N-CSR 1 ar093008dit_gnm.htm ANNUAL REPORT

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

 

FORM N-CSR

 

Investment Company Act file number

811-4049

 

DWS Income Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

345 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10154-0004

(Address of principal executive offices)             (Zip code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (212) 454-7190

 

Paul Schubert

345 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10154-0004

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

Date of fiscal year end:

09/30

 

Date of reporting period:

09/30/08

 

 

ITEM 1.           REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS

 

 


 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2008

Annual Report
to Shareholders

 

 

DWS GNMA Fund

gmn_cover10

Contents

click here Performance Summary

click here Information About Your Fund's Expenses

click here Portfolio Management Review

click here Portfolio Summary

click here Investment Portfolio

click here Financial Statements

click here Financial Highlights

click here Notes to Financial Statements

click here Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

click here Tax Information

click here Investment Management Agreement Approval

click here Summary of Management Fee Evaluation by Independent Fee Consultant

click here Trustees and Officers

click here Account Management Resources

This report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus. To obtain a prospectus for any of our funds, refer to the Account Management Resources information provided in the back of this booklet. We advise you to consider the fund's objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the fund. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.

Investments in mutual funds involve risk. Some funds have more risk than others. In the current market environment, mortgage-backed securities are experiencing increased volatility. Yields will fluctuate in response to changing interest rates and may be affected by the prepayment of mortgage-backed securities. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of the bonds, and thus the value of the bond fund, can decline and the investor can lose principal value. Please read this fund's prospectus for specific details regarding its investments and risk profile.

DWS Investments is part of Deutsche Bank's Asset Management division and, within the US, represents the retail asset management activities of Deutsche Bank AG, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc. and DWS Trust Company.

NOT FDIC/NCUA INSURED NO BANK GUARANTEE MAY LOSE VALUE NOT A DEPOSIT NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

Performance Summary September 30, 2008

All performance shown is historical, assumes reinvestment of all dividend and capital gain distributions, and does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value fluctuate with changing market conditions so that, when redeemed, shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Please visit www.dws-investments.com for the Fund's most recent month-end performance.

The total annual fund operating expense ratio, gross of any fee waivers or expense reimbursements, as stated in the fee table of the prospectus dated February 1, 2008 is 0.58% for Class S shares. Please see the Information About Your Fund's Expenses, the Financial Highlights and Notes to the Financial Statements (Note C, Related Parties) sections of this report for gross and net expense related disclosure for the period ended September 30, 2008.

To discourage short-term trading, the Fund imposes a 2% redemption fee on shareholders redeeming shares held less than 15 days, which has the effect of lowering total return.

Returns and rankings for the 3-year, 5-year and 10-year periods shown reflect a fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement. Without this waiver/reimbursement, returns and rankings would have been lower.

Performance figures do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Returns shown for Class S shares for the periods prior to its inception July 17, 2000 are derived from the historical performance of the Fund's original share class (Class AARP) of DWS GNMA Fund during such periods and have assumed the same expense structure. Any difference in expenses will affect performance. Class AARP shares merged into Class S shares on July 14, 2006.

Class S shares are generally not available to new investors except under certain circumstances. (Please refer to the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.)

Average Annual Total Returns as of 9/30/08

DWS GNMA Fund

1-Year

3-Year

5-Year

10-Year

Class S

6.45%

4.89%

4.14%

4.91%

Barclays Capital GNMA Index+

6.94%

5.41%

4.75%

5.61%

Sources: Lipper Inc. and Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc.

Net Asset Value and Distribution Information

 

Class S

Net Asset Value:

9/30/08

$ 14.72

9/30/07

$ 14.60

Distribution Information:

Twelve Months as of 9/30/08:

Income Dividends

$ .79

September Income Dividend

$ .0670

SEC 30-day Yield++

5.46%

Current Annualized Distribution Rate++

5.46%

++ The SEC yield is net investment income per share earned over the month ended September 30, 2008, shown as an annualized percentage of the maximum offering price per share on the last day of the period. The SEC yield is computed in accordance with a standardized method prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Current annualized distribution rate is the latest monthly dividend as an annualized percentage of net asset value on September 30, 2008. Distribution rate simply measures the level of dividends and is not a complete measure of performance. Yields and distribution rates are historical, not guaranteed, and will fluctuate.

Class S Lipper Rankings — GNMA Funds Category as of 9/30/08

Period

Rank

 

Number of Funds Tracked

Percentile Ranking (%)

1-Year

19

of

63

30

3-Year

17

of

58

29

5-Year

15

of

57

26

Source: Lipper Inc. Rankings are historical and do not guarantee future results. Rankings are based on total return with distributions reinvested. Rankings are for Class S shares.

Growth of an Assumed $10,000 Investment

[] DWS GNMA Fund — Class S

[] Barclays Capital GNMA Index+

gmn_g10k70

Yearly periods ended September 30

Comparative Results as of 9/30/08

DWS GNMA Fund

1-Year

3-Year

5-Year

10-Year

Class S

Growth of $10,000

$10,645

$11,539

$12,251

$16,143

Average annual total return

6.45%

4.89%

4.14%

4.91%

Barclays Capital GNMA Index+
Growth of $10,000

$10,694

$11,714

$12,613

$17,259

Average annual total return

6.94%

5.41%

4.75%

5.61%

The growth of $10,000 is cumulative.

+ The Barclays Capital GNMA Index (name changed from Lehman Brothers GNMA Index, effective November 3, 2008) is an unmanaged, market-value-weighted measure of all fixed-rate securities backed by mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage Association. Index returns, unlike Fund returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. It is not possible to invest directly into an index.

Information About Your Fund's Expenses

As an investor of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: ongoing expenses and transaction costs. Ongoing expenses include management fees and other Fund expenses. Examples of transaction costs include redemption fees and account maintenance fees, which are not shown in this section. The following tables are intended to help you understand your ongoing expenses (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to help you compare these expenses with the ongoing expenses of investing in other mutual funds. The example in the table is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period (April 1, 2008 to September 30, 2008).

The tables illustrate your Fund's expenses in two ways:

Actual Fund Return. This helps you estimate the actual dollar amount of ongoing expenses (but not transaction costs) paid on a $1,000 investment in the Fund using the Fund's actual return during the period. To estimate the expenses you paid over the period, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the "Expenses Paid per $1,000" line under the share class you hold.

Hypothetical 5% Fund Return. This helps you to compare your Fund's ongoing expenses (but not transaction costs) with those of other mutual funds using the Fund's actual expense ratio and a hypothetical rate of return of 5% per year before expenses. Examples using a 5% hypothetical fund return may be found in the shareholder reports of other mutual funds. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period.

Please note that the expenses shown in these tables are meant to highlight your ongoing expenses only and do not reflect any transaction costs. The "Expenses Paid per $1,000" line of the tables is useful in comparing ongoing expenses only and will not help you determine the relative total expense of owning different funds. An account maintenance fee of $6.25 per quarter for Class S shares may apply for certain accounts whose balances do not meet the applicable minimum initial investment. This fee is not included in these tables. If it was, the estimate of expenses paid for Class S shares during the period would be higher, and account value during the period would be lower, by this amount.

Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment for the six months ended September 30, 2008

Actual Fund Return

Class S

Beginning Account Value 4/1/08

$ 1,000.00

Ending Account Value 9/30/08

$ 1,009.80

Expenses Paid per $1,000*

$ 2.71

Hypothetical 5% Fund Return

Class S

Beginning Account Value 4/1/08

$ 1,000.00

Ending Account Value 9/30/08

$ 1,022.30

Expenses Paid per $1,000*

$ 2.73

* Expenses are equal to the Fund's annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by 366.

Annualized Expense Ratio

Class S

DWS GNMA Fund

0.54%

For more information, please refer to the Fund's prospectus.

Portfolio Management Review

DWS GNMA Fund: A Team Approach to Investing

Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc. ("DIMA" or the "Advisor"), which is part of Deutsche Asset Management, is the investment advisor for DWS GNMA Fund. DIMA and its predecessors have more than 80 years of experience managing mutual funds and DIMA provides a full range of investment advisory services to institutional and retail clients.

Deutsche Asset Management is a global asset management organization that offers a wide range of investing expertise and resources. This well-resourced global investment platform brings together a wide variety of experience and investment insight across industries, regions, asset classes and investing styles.

DIMA is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG. Deutsche Bank AG is a major global banking institution that is engaged in a wide range of financial services, including investment management, mutual funds, retail, private and commercial banking, investment banking and insurance.

Portfolio Managers

William Chepolis, CFA

Managing Director of Deutsche Asset Management and Co-Manager of the fund.

• Joined Deutsche Asset Management in 1998 after 13 years of experience as vice president and portfolio manager for Norwest Bank where he managed the bank's fixed income and foreign exchange portfolios.

• Portfolio Manager for Retail Fixed Income: New York.

• Joined the fund in 2002.

• BIS, University of Minnesota.

Matthew F. MacDonald

Director of Deutsche Asset Management and Co-Manager of the fund.

• Joined Deutsche Asset Management and the fund in 2006 after 14 years of fixed income experience at Bank of America Global Structured Products and PPM America, Inc., where he was portfolio manager for public fixed income, including MBS, ABS, CDOs and corporate bonds; earlier, as an analyst for MBS, ABS and money markets; and originally, at Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Company.

• Portfolio Manager for Retail Fixed Income: New York.

• BA, Harvard University; MBA, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

In the following interview, the portfolio management team discusses market conditions and investment strategy during DWS GNMA Fund's most recent annual period ended September 30, 2008.

The views expressed in the following discussion reflect those of the portfolio management team only through the end of the period of the report as stated on the cover. The management team's views are subject to change at any time based on market and other conditions and should not be construed as a recommendation. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.

Q: Could you describe the investing environment over the 12-month period ended September 30, 2008?

A: For the period, government-backed bonds including US Treasuries and GNMAs outperformed other sectors of the bond market, driven by a flight to quality on the part of investors.

As the period began, ongoing disclosures of subprime-related losses at leading financial companies continued to drive a market demand for liquidity. Financial institutions that had issued short-term commercial paper to finance lower-quality or longer-maturity holdings in special investment vehicles were unable to roll over their debt in the prevailing credit crunch. As a result, many were forced to unwind credit positions under duress, causing the performance of fixed-income instruments that trade at a yield spread versus Treasuries to suffer in relation to Treasuries.1 Credit rating downgrades of major firms that insure bond issues exacerbated the widening of yield spreads, and already wary market participants became increasingly reluctant to assume the risk that counterparties to trades would be able to deliver as promised.2

1 The yield spread is the difference between the yield of a security and the yield of a comparable-duration Treasury.
2 Credit quality (credit ratings) is a measure of a bond issuer's ability to repay interest and principal in a timely manner. Rating agencies assign letter designations such as AAA, AA and so forth. The lower the rating, the higher the probability of default.

In March, leading investment bank Bear Stearns fell victim to the liquidity crisis, leading the US Federal Reserve Board (the Fed) to take aggressive action to provide sources of funding and stabilize the markets. This proved something of a turning point as credit spreads narrowed for a time.3 However, by June skyrocketing oil prices and a weakening economy had undercut whatever positive sentiment the Fed had generated.

3 Credit spread — the additional yield provided by non-Treasury fixed-income securities versus Treasury securities of comparable duration.

The ongoing credit market distress reached new levels of visibility in September. First, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together own or guarantee roughly half of the US mortgage market, were taken over by the government. In mid-September, leading investment bank Lehman Brothers failed, while global insurance conglomerate AIG was bailed out by the US Treasury. This was followed shortly by the conversion of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to bank holding companies as they sought shelter from the credit market storm, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) seizure and sale to JPMorgan Chase of giant thrift Washington Mutual. The net result was an evaporation of liquidity as the credit markets seized in September. As these events unfolded, the Bush administration sought approval of a mammoth rescue package designed to unfreeze credit markets by funding the removal of illiquid mortgage-related debt from the balance sheets of major financial institutions.

During the period, the Fed lowered the federal funds rate by 275 basis points (2.75 percentage points) to 2% over the course of several moves as it sought to add liquidity. During the 12 months we saw extraordinary interest rate volatility. For the full period, however, Treasury yields finished lower and the Treasury yield curve steepened as declines on the short end were the most significant. To illustrate, the two-year Treasury yield fell by 203 basis points, from 3.99% to 1.96%, while the 10-year fell 77 basis points, from 4.59% to 3.82%, resulting in the yield curve becoming steeper by 126 basis points. (See the chart on the next page.) Mortgage rates were very volatile as well, but did not fall over the 12 months to the same degree as Treasury yields.

US Treasury Yield Curve (as of 9/30/07 and 9/30/08)

gmn_yieldb0

Source: Bloomberg

Chart is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent any DWS Investments product.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Q: How did the fund perform in this environment?

A: For the 12 months ended September 30, 2008, the fund's Class S shares posted a 6.45% total return, compared with the 6.94% return of its benchmark, the Barclays Capital GNMA Index.4 (Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please see page 4 through 5 for more complete performance information.) The fund's return exceeded the 5.51% return of its average peer in the Lipper GNMA Funds category.5 At the close of the period, the fund's duration (a level of sensitivity to changes in interest rates) stood at 5.09 years, compared with 5.03 years for the Barclays Capital GNMA Index.6

4 The unmanaged Barclays Capital GNMA Index (name changed from Lehman Brothers GNMA Index, effective November 3, 2008) is a market-value-weighted measure of all fixed-income securities backed by mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage Association. Index returns, unlike fund returns, do not include fees or expenses. It is not possible to invest directly into an index.
5 The Lipper GNMA Funds category includes funds that invest at least 65% of their assets in Government National Mortgage Association securities. Lipper figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all of the mutual funds designated by Lipper Inc. as falling into the Lipper GNMA Funds category. Category returns assume reinvestment of dividends. It is not possible to invest directly into a Lipper category.
6 Duration — a measure of bond price volatility. Duration can be defined as the approximate percentage change in price for a 100 basis point (one single percentage point) change in market interest rate levels. A duration of 5, for example, means that the price of a bond should rise by approximately 5% for a one percentage point drop in interest rates, and fall by 5% for a one percentage point rise in interest rates.

Q: Can you give us an overview of how you manage the fund?

A: We seek to produce a high level of current income. Our first focus is on the fund's allocation between GNMAs and US Treasury securities — both of which are backed by the full faith and credit of the US government.7 We will adjust the fund's Treasury exposure up or down based on our view of the relative value provided by GNMAs versus Treasuries and of how we expect the interest rate environment to impact each sector.

7 The guarantee relates only to the prompt payment of principal and interest and does not remove market risks if the investment is sold prior to maturity.

In putting together the fund's GNMA allocation, we monitor mortgage refinancing activity closely as this is a good indicator of the fund's exposure to prepayment risk.8 We conduct extensive analysis of prepayment expectations for individual securities. Mortgage characteristics that we evaluate on an ongoing basis include loan age, loan size, geographic concentrations and mortgage pool originator. For instance, smaller loan sizes generally mean a slower rate of prepayment, and homeowners in certain regions tend to refinance less frequently. We believe that through this assessment we can help to control the fund's prepayment risk and maintain higher dividends. Conversely, we may also look to purchase securities trading at a price below par and which we hope will prepay at a higher rate, thereby increasing our holding yield.

8 Prepayment risk — In return for yields that historically have averaged one and one- quarter percentage points higher than Treasury securities of comparable maturity, one of the risks of holding mortgage securities directly, or in the form of a GNMA or other mortgage-backed mutual fund investment, is prepayment risk. Although a typical mortgage-backed security may represent a pool of 30-year mortgages, its actual maturity will be substantially shorter if interest rates decline, and if many homeowners decide to refinance at a lower mortgage rate. Prepayments result in unpredictable cash flows over the life of the security, which may adversely affect the security's yield. They may also limit the potential price gain of the mortgage-backed security when rates are falling. In response, the mortgage market has become increasingly sophisticated in predicting prepayment risk. A higher level of certainty regarding the eventual maturity dates for a pool of mortgages can be achieved through careful security selection.
Source: Mutual Fund Education Alliance

In general, we do not try to choose securities based on their duration -— a measure of interest rate sensitivity based on when investors can expect payments of principal and interest from a bond. Instead, we look for securities that we feel are cheap relative to the Barclays Capital GNMA index.

Q: What were the fund's primary strategies during the period?

A: We maintained a relatively high allocation to GNMA securities throughout the period. This reflected our view that GNMAs continued to offer attractive yields relative to US Treasury issues, especially given the decline in Treasury yields that has occurred. At the close of the period, GNMA securities provided a yield advantage versus equivalent maturity Treasuries of more than 200 basis points.

While the fund had very little exposure to US Treasuries during the period, we traded in and out of a small position in Treasury inflation protected securities (TIPS), adding TIPS when they were pricing in an expectation of low inflation and as a result presented attractive value. This strategy helped the fund's performance over the period. TIPS currently appear to offer attractive value as they have been factoring in inflation of about 1% or lower, leading us to continue to favor exposure to TIPS over Treasuries.

During the period, the spread between GNMA yields and those offered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac experienced significant variability, as the market tried to assess the future of the two government-sponsored entities (GSEs). This provided opportunities for the fund to increase or decrease its exposure to the GSEs as their relative attractiveness shifted, adding to returns. In addition, the fund's exposure to structured securities with favorable interest rate risk profiles, such as select collateralized mortgage obligations, helped performance over the period.

Entering the period, we saw weakness in the subprime loan market as likely to encourage the Fed to lower rates, with the potential to result in an overall lower interest rate environment. Such an environment would normally promote more rapid prepayment of underlying mortgages and make investors less willing to pay for threatened cash flows from higher coupon mortgages.9 In order to protect against such a scenario, we have been focusing on structures resistant to prepayment, such as lower coupon securities backed by seasoned mortgages. This focus on minimizing prepayment risk has not added to performance, as investors have generally continued to discount the risk of mortgage prepayments given a stagnant real estate market. In addition, longer duration assets, such as low coupon mortgages, underperformed as interest rate declines were greatest on short-term bonds. We believe, however, that the strategy of minimizing prepayment risk is sound in view of the Fed's loosening of interest rates, which in our view is being done with an eye toward making refinancing easier.

9 Coupon — The interest rate on a bond the issuer (in the case of mortgage-backed securities, the government) promises to pay to the holder of the bond until maturity, expressed as an annual percentage of face value. As an example, a bond with a 10% coupon would pay $100 on $1,000 of the face amount each year. When mortgages are pooled for sale to investors, they are pooled by the note rate that the homeowner pays to his mortgage company, so that a GNMA security with a 6% coupon would only contain mortgages where homeowners are paying roughly 6% mortgage interest rates and a GNMA with a 7.0% coupon would be a pool of homeowners with roughly 7% interest rates on their mortgages. A coupon's relationship to current interest rates helps determine how likely that homeowner is to refinance his mortgage, causing a prepayment. As a rule of thumb, a higher coupon rate will be more sensitive to prepayments of the mortgage than lower coupons will be.

In addition to focusing on mortgage pools with certain characteristics, the fund has the ability to manage prepayment risk by performing dollar rolls. Simply stated, a dollar roll involves the fund contracting to buy a mortgage-backed security at a future date, and in the interim investing the purchase amount in short-term, high-quality interest-paying instruments. This strategy can boost the fund's income by providing leveraged exposure to the mortgage-backed market. For most of the period we have been dollar rolling about 5% of the fund's assets, near the bottom of our 30% limit. The fund's relative lack of leverage over the period was helpful, as mortgages underperformed Treasuries.

GNMA securities in a nutshell

Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) securities, commonly called "Ginnie Mae" securities, are backed by the full faith and credit of the US government with respect to payment of principal and interest. Each GNMA mortgage-backed security represents an aggregated pool of homeowner's mortgages from which investors receive principal and interest payments each month. If interest rates fall, homeowners tend to refinance and pay off their existing mortgages earlier, and mortgage-backed investors are forced to reinvest the proceeds at lower prevailing rates. If interest rates rise, principal for the mortgages underlying GNMA securities tends to be repaid more slowly and an investor receives the coupon interest on the security over a longer time horizon. However, the value of GNMAs issued recently with coupons that reflect lower prevailing rates may experience a greater price decline if market interest rates rise, as their duration and interest rate risk increase. As a result, funds that invest primarily in GNMAs tend to perform best in environments in which interest rates do not change dramatically.

Q: How do you assess the economic environment for mortgage securities at present?

A: As we enter a new fiscal period, the most likely scenario going forward is for continued weakening of the economy along with lower inflation and interest rates. We remain focused on the potential impact on interest rates and GNMA prepayment rates of Fed policy. In this vein, we continue to expect the Fed to take an accommodative approach, which would carry with it the potential for an uptick in prepayment rates. We believe our current focus on low coupons and other structures resistant to prepayment makes sense given this outlook.

Mortgage-backed securities appear favorably valued versus Treasuries. In addition, the government guarantee provided by GNMAs should be a positive factor given the market's ongoing sensitivity to credit risk in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. We will continue to monitor the economy and Fed policy closely as we position the fund going forward.

Portfolio Summary

Sector Diversification (As a % of Investment Portfolio excluding Securities Lending Collateral)

9/30/08

9/30/07

 

 

 

Government National Mortgage Association

90%

91%

US Government Agency Sponsored

6%

6%

Government & Agency Obligations

4%

2%

Cash Equivalents

1%

 

100%

100%

Coupons*

9/30/08

9/30/07

 

 

 

Less than 4.5%

9%

2%

4.5% — 5.49%

26%

21%

5.5% — 6.49%

50%

63%

6.5% — 7.49%

11%

12%

7.5% and Greater

4%

2%

 

100%

100%

Effective Maturity*

9/30/08

9/30/07

 

 

 

Less than 5 years

19%

15%

5-8 years

62%

64%

Greater than 8 years

19%

21%

 

100%

100%

Weighted average effective maturity: 6.8 years and 7.9 years, respectively.

* Excludes Cash Equivalents, Securities Lending Collateral and US Treasury Obligations

Sector diversification, coupons and effective maturity are subject to change.

For more complete details about the Fund's investment portfolio, see page 17. A quarterly Fact Sheet is available upon request. A complete list of the fund's portfolio holdings is posted as of the month end on www.dws-investments.com on or about the 15th day of the following month. More frequent posting of portfolio holdings information may be made from time to time on www.dws-investments.com. Please see the Account Management Resources section for contact information.

Following the Fund's fiscal first and third quarter-end, a complete portfolio holdings listing is filed with the SEC on Form N-Q. The form will be available on the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov, and it also may be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling (800) SEC-0330.

Investment Portfolio as of September 30, 2008

 

Principal Amount ($)

Value ($)

 

 

Government National Mortgage Association 82.9%

Government National Mortgage Association:

 

 

5.0%, with various maturities from 5/20/2019 until 9/20/2038 (a) (f)

380,427,787

373,176,414

5.5%, with various maturities from 7/20/2013 until 3/15/2038 (a) (f)

600,128,566

601,090,396

6.0%, with various maturities from 7/15/2014 until 9/20/2038 (a) (f)

579,546,808

589,362,132

6.5%, with various maturities from 10/15/2008 until 12/15/2037

140,431,510

144,778,102

7.0%, with various maturities from 2/15/2009 until 9/20/2038 (a)

85,225,442

88,865,376

7.5%, with various maturities from 6/15/2009 until 1/15/2037

35,062,429

37,323,141

8.0%, with various maturities from 8/20/2012 until 9/20/2013

82,963

86,641

9.0%, with various maturities from 2/15/2020 until 7/15/2030

1,165,328

1,296,693

10.5%, with various maturities from 10/20/2016 until 1/20/2021

383,396

443,889

11.5%, with various maturities from 4/15/2013 until 2/15/2016

91,153

104,582

12.0%, with various maturities from 12/15/2012 until 7/15/2015

339,960

395,270

12.5%, with various maturities from 5/15/2010 until 8/15/2015

191,610

221,118

13.0%, 5/15/2015

5,302

6,227

13.5%, with various maturities from 11/15/2012 until 9/15/2014

35,605

41,746

14.0%, 7/15/2011

17,090

18,617

14.5%, 10/15/2014

23,726

27,866

16.0%, 2/15/2012

14,976

17,149

Total Government National Mortgage Association (Cost $1,845,476,885)

1,837,255,359

 

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations 16.4%

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.:

 

 

"PO", Series 3147, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 4/15/2036

11,294,510

8,899,316

"MO", Series 3171, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 6/15/2036

8,904,081

6,830,158

"AO", Series 3236, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 11/15/2036

5,189,327

3,933,111

"FA", Series 3237, 2.838%*, 11/15/2036

7,171,524

6,890,591

"SL", Series 2882, Interest Only, 4.713%**, 10/15/2034

5,878,827

611,561

"GZ", Series 2906, 5.0%, 9/15/2034

20,748,726

17,926,690

"VB", Series 2651, 5.5%, 3/15/2014

4,245,412

4,293,744

Federal National Mortgage Association:

 

 

"FC", Series 2006-123, 3.467%*, 1/25/2037

6,105,439

5,773,526

"FA", Series 2005-87, 3.707%*, 10/25/2034

10,362,085

9,709,471

"ZA", Series 2008-24, 5.0%, 4/25/2038

15,378,928

12,971,160

"AN", Series 2007-108, 8.92%*, 11/25/2037

16,660,446

18,385,161

Government National Mortgage Association:

 

 

"PO", Series 2002-69, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 2/20/2032

9,970,710

8,229,812

"CO", Series 2002-76, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 3/22/2032

2,568,239

1,203,144

"JO", Series 2006-22, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 4/20/2036

8,270,961

6,303,071

"PO", Series 2007-58, Principal Only, Zero Coupon, 10/20/2037

8,192,700

6,306,158

"FP", Series 2005-61, 2.708%*, 8/16/2035

29,302,817

27,606,117

"SB", Series 2008-36, Interest Only, 3.083%**, 4/20/2038

32,555,667

1,878,680

"NS", Series 2007-72, Interest Only, 3.343%**, 11/20/2037

6,292,438

349,198

"FM", Series 2004-80, 3.488%*, 7/20/2034

30,000,000

28,893,129

"SP", Series 2005-61, Interest Only, 3.792%**, 8/16/2035

15,225,184

1,120,607

"GS", Series 2006-16, Interest Only, 3.803%**, 4/20/2036

15,147,199

1,301,120

"KS", Series 2004-96, Interest Only, 3.813%**, 7/20/2034

14,223,452

1,335,925

"PZ", Series 2004-74, 4.0%, 9/20/2034

3,519,596

2,844,725

"SU", Series 2004-30, Interest Only, 4.013%**, 2/20/2032

21,219,581

1,127,738

"FP", Series 2003-67, 4.088%*, 8/20/2033

14,971,875

14,223,641

"ZC", Series 2003-86, 4.5%, 10/20/2033

2,182,458

1,864,342

"A1", Series 2008-36, Interest Only, 5.0%, 10/16/2022

13,190,771

1,736,975

"GD", Series 2004-26, 5.0%, 11/16/2032

21,000,000

20,647,328

"LG", Series 2003-70, 5.0%, 8/20/2033

5,000,000

4,657,541

"KE", Series 2004-19, 5.0%, 3/16/2034

5,000,000

4,553,509

"PH", Series 2004-80, 5.0%, 7/20/2034

11,000,000

10,442,721

"LE", Series 2004-87, 5.0%, 10/20/2034

7,000,000

6,438,855

"ZB", Series 2005-15, 5.0%, 2/16/2035

11,957,749

10,573,698

"GZ", Series 2005-44, 5.0%, 7/20/2035

3,513,514

3,010,254

"CK", Series 2007-31, 5.0%, 5/16/2037

9,000,000

8,639,080

"AI", Series 2008-40, Interest Only, 5.5%, 5/16/2023

5,603,409

802,158

"PZ" Series 2003-25, 5.5%, 4/20/2033

6,730,665

6,260,792

"TZ", Series 2003-85, 5.5%, 10/20/2033

6,548,505

6,039,334

"PC", Series 2007-2, 5.5%, 6/20/2035

11,510,346

11,418,828

"Z", Series 2005-96, 5.5%, 12/16/2035

7,586,490

6,926,637

"PD", Series 2005-91, 5.5%, 12/20/2035

5,000,000

4,661,594

"ZA", Series 2007-30, 5.5%, 5/16/2037

5,398,911

4,885,720

"SJ", Series 1999-43, Interest Only, 5.512%**, 11/16/2029

8,235,402

737,560

"QA", Series 2002-13, Interest Only, 5.562%**, 2/16/2032

2,741,868

295,385

"IJ", Series 2007-53, Interest Only, 5.75%, 6/20/2035

1,252,859

146,546

"ZB", Series 2005-65, 6.0%, 9/20/2032

20,470,704

20,658,424

"PH" Series 2002- 84, 6.0%, 11/16/2032

9,000,000

8,888,665

"PB", Series 2005-92, 6.0%, 12/20/2035

8,000,000

7,773,158

"PB", Series 2001-53, 6.5%, 11/20/2031

4,500,000

4,586,206

"IO", Series 2006-61, Interest Only, 6.5%, 11/20/2036

13,382,761

2,938,541

"ST", Series 2004-71, 7.0%, 9/20/2034

5,913,571

5,580,732

Total Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (Cost $365,923,515)

364,112,137

 

US Government Agency Sponsored Pass-Throughs 2.3%

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.:

 

 

5.48%*, 2/1/2037

22,543,323

22,700,090

5.848%*, 1/1/2037

18,647,675

18,728,587

Federal National Mortgage Association, 5.834%*, 9/1/2036

8,912,209

9,063,841

Total US Government Agency Sponsored Pass-Throughs (Cost $50,322,708)

50,492,518

 

Government & Agency Obligations 4.3%

US Government Sponsored Agencies 1.7%

Federal Home Loan Bank, 7.45%*, 10/16/2023

12,000,000

12,000,000

Federal National Mortgage Association, 8.45%*, 2/27/2023

25,000,000

24,862,500

36,862,500

US Treasury Obligations 2.6%

US Treasury Bill, 1.35%***, 10/16/2008 (b)

5,568,000

5,565,260

US Treasury Inflation-Indexed Notes:

 

 

0.625%, 4/15/2013 (a)

18,729,000

17,675,494

0.875%, 4/15/2010 (a) (e)

17,413,350

17,105,900

2.0%, 4/15/2012

17,340,800

17,382,799

57,729,453

Total Government & Agency Obligations (Cost $98,643,016)

94,591,953

 


Shares

Value ($)

 

 

Securities Lending Collateral 21.8%

Daily Assets Fund Institutional, 2.79% (c) (d) (Cost $484,718,179)

484,718,179

484,718,179

 

% of Net Assets

Value ($)

 

 

Total Investment Portfolio (Cost $2,845,084,303)+

127.7

2,831,170,146

Other Assets and Liabilities, Net (a)

(27.7)

(614,178,060)

Net Assets

100.0

2,216,992,086

* Floating rate notes are securities whose yields vary with a designated market index or market rate, such as the coupon-equivalent of the US Treasury bill rate. These securities are shown at their current rate as of September 30, 2008.
** These securities are shown at their current rate as of September 30, 2008.
*** Annualized yield at time of purchase; not a coupon rate.
+ The cost for federal income tax purposes was $2,845,255,181. At September 30, 2008, net unrealized depreciation for all securities based on tax cost was $14,085,035. This consisted of aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of value over tax cost of $7,755,201 and aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of tax cost over value of $21,840,236.
(a) All or a portion of these securities were on loan amounting to $461,008,274. In addition, included in other assets and liabilities, net is a pending sale, amounting to $11,403,933, that is also on loan (see Notes to Financial Statements). The value of all securities loaned at September 30, 2008 amounted to $472,412,207, which is 21.3% of net assets.
(b) At September 30, 2008, this security has been pledged, in whole or in part, to cover initial margin requirements for open futures contracts.
(c) Affiliated fund managed by Deutsche Asset Management Inc. The rate shown is the annualized seven-day yield at period end.
(d) Represents collateral held in connection with securities lending. Income earned by the Fund is net of borrower income.
(e) At September 30, 2008, this security has been pledged, in whole or in part, as collateral for open written swaptions.
(f) When-issued or delayed delivery securities included.

Interest Only: Interest Only (IO) bonds represent the "interest only" portion of payments on a pool of underlying mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. IO securities are subject to prepayment risk of the pool of underlying mortgages.

Principal Only: Principal Only (PO) bonds represent the "principal only" portion of payments on a pool of underlying mortgages or mortgage-backed securities.

Included in the portfolio are investments in mortgage securities which are interests in separate pools of mortgages. Effective maturities of these investments may be shorter than stated maturities due to prepayments. Some separate investments in the Government National Mortgage Association issues which have similar coupon rates have been aggregated for presentation purposes in this investment portfolio.

At September 30, 2008, open futures contracts purchased were as follows:

Futures

Expiration Date

Contracts

Aggregate Face Value ($)

Value ($)

Unrealized Appreciation ($)

5-Year Interest Rate Swap

12/15/2008

160

17,305,448

17,360,000

54,552

At September 30, 2008, open futures contracts sold were as follows:

Futures

Expiration Date

Contracts

Aggregate Face Value ($)

Value ($)

Unrealized Appreciation/
(Depreciation) ($)

10-Year Interest Rate Swap

12/15/2008

337

38,406,681

37,691,343

715,338

10-Year US Treasury Note

12/19/2008

953

110,184,519

109,237,625

946,894

5-Year US Treasury Note

12/31/2008

160

17,908,302

17,957,500

(49,198)

Total net unrealized appreciation

1,613,034

At September 30, 2008, open written option contracts were as follows:

Written Options

Contract Amount

Expiration Date

Strike Rate (%)

Value ($)

Call Options

Option on an interest rate swap for the obligation to receive a fixed rate of 3.12% versus the one-year LIBOR expiring on September 20, 2010

69,000,000

9/20/2009

3.12

550,199

Put Options

Option on an interest rate swap for the obligation to pay a fixed rate of 3.12% versus the one-year LIBOR expiring on September 20, 2010

69,000,000

9/20/2009

3.12

623,939

Total Written Options (Premiums received $769,350)

1,174,138

 

Coupon Rate (%)

Contract Amount

Expiration Date

Strike Price ($)

Value ($)

Call Options

30-Year GNSF

5.5

30,000,000

11/12/2008

101.8

178,125

30-Year GNSF

5.5

40,000,000

10/15/2008

99.5

612,500

30-Year GNSF

6.0

40,000,000

10/15/2008

101.5

312,500

30-Year GNSF

6.0

30,000,000

11/12/2008

102.0

206,250

Total Call Options (Premiums received $821,875)

1,309,375

Put Options

30-Year GNSF

5.5

30,000,000

11/12/2008

99.8

206,250

30-Year GNSF

5.5

90,000,000

11/12/2008

99.0

365,625

30-Year GNSF

5.5

30,000,000

10/15/2008

98.0

9,375

30-Year GNSF

6.0

60,000,000

12/11/2008

100.0

225,000

30-Year GNSF

6.0

30,000,000

10/15/2008

98.4

4,688

30-Year GNSF

6.0

30,000,000

10/15/2008

100.0

9,375

Total Put Options (Premiums received $2,046,094)

820,313

Total Written Options (Total premiums received $3,637,319)

3,303,826

GNSF: Government National Single Family

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

Financial Statements

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of September 30, 2008

Assets

Investments:

Investments in securities, at value (cost $2,360,366,124) — including $461,008,274 of securities loaned

$ 2,346,451,967

Investment in Daily Assets Fund Institutional (cost $484,718,179)*

484,718,179

Total investments in securities, at value (cost $2,845,084,303)

2,831,170,146

Receivable for investments sold

227,359,764

Receivable for daily variation margin on open futures contracts

2,852,535

Receivable for Fund shares sold

299,761

Interest receivable

11,281,806

Other assets

30,547

Total assets

3,072,994,559

Liabilities

Cash overdraft

18,569,724

Payable upon return of securities loaned

484,718,179

Payable for investments purchased

25,849,776

Payable for when-issued and delayed delivery securities purchased

320,397,422

Options written, at value (premium received $3,637,319)

3,303,826

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

1,531,953

Accrued management fee

556,422

Other accrued expenses and payables

1,075,171

Total liabilities

856,002,473

Net assets, at value

$ 2,216,992,086

* Represents collateral on securities loaned.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of September 30, 2008 (continued)

Net Assets Consist of

Undistributed net investment income

18,156,625

Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

Investments

(13,914,157)

Futures

1,667,586

Written options

333,493

Accumulated net realized gain (loss)

(109,345,413)

Paid-in capital

2,320,093,952

Net assets, at value

$ 2,216,992,086

Net Asset Value

Class S

Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price(a) per share ($2,216,992,086 ÷ 150,564,085 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)

$ 14.72

(a) Redemption price per share for shares held less than 15 days is equal to net asset value less a 2% redemption fee.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

Statement of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2008

Investment Income

Income:
Interest

$ 120,432,400

Interest — Cash Management QP Trust

1,799,678

Securities lending income, including income from Daily Assets Fund Institutional, net of borrower rebates

3,954,675

Total Income

126,186,753

Expenses:
Management fee

7,226,976

Administration fee

2,294,278

Services to shareholders

2,502,480

Reports to shareholders

167,494

Professional fees

159,573

Custodian fee

107,863

Trustees' fees and expenses

85,231

Registration fees

33,653

Other

124,569

Total expenses before expense reductions

12,702,117

Expense reductions

(34,071)

Total expenses after expense reductions

12,668,046

Net investment income

113,518,707

Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)

Net realized gain (loss) from:
Investments

10,740,902

Futures

(11,515,692)

Written options

14,636,720

 

13,861,930

Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:
Investments

14,694,174

Futures

1,453,458

Written options

667,478

 

16,815,110

Net gain (loss)

30,677,040

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

$ 144,195,747

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

 

Years Ended September 30,

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

2008

2007

Operations:
Net investment income

$ 113,518,707

$ 120,849,779

Net realized gain (loss)

13,861,930

(4,951,964)

Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

16,815,110

(2,017,790)

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

144,195,747

113,880,025

Distributions to shareholders from:
Net investment income

(122,699,683)

(125,525,946)

Fund share transactions:
Proceeds from shares sold

72,095,490

46,631,762

Reinvestment of distributions

81,607,557

82,695,424

Cost of shares redeemed

(305,692,393)

(414,772,802)

Redemption fees

17,986

6,504

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from Fund share transactions

(151,971,360)

(285,439,112)

Increase (decrease) in net assets

(130,475,296)

(297,085,033)

Net assets at beginning of period

2,347,467,382

2,644,552,415

Net assets at end of period (including undistributed net investment income of $18,156,625 and $19,581,737, respectively)

$ 2,216,992,086

$ 2,347,467,382

Other Information

 

 

Shares outstanding at beginning of period

160,830,808

180,326,977

Shares sold

4,859,906

3,183,397

Shares issued to shareholders in reinvestment of distributions

5,529,623

5,664,841

Shares redeemed

(20,656,252)

(28,344,407)

Net increase (decrease)

(10,266,723)

(19,496,169)

Shares outstanding at end of period

150,564,085

160,830,808

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

Financial Highlights

Class S

Years Ended September 30,

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Selected Per Share Data

Net asset value, beginning of period

$ 14.60

$ 14.67

$ 14.86

$ 15.14

$ 15.26

Income (loss) from investment operations:

Net investment incomea

.73

.71

.66

.61

.49

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

.18

(.04)

(.14)

(.21)

.00*

Total from investment operations

.91

.67

.52

.40

.49

Less distributions from:

Net investment income

(.79)

(.74)

(.71)

(.68)

(.61)

Redemption fees

.00*

.00*

.00*

.00*

Net asset value, end of period

$ 14.72

$ 14.60

$ 14.67

$ 14.86

$ 15.14

Total Return (%)

6.45

4.76b

3.47b

2.77

3.31b

Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data

Net assets, end of period ($ millions)

2,217

2,347

2,645

283

330

Ratio of expenses before expense reductions (%)

.55

.58

.62

.60

.68

Ratio of expenses after expense reductions (%)

.55

.56

.59

.60

.64

Ratio of net investment income (%)

4.95

4.85

4.55

4.05

3.25

Portfolio turnover rate (%)

220

381

289

300

302

a Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
b Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.
*  Amount is less than $.005.

Notes to Financial Statements

A. Significant Accounting Policies

DWS GNMA Fund (the "Fund") is a diversified series of DWS Income Trust (the "Trust") which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as an open-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust.

The Fund's financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America which require the use of management estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The policies described below are followed consistently by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

Security Valuation. Investments are stated at value determined as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on each day the exchange is open for trading. Debt securities are valued by independent pricing services approved by the Trustees of the Fund. If the pricing services are unable to provide valuations, the securities are valued at the most recent bid quotation or evaluated price, as applicable, obtained from one or more broker-dealers. Such services may use various pricing techniques which take into account appropriate factors such as yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other data, as well as broker quotes.

Money market instruments purchased with an original or remaining maturity of sixty days or less, maturing at par, are valued at amortized cost. Investments in open-end investment companies and Cash Management QP Trust are valued at their net asset value each business day.

Securities and other assets for which market quotations are not readily available or for which the above valuation procedures are deemed not to reflect fair value are valued in a manner that is intended to reflect their fair value as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Trustees.

New Accounting Pronouncements. In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") released Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, "Fair Value Measurements" ("FAS 157"). FAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. FAS 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. As of September 30, 2008, management does not believe the adoption of FAS 157 will impact the amounts reported in the financial statements, however, additional disclosures will be required about the levels of inputs used to develop the measurements of fair value and the effect of certain of the measurements reported in the statement of operations for a fiscal period.

In addition, in March 2008, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 161 ("FAS 161"), "Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities". FAS 161 requires enhanced disclosure about an entity's derivative and hedging activities including qualitative disclosures about the objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative disclosures about fair value amounts of gains and losses on derivative instruments, and disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative agreements. FAS 161 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008. Management is currently reviewing the enhanced disclosure requirements for the adoption of FAS 161.

Securities Lending. The Fund may lend securities to financial institutions. The Fund retains beneficial ownership of the securities it has loaned and continues to receive interest and dividends paid by the issuer of securities and to participate in any changes in their market value. The Fund requires the borrowers of the securities to maintain collateral with the Fund consisting of liquid, unencumbered assets having a value at least equal to the value of the securities loaned. When the collateral falls below specified amounts, the lending agents will use their best efforts to obtain additional collateral on the next business day to meet required amounts under the security lending agreement. The Fund may invest the cash collateral into a joint trading account in an affiliated money market fund pursuant to Exemptive Orders issued by the SEC. The Fund receives compensation for lending its securities either in the form of fees or by earning interest on invested cash collateral net of borrower rebates and fees paid to a lending agent. Either the Fund or the borrower may terminate the loan. There may be risks of delay and costs in recovery of securities or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. The Fund is also subject to all investment risks associated with the value of any cash collateral received, including, but not limited to, interest rate, credit and liquidity risk associated with such investments.

Futures Contracts. A futures contract is an agreement between a buyer or seller and an established futures exchange or its clearinghouse in which the buyer or seller agrees to take or make a delivery of a specific amount of a financial instrument at a specified price on a specific date (settlement date). The Fund may enter into futures contracts as a hedge against anticipated interest rate changes and for duration management, risk management and return enhancement purposes.

Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with a financial intermediary an amount ("initial margin") equal to a certain percentage of the face value indicated in the futures contract. Subsequent payments ("variation margin") are made or received by the Fund dependent upon the daily fluctuations in the value of the underlying security and are recorded for financial reporting purposes as unrealized gains or losses by the Fund. When entering into a closing transaction, the Fund will realize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the futures contract to sell and the futures contract to buy. Futures contracts are valued at the most recent settlement price.

Certain risks may arise upon entering into futures contracts, including the risk that an illiquid secondary market will limit the Fund's ability to close out a futures contract prior to the settlement date and that a change in the value of a futures contract may not correlate exactly with the changes in the value of the securities. When utilizing futures contracts to hedge, the Fund gives up the opportunity to profit from favorable price movements in the hedged positions during the term of the contract.

Mortgage Dollar Rolls. The Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls in which the Fund sells to a bank or broker/dealer (the "counterparty") mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase similar, but not identical, securities on a fixed date. The counterparty receives all principal and interest payments, including prepayments, made on the security while it is the holder. The Fund receives compensation as consideration for entering into the commitment to repurchase. The compensation is paid in the form of a lower price for the security upon its repurchase, or alternatively, a fee. Mortgage dollar rolls may be renewed with a new sale and repurchase price and a cash settlement made at each renewal without physical delivery of the securities subject to the contract.

Certain risks may arise upon entering into mortgage dollar rolls from the potential inability of counterparties to meet the terms of their commitments. Additionally, the value of such securities may change adversely before the Fund is able to repurchase them. There can be no assurance that the Fund's use of the cash that it receives from a mortgage dollar roll will provide a return that exceeds its costs.

When-Issued/Delayed Delivery Securities. The Fund may purchase securities with delivery or payment to occur at a later date beyond the normal settlement period. At the time the Fund enters into a commitment to purchase a security, the transaction is recorded and the value of the security is reflected in the net asset value. The price of such security and the date when the security will be delivered and paid for are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. The value of the security may vary with market fluctuations. No interest accrues to the Fund until payment takes place. At the time the Fund enters into this type of transaction it is required to segregate cash or other liquid assets at least equal to the amount of the commitment.

Certain risks may arise upon entering into when-issued or delayed delivery securities from the potential inability of counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts or if the issuer does not issue the securities due to political, economic, or other factors. Additionally, losses may arise due to changes in the value of the underlying securities.

Options. An option contract is a contract in which the writer of the option grants the buyer of the option the right to purchase from (call option), or sell to (put option), the writer a designated instrument at a specified price within a specified period of time. Certain options, including options on indices, will require cash settlement by the Fund if the option is exercised. The Fund may enter into options on interest rate swaps. The Fund may enter into option contracts in order to hedge against potential adverse price movements in the value of portfolio assets; as a temporary substitute for selling selected investments; to lock in the purchase price of a security which it expects to purchase in the near future; as a temporary substitute for purchasing selected investments; and to enhance potential gain.

The liability representing the Fund's obligation under an exchange traded written option or investment in a purchased option is valued at the last sale price or, in the absence of a sale, the mean between the closing bid and asked prices or at the most recent asked price (bid for purchased options) if no bid and asked price are available. Over-the-counter written or purchased options are valued using dealer supplied quotations. Gain or loss is recognized when the option contract expires or is closed.

If the Fund writes a covered call option, the Fund foregoes, in exchange for the premium, the opportunity to profit during the option period from an increase in the value of the underlying security above the exercise price. If the Fund writes a put option it accepts the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security below the exercise price. Over-the-counter options have the risk of the potential inability of counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts. The Fund's maximum exposure to purchased options is limited to the premium initially paid. In addition, certain risks may arise upon entering into option contracts including the risk that an illiquid secondary market will limit the Fund's ability to close out an option contract prior to the expiration date and that a change in the value of the option contract may not correlate exactly with changes in the value of the securities or currencies hedged.

Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into interest rate swap transactions to reduce the interest rate risk inherent in the Fund's underlying investments. The use of interest rate swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. In an interest rate swap, the Fund would agree to pay to the other party to the interest rate swap (which is known as the "counterparty") a fixed rate payment in exchange for the counterparty agreeing to pay to the Fund a variable rate payment, or the Fund would agree to receive from the counterparty a fixed rate payment in exchange for the counterparty agreeing to receive from the Fund a variable rate payment, the accruals for which would begin at a specified date in the future (the "effective date"). The payment obligations would be based on the notional amount of the swap. Certain risks may arise when entering into swap transactions including counterparty default, liquidity or unfavorable changes in interest rates. The Fund generally intends, but is not obligated, to terminate its interest rate swaps before the effective date. Payments received or made are recorded as realized gain or loss in the Statement of Operations. The value of the swap is adjusted daily based upon a price supplied by the counterparty and the change in value is recorded as unrealized appreciation or depreciation.

Federal Income Taxes. The Fund's policy is to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, which are applicable to regulated investment companies, and to distribute all of its taxable income to its shareholders.

At September 30, 2008, the Fund had a net tax basis capital loss carryforward of approximately $97,161,000, which may be applied against any realized net taxable capital gains of each succeeding year until fully utilized or until September 30, 2012 ($34,927,000), September 30, 2013 ($5,724,000), September 30, 2014 ($21,528,000) and September 30, 2015 ($34,982,000), the respective expiration dates, whichever occurs first, subject to certain limitations under Sections 381-384 of the Internal Revenue Code.

During the year ended September 30, 2008, the Fund utilized approximately $5,912,000 and lost through expiration, $94,055,000 of prior year capital loss carryforwards.

In addition, from November 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008, the Fund incurred approximately $10,346,000 of net realized capital losses. As permitted by tax regulations, the Fund intends to elect to defer these losses and treat them as arising in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009.

The Fund has reviewed the tax positions for the open tax years as of September 30, 2008 and has determined that no provision for income tax is required in the Fund's financial statements. Each of the Fund's federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remain subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.

Distribution of Income and Gains. Net investment income of the Fund is declared and distributed to shareholders monthly. Net realized gains from investment transactions, in excess of available capital loss carryforwards, would be taxable to the Fund if not distributed, and, therefore, will be distributed to shareholders at least annually.

The timing and characterization of certain income and capital gains distributions are determined annually in accordance with federal tax regulations which may differ from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These differences primarily relate to investments in futures, mortgage backed securities, premium amortization on debt securities and certain securities sold at a loss. As a result, net investment income (loss) and net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions for a reporting period may differ significantly from distributions during such period. Accordingly, the Fund may periodically make reclassifications among certain of its capital accounts without impacting the net asset value of the Fund.

At September 30, 2008, the Fund's components of distributable earnings (accumulated losses) on a tax basis are as follows:

Undistributed ordinary income

$ 18,156,625

Capital loss carryforwards

$ (97,161,000)

Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments

$ (14,085,035)

In addition, the tax character of distributions paid to shareholders by the Fund is summarized as follows:

 

Years Ended September 30,

 

2008

2007

Distributions from ordinary income

$ 122,699,683

$125,525,946

Redemption Fees. The Fund imposes a redemption fee of 2% of the total redemption amount on all Fund shares redeemed or exchanged within 15 days of buying them, either by purchase or exchange. This fee is assessed and retained by the Fund for the benefit of the remaining shareholders. The redemption fee is accounted for as an addition to paid-in capital.

Expenses. Expenses of the Trust arising in connection with a specific fund are allocated to that Fund. Other Trust expenses which cannot be directly attributed to a Fund are apportioned among the Funds in the Trust.

Contingencies. In the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The Fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet been made. However, based on experience, the Fund expects the risk of loss to be remote.

Other. Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date plus one basis for daily net asset value calculations. However, for financial reporting purposes, investment security transactions are reported on trade date. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified cost basis. All premiums and discounts are amortized/accreted for financial reporting purposes.

B. Purchases and Sales of Securities

During the year ended September 30, 2008, purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments and US Treasury obligations) aggregated $4,815,676,526 and $5,008,636,035, respectively. Purchases and sales of US Treasury obligations aggregated $544,230,581 and $537,448,104, respectively.

For the year ended September 30, 2008, transactions for written options on swaps and securities were as follows:

 

Number of Contracts

Premium

Outstanding, beginning of period

510,000,000

$ 3,554,298

Options written

2,558,000,000

19,890,054

Options closed

(510,000,000)

(5,441,016)

Options expired

(1,860,000,000)

(13,536,329)

Options exercised

(150,000,000)

(829,688)

Outstanding, end of period

548,000,000

$ 3,637,319

C. Related Parties

Management Agreement. Under the Investment Management Agreement with Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc. ("DIMA" or the "Advisor"), an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG, the Advisor directs the investments of the Fund in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The Advisor determines the securities, instruments and other contracts relating to investments to be purchased, sold or entered into by the Fund.

Under the Investment Management Agreement with the Advisor, the Fund pays a monthly management fee based on the Fund's average daily net assets, computed and accrued daily and payable monthly, at the following annual rates:

First $5.0 billion of the Fund's average daily net assets

.315%

Next $1.0 billion of such net assets

.300%

Over $6.0 billion of such net assets

.285%

Accordingly, for the year ended September 30, 2008, the fee pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement was equivalent to an annual effective rate of 0.315% of the Fund's average daily net assets.

Administration Fee. Pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement, DIMA provides most administrative services to the Fund. For all services provided under the Administrative Services Agreement, the Fund pays the Advisor an annual fee ("Administration fee") of 0.10% of the Fund's average daily net assets, computed and accrued daily and payable monthly. For the year ended September 30, 2008, the Advisor received an Administration Fee of $2,294,278 of which $184,006 is unpaid.

Service Provider Fees. DWS Investments Service Company ("DISC"), an affiliate of the Advisor, is the transfer agent, dividend-paying agent and shareholder service agent of the Fund. Pursuant to a sub-transfer agency agreement between DISC and DST Systems, Inc. ("DST"), DISC has delegated certain transfer agent, dividend-paying agent and shareholder service agent functions to DST. DISC compensates DST out of the shareholders servicing fee it receives from the Fund. For the year ended September 30, 2008, the amount charged to the Fund by DISC aggregated $2,134,508, of which $586,549 is unpaid.

Typesetting and Filing Service Fees. Under an agreement with DIMA, DIMA is compensated for providing typesetting and certain regulatory filing services to the Fund. For the year ended September 30, 2008, the amount charged to the Fund by DIMA included in the Statement of Operations under "reports to shareholders" aggregated $14,727, of which $8,992 is unpaid.

Trustees' Fees and Expenses. The Fund paid each Trustee not affiliated with the Advisor retainer fees plus specified amounts for various committee services and for the Board Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.

In connection with the board consolidation on April 1, 2008, of the two DWS Funds Boards of Trustees, certain Independent Board Members retired prior to their normal retirement date, and received a one-time retirement benefit. DIMA has agreed to reimburse the Funds for the cost of this benefit. During the period ended September 30, 2008, the Fund paid its allocated portion of the retirement benefit of $12,158 to the non-continuing Independent Board Members, and the Fund was reimbursed by DIMA for this payment.

Cash Management QP Trust. Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the SEC, the Fund may invest in the Cash Management QP Trust (the "QP Trust"), and other affiliated funds managed by the Advisor. The QP Trust seeks to provide as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of capital and the maintenance of liquidity. The QP Trust does not pay the Advisor a management fee for the affiliated funds' investments in the QP Trust.

D. Fee Reductions

The Fund has entered into an arrangement with its custodian and transfer agent whereby credits realized as a result of uninvested cash balances are used to reduce a portion of the Fund's custodian expenses. During the year ended September 30, 2008, the Fund's custodian fee was reduced by $2,092 and $19,821, respectively, for custody and transfer agent credits earned.

E. Line of Credit

The Fund and other affiliated funds (the "Participants") share in a $490 million revolving credit facility provided by a syndication of banks. The Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests that otherwise might require the untimely disposition of securities. The Participants are charged an annual commitment fee which is allocated based on net assets, among each of the Participants. Interest is calculated at the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.35 percent. The Fund may borrow up to a maximum of 33 percent of its net assets under the agreement.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Trustees of DWS Income Trust and the Shareholders of DWS GNMA Fund:

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the investment portfolio, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of DWS GNMA Fund (the "Fund") at September 30, 2008, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as "financial statements") are the responsibility of the Fund's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at September 30, 2008by correspondence with the custodian and brokers, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Boston, Massachusetts
November 25, 2008

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Tax Information

Please consult a tax advisor if you have questions about federal or state income tax laws, or on how to prepare your tax returns. If you have specific questions about your account, please call (800) 621-1048.

Investment Management Agreement Approval

The Board of Trustees, including the Independent Trustees, approved the renewal of your Fund's investment management agreement (the "Agreement") with Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc. ("DIMA") in September 2008.

In terms of the process that the Board followed prior to approving the Agreement, shareholders should know that:

At the present time, all but one of your Fund's Trustees are independent of DIMA and its affiliates.

The Trustees meet frequently to discuss fund matters. Each year, the Trustees dedicate part or all of several meetings to contract review matters. Over the course of several months, the Board's Contract Committee, in coordination with the Board's Fixed Income and Quant Oversight Committee, reviewed comprehensive materials received from DIMA, independent third parties and independent counsel. These materials included an analysis of the Fund's performance, fees and expenses, and profitability compiled by the Fund's independent fee consultant. The Board also received extensive information throughout the year regarding performance of the Fund.

The Trustees regularly meet privately with their independent counsel (and, as needed, other advisors) to discuss contract review and other matters. In addition, the Trustees were also advised by the Fund's independent fee consultant in the course of their review of the Fund's contractual arrangements and considered a comprehensive report prepared by the independent fee consultant in connection with their deliberations (the "IFC Report").

In connection with reviewing the Agreement, the Board also reviewed the terms of the Fund's Rule 12b-1 plan, distribution agreement, administrative services agreement, transfer agency agreement and other material service agreements.

Based on its evaluation of the information provided, the Contract Committee presented its findings and recommendations to the Independent Trustees as a group. The Independent Trustees reviewed the Contract Committee's findings and recommendations and presented their recommendations to the full Board.

In connection with the contract review process, the Contract Committee and the Board considered the factors discussed below, among others. The Board also considered that DIMA and its predecessors have managed the Fund since its inception, and the Board believes that a long-term relationship with a capable, conscientious advisor is in the best interests of the Fund. The Board considered, generally, that shareholders chose to invest or remain invested in the Fund knowing that DIMA managed the Fund, and that the Agreement was approved by the Fund's shareholders at a special meeting held in 2006. DIMA is part of Deutsche Bank, a major global banking institution that is engaged in a wide range of financial services. The Board believes that there are significant advantages to being part of a global asset management business that offers a wide range of investing expertise and resources, including hundreds of portfolio managers and analysts with research capabilities in many countries throughout the world.

While shareholders may focus primarily on fund performance and fees, the Fund's Board considers these and many other factors, including the quality and integrity of DIMA's personnel and such other issues as back-office operations, fund valuations, and compliance policies and procedures.

Nature, Quality and Extent of Services. The Board considered the terms of the Agreement, including the scope of advisory services provided under the Agreement. The Board noted that, under the Agreement, DIMA provides portfolio management services to the Fund and that, pursuant to a separate administrative services agreement, DIMA provides administrative services to the Fund. The Board considered the experience and skills of senior management and investment personnel, the resources made available to such personnel, the ability of DIMA to attract and retain high-quality personnel, and the organizational depth and stability of DIMA. The Board reviewed the Fund's performance over short-term and long-term periods and compared those returns to various agreed-upon performance measures, including market indices and a peer universe compiled by the independent fee consultant using information supplied by Lipper Inc. ("Lipper"). The Board also noted that it has put a process into place of identifying "Focus Funds" (e.g., funds performing poorly relative to their benchmark or a peer group compiled by Lipper), and receives more frequent reporting and information from DIMA regarding such funds, along with DIMA's remedial plans to address underperformance. The Board believes this process is an effective manner of identifying and addressing underperforming funds. Based on the information provided, the Board noted that for each of the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2007, the Fund's performance (Class S shares) was in the 3rd quartile of the applicable Lipper universe (the 1st quartile being the best performers and the 4th quartile being the worst performers). The Board also observed that the Fund has underperformed its benchmark in each of the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2007. The Board recognized that DIMA has made significant changes in its investment personnel and processes in recent years in an effort to improve long-term performance.

On the basis of this evaluation and the ongoing review of investment results by the Board, the Board concluded that the nature, quality and extent of services provided by DIMA historically have been and continue to be satisfactory.

Fees and Expenses. The Board considered the Fund's investment management fee schedule, operating expenses and total expense ratios, and comparative information provided by Lipper and the independent fee consultant regarding investment management fee rates paid to other investment advisors by similar funds (1st quartile being the most favorable and 4th quartile being the least favorable). With respect to management fees paid to other investment advisors by similar funds, the Board noted that the contractual fee rates paid by the Fund, which include a 0.10% fee paid to DIMA under the Fund's administrative services agreement, were equal to the median (2nd quartile) of the applicable Lipper peer group (based on Lipper data provided as of December 31, 2007). The Board noted that the Fund's Class S shares' total (net) operating expenses were expected to be higher than the median (3rd quartile) of the applicable Lipper expense universe (based on Lipper data provided as of December 31, 2007). The Board considered the Fund's management fee rate as compared to fees charged by DIMA and certain of its affiliates for comparable mutual funds and considered differences in fund and fee structures between the DWS Funds. The Board also considered how the Fund's total (net) operating expenses compared to the total (net) operating expenses of a more customized peer group selected by Lipper (based on such factors as asset size).

On the basis of the information provided, the Board concluded that management fees were reasonable and appropriate in light of the nature, quality and extent of services provided by DIMA.

Profitability. The Board reviewed detailed information regarding revenues received by DIMA under the Agreement. The Board considered the estimated costs and pre-tax profits realized by DIMA from advising the DWS Funds, as well as estimates of the pre-tax profits attributable to managing the Fund in particular. The Board also received information regarding the estimated enterprise-wide profitability of the DWS Investments organization with respect to all fund services in totality and by fund. The Board reviewed DIMA's methodology in allocating its costs to the management of the Fund. Based on the information provided, the Board concluded that the pre-tax profits realized by DIMA in connection with the management of the Fund were not unreasonable. The Board also reviewed information regarding the profitability of certain similar investment management firms. The Board noted that while information regarding the profitability of such firms is limited (and in some cases is not necessarily prepared on a comparable basis), DIMA and its affiliates' overall profitability with respect to the DWS Investments fund complex (after taking into account distribution and other services provided to the funds by DIMA and its affiliates) was lower than the overall profitability levels of many comparable firms for which such data was available.

Economies of Scale. The Board considered whether there are economies of scale with respect to the management of the Fund and whether the Fund benefits from any economies of scale. The Board noted that the Fund's management fee schedule includes fee breakpoints. The Board concluded that the Fund's fee schedule represents an appropriate sharing between the Fund and DIMA of such economies of scale as may exist in the management of the Fund at current asset levels.

Other Benefits to DIMA and Its Affiliates. The Board also considered the character and amount of other incidental benefits received by DIMA and its affiliates, including any fees received by DIMA for administrative services provided to the Fund and any fees received by an affiliate of DIMA for distribution services. The Board also considered benefits to DIMA related to brokerage and soft-dollar allocations, including allocating brokerage to pay for research generated by parties other than the executing broker dealers, which pertain primarily to funds investing in equity securities, along with the incidental public relations benefits to DIMA related to DWS Funds advertising and cross-selling opportunities among DWS Investments products and services. The Board concluded that management fees were reasonable in light of these fallout benefits.

Compliance. The Board considered the significant attention and resources dedicated by DIMA to documenting and enhancing its compliance processes in recent years. The Board noted in particular (i) the experience and seniority of DIMA's chief compliance officer; (ii) the large number of compliance personnel who report to DIMA's chief compliance officer; and (iii) the substantial commitment of resources by DIMA and its affiliates to compliance matters.

Based on all of the information considered and the conclusions reached, the Board (including a majority of the Independent Trustees) determined that the continuation of the Agreement is in the best interests of the Fund. In making this determination the Board did not give particular weight to any single factor identified above. The Board considered these factors over the course of numerous meetings, certain of which were in executive session with only the Independent Trustees and their counsel present. It is possible that individual Trustees may have weighed these factors differently in reaching their individual decisions to approve the continuation of the Agreement.

Summary of Management Fee Evaluation by Independent Fee Consultant

October 24, 2008

Pursuant to an Order entered into by Deutsche Investment Management Americas and affiliates (collectively, "DeAM") with the Attorney General of New York, I, Thomas H. Mack, have been appointed the Independent Fee Consultant for the DWS Funds (formerly the DWS Scudder Funds). My duties include preparing an annual written evaluation of the management fees DeAM charges the Funds, considering among other factors the management fees charged by other mutual fund companies for like services, management fees DeAM charges other clients for like services, DeAM's costs of supplying services under the management agreements and related profit margins, possible economies of scale if a Fund grows larger, and the nature and quality of DeAM's services, including fund performance. This report summarizes my evaluation for 2008, including my qualifications, the evaluation process for each of the DWS Funds, consideration of certain complex-level factors, and my conclusions. I served in substantially the same capacity in 2007.

Qualifications

For more than 35 years I have served in various professional capacities within the investment management business. I have held investment analysis and advisory positions, including securities analyst, portfolio strategist and director of investment policy with a large investment firm. I have also performed business management functions, including business development, financial management and marketing research and analysis.

Since 1991, I have been an independent consultant within the asset management industry. I have provided services to over 125 client organizations, including investment managers, mutual fund boards, product distributors and related organizations. Over the past ten years I have completed a number of assignments for mutual fund boards, specifically including assisting boards with management contract renewal.

I hold a Master of Business Administration degree, with highest honors, from Harvard University and Master of Science and Bachelor of Science (highest honors) degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. I am an independent director and audit committee financial expert for two closed-end mutual funds, serve on the board of directors of a private market research company, and have served in various leadership and financial oversight capacities with non-profit organizations.

Evaluation of Fees for each DWS Fund

My work focused primarily on evaluating, fund-by-fund, the fees charged to each of the 129 Fund portfolios in the DWS Fund family. For each Fund, I considered each of the key factors mentioned above, as well as any other relevant information. In doing so I worked closely with the Funds' Independent Directors in their annual contract renewal process, as well as in their approval of contracts for several new funds (documented separately).

In evaluating each Fund's fees, I reviewed comprehensive materials provided by or on behalf of DeAM, including expense information prepared by Lipper Analytical, comparative performance information, profitability data, manager histories, and other materials. I also accessed certain additional information from the Lipper, Strategic Insight, and Morningstar databases and drew on my industry knowledge and experience.

To facilitate evaluating this considerable body of information, I prepared for each Fund a document summarizing the key data elements in each area as well as additional analytics discussed below. This made it possible to consider each key data element in the context of the others.

In the course of contract renewal, DeAM agreed to implement a number of fee and expense adjustments requested by the Independent Directors which will favorably impact future fees and expenses, and my evaluation includes the effects of these changes.

Fees and Expenses Compared with Other Funds

The competitive fee and expense evaluation for each fund focused on two primary comparisons:

The Fund's contractual management fee (the advisory fee plus the administration fee where applicable) compared with those of a group of typically 12-15 funds in the same Lipper investment category (e.g. Large Capitalization Growth) having similar distribution arrangements and being of similar size.

The Fund's total expenses compared with a broader universe of funds from the same Lipper investment category and having similar distribution arrangements.

These two comparisons provide a view of not only the level of the fee compared with funds of similar scale but also the total expense the Fund bears for all the services it receives, in comparison with the investment choices available in the Fund's investment category and distribution channel. The principal figure-of-merit used in these comparisons was the subject Fund's percentile ranking against peers.

DeAM's Fees for Similar Services to Others

DeAM provided management fee schedules for all of its US domiciled fund and non-fund investment management accounts in any of the investment categories where there is a DWS Fund. These similar products included the other DWS Funds, non-fund pooled accounts, institutional accounts and sub-advisory accounts. Using this information, I calculated for each Fund the fee that would be charged to each similar product, at the subject Fund's asset level.

Evaluating information regarding non-fund products is difficult because there are varying levels of services required for different types of accounts, with mutual funds generally requiring considerably more regulatory and administrative types of service as well as having more frequent cash flows than other types of accounts. Also, while mutual fund fees for similar fund products can be expected to be similar, there will be some differences due to different pricing conditions in different distribution channels (e.g. retail funds versus those used in variable insurance products), differences in underlying investment processes and other factors.

Costs and Profit Margins

DeAM provided a detailed profitability analysis for each Fund. After making some adjustments so that the presentation would be more comparable to the available industry figures, I reviewed profit margins from investment management alone, from investment management plus other fund services (excluding distribution) provided to the Funds by DeAM (principally shareholder services), and DeAM profits from all sources, including distribution. A later section comments on overall profitability.

Economies of Scale

Economies of scale — an expected decline in management cost per dollar of fund assets as fund assets grow — are very rarely quantified and documented because of inherent difficulties in collecting and analyzing relevant data. However, in virtually every investment category that I reviewed, larger funds tend to have lower fees and lower total expenses than smaller funds. To see how each DWS Fund compares with this industry observation, I reviewed:

The trend in Fund assets over the last five years and the accompanying trend in total expenses. This shows if the Fund has grown and, if so, whether total expense (management fees as well as other expenses) have declined as a percent of assets.

Whether the Fund has break-points in its management fee schedule, the extent of the fee reduction built into the schedule and the asset levels where the breaks take effect, and in the case of a sub-advised Fund how the Fund's break-points compare with those of the sub-advisory fee schedule.

How the Fund's contractual fee schedule compares with trends in the industry data. To accomplish this, I constructed a chart showing how actual latest-fiscal-year contractual fees of the Fund and of other similar funds relate to average fund assets, with the subject Fund's contractual fee schedule superimposed.

Quality of Service — Performance

The quality-of-service evaluation focused on investment performance, which is the principal result of the investment management service. Each Fund's performance was reviewed over the past 1, 3, 5 and 10 years, as applicable, and compared with that of other funds in the same investment category and with a suitable market index.

In addition, I calculated and reviewed risk-adjusted returns relative to an index of similar mutual funds' returns and a suitable market index. The risk-adjusted returns analysis provides a way of determining the extent to which the Fund's return comparisons are mainly the product of investment value-added (or lack thereof) or alternatively taking considerably more or less risk than is typical in its investment category.

I also received and considered the history of portfolio manager changes for each Fund, as this provided an important context for evaluating the performance results.

Complex-Level Considerations

While this evaluation was conducted mainly at the individual fund level, there are some issues relating to the reasonableness of fees that can alternatively be considered across the whole fund complex:

I reviewed DeAM's profitability analysis for all DWS Funds, with a view toward determining if the allocation procedures used were reasonable and how profit levels compared with public data for other investment managers.

I considered whether DeAM and affiliates receive any significant ancillary or "fall-out" benefits that should be considered in interpreting the direct profitability results. These would be situations where serving as the investment manager of the Funds is beneficial to another part of the Deutsche Bank organization.

I considered how aggregated DWS Fund expenses had varied over the years, by asset class and in the context of trends in asset levels.

I reviewed the structure of the DeAM organization, trends in staffing levels, and information on compensation of investment management and other professionals compared with industry data.

Findings

Based on the process and analysis discussed above, which included reviewing a wide range of information from management and external data sources and considering among other factors the fees DeAM charges other clients, the fees charged by other fund managers, DeAM's costs and profits associated with managing the Funds, economies of scale, possible fall-out benefits, and the nature and quality of services provided, in my opinion the management fees charged the DWS Funds are reasonable.

gmn_mack0
Thomas H. Mack

Trustees and Officers

The following table presents certain information regarding the Board Members and Officers of the Trust as of September 30, 2008. Each Board Member's year of birth is set forth in parentheses after his or her name. Unless otherwise noted, (i) each Board Member has engaged in the principal occupation(s) noted in the table for at least the most recent five years, although not necessarily in the same capacity; and (ii) the address of each Independent Board Member is c/o Dawn-Marie Driscoll, PO Box 100176, Cape Coral, FL 33904. Except as otherwise noted below, the term of office for each Board Member is until the election and qualification of a successor, or until such Board Member sooner dies, resigns, is removed or as otherwise provided in the governing documents of the fund. Because the fund does not hold an annual meeting of shareholders, each Board Member will hold office for an indeterminate period. The Board Members may also serve in similar capacities with other funds in the fund complex. The Length of Time Served represents the year in which the Board Member joined the board of one or more DWS funds now overseen by the Board.

Independent Board Members

Name, Year of Birth, Position with the Fund and Length of Time Served1

Business Experience and Directorships During the Past Five Years

Number of Funds in DWS Fund Complex Overseen

Dawn-Marie Driscoll (1946)
Chairperson since 20042
Board Member since 1987
President, Driscoll Associates (consulting firm); Executive Fellow, Center for Business Ethics, Bentley College; formerly, Partner, Palmer & Dodge (1988-1990); Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, Filene's (1978-1988). Directorships: Trustee of eight open-end mutual funds managed by Sun Capital Advisers, Inc. (since 2007); Director of ICI Mutual Insurance Company (since 2007); Advisory Board, Center for Business Ethics, Bentley College; Trustee, Southwest Florida Community Foundation (charitable organization). Former Directorships: Investment Company Institute (audit, executive, nominating committees) and Independent Directors Council (governance, executive committees)

134

Paul K. Freeman (1950)
Vice Chairperson since 2008
Board Member since 1993
Consultant, World Bank/Inter-American Development Bank; formerly, Project Leader, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (1998-2001); Chief Executive Officer, The Eric Group, Inc. (environmental insurance) (1986-1998)

134

John W. Ballantine (1946)
Board Member since 1999
Retired; formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Management Officer, First Chicago NBD Corporation/The First National Bank of Chicago (1996-1998); Executive Vice President and Head of International Banking (1995-1996). Directorships: Healthways, Inc. (provider of disease and care management services); Portland General Electric (utility company); Stockwell Capital Investments PLC (private equity). Former Directorships: First Oak Brook Bancshares, Inc. and Oak Brook Bank

134

Henry P. Becton, Jr. (1943)
Board Member since 1990
Vice Chair, WGBH Educational Foundation. Directorships: Association of Public Television Stations; Becton Dickinson and Company3 (medical technology company); Belo Corporation3 (media company); Boston Museum of Science; Public Radio International. Former Directorships: American Public Television; Concord Academy; New England Aquarium; Mass. Corporation for Educational Telecommunications; Committee for Economic Development; Public Broadcasting Service

134

Keith R. Fox (1954)
Board Member since 1996
Managing General Partner, Exeter Capital Partners (a series of private equity funds). Directorships: Progressive Holding Corporation (kitchen goods importer and distributor); Natural History, Inc. (magazine publisher); Box Top Media Inc. (advertising); The Kennel Shop (retailer)

134

Kenneth C. Froewiss (1945)
Board Member since 2001
Clinical Professor of Finance, NYU Stern School of Business (1997-present); Member, Finance Committee, Association for Asian Studies (2002-present); Director, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group (US) (2004-present); prior thereto, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan (investment banking firm) (until 1996)

134

Richard J. Herring (1946)
Board Member since 1990
Jacob Safra Professor of International Banking and Professor, Finance Department, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (since July 1972); Co-Director, Wharton Financial Institutions Center (since July 2000); Director, Japan Equity Fund, Inc. (since September 2007), Thai Capital Fund, Inc. (since September 2007), Singapore Fund, Inc. (since September 2007). Formerly, Vice Dean and Director, Wharton Undergraduate Division (July 1995-June 2000); Director, Lauder Institute of International Management Studies (July 2000-June 2006)

134

William McClayton (1944)
Board Member since 2004
Managing Director, Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc. (global management consulting firm) (2001-present); Directorship: Board of Managers, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago; formerly: Senior Partner, Arthur Andersen LLP (accounting) (1966-2001); Trustee, Ravinia Festival

134

Rebecca W. Rimel (1951)
Board Member since 1995
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts (charitable organization) (1994 to present); Trustee, Thomas Jefferson Foundation (charitable organization) (1994 to present); Trustee, Executive Committee, Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (2001-2007); Trustee, Pro Publica (2007-present) (charitable organization). Formerly, Executive Vice President, The Glenmede Trust Company (investment trust and wealth management) (1983-2004); Board Member, Investor Education (charitable organization) (2004-2005); Director, Viasys Health Care3 (January 2007-June 2007)

134

William N. Searcy, Jr. (1946)
Board Member since 1993
Private investor since October 2003; Trustee of eight open-end mutual funds managed by Sun Capital Advisers, Inc. (since October 1998). Formerly, Pension & Savings Trust Officer, Sprint Corporation3 (telecommunications) (November 1989-September 2003)

134

Jean Gleason Stromberg (1943)
Board Member since 1997
Retired. Formerly, Consultant (1997-2001); Director, US Government Accountability Office (1996-1997); Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P. (law firm) (1978-1996). Directorships: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Service Source, Inc. Former Directorships: Mutual Fund Directors Forum (2002-2004), American Bar Retirement Association (funding vehicle for retirement plans) (1987-1990 and 1994-1996)

134

Robert H. Wadsworth
(1940)
Board Member since 1999
President, Robert H. Wadsworth & Associates, Inc. (consulting firm) (1983 to present); Director, The Phoenix Boys Choir Association

137

Interested Board Member

Name, Year of Birth, Position with the Fund and Length of Time Served1

Business Experience and Directorships During the Past Five Years

Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen

Axel Schwarzer4 (1958)
Board Member since 2006
Managing Director5, Deutsche Asset Management; Head of Deutsche Asset Management Americas; CEO of DWS Investments; formerly, board member of DWS Investments, Germany (1999-2005); formerly, Head of Sales and Product Management for the Retail and Private Banking Division of Deutsche Bank in Germany (1997-1999); formerly, various strategic and operational positions for Deutsche Bank Germany Retail and Private Banking Division in the field of investment funds, tax driven instruments and asset management for corporates (1989-1996)

134

Officers6

Name, Year of Birth, Position with the Fund and Length of Time Served7

Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Other Directorships Held

Michael G. Clark8 (1965)
President, 2006-present
Managing Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (2006-present); President of DWS family of funds; Director, ICI Mutual Insurance Company (since October 2007); formerly, Director of Fund Board Relations (2004-2006) and Director of Product Development (2000-2004), Merrill Lynch Investment Managers; Senior Vice President Operations, Merrill Lynch Asset Management (1999-2000)
John Millette9 (1962)
Vice President and Secretary, 1999-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management
Paul H. Schubert8 (1963)
Chief Financial Officer, 2004-present
Treasurer, 2005-present
Managing Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (since July 2004); formerly, Executive Director, Head of Mutual Fund Services and Treasurer for UBS Family of Funds (1998-2004); Vice President and Director of Mutual Fund Finance at UBS Global Asset Management (1994-1998)
Patricia DeFilippis10 (1963)
Assistant Secretary, 2005-present
Vice President, Deutsche Asset Management (since June 2005); formerly, Counsel, New York Life Investment Management LLC (2003-2005); legal associate, Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC (1998-2003)
Elisa D. Metzger10 (1962)
Assistant Secretary 2005-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (since September 2005); formerly, Counsel, Morrison and Foerster LLP (1999-2005)
Caroline Pearson9 (1962)
Assistant Secretary, 1997-present
Managing Director5, Deutsche Asset Management
Paul Antosca9 (1957)
Assistant Treasurer, 2007-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (since 2006); Vice President, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) (1990-2006)
Jack Clark9 (1967)
Assistant Treasurer, 2007-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (since 2007); formerly, Vice President, State Street Corporation (2002-2007)
Kathleen Sullivan D'Eramo9 (1957)
Assistant Treasurer, 2003-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management
Diane Kenneally9 (1966)
Assistant Treasurer, 2007-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management
Jason Vazquez10 (1972)
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, 2007-present
Vice President, Deutsche Asset Management (since 2006); formerly, AML Operations Manager for Bear Stearns (2004-2006), Supervising Compliance Principal and Operations Manager for AXA Financial (1999-2004)
Robert Kloby10 (1962)
Chief Compliance Officer, 2006-present
Managing Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (2004-present); formerly, Chief Compliance Officer/Chief Risk Officer, Robeco USA (2000-2004); Vice President, The Prudential Insurance Company of America (1988-2000); E.F. Hutton and Company (1984-1988)
J. Christopher Jackson10 (1951)
Chief Legal Officer, 2006-present
Director5, Deutsche Asset Management (2006-present); formerly, Director, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, Hansberger Global Investors, Inc. (1996-2006); Director, National Society of Compliance Professionals (2002-2005) (2006-2009)
1 The length of time served represents the year in which the Board Member joined the board of one or more DWS funds currently overseen by the Board.
2 Represents the year Ms. Driscoll was first appointed Chairperson of certain DWS funds.
3 A publicly held company with securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
4 The mailing address of Axel Schwarzer is c/o Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc., 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154. Mr. Schwarzer is an interested Board Member by virtue of his positions with Deutsche Asset Management. As an interested person, Mr. Schwarzer receives no compensation from the fund.
5 Executive title, not a board directorship.
6 As a result of their respective positions held with the Advisor, these individuals are considered "interested persons" of the Advisor within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Interested persons receive no compensation from the fund.
7 The length of time served represents the year in which the officer was first elected in such capacity for one or more DWS funds.
8 Address: 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154.
9 Address: One Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108.
10 Address: 280 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017.

The fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") includes additional information about the Board Members. The SAI is available, without charge, upon request. If you would like to request a copy of the SAI, you may do so by calling the following toll-free number: (800) 621-1048.

Account Management Resources

 

For More Information

The automated telephone system allows you to access personalized account information and obtain information on other DWS funds using either your voice or your telephone keypad. Certain account types within Class S have the ability to purchase, exchange or redeem shares using this system.
For more information, contact your financial advisor. You may also access our automated telephone system or speak with a DWS Investments representative by calling the appropriate number below:

For shareholders of Class S:

(800) 728-3337

Web Site

www.dws-investments.com

View your account transactions and balances, trade shares, monitor your asset allocation, and change your address, 24 hours a day.
Obtain prospectuses and applications, blank forms, interactive worksheets, news about DWS funds, subscription to fund updates by e-mail, retirement planning information, and more.

Written Correspondence

DWS Investments

PO Box 219151
Kansas City, MO 64121-9151

Proxy Voting

The fund's policies and procedures for voting proxies for portfolio securities and information about how the fund voted proxies related to its portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 are available on our Web site — www.dws-investments.com (click on "proxy voting"at the bottom of the page) — or on the SEC's Web site — www.sec.gov. To obtain a written copy of the fund's policies and procedures without charge, upon request, call us toll free at (800) 621-1048.

Principal Underwriter

If you have questions, comments or complaints, contact:

DWS Investments Distributors, Inc.

222 South Riverside Plaza
Chicago, IL 60606-5808

(800) 621-1148

 

Class S

Nasdaq Symbol

SGINX

CUSIP Number

23337P 209

Fund Number

2393

Notes

Notes

Notes

Notes

Notes

Notes

gmn_backcover0


 

ITEM 2.

CODE OF ETHICS

 

 

 

As of the end of the period, September 30, 2008, DWS GNMA Fund has a code of ethics, as defined in Item 2 of Form N-CSR, that applies to its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer.

 

There have been no amendments to, or waivers from, a provision of the code of ethics during the period covered by this report that would require disclosure under Item 2.

 

A copy of the code of ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR.

 

 

 

ITEM 3.

AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

 

 

 

The Funds’ audit committee is comprised solely of trustees who are “independent” (as such term has been defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in regulations implementing Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Regulations”)). The Funds’ Board of Trustees has determined that there are several “audit committee financial experts” (as such term has been defined by the Regulations) serving on the Funds’ audit committee including Mr. William McClayton, the chair of the Funds’ audit committee. The SEC has stated that an audit committee financial expert is not an “expert” for any purpose, including for purposes of Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 and the designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert pursuant to this Item 3 of Form N-CSR does not impose on such person any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such person as a member of the audit committee and board of directors in the absence of such designation or identification.

 

 

ITEM 4.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

 

 

DWS GNMA FUND

FORM N-CSR DISCLOSURE RE: AUDIT FEES

The following table shows the amount of fees that PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (“PWC”), the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, billed to the Fund during the Fund’s last two fiscal years. The Audit Committee approved in advance all audit services and non-audit services that PWC provided to the Fund.

The Audit Committee has delegated certain pre-approval responsibilities to its Chairman (or, in his absence, any other member of the Audit Committee).

Services that the Fund’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Billed to the Fund

Fiscal Year
Ended
September 30,

Audit Fees Billed to Fund

Audit-Related
Fees Billed to Fund

Tax Fees Billed to Fund

All
Other Fees Billed to Fund

2008

$81,092

$0

$0

$0

2007

$76,050

$0

$0

$0

 

Services that the Fund’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Billed to the Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers

The following table shows the amount of fees billed by PWC to Deutsche Investment Management Americas, Inc. (“DeIM” or the “Adviser”), and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with DeIM (“Control Affiliate”) that provides ongoing services to the Fund (“Affiliated Fund Service Provider”), for engagements directly related to the Fund’s operations and financial reporting, during the Fund’s last two fiscal years.


 

Fiscal Year
September 30,

Audit-Related
Fees Billed to Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers

Tax Fees Billed to Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers

All
Other Fees Billed to Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers

2008

$0

$19,000

$0

2007

$58,500

$25,000

$0

 

The “Audit-Related Fees” were billed for services in connection with the agreed-upon procedures related to fund mergers and the above “Tax Fees” were billed in connection with tax consultation and agreed-upon procedures.

Non-Audit Services

The following table shows the amount of fees that PWC billed during the Fund’s last two fiscal years for non-audit services. The Audit Committee pre-approved all non-audit services that PWC provided to the Adviser and any Affiliated Fund Service Provider that related directly to the Fund’s operations and financial reporting. The Audit Committee requested and received information from PWC about any non-audit services that PWC rendered during the Fund’s last fiscal year to the Adviser and any Affiliated Fund Service Provider. The Committee considered this information in evaluating PWC’s independence.

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
September 30,

Total
Non-Audit Fees Billed to Fund

(A)

Total Non-Audit Fees billed to Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers (engagements related directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund)

(B)

Total Non-Audit Fees billed to Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers (all other engagements)

(C)

Total of (A), (B)

and (C)

2008

$0

$19,000

$600,000

$619,000

2007

$0

$25,000

$0

$25,000

 

 

All other engagement fees were billed for services provided by PWC for services related to consulting on an IT project.

 

***

 

PwC advised the Fund's Audit Committee that PwC has identified two matters that it determined to be inconsistent with the SEC's auditor independence rules. In the first instance, an employee of PwC had power of attorney over an account which included DWS funds. The employee did not perform any audit services for the DWS Funds, but did work on a non audit project for Deutsche Bank AG. In the second instance, an employee of PwC served as a nominee shareholder (effectively equivalent to a Trustee) of various companies/trusts since 2001. Some of these companies held shares of Aberdeen, a sub advisor to certain DWS Funds, and of certain funds sponsored by subsidiaries of Deutsche Bank AG.


The trustee relationship has ceased. PwC informed the Audit Committee that these matters could have constituted an investment in an affiliate of an audit client in violation of the Rule 2-01(c)(1) of Regulation S-X. PwC advised the Audit Committee that PwC believes its independence had not been impacted as it related to the audits of the Fund. In reaching this conclusion, PwC noted that during the time of its audit, the engagement team was not aware of the investment and that PwC does not believe these situations affected PwC's ability to act objectively and impartially and to issue a report on financial statements as the funds' independent auditor.

 

 

 

 

ITEM 5.

AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS

 

 

 

Not Applicable

 

 

ITEM 6.

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 

 

 

Not Applicable

 

 

ITEM 7.

DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

 

 

Not applicable.

 

 

ITEM 8.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

 

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 9.

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

 

 

 

Not Applicable.

 

ITEM 10.

SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

 

 

The primary function of the Nominating and Governance Committee is to identify and recommend individuals for membership on the Board and oversee the administration of the Board Governance Guidelines. Shareholders may recommend candidates for Board positions by forwarding their correspondence by U.S. mail or courier service to Chairman of the Board, P.O. Box 100176, Cape Coral, FL 33910.

 

 

ITEM 11.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

 

 

(a)          The Chief Executive and Financial Officers concluded that the Registrant’s Disclosure Controls and Procedures are effective based on the evaluation of the Disclosure Controls and Procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.

 

 

 

(b)          There have been no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting.

 

 

ITEM 12.

EXHIBITS

 

 

 

(a)(1)     Code of Ethics pursuant to Item 2 of Form N-CSR is filed and attached hereto as EX-99.CODE ETH.

 


 

 

 

 

(a)(2)     Certification pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) is filed and attached hereto as Exhibit 99.CERT.

 

 

 

(b)         Certification pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(b)) is furnished and attached hereto as Exhibit 99.906CERT.

 

 

 

 


 

Form N-CSR Item F

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 

DWS Micro Cap Fund, a series of DWS Advisor Funds

DWS Mid Cap Growth Fund, a series of DWS Advisor Funds

DWS Short Duration Plus Fund, a series of DWS Advisor Funds

DWS Small Cap Growth Fund, a series of DWS Advisor Funds

DWS Dreman Value Income Edge Fund, Inc.

DWS High Income Fund, a series of DWS High Income Series

DWS GNMA Fund, a series of DWS Income Trust

DWS Inflation Protected Plus Fund, a series of DWS Institutional Funds

DWS Capital Growth Fund, a series of DWS Investment Trust

DWS Growth & Income Fund, a series of DWS Investment Trust

DWS Small Cap Core Fund, a series of DWS Investment Trust

Tax-Exempt California Money Market Fund

By:                     /s/Michael G. Clark
                           Michael G. Clark

                           President

Date:                    December 2, 2008
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
 
By:                     
/s/Michael G. Clark
                           Michael G. Clark

                           President

Date:                    December 2, 2008
 
By:                     
/s/Paul Schubert
                           Paul Schubert

                           Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Date:                    December 2, 2008