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Statement of Additional Information
July 31, 2023
 
 
Share Class | Ticker
Automated | MOTXX
Investment | MOIXX
Wealth | MOFXX
Service | MOSXX
 
Cash II | MODXX
Cash Series | MFSXX
Capital | MFCXX
 
Federated Hermes Municipal Obligations Fund
A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Money Market Obligations Trust
This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a Prospectus. Read this SAI in conjunction with the Prospectus for Federated Hermes Municipal Obligations Fund (the “Fund”), dated July 31, 2023.
This SAI incorporates by reference the Fund’s Annual Report. Obtain the Prospectus or the Annual Report without charge by calling 1-800-341-7400. 
Federated Hermes Municipal Obligations Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedHermes.com/us
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
Q450488 (7/23)
© 2023 Federated Hermes, Inc.
How is the Fund Organized?
The Fund is a diversified portfolio of Federated Hermes Money Market Obligations Trust (the “Trust”). The Trust is an open-end, management investment company that was established under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on October 3, 1988. The Fund was reorganized as a portfolio of the Trust on October 27, 1999. The Trust may offer separate series of shares representing interests in separate portfolios of securities. Effective June 26, 2020, the Trust changed its name from Money Market Obligations Trust to Federated Hermes Money Market Obligations Trust, and the Fund changed its name from Federated Municipal Obligations Fund to Federated Hermes Municipal Obligations Fund.
The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has established seven classes of shares of the Fund, known as Automated Shares, Investment Shares, Wealth Shares, Service Shares, Cash II Shares, Cash Series Shares and Capital Shares (“Shares”). This SAI relates to all Share classes. The Fund’s investment adviser is Federated Investment Management Company (the “Adviser”).
Securities in Which the Fund Invests
The principal securities or other investments in which the Fund invests are described in the Fund’s Prospectus. The Fund also may invest in securities or other investments as non-principal investments for any purpose that is consistent with its investment objective. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal security or other investment referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal security or other investment (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).
Securities Descriptions And Techniques
Fixed-Income Securities
Fixed-income securities pay interest, dividends or distributions at a specified rate. The rate may be a fixed percentage of the principal or may be adjusted periodically. In addition, the issuer of a fixed-income security must repay the principal amount of the security, normally within a specified time. Fixed-income securities provide more regular income than equity securities. However, the returns on fixed-income securities are limited and normally do not increase with the issuer’s earnings. This limits the potential appreciation of fixed-income securities as compared to equity securities.
A security’s yield measures the annual income earned on a security as a percentage of its price. A security’s yield will increase or decrease depending upon whether it costs less (a “discount”) or more (a “premium”) than the principal amount. If the issuer may redeem the security before its scheduled maturity, the price and yield on a discount or premium security may change based upon the probability of an early redemption. Securities with higher risks generally have higher yields.
The following further describes the types of fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest.
Municipal Leases (A Type of Tax-Exempt, Fixed-Income Security)
Municipalities may enter into leases for equipment or facilities. In order to comply with state public financing laws, these leases are typically subject to annual appropriation. In other words, a municipality may end a lease, without penalty, by not providing for the lease payments in its annual budget. After the lease ends, the lessor can resell the equipment or facility but may lose money on the sale. The Fund may invest in securities supported by pools of municipal leases. The most common type of lease-backed securities is certificates of participation (COPs). However, the Fund may also invest directly in individual leases.
Callable Securities (A Type of Tax-Exempt, Fixed-Income Security)
Certain fixed-income securities in which the Fund invests are callable at the option of the issuer. Certain callable securities invested in by the Fund also may be callable by parties other than the issuer. Callable securities are subject to call risk.
Zero-Coupon Securities (A Type of Tax-Exempt, Fixed-Income Security)
Zero-coupon securities do not pay interest or principal until final maturity unlike debt securities that provide periodic payments of interest (referred to as a “coupon payment”). Investors buy zero-coupon securities at a price below the amount payable at maturity. The difference between the purchase price and the amount paid at maturity represents interest on the zero-coupon security. Investors must wait until maturity to receive interest and principal, which increases the interest rate risks and credit risks of a zero-coupon security.
There are many forms of zero-coupon securities. Some are issued at a discount and are referred to as zero-coupon or capital appreciation bonds. In addition, some securities give the issuer the option to deliver additional securities in place of cash interest payments, thereby increasing the amount payable at maturity. These are referred to as pay-in-kind, PIK securities or toggle securities.
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Tax Increment Financing Bonds (A Type of Tax-Exempt, Fixed-Income Security)
Tax increment financing (TIF) bonds are payable from increases in taxes or other revenues attributable to projects within the TIF district. For example, a municipality may issue TIF bonds to redevelop a commercial area. The TIF bonds would be payable solely from any increase in sales taxes collected from merchants in the area. The bonds could fail to pay principal or interest if merchants’ sales, and related tax collections, failed to increase as anticipated.
Municipal Mortgage-Backed Securities (A Type of Tax-Exempt, Fixed-Income Security)
Municipal mortgage-backed securities are special revenue bonds, the proceeds of which may be used to provide mortgage loans for single family homes or to finance multifamily housing. Municipal mortgage-backed securities represent interests in pools of mortgages. The mortgages that comprise a pool normally have similar interest rates, maturities and other terms. Mortgages may have fixed or adjustable rates. Municipal mortgage-backed securities generally have fixed interest rates.
Municipal mortgage-backed securities come in a variety of forms. The simplest forms of municipal mortgage-backed securities are unstructured bonds backed by the net interest and principal payments and prepayments from the underlying mortgages. As a result, the holders assume all interest rate and prepayment risks of the underlying mortgages. Other municipal mortgage-backed securities may have more complicated financial structures.
Other Investments, Transactions, Techniques
Delayed Delivery Transactions
Delayed delivery transactions, including when-issued transactions, are arrangements in which the Fund buys securities for a set price, with payment and delivery of the securities scheduled for a future time. During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund. The Fund records the transaction when it agrees to buy the securities and reflects their value in determining the price of its Shares. Settlement dates may be a month or more after entering into these transactions so that the market values of the securities bought may vary from the purchase prices. Therefore, delayed delivery transactions create interest rate risks for the Fund. Delayed delivery transactions also involve credit risks in the event of a counterparty default.
Asset Segregation
In order to secure its obligations in connection with special transactions, such as reverse repurchase agreements or when-issued and delayed delivery transactions, the Fund will either enter into offsetting transactions or set aside readily marketable securities in each case, as provided by the SEC or SEC staff guidance. Unless the Fund has other readily marketable assets to set aside, it cannot trade assets used to secure such obligations without terminating a special transaction. This may cause the Fund to miss favorable trading opportunities or to realize losses on special transactions.
Temporary Investments
The Fund may make temporary investments in taxable, fixed-income securities and the following other taxable securities:
Treasury Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
Treasury securities are direct obligations of the federal government of the United States.
Government Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
Government securities are issued or guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality acting under federal authority. Some government securities, including those issued by Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States and are guaranteed only as to the timely payment of interest and principal.
Other government securities receive support through federal subsidies, loans or other benefits, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. For example, the U.S. Treasury is authorized to purchase specified amounts of securities issued by (or otherwise make funds available to) the Federal Home Loan Bank System, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) and Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) in support of such obligations.
Some government agency securities have no explicit financial support, and are supported only by the credit of the applicable agency, instrumentality or corporation. The U.S. government has provided financial support to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but there is no assurance that it will support these or other agencies in the future.
The Fund treats mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by a federal agency or instrumentality as government securities. Although such a guarantee helps protect against credit risk, it does not eliminate it entirely or reduce other risks.
Additional Information Related to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets beginning in 2008 led to market concerns regarding the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 7, 2008, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae
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were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to: (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservator’s appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.
In connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the Treasury has entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements (SPAs) with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which establish the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The senior preferred stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Although the SPAs are subject to amendment from time to time, currently the Treasury is obligated to provide such financial contributions up to an aggregate maximum amount determined by a formula set forth in the SPAs, and until such aggregate maximum amount is reached, there is not a specific end date to the Treasury’s obligations.
The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s operations and activities under the SPAs, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, downgrades or upgrades in the credit ratings assigned to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) or ratings services, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
In addition, the future of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprises that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government (GSEs), remains in question as the U.S. government continues to consider options ranging from structural reform, nationalization, privatization or consolidation, to outright elimination. The issues that have led to significant U.S. government support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have sparked serious debate regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing mortgage loan liquidity.
Bank Instruments (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
Bank instruments are unsecured, interest-bearing deposits with banks. Bank instruments include, but are not limited to, bank accounts, time deposits, certificates of deposit and banker’s acceptances. Yankee instruments are denominated in U.S. dollars and issued by U.S. branches of foreign banks. Euro-dollar instruments are denominated in U.S. dollars and issued by non-U.S. branches of U.S. or foreign banks.
Corporate Debt Securities (A Type of Fixed-Income Security)
Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most prevalent types of corporate debt securities.
Commercial Paper (A Type of Corporate Debt Security)
Commercial paper is an issuer’s obligation with a maturity of less than nine months. Companies typically issue commercial paper to pay for current expenditures. Most issuers constantly reissue their commercial paper and use the proceeds (or bank loans) to repay maturing paper. If the issuer cannot continue to obtain liquidity in this fashion, its commercial paper may default.
Repurchase Agreements
Repurchase agreements are transactions in which the Fund buys a security from a dealer or bank and agrees to sell the security back at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. The repurchase price exceeds the sale price, reflecting the Fund’s return on the transaction. This return is unrelated to the interest rate on the underlying security. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with banks and other recognized financial institutions, such as securities dealers, deemed creditworthy by the Adviser.
Subject to certain eligibility requirements, the Fund may also enter into repurchase agreements collateralized with government securities with The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“NY Fed”). In order to invest in repurchase agreements with the NY Fed, the Fund must satisfy the NY Fed’s eligibility requirements and may engage in periodic “test” trading in order to assess operational abilities at times when the Fund would otherwise not enter into such a position. Repurchase agreements with the NY Fed are considered “government securities” for purposes of Rule 2a-7 and the Fund considers the NY Fed to be an instrumentality of the U.S. government.
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The Fund’s custodian or subcustodian will take possession of the securities subject to repurchase agreements. The Adviser or subcustodian will monitor the value of the underlying security each day to ensure that the value of the security always equals or exceeds the repurchase price.
Repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. In addition to taxable repurchase agreements, the Fund also may invest in municipal repurchase agreements as a non-principal investment.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Reverse repurchase agreements (which are considered a type of special transaction for asset segregation purposes) are repurchase agreements in which the Fund is the seller (rather than the buyer) of the securities, and agrees to repurchase them at an agreed-upon time and price. A reverse repurchase agreement may be viewed as a type of borrowing by the Fund. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to credit risks. In addition, reverse repurchase agreements create leverage risks because the Fund must repurchase the underlying security at a higher price, regardless of the market value of the security at the time of repurchase. In addition to taxable reverse repurchase agreements, the Fund also may invest in municipal reverse repurchase agreements as a non-principal investment.
minimal credit risk
Under Rule 2a-7, money market funds, such as the Fund, may generally invest in “Eligible Securities” which include securities issued by another money market fund, government securities or securities that have a remaining maturity of no more than 397 calendar days and are determined by the fund’s board or its delegate to present minimal credit risk based on an assessment of the issuer’s credit quality, including the capacity of the issuer or guarantor to meet its financial obligations. The Fund’s Board has adopted procedures by which the Adviser will conduct this initial and ongoing assessment, as required. Such analysis of whether a security presents minimal credit risk will include, to the extent appropriate: consideration of the security’s issuer or guarantor’s financial condition, sources of liquidity, ability to react to future market-wide and issuer or guarantor-specific events, including the ability to repay debt in a highly adverse situation; and strength of the issuer or guarantor’s industry within the economy and relative to economic trends, as well as the issuer or guarantor’s competitive position within its industry. In addition, a minimal credit risk evaluation may also include consideration of whether the price and/or yield of the security itself is similar to that of other securities in the Fund’s portfolio. The Adviser will perform an ongoing review of whether each security (other than a government security) continues to present minimal credit risks.
Inter-Fund Borrowing AND Lending Arrangements
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted an exemption that permits the Fund and all other funds (“Federated Hermes funds”) advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc., (“Federated Hermes,” formerly, Federated Investors, Inc.) to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other Federated Hermes funds. Participation in this inter-fund lending program is voluntary for both borrowing and lending Federated Hermes funds, and an inter-fund loan is only made if it benefits each participating Federated Hermes fund. Federated Hermes administers the program according to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. Any inter-fund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemption, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating Federated Hermes funds.
For example, inter-fund lending is permitted only: (a) to meet shareholder redemption requests; (b) to meet commitments arising from “failed” trades; and (c) for other temporary purposes. All inter-fund loans must be repaid in seven days or less. The Fund’s participation in this program must be consistent with its investment policies and limitations, and must meet certain percentage tests. Inter-fund loans may be made only when the rate of interest to be charged is more attractive to the lending Federated Hermes fund than market-competitive rates on overnight repurchase agreements (“Repo Rate”) and more attractive to the borrowing Federated Hermes fund than the rate of interest that would be charged by an unaffiliated bank for short-term borrowings (“Bank Loan Rate”), as determined by the Board. The interest rate imposed on inter-fund loans is the average of the Repo Rate and the Bank Loan Rate.
Investment Risks
There are many risk factors which may affect an investment in the Fund. The Fund’s principal risks are described in its Prospectus. The following information is either additional information in respect of a principal risk factor referenced in the Prospectus or information in respect of a non-principal risk factor applicable to the Fund (in which case there is no related disclosure in the Prospectus).
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Leverage Risk
Leverage risk is created when an investment exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund’s risk of loss and potential for gain.
Risk Associated with the Investment Activities of Other Accounts
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. Therefore, it is possible that investment-related actions taken by such other accounts could adversely impact the Fund with respect to, for example, the value of Fund portfolio holdings, and/or prices paid to or received by the Fund on its portfolio transactions and/or the Fund’s ability to obtain or dispose of portfolio securities. Related considerations are discussed elsewhere in this SAI under “Brokerage Transactions and Investment Allocation.”
LARGE SHAREHOLDER RISK
A significant percentage of the Fund’s shares may be owned or controlled by a large shareholder. Accordingly, the Fund can be subject to the potential for large scale inflows and outflows as a result of purchases and redemptions made by significant shareholders. These inflows and outflows could be significant and, if frequently occurring, could negatively affect the Fund’s net asset value and performance and could cause the Fund to buy or sell securities at inopportune times in order to meet purchase or redemption requests.
CYBERSECURITY AND OPERATIONAL RISK
Like other funds and business enterprises, Federated Hermes’ business relies on the security and reliability of information and communications technology, systems and networks. Federated Hermes uses digital technology, including, for example, networked systems, email and the Internet, as well as mobile devices and “cloud”-based service offerings, to conduct business operations and engage clients, customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers, among others. Federated Hermes, as well as its funds and certain service providers, also generate, compile and process information for purposes of preparing and making filings or reports to governmental agencies, or providing reports or statements to customers, and a cybersecurity attack or incident that impacts that information, or the generation and filing processes, can prevent required regulatory filings and reports from being made, or reports or statements from being delivered, or cause the inadvertent release of confidential information (possibly resulting in the violation of applicable privacy laws). The use of the Internet and other electronic media and technology exposes the Fund, the Fund’s shareholders, and the Fund’s service providers, and their respective operations, to potential risks from cybersecurity attacks or incidents (collectively, “cyber-events”). The work-from-home environment necessitated by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic has increased the risk of cyber incidents given the increase in cyber attack surface stemming from the use of personal devices and non-office or personal technology.
Cyber-events can result from intentional (or deliberate) attacks or unintentional events by insiders (e.g., employees) or third parties, including cybercriminals, competitors, nation-states and “hacktivists,” among others. Cyber-events can include, for example, phishing, credential harvesting or use of stolen access credentials, unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as, for example, through “hacking” activity), structured query language attacks, infection from or spread of malware, ransomware, computer viruses or other malicious software code, corruption of data, exfiltration of data to malicious sites, the dark web or other locations or threat actors, and attacks (including, but not limited to, denial of service attacks on websites) which shut down, disable, slow, impair or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, technology, connectivity or website or Internet access, functionality or performance. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund and its service providers have experienced, and will continue to experience, cyber-events on a daily basis. In addition to intentional cyber-events, unintentional cyber-events can occur, such as, for example, the inadvertent release of confidential information. Cyber-events can also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the service providers’ systems or websites rendering them unavailable to intended users or via “ransomware” that renders the systems inoperable until appropriate actions are taken. To date, cyber-events have not had a material adverse effect on the Fund’s business operations or performance.
Cyber-events can affect, potentially in a material way, Federated Hermes’ relationships with its customers, employees, products, accounts, shareholders and relevant service providers. Any cyber-event could adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, damage to employee perceptions of the company, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and credit monitoring for impacted individuals. A cyber-event can cause the Fund, or its service providers, to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity (such as, for example, the loss of the ability to process transactions, generate or make filings or deliver reports or statements, calculate the Fund’s NAV, or allow shareholders to transact business or
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other disruptions to operations), and/or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber-events also can result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, cyber-events affecting issuers in which the Fund invests could cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.
The Fund’s Adviser and its relevant affiliates have established risk management systems reasonably designed to seek to reduce the risks associated with cyber-events. The Fund’s Adviser employs various measures aimed at mitigating cybersecurity risk, including, among others, use of firewalls, system segmentation, system monitoring, virus scanning, periodic penetration testing, employee phishing training and an employee cybersecurity awareness campaign. Among other service provider management efforts, Federated Hermes also conducts due diligence on key service providers relating to cybersecurity. Federated Hermes has established a committee to oversee Federated Hermes’ information security and data governance efforts, and updates on cyber-events and risks are reviewed with relevant committees, as well as Federated Hermes’ and the Fund’s Boards of Directors or Trustees (or a committee thereof), on a periodic (generally quarterly) basis (and more frequently when circumstances warrant) as part of risk management oversight responsibilities. However, there is no guarantee that the efforts of Federated Hermes, the Fund’s Adviser or its affiliates, or other service providers, will succeed, either entirely or partially as there are limits on Federated Hermes’ and the Fund’s ability to prevent, detect or mitigate cyber-events. Among other reasons, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, the nature of malicious cyber-events is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the Fund’s Adviser, and its relevant affiliates, cannot control the cyber systems and cybersecurity systems of issuers or third-party service providers.
The Fund can be exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties, or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. In addition, other disruptive events, including, but not limited to, natural disasters and public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), can adversely affect the Fund’s ability to conduct business, in particular if the Fund’s employees or the employees of its service providers are unable or unwilling to perform their responsibilities as a result of any such event. Even if the Fund’s employees and the employees of its service providers are able to work remotely, those remote work arrangements could result in the Fund’s business operations being less efficient than under normal circumstances, could lead to delays in its processing of transactions, and could increase the risk of cyber-events.
Investment Objective (and Policies) and Investment Limitations
The investment objective of the Fund is to provide current income exempt from all federal regular income tax consistent with stability of principal.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest its assets so that at least 80% of the income that it distributes will be exempt from federal regular income tax.
The investment objective may be changed by the Fund’s Board without shareholder approval. The investment policy may not be changed by the Fund’s Board without shareholder approval.
Investment Limitations
Diversification
With respect to securities comprising 75% of the value of its total assets, the Fund will not purchase securities of any one issuer (other than cash; cash items; securities issued or guaranteed by the government of the United States or its agencies or instrumentalities and repurchase agreements collateralized by such U.S. government securities; and securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer, or the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Borrowing Money and Issuing Senior Securities
The Fund may borrow money, directly or indirectly, and issue senior securities to the maximum extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”).
Investing in Real Estate
The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers which invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein. The Fund may exercise its rights under agreements relating to such securities, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold real estate acquired by reason of such enforcement until that real estate can be liquidated in an orderly manner.
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Investing in Commodities
The Fund will not purchase or sell physical commodities, provided that the Fund may purchase securities of companies that deal in commodities.
Underwriting
The Fund may not underwrite the securities of other issuers, except that the Fund may engage in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities, under circumstances where it may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933.
Lending
The Fund may not make loans, provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from purchasing debt obligations, entering into repurchase agreements, lending its assets to broker/dealers or institutional investors and investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests.
Concentration
The Fund will not make investments that will result in the concentration of its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in the same industry. Government securities, municipal securities and bank instruments will not be deemed to constitute an industry.
The above limitations are fundamental and cannot be changed unless authorized by the Board and by the “vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities,” as defined by the 1940 Act, which means the lesser of (a) 67% of the shares of the Fund present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present or represented at the meeting or (b) more than 50% of outstanding shares of the Fund. The following limitations, however, may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified before any material change in these limitations becomes effective.
Pledging Assets
The Fund will not mortgage, pledge or hypothecate any of its assets, provided that this shall not apply to the transfer of securities in connection with any permissible borrowing or to collateral arrangements in connection with permissible activities.
Purchases on Margin
The Fund will not purchase securities on margin, provided that the Fund may obtain short-term credits necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of securities.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund will not acquire securities that cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to them by the Fund if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 5% of its total assets in such securities.
Restricted Securities
The Fund may invest in securities subject to restriction on resale under the federal securities laws.
Additional Information
For purposes of the diversification limitation, the Fund considers certificates of deposit and demand and time deposits issued by a U.S. branch of a domestic bank or savings association having capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 at the time of investment to be “cash items.”
Except with respect to borrowing money, if a percentage limitation is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or net assets will not result in a violation of such limitation.
As a non-fundamental operating policy, the investment of more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in any one industry will constitute “concentration.” For purposes of the concentration limitation: (a) utility companies will be divided according to their services, for example, gas, gas transmission, electric and telephone will each be considered a separate industry; (b) financial service companies will be classified according to the end users of their services, for example, automobile finance, bank finance and diversified finance will each be considered a separate industry; and (c) asset-backed securities will be classified according to the underlying assets securing such securities.
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To conform to the current view of the SEC staff that only domestic bank instruments may be excluded from industry concentration limitations, the Fund will not exclude foreign bank instruments from industry concentration limitation tests so long as the policy of the SEC remains in effect. Investments in private activity bonds will be classified according to the non-governmental entity from which the bond’s principal and interest payments are principally derived. In addition, investments in certain industrial development bonds funded by activities in a single industry will be deemed to constitute investment in an industry, except when held for temporary defensive purposes.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
The Fund may follow non-fundamental operational policies that are more restrictive than its fundamental investment limitations, as set forth in the Prospectus and this SAI, in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including the provisions of and regulations under the 1940 Act. In particular, the Fund will comply with the various requirements of Rule 2a-7 (the “Rule”), which regulates money market mutual funds. The Fund may change these operational policies to reflect changes in the laws and regulations without the approval of its shareholders.
The SEC has implemented a number of requirements, including liquidity fees and temporary redemption gates, for money market funds based on the amount of Fund assets that are “weekly liquid assets,” which generally includes cash, direct obligations of the U.S. government, certain other U.S. government or agency securities and securities that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable within five business days.
The Fund has adopted policies and procedures such that the Fund will be able to impose liquidity fees on redemptions and/or temporarily suspend redemptions for up to 10 business days in any 90-day period in the event that the Fund’s weekly liquid assets were to fall below a designated threshold, subject to a determination by the Fund’s Board that such a liquidity fee or redemption gate is in the Fund’s best interest. If the Fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 30% of its total assets, the Fund may impose liquidity fees of up to 2% of the value of the shares redeemed and/or temporarily suspend redemptions, if the Board, including a majority of the independent Trustees, determines that imposing a liquidity fee or temporarily suspending redemptions is in the Fund’s best interest. If the Fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 10% of its total assets at the end of any business day, the Fund will impose a liquidity fee of 1% on all redemptions beginning on the next business day, unless the Board, including a majority of the independent Trustees, determines that imposing such a fee would not be in the best interests of the Fund or determines that a lower or higher fee (not to exceed 2%) would be in the best interests of the Fund, which would remain in effect until weekly liquid assets return to 30% or the Board determines that the fee is no longer in the best interests of the Fund. In the event that a liquidity fee is imposed and/or redemptions are temporarily suspended, the Board may take certain other actions based on the particular facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, modifying the timing and frequency of the Fund’s NAV determinations.
If liquidity fees are imposed or redemptions are temporarily suspended, the Fund will notify shareholders on the Fund’s website or by press release. In addition to identifying the Fund, such notifications will include the Fund’s percentage of total assets invested in weekly liquid assets, the time of implementation of the liquidity fee and/or redemption gate and details regarding the amount of the liquidity fee. If the Board, including a majority of the independent Trustees, changes or removes a liquidity fee or a temporary redemption gate, the Fund will notify shareholders in the same manner as described above. The imposition and termination of a liquidity fee or redemption gate will also be reported by the Fund to the SEC on Form N-CR. If redemptions are temporarily suspended, the Fund and your financial intermediary will not accept redemption or exchange orders until the Fund has notified shareholders that the redemption gate has been lifted. Shareholders wishing to redeem or exchange shares once the redemption gate has been lifted will need to submit a new redemption or exchange request to the Fund or their financial intermediary.
All liquidity fees payable by shareholders to the Fund can be used to offset any losses realized by the Fund when seeking to honor redemption requests during times of market stress. The Fund expects to treat such liquidity fees as not constituting income to the Fund.
A liquidity fee imposed by the Fund will reduce the amount you will receive upon the redemption of your shares, and will decrease the amount of any capital gain or increase the amount of any capital loss you will recognize from such redemption. Although there is some degree of uncertainty with respect to the tax treatment of liquidity fees received by money market funds, it is anticipated at this time that a liquidity fee will have no tax effect on the Fund. As the tax treatment will likely be the subject of future guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service, the Fund will re-visit the applicable treatment of liquidity fees when they are received.
8
If the Fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 10% and the Board determines that it would not be in the best interests of the Fund to continue operating, the Board may suspend redemptions in the Fund and may approve the liquidation of the Fund. The Board may also suspend redemptions and liquidate the Fund if the Board determines that the deviation between its amortized cost price per share and its market-based NAV may result in material dilution or other unfair results to investors or existing shareholders. Prior to suspending redemptions, the Fund would be required to notify the SEC of its decision to liquidate and suspend redemptions. If the Fund ceases honoring redemptions and determines to liquidate, the Fund expects that it would notify shareholders on the Fund’s website or by press release. Distributions to shareholders of liquidation proceeds may occur in one or more disbursements.
Because the Fund operates as a money market fund and seeks to maintain a stable $1.00 price per share, a low or negative interest rate environment could impact the Fund’s ability to maintain a stable $1.00 share price. During a low or negative interest rate environment, the Fund may reduce the number of shares outstanding on a pro rata basis through reverse stock splits, negative dividends or other mechanisms to seek to maintain a stable $1.00 price per share, to the extent permissible by applicable law and the Fund’s organizational documents. Alternatively, if the Board determines that it is no longer in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to maintain a stable price of $1.00 per share, the Board has the right to discontinue the use of a stable NAV of $1.00 per share and establish a fluctuating NAV per share rounded to four decimal places. Depending on the specific measure(s) taken, these measures would result in shareholders not receiving a dividend, holding fewer shares of the Fund and/or experiencing a loss in the aggregate value of their investment in the Fund. The Fund will notify shareholders of any such change.
Purchase orders received after the last NAV determination of a given day, but prior to notification of the imposition of liquidity fees or a redemption gate will be cancelled unless re-confirmed. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may honor redemption or exchange orders (or pay redemptions without adding a liquidity fee to the redemption amount) if the Fund can verify that the redemption or exchange order was received in good order by the Fund or the Fund’s agent before the Fund imposed liquidity fees or temporarily suspended redemptions.
MATERIAL FUND EVENT–CAPITAL CONTRIBUTION
On December 11, 2015, Federated Municipal Cash Series (MCS) (an affiliated fund) received a capital support contribution of $6,993.49 (the “Contribution”) from FII Holdings, Inc. (FII). The Contribution was made to MCS in anticipation of that fund reorganizing into the Fund. The reorganization of MCS into the Fund occurred on December 11, 2015. FII directly owns 100% of the outstanding voting securities of both the Adviser and MCS’s former investment adviser. The Contribution represented the difference between MCS’s net assets and the net asset value of shares outstanding on the reorganization date. Because of the reorganization, the Fund is required to maintain this disclosure regarding the Contribution to MCS. No capital support contribution has been made directly to the Fund. MCS was required to disclose additional information about this event on Form N-CR and to file this form with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any Form N-CR filings submitted are available on the EDGAR Database on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Internet site at sec.gov.
What Do Shares Cost?
Determining Market Value Of Securities
The Board has decided that the best method for determining the value of portfolio instruments is amortized cost. The amortized cost method of valuation generally prescribes that an investment is valued at its acquisition cost as adjusted daily for amortization of premium or accretion of discount to the specified redemption value on the nearest call, demand or maturity date, as appropriate. The Fund uses this adjusted cost to value the investment.
Accordingly, neither the amount of daily income nor the net asset value (NAV) is affected by any unrealized appreciation or depreciation of the portfolio. In periods of declining interest rates, the indicated daily yield on Shares of the Fund, computed by dividing the annualized daily income on the Fund’s portfolio by the NAV, computed as above, may tend to be higher than a similar computation made by using a method of valuation based upon market prices and estimates. In periods of rising interest rates, the opposite may be true. A low or negative interest rate environment impacts, in a negative way, the Fund’s ability to provide a positive return, or yield, to its shareholders, pay expenses out of current income, and/or achieve its investment objective, including maintaining a stable NAV of $1.00 per share.
The Fund’s use of the amortized cost method of valuing portfolio instruments depends on its compliance with certain conditions in the Rule. Under the Rule, the Board must establish procedures reasonably designed to stabilize the NAV per Share, as computed for purposes of distribution and redemption, at $1.00 per Share, taking into account current market conditions and the Fund’s investment objective. The procedures include monitoring the relationship between the amortized cost value per Share
9
and the NAV per Share based upon available indications of market value. The Board will decide what, if any, steps should be taken if there is a difference of more than 0.5 of 1% between the two values. The Board will take any steps it considers appropriate (such as redemption in-kind or shortening the average portfolio maturity) to minimize any material dilution or other unfair results arising from differences between the two methods of determining NAV.
How is the Fund Sold?
Under the Distributor’s Contract with the Fund, the Distributor (“Federated Securities Corp.”) offers Shares on a continuous, best-efforts basis.
Rule 12b-1 Plan (Investment Shares, Cash II Shares and Cash Series Shares)
As a compensation-type plan, the Rule 12b-1 Plan is designed to pay the Distributor for activities principally intended to result in the sale of Shares such as advertising and marketing of Shares (including printing and distributing prospectuses and sales literature to prospective shareholders and financial intermediaries) and providing incentives to financial intermediaries to sell Shares. The Plan is also designed to cover the cost of administrative services performed in conjunction with the sale of Shares, including, but not limited to, shareholder services, recordkeeping services and educational services, as well as the costs of implementing and operating the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan allows the Distributor to contract with financial intermediaries to perform activities covered by the Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Plan is expected to benefit the Fund in a number of ways. For example, it is anticipated that the Plan will help the Fund attract and retain assets, thus providing cash for orderly portfolio management and Share redemptions and possibly helping to stabilize or reduce other operating expenses.
In addition, the Plan is integral to the multiple class structure of the Fund, which promotes the sale of Shares by providing a range of options to investors. The Fund’s service providers that receive asset-based fees also benefit from stable or increasing Fund assets.
The Fund may compensate the Distributor more or less than its actual marketing expenses. In no event will the Fund pay for any expenses of the Distributor that exceed the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee.
For some classes of shares, the maximum Rule 12b-1 Plan fee that can be paid in any one year may not be sufficient to cover the marketing-related expenses the Distributor has incurred. Therefore, it may take the Distributor a number of years to recoup these expenses.
Additional Payments To Financial Intermediaries
The Distributor may pay out of its own resources amounts to certain financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, banks, registered investment advisers, independent financial planners and retirement plan administrators. In some cases, such payments may be made by, or funded from the resources of, companies affiliated with the Distributor (including the Adviser). While Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) regulations limit the sales charges that you may bear, there are no limits with regard to the amounts that the Distributor may pay out of its own resources. In addition to the payments which are generally described herein and in the Prospectus, the financial intermediary also may receive Service Fees. In connection with these payments, the financial intermediary may elevate the prominence or profile of the Fund and/or other Federated Hermes funds within the financial intermediary’s organization by, for example, placement on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or granting the Distributor preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the funds in various ways within the financial intermediary’s organization. The same financial intermediaries may receive payments under more than one or all categories. These payments assist in the Distributor’s efforts to support the sale of Shares. These payments are negotiated and may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares that the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; the level and types of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary; or the Fund’s and/or other Federated Hermes funds’ relationship with the financial intermediary. Not all financial intermediaries receive such payments and the amount of compensation may vary by intermediary. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from the Distributor or the Federated Hermes funds and any services it provides, as well as the fees and/or commissions it charges.
Regarding the Fund’s Wealth Shares, the Wealth Shares of the Fund currently do not accrue, pay or incur any shareholder services/account administration fees, although the Board of Trustees has approved the Wealth Shares of the Fund to accrue, pay and incur such fees in amounts up to a maximum amount of 0.25%, or some lesser amount as the Board of Trustees shall approve from time to time. The Wealth Shares of the Fund will not accrue, pay or incur such fees until such time as approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.
The categories of additional payments are described below.
10
Supplemental Payments
The Distributor may make supplemental payments to certain financial intermediaries that are holders or dealers of record for accounts in one or more of the Federated Hermes funds. These payments may be based on such factors as: the number or value of Shares the financial intermediary sells or may sell; the value of client assets invested; or the type and nature of services or support furnished by the financial intermediary.
Processing Support Payments
The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries that offer Federated Hermes investment companies to help offset their costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement processing and transaction processing. The types of payments that the Distributor may make under this category include, but are not limited to: payment of ticket charges on a per-transaction basis; payment of networking fees; and payment for ancillary services such as setting up funds on the financial intermediary’s mutual fund trading system.
Retirement Plan Program Servicing Payments
The Distributor may make payments to certain financial intermediaries who sell Federated Hermes fund shares through retirement plan programs. A financial intermediary may perform retirement plan program services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform retirement plan program services. In addition to participant recordkeeping, reporting or transaction processing, retirement plan program services may include: services rendered to a plan in connection with fund/investment selection and monitoring; employee enrollment and education; plan balance rollover or separation; or other similar services.
Marketing Support Payments
From time to time, the Distributor, at its expense, may provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of Shares. Such compensation, provided by the Distributor, may include reimbursement of transaction costs, and financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable the Distributor to participate in or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client entertainment, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. The Distributor may also provide additional compensation to financial intermediaries for services rendered in connection with technology and programming set-up, platform development and maintenance or similar services and for the provision of sales-related data to the Adviser and/or its affiliates.
The Distributor also may hold or sponsor, at its expense, sales events, conferences and programs for employees or associated persons of financial intermediaries and may pay the travel and lodging expenses of attendees. The Distributor also may provide, at its expense, meals and entertainment in conjunction with meetings with financial intermediaries. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state law or regulations, or the rules of any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. These payments may vary depending on the nature of the event or the relationship.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the following is a list of FINRA member firms that received additional payments from the Distributor or an affiliate. Additional payments may also be made to certain other financial intermediaries that are not FINRA member firms that sell Federated Hermes fund shares or provide services to the Federated Hermes funds and shareholders. These firms are not included in this list. Any additions, modifications or deletions to the member firms identified in this list that have occurred since December 31, 2022, are not reflected. You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any additional payments it receives from the Distributor.
ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.
American Portfolios Advisors, Inc.
Aspyre Wealth Partners
Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC
B. C. Ziegler And Company
Beam Wealth Advisors, Inc.
Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc.
BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.
BofA Securities, Inc.
Bolton Global Capital, Inc.
Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC
Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company
Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc.
Cambridge Financial Group, Inc.
CBIZ Financial Solutions, Inc.
Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Cetera Advisors LLC
Cetera Investment Services LLC
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Citizens Securities, Inc.
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commonwealth Financial Network
D A Davidson & Co.
Davenport & Company LLC
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Edward D. Jones & Co., LP
Emerald Advisors, LLC
Empower Financial Services, Inc.
Envestnet PMC
FBL Marketing Services, LLC
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Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc. (FIIOC)
Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
FIS Brokerage & Securities Services LLC
Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Hancock Whitney Investment Services Inc.
HighTower Securities, LLC
Hilltop Securities, Inc.
HUB International Investment Services Inc.
The Huntington Investment Company
Huntington Securities, Inc.
IFP Securities, LLC
Insigneo Securities, LLC
Institutional Cash Distributors, LLC
Interactive Brokers LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Jefferies LLC
KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.
Kowal Investment Group, LLC
Leafhouse Financial Advisors, LLC
Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation
Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc.
Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC
LPL Financial LLC
Lyrical Partners, L.P.
MML Investors
Materetsky Financial Group
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Incorporated
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
National Financial Services LLC
Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
NewEdge Securities, Inc.
Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
NYLIFE Distributors LLC
Open Range Financial Group, LLC
Oppenheimer & Company, Inc.
Paychex Securities Corp
Pensionmark Financial Group, LLC
Pershing LLC
PNC Capital Markets, LLC
PNC Investments LLC
Private Client Services, LLC
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Rise Consulting, LLC
Robert W Baird & Co. Incorporated
Rockefeller Capital Management
Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.
Sagepoint Financial, LLC
Sageview Advisory Group, LLC
Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, LLC
SBC Wealth Management
Securian Financial Services, Inc.
Securities America, Inc.
Security Distributors, LLC
Spire Securities, LLC
State Street Global Markets, LLC
Stephens Inc.
Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Strategic Financial Partners, Ltd
TD Ameritrade, Inc.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
The London Company of Virginia LLC
Towerpoint Wealth, LLC
Truist Investment Services, Inc.
Truist Securities, Inc.
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
UBS Financial Services Inc.
UBS Securities LLC
UMB Financial Services, Inc.
United Planners Financial Services of America, L.P.
Validus Capital LLC
Vanguard Marketing Corporation
Veridian Capital Partners
Vining-Sparks IBG, LLC
Vision Financial Markets, LLC
Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Woodbury Financial Services, Inc.
WR Wealth Planners LLC
XML Financial Group

 
Purchases In-Kind
You may contact the Distributor to request a purchase of Shares using securities you own. The Fund reserves the right to determine whether to accept your securities and the minimum market value to accept. The Fund will value your securities in the same manner as it values its assets in determining the market value of the portfolio for purposes of its comparison with amortized cost valuation. An in-kind purchase may be treated as a sale of your securities for federal tax purposes; please consult your tax adviser regarding potential tax liability.
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Redemption In-Kind
Although the Fund generally intends to pay Share redemptions in cash, it reserves the right, on its own initiative or in response to a shareholder request, to pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution of the Fund’s portfolio securities.
Because the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund is obligated to pay Share redemptions to any one shareholder in cash only up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net assets represented by such Share class during any 90-day period.
Any Share redemption payment greater than this amount will also be in cash unless the Fund elects to pay all or a portion of the remainder of the redemption in portfolio securities, valued in the same way as the Fund determines its NAV.
Redemption in-kind is not as liquid as a cash redemption. Shareholders receiving the portfolio securities could have difficulty selling them, may incur related transaction costs and would be subject to risks of fluctuations in the securities’ values prior to sale.
Massachusetts Partnership Law
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that no shareholder or former shareholder, merely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder, will be subject to any personal liability in connection with Trust property or the affairs of the Trust.
In the unlikely event a shareholder or former shareholder is held personally liable for the Trust’s obligations, such shareholder will be entitled, out of the assets belonging to the applicable series, to be indemnified against all claims and reimbursed for all reasonably incurred expenses in connection with such claims. On request, the Trust will defend any claim made and pay any judgment against a shareholder from the assets belonging to the relevant series.
Share Information
ORGANIZATION, CAPITALIZATION, VOTING RIGHTS AND OTHER MATTERS
The Trust is a Massachusetts business trust established under a Declaration of Trust dated October 3, 1988, as amended and restated November 11, 2015. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust may be amended at any time by a majority of the Trustees. Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the authority to create and classify shares of beneficial interest in separate series and classes without further action by shareholders. Each series and class thereof may issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, with no par value. Shares of each series represent equal proportionate interests in the assets of that series only and have identical voting, dividend, redemption, liquidation and other rights of shares in the same series except that expenses allocated to a class may be borne solely by such class as determined by the Trustees and a class may have exclusive voting rights with respect to matters affecting only that class. Shares entitle their holders to one vote per share (and fractional votes for fractional shares), are freely transferable and, except as specifically provided by the Trustees, have no preference, preemptive, appraisal, exchange, subscription or conversion rights. All shares issued are fully paid and non-assessable. In the event of a liquidation or termination of a series, each shareholder is entitled to receive his pro rata share of the net assets of that series.
It is not anticipated that the Trust will hold shareholders’ meetings unless required by law or the Declaration of Trust. The Board will call special meetings of shareholders of the Trust, a series or class thereof only if required under the 1940 Act, in their discretion, or upon the written request of holders of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of the Trust or of the relevant series or class, entitled to vote at such meeting.
The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees may redeem shares in certain circumstances, such as when a shareholder does not meet the qualifications for ownership of a particular series or class, or when such redemptions are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations. The Declaration of Trust also provides that the Board may, without shareholder approval unless required by the 1940 Act, cause the Trust or any series or class to dissolve, convert, merge, consolidate, reorganize, sell all or any part of its assets, provided that the surviving or resulting entity is an open-end management investment company under the 1940 Act, or a series thereof. The Trust or any series or class may be terminated at any time by the Trustees by written notice to the shareholders.
SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUND
As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholder owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Automated Shares: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Brooklyn, NY, owned approximately 3,033,328 Shares (23.70%) and JPMS LLC, Brooklyn, NY, owned approximately 1,075,210 Shares (8.40%).
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As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Capital Shares: National Financial Services LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 160,610,601 Shares (65.74%); Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 57,248,119 Shares (23.43%); TD Ameritrade, Inc., Omaha, NE, owned approximately 15,221,341 Shares (6.23%).
As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholder owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Cash II Shares: Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 56,545,980 Shares (93.47%).
As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Cash Series Shares: Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 130,178,825 Shares (65.66%) and FMSBONDS Inc., Boca Raton, FL, owned approximately 64,345,755 (32.45%).
As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholder owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Investment Shares: Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 1,1,43,233 Shares (75.21%) and Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 301,661 Shares (19.84%).
As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Service Shares: Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 112,885,158 Shares (52.00%); SEI Trust Company, Oaks, PA, owned approximately 44,467,783 Shares (11.51%); National Financial Services LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 27,874,909 Shares (17.16%); ; Pershing LLC, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 11,745,148 Shares (5.41%).
As of July 6, 2023, the following shareholders owned of record, beneficially or both, 5% or more of outstanding Wealth Shares: Raymond James, St. Petersburg, FL, owned approximately 746,589,477 Shares (31.06%); Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Jersey City, NJ, owned approximately 691,752,626 Shares (28.78%); ; UBS WM USA, Weehawken, NJ, owned approximately 123,887,461 Shares (5.15%).
Shareholders owning 25% or more of outstanding Shares may be in control and be able to affect the outcome of certain matters presented for a vote of shareholders.
National Financial Services LLC is organized in the State of Delaware and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity Global Brokerage Group, Inc., which is organized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Pershing LLC is organized in the State of Delaware and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation which is organized in the State of Delaware.
FMSBONDS Inc. is organized in the State of Florida.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is organized in the State of Delaware.Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. is organized in the State of Florida.
Tax Information
Federal Income Tax
The Fund intends to meet requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) applicable to regulated investment companies. If these requirements are not met, it will not receive special tax treatment and will be subject to federal corporate income tax.
The Fund will be treated as a single, separate entity for federal income tax purposes so that income earned and capital gains and losses realized by the Trust’s other portfolios will be separate from those realized by the Fund.
Who Manages and Provides Services to the Fund?
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Trust comprised 16 portfolios, and the Federated Hermes Complex consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Complex and serves for an indefinite term.
As of July 6, 2023, the Fund’s Board and Officers as a group owned less than 1% of each class of the Fund’s outstanding Shares.
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qualifications of Independent Trustees
Individual Trustee qualifications are noted in the “Independent Trustees Background and Compensation” chart. In addition, the following characteristics are among those that were considered for each existing Trustee and will be considered for any Nominee Trustee.
◾ Outstanding skills in disciplines deemed by the Independent Trustees to be particularly relevant to the role of Independent Trustee and to the Federated Hermes funds, including legal, accounting, business management, the financial industry generally and the investment industry particularly.
◾ Desire and availability to serve for a substantial period of time, taking into account the Board’s current mandatory retirement age of 75 years.
◾ No conflicts which would interfere with qualifying as independent.
◾ Appropriate interpersonal skills to work effectively with other Independent Trustees.
◾ Understanding and appreciation of the important role occupied by Independent Trustees in the regulatory structure governing regulated investment companies.
◾ Diversity of background.
Interested Trustees Background and Compensation 
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: April 1989
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of certain
of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; Director or Trustee of the
Funds in the Federated Hermes Complex; President, Chief Executive
Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and Trustee,
Federated Investment Management Company; Trustee, Federated
Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and Trustee, Federated Equity
Management Company of Pennsylvania; Trustee, Federated Shareholder
Services Company; Director, Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling; President
and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment Management Company,
Federated Global Investment Management Corp. and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
$0
$0
Thomas R. Donahue*
Birth Date: October 20, 1958
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of certain funds in the
Federated Hermes Complex; Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Vice
President and Assistant Secretary, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Chairman and
Trustee, Federated Administrative Services; Chairman and Director,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Trustee and Treasurer, Federated
Advisory Services Company; Director or Trustee and Treasurer, Federated
Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling, and
Federated Investment Management Company; Director, MDTA LLC;
Director, Executive Vice President and Assistant Secretary, Federated
Securities Corp.; Director or Trustee and Chairman, Federated Services
Company and Federated Shareholder Services Company; and Director and
President, FII Holdings, Inc.
Previous Positions: Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Assistant Secretary,
Federated Investment Management Company, Federated Global
Investment Management Company and Passport Research, LTD; Treasurer,
Passport Research, LTD; Executive Vice President, Federated Securities
Corp.; and Treasurer, FII Holdings, Inc.
$0
$0
*
Family relationships and reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and Thomas R. Donahue are brothers. Both are “interested” due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and the positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
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Independent Trustees Background, Qualifications and Compensation 
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: September 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee and Chair of the Board of
Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Complex; formerly,
Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc.
(oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins Group,
Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp. Mr. Collins serves
as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins previously served as
Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of America Corp.; Director,
FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center (Harvard University Affiliate Hospital).
$2,637.69
$385,000
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit Committee
of the Federated Hermes Complex; Retired.
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee,
Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc.;
formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation Committees,
Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business management
and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Hough most recently
held the position of Americas Vice Chair of Assurance with Ernst &
Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough serves on the President’s
Cabinet and Business School Board of Visitors for the University of
Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on the Business School Board of
Visitors for Wake Forest University, and he previously served as an
Executive Committee member of the United States Golf Association.
$2,500.67
$365,000
16
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Complex; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University School of
Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of Law and
Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne University School of
Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and Director, Office of Church
Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and business
roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge Lally-Green
previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law of Duquesne
University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green previously served as
Associate General Secretary for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a member of the
Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a Professor of Law, Duquesne
University School of Law. Judge Lally-Green was appointed by the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania to serve on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing
Judicial Education and the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural
Rules Committee. Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on
not for profit or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair,
UPMC Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member,
Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic Charities,
Pittsburgh; and Director, CNX Resources Corporation (natural gas). Judge
Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director, Auberle; Director, Epilepsy
Foundation of Western and Central Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute
of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint Thomas More Society; Director and Chair,
Catholic High Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director,
Pennsylvania Bar Institute; Director, Saint Vincent College; Director and
Chair, North Catholic High School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our
Campaign for the Church Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint
Francis University.
$2,260.87
$330,000
Thomas M. O’Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Complex; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company (investment
and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund and
financial management roles and directorship positions throughout his
career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity. Mr. O’Neill
previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President, Managing
Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment Advisors; President
and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment Management, Inc.; General
Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment
Officer, The Putnam Companies, Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending
Officer, Fleet Bank; Director and Consultant, EZE Castle Software
(investment order management software); Director, Midway Pacific
(lumber); and Director, The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.
$2,260.87
$330,000
Madelyn A. Reilly
Birth Date: February 2, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: November 2020
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Complex; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel
and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne University (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal
management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served as
Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of
Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and Associate General
Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at Duquesne University,
Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel of Compliance and
Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of Environment, Health and
Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently serves as a member of the Board
of Directors of UPMC Mercy Hospital.
$2,055.32
$300,000
17
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Other Directorships Held for
Past Five Years, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Aggregate
Compensation
From Fund
(past fiscal year)
Total Compensation
From Fund and
Federated Hermes Complex
(past calendar year)
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: September 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Complex; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer,
University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and Chief Legal
Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (split into two separate publicly traded
companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Resources Corp.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor and
Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as
Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and
Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey
previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President,
CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas Company; and Board Member, Ethics
Counsel and Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
$2,260.87
$330,000
John S. Walsh
Birth Date: November 28, 1957
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: January 1999
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Complex; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer of
construction temporary heaters); President and Director, Manufacturers
Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction heaters); President,
Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management roles
and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh previously
served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc. (paving contractors).
$2,055.32
$300,000
OFFICERS* 
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
Treasurer
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Senior Vice President,
Federated Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer,
Federated Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors
Management Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services
Company, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global Investment Management Corp.,
Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research, Ltd. and Federated MDTA,
LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe Distribution
Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date: September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER,
SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: January 2005
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes
Complex. He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee
and Senior Vice President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and President, Federated Administrative
Services; Director and President, Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President, Federated Securities
Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services Company;
and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a
member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel, Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes,
Inc.; Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER
AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of the Federated Hermes Complex; Vice President
and Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries.
Mr. Van Meter joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to
joining Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions
of Senior Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
18
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) and Previous Position(s)
Deborah A. Cunningham
Birth Date: September 15, 1959
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Officer since: May 2004
Principal Occupations: Deborah A. Cunningham was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes’ money market
products in 2004. She joined Federated Hermes in 1981 and has been a Senior Portfolio Manager since 1997 and an Executive
Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser since 2009. Ms. Cunningham has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and
holds an M.S.B.A. in Finance from Robert Morris College.
Mary Jo Ochson
Birth Date: September 12, 1953
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
AND VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: May 2004
Portfolio Manager since:
November 1996
Principal Occupations: Mary Jo Ochson has been the Fund’s Portfolio Manager since November 1996. Ms. Ochson was named
Chief Investment Officer of Federated Hermes’ tax-exempt fixed-income products in 2004 and Chief Investment Officer of
Federated’s Tax-Free Money Markets in 2010 and is a Vice President of the Trust with respect to the Fund. She joined Federated
Hermes in 1982 and has been a Senior Portfolio Manager and a Senior Vice President of the Fund’s Adviser since 1996.
Ms. Ochson has received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the University
of Pittsburgh.
*
Officers do not receive any compensation from the Fund.
In addition, the Fund has appointed an Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer.
DIRECTOR/TRUSTEE EMERITUS PROGRAM
The Board has created a position of Director/Trustee Emeritus, whereby an incumbent Director/Trustee who has attained the age of 75 and completed a minimum of five years of service as a director/trustee, may, in the sole discretion of the Committee of Independent Directors/Trustees (“Committee”), be recommended to the full Board of Directors/Trustees of the Fund to serve as Director/Trustee Emeritus.
A Director/Trustee Emeritus that has been approved as such receives an annual fee in an amount equal to a percent of the annual base compensation paid to a Director/Trustee. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least five years but less than 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 10%. In the case of a Director/Trustee Emeritus who had previously served at least 10 years as a Director/Trustee, the percent will be 20%. The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in connection with their service, including expenses of travel and lodging incurred in attendance at Board meetings. Director/Trustee Emeritus will continue to receive relevant materials concerning the Funds, will be expected to attend at least one regularly scheduled quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors/Trustees each year and will be available to consult with the Committees or its representatives at reasonable times as requested by the Chairman; however, a Director/Trustee Emeritus does not have any voting rights at Board meetings and is not subject to election by shareholders of the Funds.
The Director/Trustee Emeritus will be permitted to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Committee, but the annual fee will cease to be paid at the end of the calendar year during which he or she has attained the age of 80 years, thereafter the position will be honorary.
The following table shows the fees paid to each Director/Trustee Emeritus for the Fund’s most recently ended fiscal year and the portion of that fee paid by the Fund or Corporation/Trust.1
EMERITUS Trustees and Compensation 
Director/Trustee Emeritus
Compensation
From Trust
(past fiscal year)
Total
Compensation
Paid to
Director/Trustee
Emeritus1
Charles F. Mansfield, Jr.
$443.29
$60,000.00
1
The fees paid to a Director/Trustee are allocated among the funds that were in existence at the time the Director/Trustee elected Emeritus status, based on each fund’s net assets at that time.
BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
As required under the terms of certain regulatory settlements, the Chairman of the Board is not an interested person of the Fund and neither the Chairman, nor any firm with which the Chairman is affiliated, has a prior relationship with Federated Hermes or its affiliates or (other than his position as a Trustee) with the Fund.
19
Committees of the Board 
Board
Committee
Committee
Members
Committee Functions
Meetings Held
During Last
Fiscal Year
Executive
J. Christopher Donahue
John T. Collins
G. Thomas Hough
In between meetings of the full Board, the Executive Committee generally may
exercise all the powers of the full Board in the management and direction of the
business and conduct of the affairs of the Trust in such manner as the Executive
Committee shall deem to be in the best interests of the Trust. However, the
Executive Committee cannot elect or remove Board members, increase or decrease
the number of Trustees, elect or remove any Officer, declare dividends, issue shares
or recommend to shareholders any action requiring shareholder approval.
One
Audit
G. Thomas Hough
Maureen Lally-Green
Thomas M. O’Neill
P. Jerome Richey
The purposes of the Audit Committee are to oversee the accounting and financial
reporting process of the Fund, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting
and the quality, integrity and independent audit of the Fund’s financial statements.
The Committee also oversees or assists the Board with the oversight of compliance
with legal requirements relating to those matters, approves the engagement and
reviews the qualifications, independence and performance of the Fund’s
independent registered public accounting firm, acts as a liaison between the
independent registered public accounting firm and the Board and reviews the Fund’s
internal audit function.
Seven
Nominating
John T. Collins
G. Thomas Hough
Maureen Lally-Green
Thomas M. O’Neill
Madelyn A. Reilly
P. Jerome Richey
John S. Walsh
The Nominating Committee, whose members consist of all Independent Trustees,
selects and nominates persons for election to the Fund’s Board when vacancies
occur. The Committee will consider candidates recommended by shareholders,
Independent Trustees, officers or employees of any of the Fund’s agents or service
providers and counsel to the Fund. Any shareholder who desires to have an
individual considered for nomination by the Committee must submit a
recommendation in writing to the Secretary of the Fund, at the Fund’s address
appearing on the back cover of this SAI. The recommendation should include the
name and address of both the shareholder and the candidate and detailed
information concerning the candidate’s qualifications and experience. In identifying
and evaluating candidates for consideration, the Committee shall consider such
factors as it deems appropriate. Those factors will ordinarily include: integrity,
intelligence, collegiality, judgment, diversity, skill, business and other experience,
qualification as an “Independent Trustee,” the existence of material relationships
which may create the appearance of a lack of independence, financial or accounting
knowledge and experience and dedication and willingness to devote the time and
attention necessary to fulfill Board responsibilities.
One
BOARD’S ROLE IN RISK OVERSIGHT
The Board’s role in overseeing the Fund’s general risks includes receiving performance reports for the Fund and risk management reports from Federated Hermes’ Chief Risk Officer at each regular Board meeting. The Chief Risk Officer is responsible for enterprise risk management at Federated Hermes, which includes risk management committees for investment management and for investor services. The Board also receives regular reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer regarding significant compliance risks.
On behalf of the Board, the Audit Committee plays a key role overseeing the Fund’s financial reporting and valuation risks. The Audit Committee meets regularly with the Fund’s Principal Financial Officer and outside auditors, as well as with Federated Hermes’ Chief Audit Executive to discuss financial reporting and audit issues, including risks relating to financial controls.
20
Board Ownership Of Shares In The Fund And In The Federated Hermes Family Of Investment Companies As Of December 31, 2022 
Interested Board
Member Name
Dollar Range of
Shares Owned in
Federated Hermes Municipal
Obligations Fund
Aggregate
Dollar Range of
Shares Owned in
Federated Hermes Family of
Investment Companies
J. Christopher Donahue
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
Thomas R. Donahue
None
Over $100,000
Independent Board
Member Name
 
 
John T. Collins
None
Over $100,000
G. Thomas Hough
None
Over $100,000
Maureen Lally-Green
None
Over $100,000
Thomas M. O’Neill
None
Over $100,000
Madelyn A. Reilly
None
Over $100,000
P. Jerome Richey
None
Over $100,000
John S. Walsh
Over $100,000
Over $100,000
Investment Adviser
The Adviser conducts investment research and makes investment decisions for the Fund.
The Adviser is a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated Hermes.
The Adviser shall not be liable to the Trust or any Fund shareholder for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security or for anything done or omitted by it, except acts or omissions involving willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties imposed upon it by its contract with the Trust.
In December 2017, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The PRI is an investor initiative in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the United Nations Global Compact. Commitments made as a signatory to the PRI are not legally binding, but are voluntary and aspirational. They include efforts, where consistent with our fiduciary responsibilities, to incorporate environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and investment decision making, to be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices, to seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest, to promote acceptance and implementation of the PRI within the investment industry, to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the PRI, and to report on our activities and progress towards implementing the PRI. Being a signatory to the PRI does not obligate Federated Hermes to take, or not take, any particular action as it relates to investment decisions or other activities.
In July 2018, Federated Investors, Inc., now Federated Hermes, acquired a majority interest in Federated Hermes Limited (FHL) (formerly, Hermes Fund Managers Limited), a pioneer of integrated ESG investing. Federated Hermes now owns 100% of FHL. FHL’s experience with ESG issues contributes to Federated Hermes’ understanding of material risks and opportunities these issues may present.
EOS at Federated Hermes, which was established as Hermes Equity Ownership Services Limited (EOS) in 2004 as an affiliate of FHL and Hermes Investment Management Limited, is a 50+ member engagement and stewardship team that conducts long-term, objectives-driven dialogue with board and senior executive level representatives of approximately 1,000 unique issuers annually. It seeks to address the most material ESG risks and opportunities through constructive and continuous discussions with the goal of improving long-term results for investors. Engagers’ deep understanding across sectors, themes and regional markets, along with language and cultural expertise, allows EOS to provide insights to companies on the merits of addressing ESG risks and the positive benefits of capturing opportunities. Federated Hermes investment management teams have access to the insights gained from understanding a company’s approach to these long-term strategic matters as an additional input to improve portfolio risk/return characteristics.
Services Agreement
Federated Advisory Services Company, an affiliate of the Adviser, provides certain support services to the Adviser. The fee for these services is paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.
21
Other Related Services
Affiliates of the Adviser may, from time to time, provide certain electronic equipment and software to institutional customers in order to facilitate the purchase of Fund Shares offered by the Distributor.
Code Of Ethics Restrictions On Personal Trading
As required by Rule 17j-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act (as applicable), the Fund, its Adviser and its Distributor have adopted codes of ethics. These codes govern securities trading activities of investment personnel, Fund Trustees and certain other employees. Although they do permit these people to trade in securities, including those that the Fund could buy, as well as Shares of the Fund, they also contain significant safeguards designed to protect the Fund and its shareholders from abuses in this area, such as requirements to obtain prior approval for, and to report, particular transactions.
Voting Proxies On Fund Portfolio Securities
The Board has delegated to the Adviser authority to vote proxies on the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio. The Board has also approved the Adviser’s policies and procedures for voting the proxies, which are described below.
Proxy Voting Policies
As an investment adviser with a fiduciary duty to the Fund and its shareholders, the Adviser’s general policy is to cast proxy votes in favor of management proposals and shareholder proposals that the Adviser anticipates will enhance the long-term value of the securities being voted in a manner that is consistent with the investment objectives of the Fund. Generally, this will mean voting for proposals that the Adviser believes will improve the management of a company, increase the rights or preferences of the voted securities, or increase the chance that a premium offer would be made for the company or for the voted securities. This approach to voting proxy proposals will be referred to hereafter as the “General Policy.”
The Adviser generally votes consistently on the same matter when securities of an issuer are held by multiple client portfolios. However, the Adviser may vote differently if a client’s investment objectives differ from those of other clients or if a client explicitly instructs the Adviser to vote differently.
The following examples illustrate how the General Policy may apply to the most common management proposals and shareholder proposals. However, whether the Adviser supports or opposes a proposal will always depend on a thorough understanding of the Fund’s investment objectives and the specific circumstances described in the proxy statement and other available information.
On matters related to the board of directors, generally, the Adviser will vote to elect nominees to the board in uncontested elections except in certain circumstances, such as where the director: (1) had not attended at least 75% of the board meetings during the previous year; (2) serves as the company’s chief financial officer, unless the company is headquartered in the UK where this is market practice; (3) has become overboarded (more than five boards for retired executives and more than two boards for CEOs); (4) is the chair of the nominating or governance committee when the roles of chairman of the board and CEO are combined and there is no lead independent director; (5) served on the compensation committee during a period in which compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers; or (6) served on a board that did not implement a shareholder proposal that the Adviser supported and received more than 50% shareholder support the previous year. In addition, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of: (7) a full slate of directors, where the directors are elected as a group and not individually, unless more than half of the nominees are not independent; (8) shareholder proposals to declassify the board of directors; (9) shareholder proposals to require a majority voting standard in the election of directors; (10) shareholder proposals to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO; (11) a proposal to require a company’s audit committee to be comprised entirely of independent directors; and (12) shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority voting requirements in company bylaws.
On other matters of corporate governance, generally, the Adviser will vote: (1) in favor of proposals to grant shareholders the right to call a special meeting if owners of at least 10% of the outstanding stock agree; (2) against proposals to allow shareholders to act by written consent; (3) on a case-by-case basis for proposals to adopt or amend shareholder rights plans (also known as “poison pills”); (4) in favor of shareholder proposals to eliminate supermajority requirements in company bylaws; and (5) in favor of shareholder proposals calling for “Proxy Access,” that is, a bylaw change allowing shareholders owning at least 3% of the outstanding common stock for at least three years to nominate candidates for election to the board of directors.
Generally, the Adviser will vote every shareholder proposal of an environmental or social nature on a case-by-case basis. The quality of these shareholder proposals varies widely across markets. Similarly, company disclosures of their business practices related to environmental and social risks are not always adequate for investors to make risk assessments. Thus, the Adviser places great importance on company-specific analyses to determine how to vote. Above all, the Adviser will vote in a manner that would enhance the long-term value of the investment within the framework of the client’s investment objectives.
22
The Adviser’s general approach to analyzing these proposals calls for considering the literal meaning of the written proposal, the financial materiality of the proposal’s objective and the practices followed by industry peers. This analysis utilizes research reports from the Adviser’s proxy advisors, company filings, as well as reports published by the company and other outside organizations.
On matters of capital structure, generally, the Adviser will vote proxies for U.S. issuers on a case-by-case basis for proposals to authorize the issuance of new shares if not connected to an M&A transaction and the potential dilution is more than 10%, against proposals to create multiple-class voting structures where one class has superior voting rights to the other classes, in favor of proposals to authorize reverse stock splits unless the amount of authorized shares is not also reduced proportionately. Generally, the Adviser will vote proxies for non-U.S. issuers in favor of proposals to authorize issuance of shares with and without pre-emptive rights unless the size of the authorities would threaten to unreasonably dilute existing shareholders.
Votes on executive compensation come in many forms, including advisory votes on U.S. executive compensation plans (“Say On Pay”), advisory and binding votes on the design or implementation of non-U.S. executive remuneration plans and votes to approve new equity plans or amendments to existing plans. Generally, the Adviser will support compensation arrangements that are aligned with the client’s long-term investment objectives. With respect to Say On Pay proposals, the Adviser will generally vote in favor unless the compensation plan has failed to align executive compensation with corporate performance, or the design of the plan is likely to lead to misalignment in the future. The Adviser supports the principle of an annual shareholder vote on executive pay and will generally vote accordingly on proposals which set the frequency of the Say On Pay vote.
In some markets, especially Europe, shareholders are provided a vote on the remuneration policy, which sets out the structural elements of a company’s executive remuneration plan on a forward-looking basis. The Adviser will generally support these proposals unless the design of the remuneration policy fails to appropriately link executive compensation with corporate performance, total compensation appears excessive relative to the company’s industry peer group, with local market dynamics also taken into account; or there is insufficient disclosure to enable an informed judgment, particularly as it relates to the disclosure of the maximum amounts of compensation that may be awarded.
The Adviser will generally vote in favor of equity plan proposals unless they result in unreasonable dilution to existing shareholders, permit replacement of “underwater” options with new options on more favorable terms for the recipient, or omit the criteria for determining the granting or vesting of awards.
On matters relating to corporate transactions, the Adviser will generally vote in favor of mergers, acquisitions and sales of assets if the Adviser’s analysis of the proposed business strategy and the transaction price would have a positive impact on the total return for shareholders.
If a shareholders meeting is contested, that is, shareholders are presented with a set of director candidates nominated by company management and a set of director candidates nominated by a dissident shareholder, the Adviser will study the proposed business strategies of both groups and vote in a way that maximizes expected total return for the Fund.
In addition, the Adviser will not vote any proxy if it determines that the consequences or costs of voting outweigh the potential benefit of voting. For example, if a foreign market requires shareholders voting proxies to retain the voted shares until the meeting date (thereby rendering the shares “illiquid” for some period of time), the Adviser will not vote proxies for such shares. In addition, the Adviser is not obligated to incur any expense to send a representative to a shareholder meeting or to translate proxy materials into English.
To the extent that the Adviser is permitted to loan securities, the Adviser does not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Adviser will take all reasonable steps to recall shares prior to the record date when the meeting raises issues that the Adviser believes materially affect shareholder value, provided that the Adviser considers that the benefits of voting on the securities are greater than the associated costs, including the opportunity cost of the lost revenue that would otherwise be generated by the loan. However, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
The Adviser will take into account feedback from issuers on the voting recommendations of the Adviser’s proxy advisory firm if the feedback is provided at least five days before the voting cut-off date. In certain circumstances, primarily those where the Adviser’s voting policy is absolute and without exception, issuer feedback will not be part of the voting decision. For example, it is the Adviser’s policy to always support a shareholder proposal to separate the roles of chairman of the board and CEO. Thus, any comments from the issuer opposing this proposal would not be considered.
If proxies are not delivered in a timely or otherwise appropriate basis, the Adviser may not be able to vote a particular proxy.
23
For an Adviser that employs a quantitative investment strategy for certain funds or accounts that does not make use of qualitative research (“Non-Qualitative Accounts”), the Adviser may not have the kind of research to make decisions about how to vote proxies for them. Therefore, the Adviser will vote the proxies of these Non-Qualitative Accounts as follows: (a) in accordance with the Standard Voting Instructions (defined below); (b) if the Adviser is casting votes for the same proxy on behalf of a regular qualitative account and a Non-Qualitative Account, the Non-Qualitative Account would vote in the same manner as the regular qualitative account; (c) if neither of the first two conditions apply, as the proxy advisory firm is recommending; and (d) if none of the previous conditions apply, as recommended by the Proxy Voting Committee.
Proxy Voting Procedures
The Adviser has established a Proxy Voting Committee (“Proxy Committee”), to exercise all voting discretion granted to the Adviser by the Board in accordance with the proxy voting policies. To assist it in carrying out the day-to-day operations related to proxy voting, the Proxy Committee has created the Proxy Voting Management Group (PVMG). The day-to-day operations related to proxy voting are carried out by the Proxy Voting Operations Team (PVOT) and overseen by the PVMG. Besides voting the proxies, this work includes engaging with investee companies on corporate governance matters, managing the proxy advisory firm, soliciting voting recommendations from the Adviser’s investment professionals, bringing voting recommendations to the Proxy Committee for approval, filing with regulatory agencies any required proxy voting reports, providing proxy voting reports to clients and investment companies as they are requested from time to time and keeping the Proxy Committee informed of any issues related to corporate governance and proxy voting.
The Adviser has compiled a list of specific voting instructions based on the General Policy (the “Standard Voting Instructions”). The Standard Voting Instructions and any modifications to them are approved by the Proxy Committee. The Standard Voting Instructions sometimes call for an investment professional to review the ballot question and provide a voting recommendation to the Proxy Committee (a “case-by-case vote”). The foregoing notwithstanding, the Proxy Committee always has the authority to determine a final voting decision.
The Adviser has hired a proxy advisory firm to perform various proxy voting related administrative services such as ballot reconciliation, vote processing and recordkeeping functions. The Proxy Committee has supplied the proxy advisory firm with the Standard Voting Instructions. The Proxy Committee retains the right to modify the Standard Voting Instructions at any time or to vote contrary to them at any time in order to cast proxy votes in a manner that the Proxy Committee believes is in accordance with the General Policy. The proxy advisory firm may vote any proxy as directed in the Standard Voting Instructions without further direction from the Proxy Committee. However, if the Standard Voting Instructions require case-by-case handling for a proposal, the PVOT will work with the investment professionals and the proxy advisory firm to develop a voting recommendation for the Proxy Committee and to communicate the Proxy Committee’s final voting decision to the proxy advisory firm. Further, if the Standard Voting Instructions require the PVOT to analyze a ballot question and make the final voting decision, the PVOT will report such votes to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis for review.
Conflicts of Interest
The Adviser has adopted procedures to address situations where a matter on which a proxy is sought may present a potential conflict between the interests of the Fund (and its shareholders) and those of the Adviser or Distributor. This may occur where a significant business relationship exists between the Adviser (or its affiliates) and a company involved with a proxy vote.
A company that is a proponent, opponent, or the subject of a proxy vote, and which to the knowledge of the Proxy Committee has this type of significant business relationship, is referred to below as an “Interested Company.”
The Adviser has implemented the following procedures in order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the Adviser or its affiliates have influenced proxy votes. Any employee of the Adviser or its affiliates who is contacted by an Interested Company regarding proxies to be voted by the Adviser must refer the Interested Company to a member of the Proxy Committee, and must inform the Interested Company that the Proxy Committee has exclusive authority to determine how the proxy will be voted. Any Proxy Committee member contacted by an Interested Company must report it to the full Proxy Committee and provide a written summary of the communication. This requirement includes engagement meetings with investee companies and does not include communications with proxy solicitation firms. Under no circumstances will the Proxy Committee or any member of the Proxy Committee make a commitment to an Interested Company regarding the voting of proxies or disclose to an Interested Company how the Proxy Committee has directed such proxies to be voted. If the Standard Voting Instructions already provide specific direction on the proposal in question, the Proxy Committee shall not alter or amend such directions. If the Standard Voting Instructions require the Proxy Committee to provide further direction, the Proxy Committee shall do so in accordance with the proxy voting policies, without regard for the interests of the Adviser with respect to the Interested Company. If the Proxy Committee provides any direction as to the voting of proxies relating to a proposal affecting an Interested Company, it must disclose annually to the Fund’s Board information regarding: the significant business relationship; any material communication with the Interested Company; the matter(s) voted on; and how, and why, the Adviser voted as it did. In certain
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circumstances it may be appropriate for the Adviser to vote in the same proportion as all other shareholders, so as to not affect the outcome beyond helping to establish a quorum at the shareholders’ meeting. This is referred to as “proportional voting.” If the Fund owns shares of another Federated Hermes mutual fund, generally the Adviser will proportionally vote the client’s proxies for that fund or seek direction from the Board or the client on how the proposal should be voted. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated mutual fund, the Adviser may proportionally vote the Fund’s proxies for that fund depending on the size of the position. If the Fund owns shares of an unaffiliated exchange-traded fund, the Adviser will proportionally vote the Fund’s proxies for that fund.
Downstream Affiliates
If the Proxy Committee gives further direction, or seeks to vote contrary to the Standard Voting Instructions, for a proxy relating to a portfolio company in which the Fund owns more than 10% of the portfolio company’s outstanding voting securities at the time of the vote (“Downstream Affiliate”), the Proxy Committee must first receive guidance from counsel to the Proxy Committee as to whether any relationship between the Adviser and the portfolio company, other than such ownership of the portfolio company’s securities, gives rise to an actual conflict of interest. If counsel determines that an actual conflict exists, the Proxy Committee must address any such conflict with the executive committee of the board of directors or trustees of any investment company client prior to taking any action on the proxy at issue.
Proxy Advisers’ Conflicts of Interest
Proxy advisory firms may have significant business relationships with the subjects of their research and voting recommendations. For example, a proxy advisory firm board member also sits on the board of a public company for which the proxy advisory firm will write a research report. This and similar situations give rise to an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
In order to avoid concerns that the conflicting interests of the engaged proxy advisory firm have influenced proxy voting recommendations, the Adviser will take the following steps:
◾ A due diligence team made up of employees of the Adviser and/or its affiliates will meet with the proxy advisory firm on an annual basis and determine through a review of their policies and procedures and through inquiry that the proxy advisory firm has established a system of internal controls that provide reasonable assurance that their voting recommendations are not influenced by the business relationships they have with the subjects of their research.
◾ Whenever the standard voting guidelines call for voting a proposal in accordance with the proxy advisory firm recommendation and the proxy advisory firm has disclosed that they have a conflict of interest with respect to that issuer, the PVOT will take the following steps: (a) the PVOT will obtain a copy of the research report and recommendations published by another proxy advisory firm for that issuer; (b) the Director of Proxy Voting, or his designee, will review both the engaged proxy advisory firm research report and the research report of the other proxy advisory firm and determine what vote will be cast. The PVOT will report all proxies voted in this manner to the Proxy Committee on a quarterly basis. Alternatively, the PVOT may seek direction from the Committee on how the proposal shall be voted.
Proxy Voting Report
A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
Portfolio Holdings Information
Information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Such information is posted on the website five business days after both mid-month and month-end then remains posted on the website for six months thereafter. Summary portfolio composition information as of the close of each month is posted on the website 15 days (or the next business day) after month-end and remains until replaced by the information for the succeeding month. The summary portfolio composition information may include identification of the Fund’s top 10 credit/obligor exposures, weighted average maturity, weighted average life and percentage breakdowns of the portfolio by credit quality tier, effective maturity range and type of security. The Fund’s WAM and WAL, Shadow NAV (market-based value of the Fund’s portfolio), Weekly Liquid Assets and Daily Flows are posted every business day and remain posted on the website for six months thereafter.
You may also access portfolio information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us. The Fund’s Annual Shareholder Report and Semi-Annual Shareholder Report contain complete listings of the Fund’s portfolio holdings as of the end of the Fund’s second and fourth fiscal quarters. These reports are also available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
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The Fund files with the SEC a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings as of the close of each month on “Form N-MFP.” Form N-MFP is available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. You may access Form N-MFP via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.
The disclosure policy of the Fund and the Adviser prohibits the disclosure of portfolio holdings information to any investor or intermediary before the same information is made available to other investors. Employees of the Adviser or its affiliates who have access to nonpublic information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings are prohibited from trading securities on the basis of this information. Such persons must report all personal securities trades and obtain pre-clearance for all personal securities trades other than mutual fund shares.
Firms that provide administrative, custody, financial, accounting, legal or other services to the Fund may receive nonpublic information about Fund portfolio holdings for purposes relating to their services. The Fund may also provide portfolio holdings information to publications that rate, rank or otherwise categorize investment companies. Traders or portfolio managers may provide “interest” lists to facilitate portfolio trading if the list reflects only that subset of the portfolio for which the trader or portfolio manager is seeking market interest. A list of service providers, publications and other third parties who may receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information appears in the Appendix to this SAI.
The furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to any third party (other than authorized governmental or regulatory personnel) requires the prior approval of the President of the Adviser and of the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund. The President of the Adviser and the Chief Compliance Officer will approve the furnishing of nonpublic portfolio holdings information to a third party only if they consider the furnishing of such information to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In that regard, and to address possible conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders and those of the Adviser and its affiliates, the following procedures apply. No consideration may be received by the Fund, the Adviser, any affiliate of the Adviser or any of their employees in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. Before information is furnished, the third party must sign a written agreement that it will safeguard the confidentiality of the information, will use it only for the purposes for which it is furnished and will not use it in connection with the trading of any security. Persons approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information will receive it as often as necessary for the purpose for which it is provided. Such information may be furnished as frequently as daily and often with no time lag between the date of the information and the date it is furnished. The Board receives and reviews annually a list of the persons who receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information and the purposes for which it is furnished.
Brokerage Transactions And Investment Allocation
When selecting brokers and dealers to handle the purchase and sale of portfolio instruments, the Adviser looks for prompt execution of the order at a favorable price. Fixed-income securities are generally traded in an over-the-counter market on a net basis (i.e., without commission) through dealers acting as principal or in transactions directly with the issuer. Dealers derive an undisclosed amount of compensation by offering securities at a higher price than they bid for them. Some fixed-income securities may have only one primary market maker. The Adviser seeks to use dealers it believes to be actively and effectively trading the security being purchased or sold, but may not always obtain the lowest purchase price or highest sale price with respect to a security. The Adviser makes decisions on portfolio transactions and selects brokers and dealers subject to review by the Fund’s Board.
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other accounts managed by the Adviser and accounts managed by affiliates of the Adviser. When the Fund and one or more of those accounts invests in, or disposes of, the same security, available investments or opportunities for sales will be allocated among the Fund and the account(s) in a manner believed by the Adviser to be equitable. While the coordination and ability to participate in volume transactions may benefit the Fund, it is possible that this procedure could adversely impact the price paid or received and/or the position obtained or disposed of by the Fund. Investment decisions, and trading, for certain separately managed or wrap-fee accounts, and other accounts, of the Adviser and/or certain investment adviser affiliates of the Adviser are generally made, and conducted, independently from the Fund. It is possible that such independent trading activity could adversely impact the prices paid or received and/or positions obtained or disposed of by the Fund.
Administrator
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), a subsidiary of Federated Hermes, provides administrative personnel and services, including certain legal, compliance and financial administrative services (“Administrative Services”), necessary for the operation of the Fund. FAS provides Administrative Services for a fee based upon the rates set forth below paid on the average daily net assets of the Fund. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement with FAS. FAS is also entitled to reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred in providing Administrative Services to the Fund. 
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Administrative Services
Fee Rate
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100%
on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%
on assets over $50 billion
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian for the securities and cash of the Fund.
Transfer Agent And Dividend Disbursing Agent
SS&C GIDS, Inc., the Fund’s registered transfer agent, maintains all necessary shareholder records.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, KPMG LLP, conducts its audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), which require it to plan and perform its audits to provide reasonable assurance about whether the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement.
FEES PAID BY THE FUND FOR SERVICES 
For the Year Ended May 31
2023
2022
2021
Advisory Fee Earned
$5,867,439
$5,578,606
$7,485,087
Advisory Fee Waived
$2,623,427
$3,139,456
$3,268,184
Net Administrative Fee
$2,298,777
$2,183,688
$2,924,768
Net 12b-1 Fee:
Investment Shares
$7,801
$1,566
$5,992
Cash II Shares
$239,463
$43,536
$25,915
Cash Series Shares
$1,066,753
$197,388
$175,698
Net Shareholder Services Fee:
Automated Shares
$214,116
$355,293
$426,420
Investment Shares
$8,864
$575
$180
Service Shares
$553,447
$150,000
$471,820
Cash II Shares
$168,111
$10,007
—
Cash Series Shares
$512,033
$16,447
—
Capital Shares
$212,049
$62,059
$230,591
Fees are allocated among classes based on their pro rata share of Fund assets, except for shareholder services fees, which are borne only by the applicable class of Shares.
Securities Lending Activities
The Fund does not participate in a securities lending program and did not engage in any securities lending activities during the Fund’s most recent fiscal year.
The Financial Statements for the Fund for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, are incorporated herein by reference to the Annual Report to Shareholders of Federated Hermes Municipal Obligations Fund dated May 31, 2023.
Investment Ratings
STANDARD & POOR’S (S&P) RATINGS
S&P MUNICIPAL SHORT-TERM Note RATINGS
An S&P note rating reflects the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes.
SP-1—Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
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SP-2—Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3—Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
S&P DUAL RATINGS
S&P may assign dual ratings to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’). The definitions for the long-term and the short-term ratings are provided below.
S&P SHORT-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS
A-1—A short-term obligation rated “A-1” is rated the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2—A short-term obligation rated “A-2” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3—A short-term obligation rated “A-3” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
S&P LONG-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS*
* Ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘A’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.
AAA—An obligation rated “AAA” has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA—An obligation rated “AA” differs from the highest rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.
A—An obligation rated “A” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.
BBB—An obligation rated “BBB” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (MOODY’S) RATINGS
Moody’s SHORT-TERM MUNICIPAL OBLIGATION RATINGS
Moody’s short-term ratings are designated Moody’s Investment Grade (MIG or VMIG). (See below.) The purpose of the MIG or VMIG ratings is to provide investors with a simple system by which the relative investment qualities of short-term obligations may be evaluated.
The Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) scale is used to rate US municipal bond anticipation notes of up to five years maturity. Municipal notes rated on the MIG scale may be secured by either pledged revenues or proceeds of a take-out financing received prior to note maturity. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation, and the issuer’s long-term rating is only one consideration in assigning the MIG rating.
MIG 1—This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support or demonstrated broad based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG 2—This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3—This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
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MOODY’S VARIABLE RATE DEMAND NOTES (VRDNs) AND TENDER OPTION BONDS (TOBs) RATINGS
Short-term ratings on issues with demand features are differentiated by the use of the VMIG symbol to reflect such characteristics as payment upon periodic demand rather than fixed maturity dates and payment relying on external liquidity. In this case, two ratings are usually assigned, (for example, Aaa/VMIG-1); the first representing an evaluation of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments, and the second representing an evaluation of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”). The VMIG rating can be assigned a 1 or 2 designation using the same definitions described above for the MIG rating.
VMIG 1—This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG 2—This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG 3—This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
MOODY’S COMMERCIAL PAPER (CP) RATINGS
P-1—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated P-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
MOODY’S LONG-TERM DEBT RATINGS
Aaa—Obligations rated “Aaa” are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa—Obligations rated “Aa” are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A—Obligations rated “A” are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa—Obligations rated “Baa” are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
FITCH RATINGS, INC. (FITCH)
FITCH SHORT-TERM DEBT RATINGS
F1—Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country. Under the agency’s National Rating scale, this rating is assigned to the lowest default risk relative to others in the same country or monetary union. Where the liquidity profile is particularly strong, a “+” is added to the assigned rating.
F2—Indicates a good capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union. However, the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3—Indicates an adequate capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
FITCH LONG-TERM DEBT RATINGS
AAA—Highest credit quality. “AAA” ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA—Very high credit quality. “AA” ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A—High credit quality. “A” ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB—Good credit quality. “BBB” ratings indicate that expectations of a default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
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DBRS, INC. (DBRS®) RATINGS
DBRS SHORT-TERM DEBT AND COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
The DBRS short-term debt rating scale provides an opinion on the risk that an issuer will not meet its short-term financial obligations in a timely manner.
R-1 (high)—Highest credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is exceptionally high. Unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
R-1 (middle)—Superior credit quality. The capacity for payments of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is very high. Differs from R-1 (high) by a relatively modest degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
R-1 (low)—Good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is substantial. Overall strength is not as favorable as higher rating categories. May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
R-2 (high)—Upper end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
R-2 (middle)—Adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events or may be exposed to other factors that could reduce credit quality.
R-2 (low)—Lower end of adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due is acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events. A number of challenges are present that could affect the issuer’s ability to meet such obligations.
R-3—Lowest end of adequate credit quality. There is a capacity for the payment of short-term financial obligations as they fall due. May be vulnerable to future events and the certainty of meeting such obligations could be impacted by a variety of developments.
DBRS LONG-TERM DEBT RATINGS
The DBRS long-term rating scale provides an opinion on the risk of default. That is, the risk that an issuer will fail to satisfy its financial obligations in accordance with the terms under which an obligations has been issued.
AAA—Highest quality credit. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is exceptionally high and unlikely to be adversely affected by future events.
AA—Superior credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered high. Credit quality differs from AAA only to a small degree. Unlikely to be significantly vulnerable to future events.
A—Good credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is substantial, but of lesser credit quality than AA. May be vulnerable to future events, but qualifying negative factors are considered manageable.
BBB—Adequate credit quality. The capacity for the payment of financial obligations is considered acceptable. May be vulnerable to future events.
High or low grades are used to indicate the relative standing of a credit within a particular rating category. The absence of one of these designations indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. Note that “high” and “low” grades are not used for the AAA category.
NOT RATED
Certain nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) such as S&P and Moody’s may designate certain issues as NR, meaning that the issue or obligation is not rated.
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Addresses
Federated Hermes Municipal Obligations Fund
AUTOMATED SHARES
INVESTMENT SHARES
WEALTH SHARES
SERVICE SHARES
CASH II SHARES
CASH SERIES SHARES
CAPITAL SHARES
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Distributor
Federated Securities Corp.
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
Investment Adviser
Federated Investment Management Company
1001 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company
1 Iron Street
Boston, MA 02110
Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent
SS&C GIDS, Inc.
P.O. Box 219318
Kansas City, MO 64121-9318
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
KPMG LLP
Two Financial Center
60 South Street
Boston, MA 02111
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Appendix
The following is a list of persons, other than the Adviser and its affiliates, that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information concerning the Federated Hermes Complex; however, certain persons below might not receive such information concerning the Fund:
CUSTODIAN(S)
State Street Bank and Trust Company
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
KPMG LLP
LEGAL COUNSEL
Goodwin Procter LLP
K&L Gates LLP
Financial Printer(S)
Donnelley Financial Solutions
Proxy Voting Administrator
Glass Lewis & Co., LLC
SECURITY PRICING SERVICES
Bloomberg L.P.
IHS Markit (Markit North America)
ICE Data Pricing & Reference Data, LLC
JPMorgan PricingDirect
Refinitiv US Holdings Inc.
RATINGS AGENCIES
Fitch, Inc.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC
Other SERVICE PROVIDERS
Other types of service providers that have been approved to receive nonpublic portfolio holdings information include service providers offering, for example, trade order management systems, portfolio analytics, or performance and accounting systems, such as:
ACA Technology Surveillance, Inc.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Bloomberg L.P.
Charles River Development
Citibank, N.A.
Eagle Investment Systems LLC
Electra Information Systems
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
FISGlobal
Institutional Shareholder Services
Investortools, Inc.
MSCI ESG Research LLC
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Sustainalytics U.S. Inc.
Wolters Kluwer N.V.





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