Summary Prospectus
Summary
Prospectus
Key Facts About BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund
Investment Objective
The investment objective of BlackRock Short-Term Municipal
Fund (the “Short-Term Fund” or the “Fund”) is to provide shareholders with as high a level of income exempt from Federal income taxes as is consistent with the investment policies of the Fund.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
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 $50,000 in the BlackRock-advised fund complex. More information about these and other discounts
is available from your financial professional or your selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) and their
respective affiliates) (each a “Financial Intermediary”) and in the “Details About the Share Classes” section on page 31 of the Fund’s prospectus and in the “Purchase of Shares” section on page II-66 of the
Fund’s statement of additional information.
| Shareholder
Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
Investor
A Shares |
Investor
C Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
| Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price) | 3.00% | None | None |
| Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | None 1 | 1.00% 2 | None |
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Investor
A Shares |
Investor
C Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
| Management Fee | 0.33% | 0.33% | 0.33% |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | None |
| Other Expenses | 0.10% | 0.13% | 0.18% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.68% | 1.46% | 0.51% |
| 1 | A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 0.50% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase of an investment of $250,000 or more. |
| 2 | There is no CDSC on Investor C Shares after one year. |
Example:
This 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 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 the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
| Investor A Shares | $367 | $511 | $667 | $1,121 |
| Investor C Shares | $249 | $462 | $797 | $1,746 |
| Institutional Shares | $ 52 | $164 | $285 | $ 640 |
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem
your shares:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
| Investor C Shares | $149 | $462 | $797 | $1,746 |
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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 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 41% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Under normal circumstances, the Short-Term Fund seeks to
achieve its objective by investing at least 80% of its assets in municipal bonds. Municipal bonds include debt obligations issued by or on behalf of a governmental entity or other qualifying issuer that pay interest that is, in the opinion of bond
counsel to the issuer, generally excludable from gross income for Federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the Federal alternative minimum tax). Municipal bonds may be obligations of a
variety of issuers, including governmental entities or other qualifying issuers. Issuers may be states, territories and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities.
Municipal bonds also include short-term tax-exempt obligations like municipal notes and variable rate demand obligations.
The Short-Term Fund invests primarily in investment grade
municipal bonds or municipal notes, including variable rate demand obligations. Investment grade bonds are securities which are rated in the four highest categories by at least one of the major rating agencies or determined by the management team to
be of similar quality. Generally, the higher the rating of a bond, the higher the likelihood that interest and principal payments will be made on time. Municipal notes are shorter-term municipal debt obligations that pay interest that is, in the
opinion of bond counsel to the issuer, generally excludable from gross income for Federal income tax purposes (except that the interest may be includable in taxable income for purposes of the Federal alternative minimum tax) and that have a maturity
that is generally one year or less.
The Fund will
maintain a dollar weighted maturity of no more than two years. Because of their shorter maturities, the Fund’s investments will not usually be as sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates as are long-term municipal bonds. Fluctuations
in interest rates on short-term municipal bonds may, however, vary more widely from time to time than those on long-term municipal bonds.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your
investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as
other similar investments. The following is a summary description of principal risks of investing in the Fund.
Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the
market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer.
Interest Rate Risk
— Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall, and decrease as interest
rates rise.
Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The
use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s
portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage.
Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be
difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have
the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund
is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments,
may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions.
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Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection
risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose
money.
Municipal Securities Risks — Municipal securities risks include the ability of the issuer to repay the obligation, the relative lack of information about certain issuers of municipal securities, and the possibility of
future legislative changes which could affect the market for and value of municipal securities. These risks include:
General Obligation Bonds Risks — Timely payments depend on the issuer’s credit quality, ability to raise tax revenues and ability to maintain an adequate tax base.
Revenue Bonds Risks — These payments depend on the money earned by the particular facility or class of facilities, or the amount of revenues derived from another source.
Private Activity Bonds Risks — Municipalities and other public authorities issue private activity bonds to finance development of industrial facilities for use by a private enterprise. The private enterprise pays the principal and interest on the
bond, and the issuer does not pledge its faith, credit and taxing power for repayment.
Moral Obligation Bonds Risks — Moral obligation bonds are generally issued by special purpose public authorities of a state or municipality. If the issuer is unable to meet its obligations, repayment of these bonds becomes a moral commitment, but not
a legal obligation, of the state or municipality.
Municipal Notes Risks — Municipal notes are shorter term municipal debt obligations. If there is a shortfall in the anticipated proceeds, the notes may not be fully repaid and the Fund may lose money.
Municipal Lease Obligations Risks — In a municipal lease obligation, the issuer agrees to make payments when due on the lease obligation. Although the issuer does not pledge its unlimited taxing power for payment of the lease obligation, the lease
obligation is secured by the leased property.
Tax-Exempt Status Risk — The Fund and its investment manager will rely on the opinion of issuers’ bond counsel and, in the case of derivative securities, sponsors’ counsel, on the tax-exempt status of interest on municipal
bonds and payments under derivative securities. Neither the Fund nor its investment manager will independently review the bases for those tax opinions, which may ultimately be determined to be incorrect and subject the Fund and its shareholders to
substantial tax liabilities.
Prepayment and
Extension Risk — When interest rates fall, an issuer may redeem a security with call features by repaying it early, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower
yields. When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the issuer more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall.
Variable Rate Demand Obligations Risk — Variable rate demand obligations are floating rate securities that combine an interest in a long-term municipal bond with a right to demand payment
before maturity from a bank or other financial institution. If the bank or financial institution is unable to pay, the Fund may lose money.
Performance Information
The information shows you how the Fund’s performance has
varied year by year and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of the S&P Municipal Bond Index and the S&P Limited Maturity Municipal Bond Index, which are
relevant to the Fund because they have characteristics similar to the Fund’s investment strategies. Prior to the Investor A and Investor C Shares inception date of October 2, 2006, the returns for Investor A and Investor C Shares are based on
the performance of the Institutional Shares adjusted to reflect the distribution and service (12b-1) fees applicable to Investor A and Investor C Shares. As with all such investments, past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of
future results. Sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. However, the table includes all applicable fees and sales charges. If the Fund’s investment manager and its affiliates had
not waived or reimbursed certain Fund expenses during these periods, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. Updated information on the Fund’s performance can be obtained by visiting http://www.blackrock.com/funds or can be obtained by
phone at (800) 882-0052.
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Institutional Shares
ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund
As of 12/31
As of 12/31
During the ten-year period
shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 1.67% (quarter ended December 31, 2008) and the lowest return for a quarter was –0.37% (quarter ended June 30, 2004). The year-to-date return as of September 30, 2013 was
0.37%.
| As
of 12/31/12 Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
| BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund — Institutional | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 0.58% | 2.09% | 2.09% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | 0.58% | 2.09% | 2.09% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares | 0.69% | 2.04% | 2.09% |
| BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund — Investor A | |||
| Return Before Taxes | (2.60)% | 1.21% | 1.53% |
| BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund — Investor C | |||
| Return Before Taxes | (1.39)% | 1.06% | 1.06% |
| S&P
Municipal Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
7.42% | 5.78% | 5.19% |
| S&P
Limited Maturity Municipal Bond Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
1.26% | 2.88% | 2.83% |
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 tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Institutional Shares only, and the after-tax returns for Investor A and Investor C
Shares will vary.
Investment Manager
The Fund’s investment manager is BlackRock Advisors, LLC
(“BlackRock”). The Fund’s sub-adviser is BlackRock Investment Management, LLC. Where applicable, the use of the term BlackRock also refers to the Fund’s sub-adviser.
Portfolio Managers
| Name | Portfolio
Manager of the Fund Since |
Title |
| Peter J. Hayes | 1996 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
| Marie Sheehan | 2007 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
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Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund each day the New
York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open. To purchase or sell shares you should contact your Financial Intermediary, or, if you hold your shares through the Fund, you should contact the Fund by phone at (800) 441-7762, by mail (c/o BlackRock
Funds, P.O. Box 9819, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-8019), or by the Internet at www.blackrock.com/funds. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in
some cases:
| Investor A and Investor C Shares | Institutional Shares | |
| Minimum
Initial Investment |
$1,000
for all accounts except: • $250 for certain fee-based programs. • $100 for certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. • $50, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan. |
$2
million for institutions and individuals. Institutional Shares are available to clients of registered investment advisers who have $250,000 invested in the Fund. |
| Minimum
Additional Investment |
$50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum). | No subsequent minimum. |
Tax Information
The Fund’s dividends and distributions may be subject to
Federal income taxes and may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are a tax-exempt investor or are investing through a retirement plan, in which case you may be subject to Federal income tax upon withdrawal from such tax deferred
arrangements. The Fund intends to make distributions most of which will be excludable from gross income for Federal income tax purposes.
Payments to Broker/Dealers and Other Financial
Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial
Intermediary, the Fund and BlackRock Investments, LLC, the Fund’s distributor, or its affiliates may pay the Financial Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing
the Financial Intermediary to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your individual Financial Intermediary or visit your Financial Intermediary’s website for more information.
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