FRANKLIN UNIVERSAL TRUST — Audit Report / Information 2017

40-17F2 1 fut17f2-073117.htm fut17f2-073117.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM N-17F-2

CERTIFICATE OF ACCOUNTING OF SECURITIES AND SIMILAR

INVESTMENTS IN THE CUSTODY OF

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

PURSUANT TO RULE N-17F-2 [17 CFR 270.17F-2]

| 1. Investment
Company Act File Number: | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 811
-05569 | | | February
23, 2018 | | |
| 2. State
Identification Number: | | | | | |
| AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO |
| CT | DE | DC | FL | GA | HI |
| ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY |
| LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN |
| MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH |
| NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH |
| OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD |
| TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA |
| WV | WI | WY | PUERTO RICO | | |
| 3. Exact name of
investment company as specified in registration statement: | | | | | |
| Franklin Universal
Trust | | | | | |
| 4. Address of
principal executive office: (number, street, city, state, zip code) | | | | | |
| One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403 | | | | | |

[PWC LOGO]

Report of Independent Accountants

To the Board of Trustees of

| Franklin Limited
Duration Income Trust |
| --- |
| Templeton Global
Investment Trust |
| Franklin Real
Estate Securities Trust |
| Franklin Strategic Series |
| Franklin High
Income Trust |
| Franklin U.S
Government Money Fund |
| Franklin Templeton
Money Fund Trust |
| Institutional
Fiduciary Trust |
| Franklin Global Trust |
| Franklin Gold and
Precious Metals Fund |
| Franklin Universal
Trust |
| Templeton China World Fund |
| Templeton Emerging
Markets Fund |
| Templeton Emerging
Markets Income Fund |
| Templeton Funds |
| Templeton Global
Income Fund |
| Templeton Global
Smaller Companies Fund |
| Templeton Income
Trust |
| Franklin Custodian
Funds |
| Franklin Strategic Mortgage Portfolio |
| Franklin Investors Securities Trust |
| Franklin Templeton
Global Trust |
| Franklin Templeton
International Trust |
| Franklin Value
Investors Trust |
| Templeton
Developing Markets Trust |
| Franklin Fund
Allocator Series |
| Franklin Templeton
Variable Insurance Products Trust |
| Templeton
Institutional Funds |
| Franklin ETF Trust |
| Franklin Managed
Trust |

and the Board of Directors of

| Templeton Growth
Fund, Inc. |
| --- |
| Templeton Dragon
Fund, Inc. |
| Templeton Global
Opportunities Trust |

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers Center, 300 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017 T: (646) 471 3000, F: (813) 286 6000, www.pwc.com/us

We have examined management's assertion, included in the accompanying Management Statement Regarding Compliance with Certain Provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, that each of the Funds listed in Attachment I (hereafter referred to as the “Funds”) complied with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“the Act”) as of July 31, 2017. The Funds’ management is responsible for its assertion and the Company’s compliance with those requirements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management's assertion about the Funds' compliance with the specified requirements based on our examination.

Our examination was conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Those standards require that we plan and perform the examination to obtain reasonable assurance about whether management’s assertion about compliance with the specified requirements is fairly stated, in all material respects, and, accordingly, included examining, on a test basis, evidence about the Funds' compliance with those requirements and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. Included among our procedures were the following tests performed as of July 31, 2017, and with respect to agreement of security purchases and sales, for the period from May 31, 2017 (the date of our last examinations), through July 31, 2017 for each of the Funds:

• Without prior notice to management, confirmation of all securities held by Franklin Templeton Investors Services, Inc., transfer agent, as they pertain to the security positions owned by the Funds and held in book entry form.
• Reconciliation of such security positions to the books and records of the Funds.
• Agreement of 55 security purchases and 55 security sales, since our last report, from the books and records of the Funds to the records of the transfer agent.

We believe that our examination provides, and that the evidence we obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide, a reasonable basis for our opinion. Our examination does not provide a legal determination on the Funds' compliance with specified requirements.

In our opinion, management's assertion that the Funds complied with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as of July 31, 2017 with respect to securities reflected in the investment accounts of the Funds is fairly stated, in all material respects.

This report is intended solely for the information and use of management and the Board of Directors and Trustees of the Funds and the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties.

/s/PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, LLP

February 23, 2018

Management Statement Regarding Compliance with Certain

Provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940

We, as members of management of the Franklin Templeton Funds indicated in Attachment I (the “Funds”), are responsible for complying with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Rule 17f-2, “Custody of Investments by Registered Management Investment Companies,” of the Investment Company Act of 1940. We are also responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal controls over compliance with those requirements. We have performed an evaluation of the Funds’ compliance with the requirements of subsection (b) of Rule 17f-2, as interpreted in Franklin Investors Securities Trust SEC No-Action Letter (publicly available September 24, 1992), and subsection (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as of July 31, 2017, and for the periods indicated in Attachment I.

Based on this evaluation, we assert that the Funds were in compliance with the requirements of subsection (b) of Rule 17f-2, as interpreted in Franklin Investors Securities Trust SEC No-Action Letter (publicly available September 24, 1992), and subsection (c) of Rule 17f-2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as of July 31, 2017, and for the periods indicated in Attachment I, with respect to securities reflected in the investment accounts of the Funds.

By:

/s/GASTON GARDEY

Gaston Gardey

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer

Franklin Funds Board

Date February 23, 2018

/s/ROBERT G. KUBILIS

Robert G. Kubilis

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer

Templeton, New Jersey and Alternative Strategies Funds Board

Date February 23, 2018

/s/MATTHEW T. HINKLE

Matthew T. Hinkle

Chief Executive Officer - Finance and Administration

Date February 23, 2018

*Attachment I*