Duties of Distributor You agree that:
(a) Neither you nor any of your officers will take any long or short position in the Shares, but this provision shall not prevent you or your officers from acquiring Shares for investment purposes only;
(b) You shall furnish to the Fund any pertinent information required to be inserted with respect to you as General Distributor within the purview of the Securities Act of 1933 in any reports or registration required to be filed with any governmental authority; and
(c) You will not make any representations inconsistent with the information contained in the current Prospectus and/or SAI.
(d) You shall maintain such records as may be reasonably required for the Fund or its transfer or shareholder servicing agent to respond to shareholder requests or complaints, and to permit the Fund to maintain proper accounting records, and you shall make such records available to the Fund and its transfer agent or shareholder servicing agent upon request.
(e) In performing under this Agreement, you shall comply with all requirements of the Fund’s current Prospectus and/or SAI and all applicable laws, rules and regulations with respect to the purchase, sale and distribution of Shares.
Duties of the Distributor (a) The Distributor agrees to serve as the principal underwriter of the Funds in connection with the review and approval of all Purchase and Redemption Orders of Creation Units of each Fund by Authorized Participants that have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor and Transfer Agent/ Index Receipt Agent. Nothing herein shall affect or limit the right and ability of the Transfer Agent/ Index Receipt Agent to accept Fund Securities, Deposit Securities, and related Cash Components through or outside the Clearing Process, and as provided in and in accordance with the Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Trust acknowledges that the Distributor shall not be obligated to approve any certain number of orders for Creation Units.
(b) The Distributor agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to provide the following services to the Trust with respect to the continuous distribution of Creation Units of each Fund: (i) at the request of the Trust, the Distributor shall enter into Authorized Participant Agreements between and among Authorized Participants, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent/Index Receipt Agent, for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units of the Funds, (ii) the Distributor shall approve and maintain copies of confirmations of Creation Unit purchase and redemption order acceptances; (iii) upon request, the Distributor will make available copies of the Prospectus to purchasers of such Creation Units and, upon request, the Statement of Additional Information; and (iv) the Distributor shall maintain telephonic, facsimile and/or access to direct computer communications links with the Transfer Agent.
(c) The Distributor shall ensure that all direct requests to Distributor for Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, product descriptions and periodic fund reports, as applicable, are fulfilled.
(d) The Distributor agrees to make available, at the Trust’s request, one or more members of its staff to attend, either via telephone or in person, Board meetings of the Trust in order to provide information with regard to the Distributor’s services hereunder and for such other purposes as may be requested by the Board of Trustees of the Trust.
(e) Distributor shall review and approve, prior to use, all Trust marketing materials (“Marketing Materials”) for compliance with SEC and FINRA advertising rules, and will file all Marketing Materials required to filed with FINRA. The Distributor agrees to furnish to the Trust’s investment adviser any comments provided by FINRA with respect to such materials.
(f) The Distributor shall not offer any Shares and shall not approve any creation or redemption order hereunder if and so long as the effectiveness of the Registration Statement then in effect or any necessary amendments thereto shall be suspended under any of the provisions of the 1933 Act or if and so long as a current prospectus as required by Section 10 of the 1933 Act is not on file with the SEC; provided, however, that nothing contained in this paragraph shall in any way restrict or have any application to or bearing upon the Trust’s obligation to redeem or repurchase any Shares from any shareholder in accordance with provisions of the Prospectus or Registration Statement.
(g) The Distributor shall work with the Index Receipt Agent to review and approve orders placed by Authorized Participants and transmitted to the Index Receipt Agent.
(h) The Distributor agrees to maintain, and preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act, such records as are required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1(d) under the 1940 Act. The Distributor agrees that all records which it maintains pursuant to the 1940 Act for the Trust shall at all times remain the property of the Trust, shall be readily accessible during normal business hours, and shall be promptly surrendered upon the termination of the Agreement or otherwise on written request; provided, however, that Distributor may retain all such records required to be maintained by Distributor pursuant to applicable FINRA or SEC rules and regulations.
(j) The Distributor agrees to maintain compliance policies and procedures (a “Compliance Program”) that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Federal Securities Laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 of the 0000 Xxx) with respect to the Distributor’s services under this Agreement, and to provide any and all information with respect to the Compliance Program, including without limitation, information and certifications with respect to material violations of the Compliance Program and any material deficiencies or changes therein, as may be reasonably requested by the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer or Board of Trustees.
Appointment of Distributor The Client hereby appoints the Distributor as its exclusive agent for the sale and distribution of Shares of the Funds, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and the Distributor hereby accepts such exclusive appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this Agreement.
DUTIES OF MSS 1.01 Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Trust hereby employs and appoints MSS to act, and MSS agrees to act, as transfer agent for the Trust’s authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest of each class of each portfolio of the Trust (the “Shares”), and as dividend disbursing and redemption agent for the Trust.
1.02 MSS agrees that it will perform the following services:
(a) In accordance with procedures established from time to time by agreement between the Trust and MSS, MSS shall:
(i) Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of Shares, and promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation therefore to the Custodian of the Trust authorized by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Custodian”);
(ii) Pursuant to purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of Shares and hold such Shares in the appropriate Shareholder account;
(iii) Receive for acceptance redemption requests and redemption directions and deliver the appropriate documentation therefore to the Custodian;
(iv) At the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid to it by the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay over or cause to be paid over in the appropriate manner such monies as instructed by the redeeming Shareholders;
(v) Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of appropriate instructions;
(vi) Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions declared by the Trust;
(vii) Maintain records of account for and advise the Trust and its Shareholders as to the foregoing;
(viii) Maintain an Anti-Money Laundering Program in compliance with the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and regulation thereunder, and provide to the Trust a copy of MSS’s Anti-Money Laundering Program;
(ix) Perform such services as are necessary to implement and enforce the Trust’s Anti-Money Laundering Program;
(x) Provide necessary and reasonable access to properly authorized federal examiners so that they can obtain all necessary information and records relating to the AML Program and to inspect MSS’s implementation and operation of the AML Program; and
(xi) Record the issuance of shares of the Trust and maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of the total number of shares of the Trust which are authorized, based upon data provided to it by the Trust, and issued and outstanding. MSS shall also provide the Trust on a regular basis with the total number of shares which are authorized, issued and outstanding and shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of shares, to monitor the issuance of such shares or to take cognizance of any laws relating to the issue or sale of such shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Trust.
(b) In addition, MSS shall perform all of the customary services of a transfer agent, dividend disbursing and redemption agent, including but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing proxies, receiving and tabulating proxies, mailing Shareholder reports and prospectuses to current Shareholders, withholding taxes for U.S. resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with respect to dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information and provide a system and reports which will enable the Trust to monitor the total number of Shares sold in each State. Procedures applicable to certain of these services may be established from time to time by agreement between the Trust and MSS.
Duties of Provider 5. D e-Identified Data. Section 5 (De-Identified Data) of Article IV (Duties of Provider) of the SDPA is hereby modified by deleting “indirectly” from the last sentence and by deleting the second to last sentence and replacing with the following sentence: “Except for Subprocessors, Provider agrees not to transfer de- identified Student Data to any party unless (a) that party agrees in writing not to attempt re-identification, and (b) that party agrees to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to Student Data privacy and security, all as may be amended from time to time.”
Priorities of Distribution (a) On each Distribution Date, the Securities Administrator shall allocate from amounts then on deposit in the Distribution Account in the following order of priority and to the extent of the Available Funds remaining and, on such Distribution Date, shall make distributions on the Certificates in accordance with such allocation:
(i) to the Supplemental Interest Trust and to the holders of each Class of LIBOR Certificates in the following order of priority:
(A) to the Supplemental Interest Trust, the sum of (x) all Net Swap Payments and (y) any Swap Termination Payment owed to the Swap Provider other than a Defaulted Swap Termination Payment;
(B) concurrently, (1) from the Interest Remittance Amount related to the Group I Mortgage Loans, to the Class A-1 Certificates, the related Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amounts and Unpaid Interest Amounts for the Class A-1 Certificates; (2) from the Interest Remittance Amount related to the Group II Mortgage Loans, pro rata (based on the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amounts and Unpaid Interest Amounts distributable to the Class A-2A, Class A-2B, Class A-2C and Class A-2D Certificates) to the Class A-2A, Class A-2B, Class A-2C and Class A-2D Certificates, the related Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amounts and Unpaid Interest Amounts for the Class A-2A, Class A-2B, Class A-2C and Class A-2D Certificates; (3) provided, that if the Interest Remittance Amount for either Loan Group is insufficient to make the related payments set forth clause (1) or (2) above, any Interest Remittance Amount relating to the other Loan Group remaining after payment of the related Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amounts and Unpaid Interest Amounts will be available to cover that shortfall;
(C) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-1 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(D) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-2 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(E) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-3 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(F) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-4 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(G) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-5 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(H) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-6 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(I) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-7 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(J) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-8 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(K) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class M-9 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class;
(L) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class B-1 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class; and
(M) from any remaining Interest Remittance Amounts, to the Class B-2 Certificates, the Accrued Certificate Interest Distribution Amount for such Class.
(ii) (A) on each Distribution Date (a) prior to the Stepdown Date or (b) with respect to which a Trigger Event is in effect, to the holders of the Class or Classes of LIBOR Certificates then entitled to distributions of principal as set forth below, an amount equal to the Principal Distribution Amount in the following order of priority:
(a) sequentially:
Indemnification of Distributor The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages, or expense and reasonable counsel fees and disbursements incurred in connection therewith), arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares, based upon the ground that the registration statement, prospectus, Shareholder reports or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements made not misleading. However, the Trust does not agree to indemnify the Distributor or hold it harmless to the extent that the statements or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor. In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Trust to be deemed to protect the Distributor against any liability to the Trust or its Shareholders to which the Distributor or such person otherwise would be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Trust to be liable to the Distributor under the indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph with respect to any claim made against the Distributor or any person indemnified unless the Distributor or other person shall have notified the Trust in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Distributor or such other person (or after the Distributor or the person shall have received notice of service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify the Trust of any claim shall not relieve the Trust from any liability which it may have to the Distributor or any person against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph. The Trust shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any claims subject to this indemnity provision. If the Trust elects to assume the defense of any such claim, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the Trust and satisfactory to the indemnified defendants in the suit whose approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event that the Trust elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the indemnified defendants shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the Trust does not elect to assume the defense of a suit, it will reimburse the indemnified defendants for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by the indemnified defendants. The Trust agrees to notify the Distributor promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it or any of its officers or Trustees in connection with the issuance or sale of any of its Shares.
DUTIES OF DEALER a. Dealer agrees to purchase Shares only from Distributor or from Dealer's customers.
b. Dealer agrees to enter orders for the purchase of Shares only from Distributor and only for the purpose of covering purchase orders Dealer has already received from its customers or for Dealer's own bona fide investment.
c. Dealer agrees to date and time stamp all orders received by Dealer and promptly, upon receipt of any and all orders, to transmit to Distributor all orders received prior to the time described in the Prospectus for the calculation of each Fund's net asset value so as to permit Distributor to process all orders at the price next determined after receipt by Dealer, in accordance with the Prospectus. Dealer agrees not to withhold placing orders for Shares with Distributor so as to profit itself as a result of such inaction.
d. Dealer agrees to maintain records of all purchases and sales of Shares made through Dealer and to furnish Distributor or regulatory authorities with copies of such records upon request. In that regard, Dealer agrees that, unless Dealer holds Shares as nominee for its customers or participates in the NSCC Fund/Serv Networking program, at certain matrix levels, it will provide Distributor with all necessary information to comply properly with all federal, state and local reporting requirements and backup and nonresident alien withholding requirements for its customer accounts including, without limitation, those requirements that apply by treating Shares issued by the Funds as readily tradable instruments. Dealer represents and agrees that all Taxpayer Identification Numbers ("TINs") provided are certified, and that no account that requires a certified TIN will be established without such certified TIN. With respect to all other accounts, including Shares held by Dealer in omnibus accounts and Shares purchased or sold through the NSCC Fund/Serv Networking program, at certain matrix levels, Dealer agrees to perform all federal, state and local tax reporting with respect to such accounts, including without limitation redemptions and exchanges.
e. Dealer agrees to distribute or cause to be delivered to its customers Prospectuses, proxy solicitation materials and related information and proxy cards, semi-annual and annual shareholder reports and any other materials in compliance with applicable legal requirements, except to the extent that Distributor expressly undertakes to do so in writing.
f. Dealer agrees that if any Share is repurchased by any Fund or is tendered for redemption within seven (7) business days after confirmation by Distributor of the original purchase order from Dealer, Dealer shall forfeit its right to any concession or commission received by Dealer with respect to such Share and shall forthwith refund to Distributor the full concession allowed to Dealer or commission paid to Dealer on the original sale. Distributor agrees to notify Dealer of such repurchase or redemption within a reasonable time after settlement. Termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall not relieve Dealer from its obligation under this provision.
g. Dealer agrees that payment for Shares ordered from Distributor shall be in Fed Funds, New York clearinghouse or other immediately available funds and that such funds shall be received by Distributor by the earlier of: (i) the end of the third (3rd) business day following Dealer's receipt of the customer's order to purchase such Shares; or (ii) the settlement date established in accordance with Rule 15c6-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. If such payment is not received by Distributor by such date, Dealer shall forfeit its right to any concession or commission with respect to such order, and Distributor reserves the right, without notice, forthwith to cancel the sale, or, at its option, to sell the Shares ordered back to the Fund, in which case Distributor may hold Dealer responsible for any loss, including loss of profit, suffered by Distributor resulting from Dealer's failure to make payment as aforesaid. If a purchase is made by check, the purchase is deemed made upon conversion of the purchase instrument into Fed Funds, New York clearinghouse or other immediately available funds.
h. Dealer agrees that it: (i) shall assume responsibility for any loss to the Fund caused by a correction to any order placed by Dealer that is made subsequent to the trade date for the order, provided such order correction was not based on any negligence on Distributor's part; and (ii) will immediately pay such loss to the Fund upon notification.
i. Dealer agrees that in connection with orders for the purchase of Shares on behalf of any IRAs, 401(k) plans or other retirement plan accounts, by mail, telephone, or wire, Dealer shall act as agent for the custodian or trustee of such plans (solely with respect to the time of receipt of the application and payments), and Dealer shall not place such an order with Distributor until it has received from its customer payment for such purchase and, if such purchase represents the first contribution to such a retirement plan account, the completed documents necessary to establish the retirement plan. Dealer agrees to indemnify Distributor and its affiliates for any claim, loss, or liability resulting from incorrect investment instructions received by Distributor from Dealer.
j. Dealer agrees that it will not make any conditional orders for the purchase or redemption of Shares and acknowledges that Distributor will not accept conditional orders for Shares.
k. Dealer agrees that all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it in connection with its activities under this Agreement will be borne by Dealer.
l. Dealer agrees that it will keep in force appropriate broker's blanket bond insurance policies covering any and all acts of Dealer's partners, directors, officers, employees, and agents adequate to reasonably protect and indemnify the Distributor and the Funds against any loss which any party may suffer or incur, directly or indirectly, as a result of any action by Dealer or Dealer's partners, directors, officers, employees, and agents.
m. Dealer agrees that it will maintain the required net capital as specified by the rules and regulations of the SEC, NASD and other regulatory authorities.
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.
Priorities of Distributions Section 5.03
