BlackRock Inc. on Wednesday filed an application with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission seeking approval to create exchange-traded fund classes for its mutual funds. The asset management giant is the latest and by far the largest among more than 30 money managers that have made similar requests since a patent on the ETF share class structure held by Vanguard expired in May 2023. The SEC does not have a deadline to rule on those applications, and the agency so far has only allowed