs, assumptions and models are not required as a result of the monitoring procedures performed.