The Form N-8F Files Dataset contains every Form N-8F and Form N-8F/A filing submitted to the SEC's EDGAR system from August 2004 to the present. Each record represents a single application by a registered investment company to deregister under Section 8(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, packaged as a folder with a structured metadata.json file and all non-image document files from the original submission. Filers include mutual funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts, face-amount certificate companies, and business development companies that have ceased operations through merger, liquidation, or qualification for a statutory exclusion. The dataset is distributed as monthly ZIP containers and covers the formal exit side of the fund lifecycle, making it the sole SEC source for identifying which registered investment companies applied to deregister, when, and on what basis.
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Dataset Index JSON API
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The Form N-8F Files Dataset is built from Form N-8F, the SEC's prescribed application through which a registered investment company requests an order of deregistration, and Form N-8F/A, which amends a previously submitted application. The dataset covers the entire population of N-8F and N-8F/A submissions on EDGAR from August 2004 to the present. Each record is identified by a unique EDGAR accession number and is packaged as a subfolder within a monthly ZIP container. The subfolder holds a metadata.json file providing filing-level metadata, entity information, and a document inventory, alongside all non-image document files from the original submission — typically HTML files containing the application, plus any exhibits, correspondence, or cover letters. The dataset is distributed in ZIP format, with file types including TXT, JSON, HTML, and PDF.
Each record occupies its own subfolder within a monthly ZIP container, named by the accession number with dashes removed (e.g., 000008423725000013). The folder contains two categories of files:
metadata.json — A structured JSON file providing filing-level metadata, entity information, and a document inventory for the submission..htm file containing the Form N-8F application, wrapped in the SGML document envelope that EDGAR applies to all submission documents. Some records include additional .htm, .txt, or .pdf files for exhibits, correspondence, or cover letters. Image files (.gif, .jpg, .png) from the original EDGAR submission are excluded.The metadata file provides machine-readable context without requiring document parsing. Its principal fields and arrays are as follows.
Top-level fields:
id: Hexadecimal identifier unique to the record.formType: "N-8F" or "N-8F/A".accessionNo: EDGAR accession number in standard dashed format (e.g., "0000084237-25-000013").filedAt: Filing timestamp in ISO 8601 format with timezone offset.description: Human-readable label, typically "Form N-8F - Application for Deregistration" or a variant for amendments.linkToFilingDetails: URL to the primary filing document on SEC.gov.linkToTxt: URL to the complete EDGAR submission text file.linkToHtml: URL to the EDGAR filing index page.linkToXbrl: Consistently empty for N-8F filings, which are not subject to XBRL tagging.documentFormatFiles array: Enumerates each document in the submission. Each entry carries sequence number, size (bytes), documentUrl, optional description, and type (e.g., "N-8F" for the primary application). This array serves as a manifest of the filing's document inventory.
dataFiles array: Lists structured data files such as XBRL instances. Typically empty for N-8F filings, which have no structured-data tagging requirements.
entities array: Contains one or more entity blocks identifying the filer. Each block provides: companyName with a role-annotation suffix (e.g., "SELECTED INTERNATIONAL FUND, INC (Filer)"), cik (Central Index Key), fileNo (SEC file number in the 811- series for 1940 Act registrants), irsNo (IRS employer identification number), stateOfIncorporation, fiscalYearEnd (four-digit MMDD string), act (always "40" for the Investment Company Act), type (echoing the form type), and filmNo (EDGAR processing number).
seriesAndClassesContractsInformation array: Captures series and class identifiers the fund may have registered. Frequently empty by the time deregistration is sought, though multi-series registrants may retain residual entries.
Each document file is wrapped in the SGML envelope that EDGAR applies to all submission documents:
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<DOCUMENT>
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<TYPE>N-8F
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<SEQUENCE>1
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<FILENAME>n-8fsifdif5.htm
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<DESCRIPTION>...
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<TEXT>
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... full HTML content ...
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</TEXT>
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</DOCUMENT>
The SGML header fields (TYPE, SEQUENCE, FILENAME, and optionally DESCRIPTION) precede the <TEXT> block containing the substantive HTML or plain-text content. Any extraction pipeline must strip this envelope to reach the inner document body. The <DESCRIPTION> tag is optional and inconsistently populated across filings.
The HTML body of a Form N-8F application follows a fixed numbered-item questionnaire structure prescribed by SEC instructions. The items proceed in the following order:
Item 1 — Reason for Deregistration. The applicant selects one of four checkboxes: (a) substantially all assets transferred to, or merged with, another registered investment company; (b) substantially all assets distributed to shareholders and the fund is completing wind-up; (c) a Securities Act registration statement was filed but abandoned before any public offering; or (d) the fund has elected BDC status. Checkboxes are rendered as plain-text notation ([X] for selected, [ ] for unselected) within the HTML.
Item 2 — Name of Fund. Full legal name of the applicant investment company.
Item 3 — SEC File Number. The Investment Company Act file number (811- series), linking the application to the fund's registration record.
Item 4 — Initial Application or Amendment. Indicates whether the filing is the original N-8F application or an amendment to a prior submission.
Item 5 — Principal Executive Office Address. Mailing address of the fund's principal executive offices at the time of filing.
Item 6 — Contact Person. Name, telephone number, and address of the person the SEC staff may contact — typically an officer of the fund, in-house counsel, or outside counsel.
Item 7 — Custodian of Records. Name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity maintaining the fund's books and records after deregistration, the location where records will be kept, and the anticipated retention period.
Item 8 — Classification of the Fund. Whether the applicant is (a) a management company, (b) a unit investment trust, or (c) a face-amount certificate company, as defined under the Investment Company Act.
Item 9 — Subclassification. For management companies, whether the fund is open-end or closed-end.
Item 10 — State of Organization. The state or jurisdiction under whose laws the fund was organized.
Subsequent Items — Disposition of Assets and Additional Disclosures. The remaining items address the specifics of the deregistration basis: a detailed description of how the fund disposed of its assets (merger terms, shareholder distributions, or abandonment of registration); identification of any successor fund; disclosure of amounts owing to or owed by the fund; confirmation that all required tax returns have been filed and taxes paid; disclosure of pending litigation, administrative proceedings, or enforcement actions; identification of outstanding securities or claims; and a verification that the fund has ceased or will cease investment company business.
Exhibits. The form references supporting exhibits, which may appear as separate document files within the same EDGAR submission or be incorporated by reference to prior filings. Common exhibits include: the board resolution authorizing the filing; the plan of merger, liquidation, or reorganization; evidence of shareholder approval (if required); correspondence with state regulators; and legal or tax opinions.
Signature Block. An authorized officer (typically the president, secretary, or general counsel) signs on behalf of the applicant, with name, title, and date of execution. In electronic EDGAR filings, signatures are rendered as typed text (e.g., /s/ John Doe).
Each record includes the metadata.json file and all non-image document files from the original EDGAR submission: the primary Form N-8F application, any exhibits filed as separate documents, cover letters, and correspondence. The SGML document envelope wrapping each file is preserved, so both the EDGAR structural headers and the inner HTML or text content are present.
Image files (.gif, .jpg, .png) that may have appeared in the original EDGAR submission are excluded. XBRL data files are not relevant and not present. Documents incorporated by reference — such as merger agreements, prospectuses, or prior annual reports filed under separate accession numbers — are not included; only the textual reference to them appears within the N-8F filing. An original N-8F and its subsequent N-8F/A amendment occupy separate record folders and are not merged.
Form N-8F's questionnaire structure and item numbering have remained stable since the dataset's 2004 start date. However, document formatting has shifted over time:
Early filings (2004–2009) are predominantly plain-text or minimally formatted HTML. Some use ASCII text with little markup rather than full HTML.
Later filings (2010–present) increasingly use styled HTML with inline CSS, table-based layouts for the questionnaire, and Unicode characters. The plain-text checkbox convention ([X] / [ ]) persists even within styled HTML.
File naming conventions vary by filer and filing agent. Some filenames incorporate the form type and fund name (e.g., n-8fsifdif5.htm); others use generic identifiers (e.g., d39845dn8f.htm). There is no standardized naming convention.
Form N-8F has never been subject to XBRL or inline XBRL (iXBRL) tagging. The linkToXbrl field is consistently empty and the dataFiles array is typically empty across all records.
Amendment linkage. N-8F/A amendments reference a prior N-8F filing but carry no programmatic pointer to the original accession number in the metadata. Linking an amendment to its original application requires matching on CIK and file number across records.
Checkbox parsing. The reason-for-deregistration field (Item 1) and fund-classification fields (Items 8–9) use plain-text checkbox notation rendered in HTML. Extracting the selected value requires text-pattern matching rather than structured-form parsing.
Exhibit variability. The number and type of exhibits vary substantially. Some filings include extensive packages (merger agreements, board resolutions, legal opinions); others contain only the bare application with all exhibits incorporated by reference. The documentFormatFiles array in metadata.json identifies which exhibits are physically present in the submission.
Entity name cleanup. The companyName field in the entities array includes a role-annotation suffix (e.g., "(Filer)") that must be stripped for clean entity matching. The fileNo in the 811- series is the authoritative identifier linking the filing to the fund's Investment Company Act registration.
Multi-series registrants. Some filers are or were multi-series trusts with numerous series and classes. Deregistration may apply to the entire registrant or follow the prior deregistration of individual series. The seriesAndClassesContractsInformation array may contain residual identifiers but is frequently empty at the point of deregistration.
The filer is always a registered investment company seeking to cancel its registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The application is made by the legal registrant entity itself — not by an individual fund series, an adviser, or a service provider.
Filer types include:
Series versus registrant. Many fund families register as a single legal entity (e.g., a statutory trust) with multiple series. Terminating one series does not trigger Form N-8F. The form is filed only when the entire registrant entity seeks to deregister, meaning all of its series have been liquidated, merged, or otherwise terminated. The dataset tracks deregistration of legal registrants, not termination of individual fund series.
Form N-8F is entirely event-driven. There is no periodic schedule or fixed deadline. An application is filed after one of the following events is substantially or fully complete:
There is no regulatory deadline tying the filing to a specific number of days after the triggering event. In practice:
No penalty attaches to delayed filing, but a fund with no assets or shareholders has strong practical incentive to deregister promptly, since continued registration carries ongoing Investment Company Act compliance obligations.
Form N-8F is filed under Section 8(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-8(f)). The form's content requirements are prescribed by Rule 8f-1 under the Act. Unlike Form 15 under the Exchange Act — which is a self-executing notice that suspends reporting obligations upon filing — Form N-8F is an application requiring an affirmative SEC order. Until the Commission issues that order, the entity remains registered.
Form N-8F/A is an amendment to a pending application. Amendments are common because the SEC's review is substantive, and staff comments frequently require updated or corrected disclosure before the deregistration order issues.
Form N-8A is the entry-side counterpart to N-8F. It notifies the SEC that an investment company is registering under the Investment Company Act; N-8F applies to end that registration. Both are one-time, lifecycle-boundary filings made by the same filer population.
The critical differences are procedural and substantive. N-8A is a short notification effective on filing, requiring no SEC approval and carrying minimal disclosure. N-8F is an application requiring an affirmative SEC order. It contains detailed narrative on asset disposition, pending litigation, and the statutory basis for deregistration. As data, N-8A filings are sparse and formulaic; N-8F filings carry meaningful substantive content about wind-down circumstances.
Form N-14 is the Securities Act registration statement used when one fund acquires another through a merger or reorganization. In practice, an N-14 filing frequently precedes an N-8F filing: the acquiring fund files N-14 to register shares issued in the merger, and the absorbed fund later files N-8F to deregister.
Despite this sequential link, the forms serve different regimes and audiences. N-14 is investor-facing Securities Act disclosure — prospectus-level detail on both funds, fee tables, risk factors, and comparative performance. N-8F is a regulator-facing Investment Company Act application demonstrating that statutory deregistration criteria are met. N-14 does not confirm that deregistration occurred; N-8F does not contain the merger terms or shareholder disclosure found in N-14. Researchers tracking fund consolidation need both: N-14 to identify proposed mergers, N-8F to confirm the target fund's formal exit.
Form 15 certifies termination of Exchange Act registration or suspension of Exchange Act reporting obligations. It is the closest cross-regime analogue to N-8F — both are deregistration filings — but they operate under different statutes and apply to largely different filer populations.
Form 15 covers Exchange Act reporting companies (operating companies, foreign private issuers, and some investment companies with Exchange Act obligations). It is a short certification effective on filing, subject to a 90-day suspension period. N-8F is filed exclusively by Investment Company Act registrants, requires an SEC order, and includes detailed narrative disclosure. A closed-end fund with both Exchange Act and Investment Company Act obligations might file both forms, but neither substitutes for the other: Form 15 does not end Investment Company Act registration, and N-8F does not end Exchange Act reporting.
The fund registration statements (Form N-1A for open-end funds and ETFs, Form N-2 for closed-end funds, Form N-3 for insurance company separate accounts) and the annual census report (Form N-CEN) describe funds as going concerns. Every N-8F filer was previously registered on one of these forms and, while active, filed N-CEN annually. Once deregistration takes effect, these periodic filings cease.
These forms share a filer population with N-8F but differ in every other dimension — purpose, timing, content, and structure. They document ongoing fund operations; N-8F documents the end of registration. Together they are complementary for tracking the fund population over time: registration statements and N-CEN capture the active universe, N-8F captures departures.
The EDGAR bulk submission archives contain all N-8F filings as part of the complete filing corpus. The Form N-8F Files Dataset is a strict subset, extracting only N-8F and N-8F/A submissions with paired metadata and excluding image files. For deregistration-focused research, the dedicated dataset eliminates the need to filter millions of unrelated filings. For research requiring a fund's complete filing history, the EDGAR archives provide broader context at the cost of more processing.
No other SEC form or dataset directly records the formal exit of a registered investment company from Investment Company Act regulation. N-8A marks entry, N-14 facilitates reorganizations that may precede exit, the registration statements and N-CEN describe active funds, and Form 15 covers deregistration under a different statute. The Form N-8F Files Dataset is the sole authoritative source for identifying which funds applied to deregister, when, and on what legal and factual basis.
The Form N-8F Files Dataset serves professionals who need to track fund closures, maintain accurate fund universes, draft deregistration applications, or study industry consolidation.
Compliance teams at fund complexes use peer N-8F filings to benchmark their own deregistration applications. They review the stated reason for deregistration, descriptions of asset disposition, pending-litigation disclosures, and the sequence of board approvals and shareholder notifications. Amendment filings (N-8F/A) are especially useful because they reveal what SEC staff found deficient in original applications, serving as a practical guide to common deficiencies.
Attorneys advising on fund liquidation or reorganization mine the dataset to calibrate drafting conventions. They compare disclosure language across recent filings, track the legal bases cited for deregistration, and study amendment histories to anticipate staff questions. The amendment record functions as an informal comment-letter archive for deregistration practice.
Sell-side and buy-side analysts covering asset managers monitor N-8F filings to track closures, mergers, and liquidations as signals of product rationalization and fee pressure. They focus on the fund type (open-end, closed-end, UIT), the reason for deregistration, and the timing and clustering of filings across asset classes. Investment consultancies and fund rating teams use deregistration data to keep fund universes current and flag when rated funds cease operations.
Researchers building mutual fund or closed-end fund performance databases rely on deregistration records to identify funds that exited the universe — essential for constructing survivorship-bias-free return series. The applicant identity, exit date, and asset-disposition description allow mapping of deregistered funds back to historical performance data.
Service providers use the dataset to confirm that a fund's registration is formally terminated before closing books, releasing final audits, or discontinuing regulatory reporting. Custodians track filings to manage custody-account wind-downs; transfer agents reference them to close shareholder accounts. The asset-disposition description, completion-of-distribution statements, and pending-claims disclosures are the most relevant fields.
Data teams at financial data vendors and fund analytics platforms extract structured metadata (fund name, CIK, filing date, form type) and semi-structured content (deregistration reason, asset disposition) to feed fund-status APIs, master fund databases, and screening tools. The dataset's coverage from 2004 onward, including amendments, supports longitudinal pipelines tracking fund attrition and maintaining historical completeness.
When evaluating acquisitions of fund complexes, diligence teams review N-8F filings to assess the target's history of fund closures. Patterns of frequent deregistrations may signal product instability, while orderly mergers into surviving funds suggest disciplined management. Pending-litigation disclosures and the timeline between last distribution and filing date are relevant to successor-liability analysis.
Researchers at regulatory bodies and academic institutions study filing volumes, amendment frequency, and the distribution of deregistration reasons to analyze industry consolidation trends and the efficiency of the wind-down process. This work supports rulemaking comment letters, policy papers, and academic studies on investment company regulation.
Quantitative researchers use the dataset to identify funds that exited the registered universe through liquidation or merger. By matching the applicant CIK and filing date against historical return series, they flag the precise exit point for each deregistered fund. This prevents survivorship bias in mutual fund and closed-end fund performance studies, where omitting dead funds inflates reported returns.
Industry analysts monitor N-8F filing volumes, clustering them by filer CIK, fund classification (open-end, closed-end, UIT from Items 8-9), and deregistration reason (Item 1) to measure the pace of product rationalization across asset managers. Spikes in merger-driven deregistrations at a single complex can signal fee pressure or strategic repositioning. The dataset's coverage from 2004 onward supports longitudinal trend analysis across market cycles.
Fund compliance officers and wind-down counsel review recent peer N-8F filings to calibrate their own applications. They compare asset-disposition descriptions, pending-litigation disclosures, and the specificity of board-resolution exhibits across filings by similar fund types. N-8F/A amendments are particularly valuable: they reveal what the SEC staff found deficient, functioning as an informal guide to common comment-letter issues.
Fund administrators, custodians, and transfer agents reference the dataset to verify that a fund's Investment Company Act registration has been formally terminated. The filing date, asset-disposition narrative, and completion-of-distribution statements confirm that final distributions occurred and no material claims remain outstanding. This confirmation triggers account closures, final audit releases, and cessation of regulatory reporting.
M&A diligence teams reviewing a potential acquisition of a fund complex extract all N-8F filings linked to the target's CIK numbers. The pattern of deregistration reasons — frequent liquidations versus orderly mergers into surviving funds — informs judgments about product stability and management discipline. Pending-litigation disclosures and the elapsed time between last distribution and filing date feed successor-liability analysis.
Financial data engineers ingest the metadata.json fields (fund name, CIK, file number, filing timestamp, form type) into fund-status APIs and master databases. Each new N-8F filing triggers an automatic status change from active to deregistered. Amendments (N-8F/A) update the record without creating duplicates, linked to the original by CIK and 811-series file number. This pipeline keeps screening tools and fund directories current without manual intervention.
Dataset Index JSON API: https://api.sec-api.io/datasets/form-n8f-files.json
This endpoint returns metadata about the Form N-8F Files Dataset, including the dataset name, description, last updated timestamp, earliest sample date, total records and total size, form types covered (N-8F, N-8F/A), container format (ZIP), and file types included (TXT, JSON, HTML, PDF). It also returns the download URL for the entire dataset and a list of all individual container files with per-container metadata such as size, record count, last updated timestamp, and download URL. No API key is required to access this endpoint.
Use this endpoint to monitor which containers have been updated in the most recent refresh run, so you can decide which containers to download on a day-by-day basis rather than re-downloading the entire dataset.
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{
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"datasetId": "1f13365b-9ae0-6951-b4d8-eeba687529ca",
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"datasetDownloadUrl": "https://api.sec-api.io/datasets/form-n8f-files.zip",
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"name": "Form N-8F Files Dataset",
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"updatedAt": "2026-04-15T07:34:12.956Z",
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"earliestSampleDate": "2004-08-01",
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"totalRecords": 5472,
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"totalSize": 39154888,
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"formTypes": ["N-8F", "N-8F/A"],
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"containerFormat": "ZIP",
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"fileTypes": ["TXT", "JSON", "HTML", "PDF"],
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"containers": [
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{
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"downloadUrl": "https://api.sec-api.io/datasets/form-n8f-files/2026/2026-04.zip",
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"key": "2026/2026-04.zip",
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"size": 218734,
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"records": 12,
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"updatedAt": "2026-04-15T07:34:12.956Z"
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}
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]
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}
Download Entire Dataset: https://api.sec-api.io/datasets/form-n8f-files.zip?token=YOUR_API_KEY
Downloads the full dataset as a single ZIP archive containing all Form N-8F and N-8F/A filing contents from August 2004 to present. This endpoint requires an API key.
Download Single Container: https://api.sec-api.io/datasets/form-n8f-files/2026/2026-04.zip?token=YOUR_API_KEY
Downloads one individual container file, such as a monthly archive, instead of the full dataset. The paths for all available containers are listed in the containers array returned by the dataset index JSON API. This endpoint requires an API key.
The dataset covers SEC Form N-8F and its amendment variant Form N-8F/A. Form N-8F is the application a registered investment company files to request an order of deregistration under Section 8(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Each record corresponds to a single EDGAR submission of Form N-8F or N-8F/A, identified by a unique accession number. The record is packaged as a folder containing a metadata.json file and all non-image document files from the original submission.
Any registered investment company — including mutual funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts, face-amount certificate companies, and business development companies — that seeks to deregister under the Investment Company Act must file Form N-8F. The filing is made by the legal registrant entity, not by individual fund series.
Form N-8F is event-driven, not periodic. New records appear whenever a registered investment company applies to deregister after a merger, liquidation, qualification for a statutory exclusion, or BDC election. There is no fixed filing schedule or deadline.
The dataset covers Form N-8F and N-8F/A filings from August 2004 to the present, updated on a rolling basis.
The dataset is distributed as monthly ZIP containers. Each container holds record subfolders containing JSON metadata files and HTML, TXT, or PDF document files. The dataset index API provides per-container download URLs.
Both are deregistration filings, but they operate under different statutes. Form N-8F applies exclusively to Investment Company Act registrants and requires an affirmative SEC order. Form 15 covers Exchange Act reporting companies and is a self-executing certification effective on filing. Neither substitutes for the other.