Powers of the Trustees Subject to the provisions of this Declaration of Trust, the business of the Trust shall be managed by the Trustees, and they shall have all powers necessary or convenient to carry out that responsibility and the purpose of the Trust. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trustees may adopt Bylaws not inconsistent with this Declaration of Trust providing for the conduct of the business and affairs of the Trust and may amend and repeal them to the extent that such Bylaws do not reserve that right to the Shareholders; they may as they consider appropriate elect and remove officers and appoint and terminate agents and consultants and hire and terminate employees, any one or more of the foregoing of whom may be a Trustee, and may provide for the compensation of all of the foregoing; they may appoint from their own number, and terminate, any one or more committees consisting of two or more Trustees, including without implied limitation an executive committee, which may, when the Trustees are not in session and subject to the 1940 Act, exercise some or all of the power and authority of the Trustees as the Trustees may determine; in accordance with Section 3.3 they may employ one or more advisers, administrators, depositories and custodians and may authorize any depository or custodian to employ subcustodians or agents and to deposit all or any part of such assets in a system or systems for the central handling of securities and debt instruments, retain transfer, dividend, accounting or Shareholder servicing agents or any of the foregoing, provide for the distribution of Shares by the Trust through one or more distributors, principal underwriters or otherwise, set record dates or times for the determination of Shareholders or various of them with respect to various matters; they may compensate or provide for the compensation of the Trustees, officers, advisers, administrators, custodians, other agents, consultants and employees of the Trust or the Trustees on such terms as they deem appropriate; and in general they may delegate to any officer of the Trust, to any committee of the Trustees and to any employee, adviser, administrator, distributor, principal underwriter, depository, custodian, transfer and dividend disbursing agent, or any other agent or consultant of the Trust such authority, powers, functions and duties as they consider desirable or appropriate for the conduct of the business and affairs of the Trust, including without implied limitation the power and authority to act in the name of the Trust and of the Trustees, to sign documents and to act as attorney-in-fact for the Trustees. Without limiting the foregoing and to the extent not inconsistent with the 1940 Act or other applicable law, the Trustees shall have power and authority:
REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TRUST The Trust certifies to Ultimus that: (1) as of the close of business on the Effective Date, each Portfolio that is in existence as of the Effective Date has authorized unlimited shares, and (2) this Agreement has been duly authorized by the Trust and, when executed and delivered by the Trust, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable against the Trust in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties.
Obligations of the Trust This Agreement is executed by and on behalf of the Trust and the obligations of the Trust hereunder are not binding upon any of the trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust individually but are binding only upon the Trust and with respect to the Funds to which such obligations pertain.
Duties of the Trustee The Trustee, before the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing of all Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Agreement. In case an Event of Default has occurred and remains uncured, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Agreement, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person's own affairs. The Trustee, upon receipt of all resolutions, certificates, statements, opinions, reports, documents, orders or other instruments furnished to the Trustee that are specifically required to be furnished pursuant to any provision of this Agreement shall examine them to determine whether they are in the form required by this Agreement. The Trustee shall not be responsible for the accuracy or content of any such resolution, certificate, statement, opinion, report, document, order, or other instrument. No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct; provided, however, that, unless an Event of Default known to the Trustee has occurred and is continuing,
(a) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Agreement, the Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of the duties and obligations specifically set forth in this Agreement, no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against the Trustee, and the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Agreement which it believed in good faith to be genuine and to have been duly executed by the proper authorities respecting any matters arising hereunder;
(b) the Trustee shall not be liable for an error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it is finally proven that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and
(c) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of Holders of Certificates evidencing not less than 25% of the Voting Rights of Certificates relating to the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee under this Agreement.
DUTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TRUST (a) The Trust shall furnish to NLD copies of all financial statements and other documents to be delivered to shareholders or investors at least two (2) Fund Business Days prior to such delivery and shall furnish NLD copies of all other financial statements, documents and other papers or information which NLD may reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares. The Trust shall make available to NLD the number of copies of the Funds’ Prospectuses as NLD shall reasonably request.
(b) The Trust shall take, from time to time, subject to the approval of the Board and any required approval of the shareholders of the Funds, all actions necessary to fix the number of authorized Shares (if such number is not unlimited) and to register the Shares under the Securities Act, to the end that there will be available for sale the number of Shares as reasonably may be expected to be sold pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) The Trust will execute any and all documents, furnish any and all information and otherwise take all actions that may be reasonably necessary to register or qualify Shares for sale in such states as NLD may designate to the Funds and the Funds may approve, and the Funds shall pay all fees and other expenses incurred in connection with such registration or qualification; provided that NLD shall not be required to register as a broker-dealer or file a consent to service of process in any State and the Funds shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation, Fund or association in any State. Any registration or qualification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by the Funds at any time in its discretion. NLD shall furnish such information and other material relating to its affairs and activities as the Funds require in connection with such registration or qualification.
(d) The Trust represents and warrants to NLD that:
(i) It is a business trust duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the state of Delaware;
(ii) It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Organizational Documents to enter into and perform this Agreement;
(iii) All proceedings required by the Organizational Documents have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform its duties under this Agreement;
(iv) It is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act;
(v) All Shares, when issued, shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable;
(vi) This Agreement, when executed and delivered, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable against the Trust in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties;
(vii) The performance by the Trust of its obligations hereunder does not and will not contravene any provision of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
(viii) The Registration Statement is currently effective and will remain effective with respect to all Shares of the Funds being offered for sale;
(ix) The Registration Statement and Prospectus have been or will be, as the case may be, carefully prepared in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
(x) The Registration Statement and Prospectus contain or will contain all statements required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; all statements of fact contained or to be contained in the Registration Statement or Prospectus are or will be true and correct at the time indicated or on the effective date as the case may be; and neither the Registration Statement nor any Prospectus, when they shall become effective or be authorized for use, will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of Shares;
(xi) It will from time to time file such amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement and Prospectus as, in the light of then-current and then-prospective developments, shall, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order to have the Registration Statement and Prospectus at all times contain all material facts required to be stated therein or necessary to make any statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of Shares ("Required Amendments");
(xii) It shall not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus without giving NLD reasonable advance notice thereof; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Agreement shall in any way limit the Funds’ right to file at any time such amendments to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, of whatever character, as the Funds may deem advisable, such right being in all respects absolute and unconditional; and
(xiii) All Shares of the Fund are properly registered in the states as required by applicable state laws; and
(xiv) Any amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus hereafter filed will, when it becomes effective, contain all statements required to be stated therein in accordance with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; all statements of fact contained in the Registration Statement or Prospectus will, when it becomes effective, be true and correct at the time indicated or on the effective date as the case may be; and no such amendment, when it becomes effective, will include an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of the Shares.
(xv) In connection with any registered representatives maintained under this Agreement, the Trust agrees to cooperate with NLD and provide reports as necessary to maintain appropriate licensing and qualifications and report to NLD any complaints, arbitrations, litigation or any other material matter that may affect a registered representative’s registration status.
(xvi) It has adopted necessary procedures to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act ("BSA"), as amended by The International Money Laundering Abatement and Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002, Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act (the “PATRIOT Act"), its implementing regulations, and related SEC and SRO rules. Consistent with this requirement, the Trust shall ensure that the account opening forms utilized by the Funds contain the necessary customer information such as name, address, taxpayer identification and other information to verify the identity of such customers as well as provide proper notification to customers of such anti-money laundering program adopted by the Trust and/or its service providers.
(xvii) NLD may rely on and will be held harmless from relying on oral or written instructions it receives from an officer, agent, or legal counsel to the Trust.
Duties of the Trust (a) The Trust agrees to create, issue, and redeem Creation Units of each Fund in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus. Upon reasonable notice to the Distributor and in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus, the Trust reserves the right to reject any order for Creation Units or to stop all receipts of such orders at any time.
(b) The Trust agrees that it will take all actions necessary to register an indefinite number of Shares under the 1933 Act.
(c) The Trust will make available to the Distributor such number of copies as Distributor may reasonably request of (i) its then currently effective Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and product description, (ii) copies of semi-annual reports and annual audited reports of the Trust’s books and accounts made by independent public accountants regularly retained by the Trust, and (iii) such other publicly available information for use in connection with the distribution of Creation Units.
(d) The Trust shall inform Distributor of any such jurisdictions in which the Trust has filed notice filings for Shares for sale under the securities laws thereof and shall promptly notify the Distributor of any change in this information. The Distributor shall not be liable for damages resulting from the sale of Shares in authorized jurisdictions where the Distributor had no information from the Trust that such sale or sales were unauthorized at the time of such sale or sales. The Distributor acknowledges and agrees that the Trust reserves the right to suspend sales and Distributor’s authority to review and approve orders for Creation Units on behalf of the Trust. Upon due notice to the Distributor, the Trust shall suspend the Distributor’s authority to review and approve Creation Units if, in the judgment of the Trust, it is in the best interests of the Trust to do so. Suspension will continue for such period as may be determined by the Trust.
(e) The Trust shall arrange to provide the Listing Exchanges with copies of Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, and product descriptions to be provided to purchasers in the secondary market.
(f) The Trust will make it known that Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information and product descriptions are available by making sure such disclosures are in all marketing and advertising materials prepared by the Trust.
Administration of the Trust Fund The administration of the Fund shall be the responsibility of the Trustees. The Board of Trustees are responsible for the operational and financial sustainability of the Trust, and they shall administer the Fund in accordance with the express powers given to them pursuant to this Trust Agreement and the Plans. The terms of this Trust Agreement and the Plans shall be construed and administered so as to comply with the requirements to be an employee life and health trust under subsection 144.1(2) of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Any term of this Trust Agreement or the Plans that would otherwise be inconsistent with the requirements of such provisions shall be modified to the extent necessary to comply with such requirements.
Rights of the Trustee (a) The Trustee may rely on any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in the document.
(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer's Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer's Certificate or Opinion of Counsel.
(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith which it reasonably believes to be authorized or within its rights or powers.
(e) The Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.
(f) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Junior Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to this Junior Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities (including reasonable counsel fees) which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
(g) The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice of any Event of Default unless a Trust Officer of the Trustee has actual knowledge thereof or unless written notice of any event that is in fact such a default is received by the Trustee at the principal corporate trust office of the Trustee, and such notice references the applicable series of Debentures and this Indenture.
Administration of the Trust (a) The Trustee shall administer the Trust Property for the benefit of the Unitholders. In engaging in such activities, the Trustee shall follow or cause to be followed collection procedures in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, the Underlying Securities, the Swap Agreement, the indemnification offered by the Depositor pursuant to Section 10.05(b) and the Guarantee. The duties of the Trustee shall be performed in accordance with applicable local, State and Federal law.
(b) Subject to Article X, the Trustee is hereby authorized to perform, and from time to time hereafter, shall perform only those acts which are described in the Trust Agreement as obligations of the Trustee. Notwithstanding the generality of the foregoing, the Trustee is hereby specifically authorized to do the following on behalf of the Trust: to issue the Certificates evidencing Units; to execute and deliver and perform its obligations and exercise its rights under the Swap Agreement; to establish and maintain the Unit Account hereunder; to accept delivery of the Underlying Securities and the Swap Agreement; to pledge the assets of the Trust (including the Underlying Securities) to secure the obligations of the Trust including obligations under the Swap Agreement; to sell the Underlying Securities through the Selling Agent in accordance with Section 9.05; to make Permitted Investments pursuant to Section 3.06; to liquidate the Trust pursuant to Article IX and to make distributions pursuant to Article IV.
(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Trust shall not engage in any business or activities other than receiving the Underlying Securities and any Credit Support or other Trust Property and entering into the Swap Agreement as provided herein, holding the Underlying Securities, the Swap Agreement and any Credit Support (or other Trust Property), issuing Certificates evidencing Units, making Permitted Investments in accordance with Section 3.06 and performing its obligations hereunder and under the Swap Agreement; provided, however, that during its existence the Trust shall not engage in any business or activity which will cause it to be or become an open-end investment company, unit investment trust or face-amount certificate company that is or is required to be registered under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act, or to be or become a closed-end investment company required to be registered, but not registered, under the Investment Company Act.
(d) The Trustee shall not sell, assign, pledge or otherwise transfer the Underlying Securities, the Swap Agreement, any Credit Support or other Trust Property, or any interest of the Trust therein, to any Person or Persons, except to a successor trustee as provided in Section 10.07, through the Selling Agent in accordance with Section 9.05, in accordance with Section 10.02(a)(x), as required under any Swap Agreement or as otherwise expressly permitted hereunder. This section shall not be construed to prohibit transfers of the Units.
(e) The Trustee shall have the legal power to exercise all of the rights, powers and privileges of holders of the Underlying Securities in which the Units evidence an interest; provided, however, that the exercise of such powers shall be subject to the provisions of this Section 3.02, Article X and the other provisions hereof. However, neither the Trustee (except as specifically provided herein or in the TIA) nor the Depositor shall be under any obligation whatsoever to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of Underlying Securities or Units.
(f) Except for actions expressly authorized by the Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall not take actions reasonably likely to (nor fail to take actions, if such failure would be reasonably likely to) (i) impair the interests of the Trust in any Underlying Security, any Credit Support, the Swap Agreement or the Guarantee (or any other Trust Property); (ii) impair the value of any Underlying Security, any Credit Support, the Swap Agreement or the Guarantee (or any other Trust Property); or (iii) alter the classification of a Trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
(g) Except as expressly provided in the Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall have no power to vary the corpus of the Trust Property including by (i) accepting any substitute obligation or asset for a Underlying Security or any Credit Support, (ii) entering into any amendment or modification of the Swap Agreement or the Underlying Securities, (iii) accepting any substitute guarantee for the Guarantee, (iv) adding any other investment, obligation or security to the Trust Property, (v) withdrawing from the Trust Property any Underlying Securities or Credit Support, (vi) terminating the Swap Agreement except in accordance with its terms or (vii) rejecting or otherwise failing to accept the continuing benefits of the Guarantee.
Powers of the Trustee 3.1.1 Except as set forth in this State Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall have the power to perform those acts necessary and desirable to accomplish the purposes of the State Mitigation Trust, which shall be exercised in an efficient and expeditious manner in furtherance of and in a manner consistent with the purposes of this State Trust Agreement and the Consent Decree. Subject to the limitations on liability set forth in subparagraph 3.5.2, the Trustee shall act in accordance with the current professional standards of care and with the diligence, skill, and care expected for the administration of such a Trust. The Trustee shall have only such duties, rights, powers, and privileges expressly set forth in the Consent Decree, this State Trust Agreement, and as otherwise provided by the Delaware Act. No implied duties (including fiduciary duties) shall be read into this State Trust against Wilmington Trust, N.A., acting as the Trustee.
3.1.2 Upon the Trust Effective Date, the powers of the Trustee shall include the following:
3.1.2.1 To receive, manage, invest, reinvest, supervise, and protect the Trust Assets as provided in Paragraph 3.2 of this State Trust Agreement or to engage a professional investment manager (“Investment Manager”) to receive, manage, invest, reinvest, supervise, and protect the Trust Assets as provided in Paragraph 3.2 for the benefit of the Beneficiaries. The Trustee appoints Wilmington Trust, N.A. as the Investment Manager for the State Mitigation Trust pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement entered into on the Trust Effective Date to manage the Trust Assets in accordance with Paragraph 3.2;
3.1.2.2 To establish and maintain a public-facing website onto which it will post all materials as required hereunder;
3.1.2.3 To establish and maintain a secure method of internet-based communications for the use of the Trustee and the Beneficiaries;
3.1.2.4 To hold title to property in the name of the Trustee in its capacity as such;
3.1.2.5 To incur, and pay from the Trust Administration Cost Subaccount, any and all customary and commercially reasonable charges and expenses upon or connected with the administration of this State Mitigation Trust in the discharge of its obligations hereunder, including 98% of Start-up Costs and 98% of Shared State and Indian Tribe Administration Costs;
3.1.2.6 To engage and compensate professionals to assist the Trustee in accordance with this State Trust Agreement, including, but not limited to, legal, environmental, investment, accounting, tax, website, and third-party auditing professionals, or internet service providers, or insurance providers. Such third-party auditing professionals may be used by the Trustee to audit and/or review expenditures to verify that they comport with the requirements and limitations on use of Trust Funds, as set forth herein. The Trustee may initiate such an audit and/or review on its own initiative or in response to credible reports or suggestions that such review or audit is appropriate. The Trustee shall have an annual independent audit prepared and posted on the website. In its sole discretion, the United States may waive the requirement of an annual audit starting in year ten or at an earlier time in order to preserve Trust Funds;
3.1.2.7 To engage and compensate professionals to assist the Trustee in requesting a Private Letter Ruling from the IRS: (1) that the State Mitigation Trust will be treated as a Qualified Settlement Fund under 26 C.F.R. § 1.468B-1; (2) that all investment income earned on the Trust Assets will be excludible from gross income under Section 115 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 115; and (3) on any federal tax matter that the Tax Professionals reasonably believe is necessary to support the rulings in (1) and
