Expenses of the Funds In addition to the liability of the Custodian under this Article V, the Custodian shall be liable to each applicable Fund for all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by such Fund in connection with any claim by such Fund against the Custodian arising from the obligations of the Custodian hereunder, including, without limitation, all reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses incurred by such Fund in asserting any such claim, and all expenses incurred by such Fund in connection with any investigations, lawsuits or proceedings relating to such claim; provided that, such Fund has recovered from the Custodian for such claim.
Agreements of the Company The Company agrees with you:
(a) To advise you promptly and, if requested by you, to confirm such advice in writing, (i) of any request by the Commission for amendments to the Registration Statement or amendments or supplements to the Prospectus or for additional information, (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of the suspension of qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation of any proceeding for such purposes, (iii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective, (iv) if the Company is required to file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement after the effectiveness of this Agreement, when the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective and (v) of the happening of any event during the period referred to in Section 5(d) below which makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or which requires any additions to or changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein not misleading. If at any time the Commission shall issue any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal or lifting of such order at the earliest possible time.
(b) To furnish to you five photocopies of signed copies of the Registration Statement as first filed with the Commission and of each amendment to it, including all exhibits, and to furnish to you and each Underwriter designated by you such number of conformed copies of the Registration Statement as so filed and of each amendment to it, without exhibits, as you may reasonably request.
(c) To prepare the Prospectus, the form and substance of which shall be satisfactory to you, and to file the Prospectus in such form with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Act; during the period specified in Section 5(d) below, not to file any further amendment to the Registration Statement and not to make any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus of which you shall not previously have been advised or to which you shall reasonably object after being so advised; provided, that the Company shall have the right to make such further amendments as are required by law to be made and shall forthwith notify you of any such amendment; and, during such period, to prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon your reasonable request, any amendment to the Registration Statement or amendment or supplement to the Prospectus which may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Shares by you, and to use its reasonable best efforts to cause any such amendment to the Registration Statement to become promptly effective.
(d) Prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the first business day after the date of this Agreement and from time to time thereafter for such period as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or a dealer, to furnish in New York City to each Underwriter and any dealer as many copies of the Prospectus (and of any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus) as such Underwriter or dealer may reasonably request.
(e) If during the period specified in Section 5(d), any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it becomes necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare and file with the Commission an appropriate amendment or supplement to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, will not in the light of the circumstances when it is so delivered, be misleading, or so that the Prospectus will comply with applicable law, and to furnish to each Underwriter and to any dealer as many copies thereof as such Underwriter or dealer may reasonably request in writing.
(f) Prior to any public offering of the Shares, to cooperate with you and counsel for the Underwriters at the expense of the Sellers in connection with the registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale by the several Underwriters and by dealers under the state securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you may request, to continue such registration or qualification in effect so long as required for distribution of the Shares and to file such consents to service of process or other documents as may be necessary in order to effect such registration or qualification; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith to register or qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to general consent to service of process or taxation other than as to matters and transactions relating to the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the offering or sale of the Shares, in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so subject.
(g) To mail and make generally available to its stockholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2000 that shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act, and to advise you in writing when such statement has been so made available.
(h) During the period of three years after the date of this Agreement, to furnish to you upon your written request copies of all reports or other communications furnished to the record holders of Common Stock or furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed and such other publicly available information concerning the Company and its subsidiaries as you may reasonably request.
(i) To use its best efforts to list for quotation the Shares on the Nasdaq National Market and to maintain the listing of the Shares on the Nasdaq National Market for a period of three years after the date of this Agreement.
(j) To use its reasonable best efforts to do and perform all things required or necessary to be done and performed under this Agreement by the Company prior to the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and to satisfy all conditions precedent to the delivery of the Shares.
(k) If the Registration Statement at the time of the effectiveness of this Agreement does not cover all of the Shares, to file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission registering the Shares not so covered in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement.
Expenses of the Fund Other than as provided for in Sections 1 and 3, the Fund shall be responsible for all of its own fees, expenses, charges, assessments, taxes, and other costs incurred in its operations, whether incurred directly by the Fund or incurred by the Manager on behalf of the Fund (together, “fees and expenses”). Such fees and expenses payable by the Fund shall include, but are not limited to:
i. Fees and expenses paid to the Manager as provided herein;
ii. Brokerage fees and commissions in connection with the purchase and sale of securities for the Portfolio;
iii. Fees and expenses of transfer and dividend disbursing agents, sub-transfer agents, custodians, securities lending agents, administrators and shareholder servicing and record-keeping agents, including the expenses of issue, repurchase or redemption of its shares;
iv. Fees and expenses of registering and maintaining the registration of the Portfolio and its shares under federal and any applicable state laws; including the printing and distribution of prospectuses to its existing shareholders;
v. Fees and expenses incident to meetings of the shareholders of the Fund, reports to the Portfolio’s shareholders, the filing of reports with regulatory bodies and the maintenance of the Portfolio’s and the Fund’s legal existence;
vi. Fees and expenses of all audits by independent public accountants;
vii. Fees and expenses of legal counsel to the Portfolio and/or the directors, including the legal fees related to the registration and continued qualification of the Portfolio’s shares for sale;
viii. Compensation of, and fees and expenses incurred by those individuals serving as, directors who are not directors, officers, employees or shareholders of the Manager or any of its affiliates;
ix. Fees and expenses relating to the pricing and return data of Portfolio assets and related indices to the extent necessary for disclosure in regulatory filings for the Fund, including expenses of obtaining quotations for calculating the value of the Portfolio’s net assets;
x. The Portfolio’s pro rata portion of fidelity bond, errors and omissions, and directors and officer liability insurance premiums;
xi. The Portfolio’s pro-rata portion of fees and expenses in connection with membership in investment company organizations or trade associations, as approved by the Board;
xii. Salaries and other compensation, in whole or in part, of officers and employees of the Fund who are not officers, directors, or employees of the Manager or its affiliates (provided, however, notwithstanding the employment of officers or personnel by the Manager, the Fund shall be responsible for its pro rata portion of any salary and other compensation as may be payable to the Fund’s chief compliance officer);
xiii. Fees and expenses incident to meetings of the Board;
xiv. Taxes and other governmental fees levied against the Portfolio, and the preparation of the Fund’s tax returns;
xv. Investment fees and expenses of the Portfolio, including the interest expense of borrowing money;
xvi. Fees and expenses associated with obtaining tax reclaims for the Portfolio;
xvii. Fees and expenses associated with preparing the Portfolio’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, National Futures Association, or other government agency or regulatory body and any costs associated with disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements with respect to such filings;
xviii. Fees and expenses associated with regulatory inquiries and examinations, regulatory proceedings, and regulatory investigations of the Portfolio;
xix. Fees and expenses incurred in connection with any litigation or regulatory proceeding, including class action proceedings, bankruptcy proceedings, and responses to subpoenas of any kind;
xx. Extraordinary fees and expenses of the Portfolio;
xxi. Fees and expenses associated with trade administration oversight services with respect to reconciliations, including: (a) assistance with Portfolio valuation and tax lot accounting; (b) daily reconciliation of the Portfolio’s cash and positions with the Portfolio’s custodians; (c) detailed reconciliations of the Portfolio’s net asset value; and (d) maintenance of books and records of portfolio transactions;
xxii. Fees and expenses associated with trade administration oversight services with respect to settlement oversight, including: (a) capturing information for trades executed for the Portfolio and corporate action elections and transmitting such information to custodians, other fund service providers and other third parties such as securities lending agents; and (b) coordinating with custodians and brokers to identify, investigate and resolve all unmatched and failed trades and matters related to corporate actions;
xxiii. Fees and expenses associated with trade administration oversight services with respect to collateral management oversight, including: (a) the administration of the Portfolio’s margin accounts; (b) calculation and management of daily margin calls; (c) transmission of instructions related to collateral settlement; and (d) reviews of collateral eligibility and substitute collateral;
xxiv. Fees and expenses related to the Portfolio’s, not the Manager’s, compliance program;
xxv. Fees and expenses associated with oversight of the securities lending activities of the Portfolio to the extent permissible by law; and
xxvi. Fees and expenses associated with the voting of proxies (or other requests for consent or approval of interest holders) with respect to securities or other assets held by the Portfolio, including certain research services, as approved by the Board. The Portfolio, at its expense, may enter into agreements with one or more entities (including the Manager) to perform some or all of the services related to the fees and expenses of the Portfolio specified above in this Section 4 or such other services that may be requested by the Board from time to time. Payment by the Manager of the fees and expenses that shall be borne by the Portfolio under this Agreement shall not prejudice the Manager’s right to seek reimbursement for such fees and expenses or to provide for the future payment by the Portfolio of such fees and expenses. In carrying out its responsibilities under Section 3 of the Agreement, to the extent the Manager deems necessary or desirable and at the expense of the Portfolio, the Manager shall be entitled to consult with, and obtain the assistance of, the persons described in clause (i) of Section 3 that provide services to the Fund. To the extent there is uncertainty as to whether a fee or expense should be borne by the Fund, the Board will have discretion to determine, in consultation with the Manager and consistent with applicable law, whether the Fund will bear such fee or expense.
Representations of the Fund The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, represents and warrants that:
(i) the Trust is a business trust established pursuant to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
(ii) the Trust is duly registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act and the Fund is a duly constituted series portfolio thereof;
(iii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement are within the Trust’s powers, have been and remain duly authorized by all necessary action (including without limitation all necessary approvals and other actions required under the Investment Company Act) and will not violate or constitute a default under any applicable law or regulation or of any decree, order, judgment, agreement or instrument binding on the Trust or the Fund;
(iv) no consent (including, but not limited to, exchange control consents) of any applicable governmental authority or body is necessary, except for such consents as have been obtained and are in full force and effect, and all conditions of which have been duly complied with;
(v) this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation enforceable against the Trust and the Fund in accordance with its terms; and
(vi) the Fund is exempt from registration under the Commodity Exchange Act pursuant to Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), and the Fund is in compliance with the requirements of CFTC Rule 4.5.
Persons Having Access to Assets of the Fund (a) No trustee or agent of the Fund, and no officer, director, employee or agent of the Fund's investment adviser, of any sub-investment adviser of the Fund, or of the Fund's administrator, shall have physical access to the assets of the Fund held by the Custodian or be authorized or permitted to withdraw any investments of the Fund, nor shall the Custodian deliver any assets of the Fund to any such person. No officer, director, employee or agent of the Custodian who holds any similar position with the Fund's investment adviser, with any sub-investment adviser of the Fund or with the Fund's administrator shall have access to the assets of the Fund.
(b) Nothing in this Section 5 shall prohibit any duly authorized officer, employee or agent of the Fund, or any duly authorized officer, director, employee or agent of the investment adviser, of any sub-investment adviser of the Fund or of the Fund's administrator, from giving Instructions to the Custodian or executing a Certificate so long as it does not result in delivery of or access to assets of the Fund prohibited by paragraph (a) of this Section 5.
Covenants of the Fund The Fund covenants with the Underwriter as follows:
(a) The Fund will use its best efforts (i) to cause the Registration Statement to become effective under the Securities Act, and will advise the Underwriter promptly as to the time at which the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto (including any post-effective amendment) becomes so effective and (ii) if required, to cause the issuance of any orders exempting the Fund from any provisions of the Investment Company Act, and the Fund will advise the Underwriter promptly as to the time at which any such orders are granted.
(b) The Fund will notify the Underwriter immediately, and will confirm the notice in writing, (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto (including any post-effective amendment), (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose, and (v) of the issuance by the Commission of an order of suspension or revocation of the notification on Form N-8A of registration of the Fund as an investment company under the Investment Company Act or the initiation of any proceeding for that purpose. The Fund will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order described in subsection (iv) hereunder or any order of suspension or revocation described in subsection (v) hereunder and, if any such stop order or order of suspension or revocation is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. If the Fund elects to rely on Rule 434 under the Rules and Regulations, the fund will prepare a term sheet that complies with the requirements of Rule 434 under the Rules and Regulations and the Fund will provide the Underwriter with copies of the form of Rule 434 Prospectus, in such number as the Underwriter may reasonably request by the close of business in New York on the business day immediately succeeding the date of the Pricing Agreement.
(c) The Fund will give the Underwriter notice of its intention to file any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any post-effective amendment) or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus (including any revised prospectus which the Fund proposes for use by the Underwriter in connection with the offering of the Shares, which differs from the prospectus on file at the Commission at the time the Registration Statement becomes effective, whether such revised prospectus is required to be filed pursuant to Rule 497(c) or Rule 497(h) of the Rules and Regulations or any term sheet prepared in reliance on Rule 434 of the Rules and Regulations), whether pursuant to the Investment Company Act, the Securities Act, or otherwise, and will furnish the Underwriter with copies of any such amendment or supplement a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Underwriter reasonably shall object.
(d) The Fund will deliver to the Underwriter, as soon as practicable, two signed copies of the notification of registration and registration statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, in each case with two sets of the exhibits filed therewith, and also will deliver to the Underwriter a conformed copy of the registration statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (but without exhibits to the registration statement or any such amendment) for the Underwriter.
(e) The Fund will furnish to the Underwriter, from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as the Underwriter reasonably may request for the purposes contemplated by the Securities Act, or the Rules and Regulations.
(f) If any event shall occur as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel to the Fund and the Underwriter, to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the Prospectus not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, the Fund forthwith will amend or supplement the Prospectus by preparing and furnishing to the Underwriter a reasonable number of copies of an amendment or amendments of or a supplement or supplements to, the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to counsel to the Fund and the Underwriter), so that, as so amended or supplemented, the Prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at the time the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading.
(g) The Fund will endeavor, in cooperation with the Underwriter, to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions of the United States as the Underwriter may designate, and will maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year after the date hereof. The Fund will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of each jurisdiction in which the Shares have been qualified as above provided.
(h) The Fund will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but no later than 60 days after the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings statement (in form complying with the provisions of Rule 158 of the Rules and Regulations) covering a twelve-month period beginning not later than the first day of the Fund's fiscal quarter next following the "effective" date (as defined in said Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
(i) Between the date of this Agreement and the termination of any trading restrictions or Closing Time, whichever is later, the Fund will not, without your prior consent, offer or sell, or enter into any agreement to sell, any equity or equity related securities of the Fund other than the Shares and the Common Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends or distributions.
(j) If, at the time that the Registration Statement becomes effective, any information shall have been omitted therefrom in reliance upon Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, then immediately following the execution of the Pricing Agreement, the Fund will prepare, and file or transmit for filing with the Commission in accordance with such Rule 430A and Rule 497(h) of the Rules and Regulations, copies of the amended Prospectus, or, if required by such Rule 430A, a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement (including an amended Prospectus), containing all information so omitted.
(k) The Fund will use its best efforts to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code.
Certain Agreements of the Company The Company hereby covenants and agrees as follows:
Additional Agreements of the Company (a) Each time the Registration Statement or Prospectus is amended or supplemented (other than by an amendment or supplement providing solely for (i) in the case of Notes, a change in the interest rates, redemption provisions, amortization schedules or maturities offered on the Notes issued alone or as part of a Unit, (ii) in the case of Units, (x) a change in the exercise price, exercise date or period or expiration of an underlying Warrant or (y) a change in the settlement date or purchase or sale price of an underlying Purchase Contract or (iii) a change you deem to be immaterial), the Company will deliver or cause to be delivered forthwith to you a certificate signed by an executive officer of the Company, dated the date of such amendment or supplement, as the case may be, in form reasonably satisfactory to you, of the same tenor as the certificate referred to in Section 4(c) relating to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as amended or supplemented to the time of delivery of such certificate.
(b) Each time the Company furnishes a certificate pursuant to Section 5(a) (other than any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus caused by the filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K unless you shall reasonably request based on disclosure included or omitted from such Report), the Company will furnish or cause to be furnished forthwith to you a written opinion of counsel for the Company. Any such opinion shall be dated the date of such amendment or supplement, as the case may be, shall be in a form satisfactory to you and shall be of the same tenor as the opinions referred to in Section 4(b), but modified to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the time of delivery of such opinion. In lieu of such opinion, counsel last furnishing such an opinion to you may furnish to you a letter to the effect that you may rely on such last opinion to the same extent as though it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such last opinion will be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented to the time of delivery of such letter.)
(c) Each time the Registration Statement or the Prospectus is amended or supplemented to set forth amended or supplemental financial information or such amended or supplemental information is incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, the Company shall cause its independent auditors forthwith to furnish you with a letter, dated the date of such amendment or supplement, as the case may be, in form satisfactory to you, of the same tenor as the letter referred to in Section 4(d), with regard to the amended or supplemental financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as amended or supplemented to the date of such letter; provided that each letter so furnished shall use a "cut-off date" no more than three business days prior to the date of such letter.
Certain Agreements of the Underwriter The Underwriter hereby represents and agrees that:
(a) It has not used, authorized use of, referred to or participated in the planning for use of, and will not use, authorize use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that contains no “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex E or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(c) above (including any electronic road show), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by the Underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing (each such free writing prospectus referred to in clauses (i) or (iii), an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”).
(b) It has not and will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, use any free writing prospectus that contains the final terms of the Shares unless such terms have previously been included in a free writing prospectus filed with the Commission; provided, further that if the Underwriter is using such term sheet it shall notify the Company, and provide a copy of such term sheet to the Company, prior to, or substantially concurrently with, the first use of such term sheet.
(c) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
Duties of the Fund 5.1 Subject to the possible suspension of the sale of Shares as provided herein, the Fund agrees to sell its Shares so long as it has Shares of the respective class and/or series available.
5.2 The Fund shall furnish the Distributor copies of all information, financial statements and other papers which the Distributor may reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares, and this shall include one certified copy, upon request by the Distributor, of all financial statements prepared for the Fund by independent public accountants. The Fund shall make available to the Distributor such number of copies of its Prospectus and annual and interim reports as the Distributor shall reasonably request.
5.3 The Fund shall take, from time to time, but subject to the necessary approval of the Board and the shareholders, all necessary action to register the same under the Securities Act, to the end that there will be available for sale such number of Shares as the Distributor reasonably may expect to sell. The Fund agrees to file from time to time such amendments, reports and other documents as may be necessary in order that there will be no untrue statement of a material fact in the Registration Statement, or necessary in order that there will be no omission to state a material fact in the Registration Statement which omission would make the statements therein misleading.
5.4 The Fund shall use its best efforts to notify such states as the Distributor and the Fund may approve of its intention to sell any appropriate number of its Shares; provided that the Fund shall not be required to amend its Declaration of Trust or By-Laws to comply with the laws of any state, to maintain an office in any state, to change the terms of the offering of its Shares in any state from the terms set forth in its Registration Statement, to qualify as a foreign corporation in any state or to consent to service of process in any state other than with respect to claims arising out of the offering of its Shares. Any such notification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by the Fund at any time in its discretion. As provided in Section 9 hereof, the expense of notification and maintenance of notification shall be borne by the Fund. The Distributor shall furnish such information and other material relating to its affairs and activities as may be required by the Fund in connection with such notifications.
