Duties and functions 23.2.1 The Independent Engineer shall discharge its duties and functions substantially in accordance with the terms of reference set forth in Schedule 16.
23.2.2 The Independent Engineer shall submit regular periodic reports (at least once every month) to the Authority in respect of its duties and functions set forth in Schedule 16.
Duties and Services Executive agrees to serve in the position(s) referred to in Section 2.2 and to perform diligently the duties and services appertaining to such offices, as well as such additional duties and services appropriate to such offices which the parties mutually may agree upon from time to time. Executive’s employment shall also be subject to the policies maintained and established by the Company and the Parent that are of general applicability to the Company’s and the Parent’s employees, as such policies may be amended from time to time.
Duties and Reporting Relationship During the Term, the Executive shall, on a full time basis, use his skills and render services to the best of his ability in supervising and conducting the operations of the Company.
Duties and Responsibilities of Executive (a) During the Employment Period, Executive shall devote his full time and attention during normal business hours to the business of the Employers, will act in the best interests of the Employers and will perform with due care his duties and responsibilities. Executive’s duties will include those normally incidental to the positions set forth in Section 1 hereof as well as whatever additional duties may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors of MEI (the “MEI Board”), the Chief Executive Officer of MEI, the Board of Directors of MERI (the “MERI Board”), or the Chief Executive Officer of MERI. Executive agrees to cooperate fully with the MEI Board, the Chief Executive Officer of MEI, the MERI Board, and the Chief Executive Officer of MEI, and not to engage in any activity that materially interferes with the performance of Executive’s duties hereunder. During the Employment Period, Executive will not hold employment other than that set forth in Section 1 hereof without the advance written approval of the Board of MEI and the Board of MERI. It shall not be a violation of this Agreement for Executive to (1) serve on corporate, civic, or charitable boards or committees (except for boards or committees of a business organization that competes with an Employer in any business in which the Employer is regularly engaged), which are listed on Exhibit A so long as such service does not materially interfere with the performance of Executive’s duties and responsibilities under this Agreement, as determined in the good faith opinion of the Board of MEI and the Board of MERI, (2) manage personal investments, or (3) take vacation days and reasonable absences due to injury or illness, as set forth herein and/or permitted by the general policies of the Employers.
(b) Executive represents and covenants to the Employers that he is not subject or a party to any employment agreement, noncompetition covenant, nondisclosure agreement, or any other agreement, covenant, understanding, or restriction that would prohibit Executive from executing this Agreement and fully performing his duties and responsibilities hereunder, or would in any manner, directly or indirectly, limit or affect the duties and responsibilities that may now or in the future be assigned to Executive hereunder.
(c) Executive acknowledges and agrees that Executive owes the Employers a duty of loyalty and that the obligations described in this Agreement are in addition to, and not in lieu of, the obligations Executive owes the Employers under the common law. MEI and MERI each acknowledge that Executive’s simultaneous employment with the Employers will not be considered a violation of any provision of this Section 2.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Escrow Agent The Escrow Agent's duties and responsibilities shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:
(a) The Subscriber and Company acknowledge and agree that the Escrow Agent (i) shall not be responsible for or bound by, and shall not be required to inquire into whether either the Subscriber or Company is entitled to receipt of the Company Documents and Subscriber Documents pursuant to, any other agreement or otherwise; (ii) shall be obligated only for the performance of such duties as are specifically assumed by the Escrow Agent pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) may rely on and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any written notice, instruction, instrument, statement, request or document furnished to it hereunder and believed by the Escrow Agent in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person or party, without being required to determine the authenticity or correctness of any fact stated therein or the propriety or validity or the service thereof; (iv) may assume that any person believed by the Escrow Agent in good faith to be authorized to give notice or make any statement or execute any document in connection with the provisions hereof is so authorized; (v) shall not be under any duty to give the property held by Escrow Agent hereunder any greater degree of care than Escrow Agent gives its own similar property; and (vi) may consult counsel satisfactory to Escrow Agent, the opinion of such counsel to be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by Escrow Agent hereunder in good faith and in accordance with the opinion of such counsel.
(b) The Subscriber and Company acknowledge that the Escrow Agent is acting solely as a stakeholder at their request and that the Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any action taken by Escrow Agent in good faith and believed by Escrow Agent to be authorized or within the rights or powers conferred upon Escrow Agent by this Agreement. The Subscriber and Company, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Escrow Agent and any of Escrow Agent's partners, employees, agents and representatives for any action taken or omitted to be taken by Escrow Agent or any of them hereunder, including the fees of outside counsel and other costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability under this Agreement, except in the case of gross negligence or willful misconduct on Escrow Agent's part committed in its capacity as Escrow Agent under this Agreement. The Escrow Agent shall owe a duty only to the Subscriber and Company under this Agreement and to no other person.
(c) The Subscriber and Company jointly and severally agree to reimburse the Escrow Agent for outside counsel fees, to the extent authorized hereunder and incurred in connection with the performance of its duties and responsibilities hereunder.
(d) The Escrow Agent may at any time resign as Escrow Agent hereunder by giving five (5) days prior written notice of resignation to the Subscriber and the Company. Prior to the effective date of the resignation as specified in such notice, the Subscriber and Company will issue to the Escrow Agent a Joint Instruction authorizing delivery of the Company Documents and Subscriber Documents to a substitute Escrow Agent selected by the Subscriber and Company. If no successor Escrow Agent is named by the Subscriber and Company, the Escrow Agent may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of New York for appointment of a successor Escrow Agent, and to deposit the Company Documents and Subscriber Documents with the clerk of any such court.
(e) The Escrow Agent does not have and will not have any interest in the Company Documents and Subscriber Documents, but is serving only as escrow agent, having only possession thereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any loss resulting from the making or retention of any investment in accordance with this Escrow Agreement.
(f) This Agreement sets forth exclusively the duties of the Escrow Agent with respect to any and all matters pertinent thereto and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement.
(g) The Escrow Agent shall be permitted to act as counsel for the Subscriber in any dispute as to the disposition of the Company Documents and Subscriber Documents, in any other dispute between the Subscriber and Company, whether or not the Escrow Agent is then holding the Company Documents and Subscriber Documents and continues to act as the Escrow Agent hereunder.
(h) The provisions of this Section 4.1 shall survive the resignation of the Escrow Agent or the termination of this Agreement.
Duties and Responsibilities of Manager During the Term, subject to the provisions of Section 3.1 herein, Manager shall provide, in exchange for the Management Fee, all such services as are necessary and appropriate for the day-to-day administration and management of Practice in a manner consistent with good business practice, including without limitation those services set forth in this Article 2.
Rights, Duties and Responsibilities of Escrow Agent It is understood and agreed that the duties of the Escrow Agent are purely ministerial in nature, and that:
5.1 The Escrow Agent shall notify the Issuer, on a daily basis, of the Escrow Amounts which have been deposited in the Bank Account and of the amounts, constituting the Fund, which have cleared the banking system and have been collected by the Escrow Agent.
5.2 The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for or be required to enforce any of the terms or conditions of any agreement between the Issuer and third parties nor shall the Escrow Agent be responsible for the performance by the Issuer of its respective obligations under this Agreement.
5.3 The Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept from the Issuer any Subscription Information pertaining to prospective purchasers unless such Subscription Information is accompanied by checks, cash, or wire transfers meeting the requirements of Section 3.1, nor shall the Escrow Agent be required to keep records of any information with respect to payments deposited except as to the names, addresses and amounts of such payments; however, the Escrow Agent shall notify the Issuer promptly of any discrepancy between the amount set forth in any Subscription Information and the amount delivered to the Escrow Agent therewith. Such amount need not be accepted for deposit in the Escrow Account until such discrepancy has been resolved.
5.4 The Escrow Agent shall be under no duty or responsibility to enforce collection of any check delivered to it hereunder. The Escrow Agent, within a reasonable time, shall return to the Issuer any check received which is dishonored, together with Subscription Information, if any, which accompanied such check.
5.5 The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to rely upon the accuracy, act in reliance upon the contents, and assume the genuineness of any notice, instruction, certificate, signature, instrument or other document which is given to the Escrow Agent pursuant to this Agreement without the necessity of the Escrow Agent verifying the truth or accuracy thereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be obligated to make any inquiry as to the authority, capacity, existence or identity of any person purporting to give any such notice or instructions or to execute any such certificate, instrument or other document.
5.6 If the Escrow Agent is uncertain as to its duties or rights hereunder or shall receive instructions with respect to the Bank Account, the Escrow Amounts or the Fund which, in its sole determination, are in conflict either with other instructions received by it or with any provision of this Agreement, it shall be entitled to hold the Escrow Amounts, the Fund, or a portion thereof, in the Bank Account pending the resolution of such uncertainty to the Escrow Agent’s sole satisfaction, by final judgment of a court or courts of competent jurisdiction or otherwise; or the Escrow Agent, at its sole option, may deposit the Fund (and any other Escrow Amounts that thereafter become part of the Fund) with the Clerk of a court of competent jurisdiction in a proceeding to which all parties in interest are joined. Upon the deposit by the Escrow Agent of the Fund with the Clerk of any such court, the Escrow Agent shall be relieved of all further obligations and released from all liability hereunder.
5.7 The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted hereunder, or for the misconduct of any employee, agent or attorney appointed by it, except in the case of willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to consult with counsel of its own choosing and shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel.
5.8 The Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility at any time to ascertain whether or not any security interest exists in the Escrow Amounts, the Fund or any part thereof or to file any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code with respect to the Fund or any part thereof.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Servicer (a) The Servicer shall conduct the servicing, administration and collection of the Transferred Loans and shall take, or cause to be taken, all such actions as may be necessary or advisable to service, administer and collect Transferred Loans from time to time on behalf of the Borrower and as the Borrower’s agent.
(b) The duties of the Servicer, as the Borrower’s agent, shall include, without limitation:
(i) preparing and submitting of claims to, and post-billing liaison with, Obligors on Transferred Loans;
(ii) maintaining all necessary Servicing Records with respect to the Transferred Loans and providing such reports to the Borrower, the Managing Agents and the Administrative Agent in respect of the servicing of the Transferred Loans (including information relating to its performance under this Agreement) as may be required hereunder or as the Borrower, any Managing Agent or the Administrative Agent may reasonably request;
(iii) maintaining and implementing administrative and operating procedures (including, without limitation, an ability to recreate Servicing Records evidencing the Transferred Loans in the event of the destruction of the originals thereof) and keeping and maintaining all documents, books, records and other information reasonably necessary or advisable for the collection of the Transferred Loans (including, without limitation, records adequate to permit the identification of each new Transferred Loan and all Collections of and adjustments to each existing Transferred Loan); provided, however, that any Successor Servicer shall only be required to recreate the Servicing Records of each prior Servicer to the extent such records have been delivered to it in a format reasonably acceptable to such Successor Servicer;
(iv) promptly delivering to the Borrower, any Managing Agent or the Administrative Agent, from time to time, such information and Servicing Records (including information relating to its performance under this Agreement) as the Borrower, such Managing Agent or the Administrative Agent from time to time reasonably request;
(v) identifying each Transferred Loan clearly and unambiguously in its Servicing Records to reflect that such Transferred Loan is owned by the Borrower and pledged to the Administrative Agent;
(vi) complying in all material respects with the Credit and Collection Policy in regard to each Transferred Loan;
(vii) complying in all material respects with all Applicable Laws with respect to it, its business and properties and all Transferred Loans and Collections with respect thereto;
(viii) preserving and maintaining its existence, rights, licenses, franchises and privileges as a corporation in the jurisdiction of its organization, and qualifying and remaining qualified in good standing as a foreign corporation and qualifying to and remaining authorized and licensed to perform obligations as Servicer (including enforcement of collection of Transferred Loans on behalf of the Borrower, Lenders, each Hedge Counterparty and the Collateral Custodian) in each jurisdiction where the failure to preserve and maintain such existence, rights, franchises, privileges and qualification would materially adversely affect (A) the rights or interests of the Borrower, Lenders, each Hedge Counterparty and the Collateral Custodian in the Transferred Loans, (B) the collectibility of any Transferred Loan, or (C) the ability of the Servicer to perform its obligations hereunder; and
(ix) notifying the Borrower, each Managing Agent and the Administrative Agent of any material action, suit, proceeding, dispute, offset, deduction, defense or counterclaim that is or is threatened to be (1) asserted by an Obligor with respect to any Transferred Loan; or (2) reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and
(c) The Borrower and Servicer hereby acknowledge that the Secured Parties, the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Custodian shall not have any obligation or liability with respect to any Transferred Loans, nor shall any of them be obligated to perform any of the obligations of the Servicer hereunder.
Services and Duties of the Distributor A. The Distributor agrees to sell Shares on a best efforts basis as agent for the Trust upon the terms and at the current offering price (plus sales charge, if any) described in the Prospectus. As used in this Agreement, the term “Prospectus” shall mean the current prospectus, including the statement of additional information, as both may be amended or supplemented, relating to the Fund and included in the currently effective registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) of the Trust filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) and the 1940 Act. The Trust shall in all cases receive the net asset value per Share on all sales. If a sales charge is in effect, the Distributor shall remit the sales charge (or portion thereof) to broker-dealers who have sold Shares, as described in Section 2(G), below. In no event shall the Distributor be entitled to all or any portion of such sales charge.
B. During the continuous public offering of Shares, the Distributor will hold itself available to receive orders, satisfactory to the Distributor, for the purchase of Shares and will accept such orders on behalf of the Trust. Such purchase orders shall be deemed effective at the time and in the manner set forth in the Prospectus.
C. The Distributor, with the operational assistance of the Trust’s transfer agent, shall make Shares available for sale and redemption through the National Securities Clearing Corporation’s Fund/SERV System.
D. The Distributor acknowledges and agrees that it is not authorized to provide any information or make any representations other than as contained in the Prospectus and any sales literature specifically approved by the Trust.
E. The Distributor agrees to cooperate with the Trust or its agent in the development of all proposed advertisements and sales literature relating to the Fund. The Distributor agrees to review all proposed advertisements and sales literature for compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and shall file with appropriate regulators those advertisements and sales literature it believes are in compliance with such laws and regulations. The Distributor agrees to furnish to the Trust any comments provided by regulators with respect to such materials and to use its best efforts to obtain the approval of the regulators to such materials.
F. The Distributor, at its sole discretion, may repurchase Shares offered for sale by shareholders of the Fund. Repurchase of Shares by the Distributor shall be at the price determined in accordance with, and in the manner set forth in, the Prospectus. At the end of each business day, the Distributor shall notify the Trust and its transfer agent, by any appropriate means, of the orders for repurchase of Shares received by the Distributor since the last report, the amount to be paid for such Shares and the identity of the shareholders offering Shares for repurchase. The Trust reserves the right to suspend such repurchase right upon written notice to the Distributor. The Distributor further agrees to act as agent for the Trust to receive and transmit promptly to the Trust’s transfer agent, shareholder requests for redemption of Shares.
G. The Distributor may, in its discretion, enter into agreements with such qualified broker-dealers as it may select, in order that such broker-dealers also may sell Shares of the Fund. The form of any dealer agreement shall be approved by the Trust. To the extent there is a sales charge in effect, the Distributor shall pay the applicable sales charge (or portion thereof), or allow a discount, to the selling broker-dealer, as described in the Prospectus.
H. The Distributor shall devote its best efforts to effect sales of Shares of the Fund but shall not be obligated to sell any certain number of Shares.
I. The Distributor shall prepare reports for the Board regarding its activities under this Agreement as from time to time shall be reasonably requested by the Board, including reports regarding the use of any 12b-1 payments received by the Distributor.
J. The Distributor agrees to advise the Trust promptly in writing of the initiation of any proceedings against it by the SEC or its staff, the NASD or any state regulatory authority.
K. The Distributor shall monitor amounts paid under Rule 12b-1 plans and pursuant to sales loads to ensure compliance with applicable NASD rules.
Trustee's Good Faith Action, Expert Advice No Bond or Surety. The exercise by the Trustees of their powers hereunder shall be binding upon everyone interested in or dealing with the Trust. A Trustee shall be liable to the Trust and to any Shareholder solely for his or her own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Trustees may take advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation of this Declaration of Trust, and shall be under no liability for any act or omission in accordance with such advice nor for failing to follow such advice. The Trustees shall not be required to give any bond as such, nor any surety if a bond is required.
