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 Any such notification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by the Fund at any time in its discretion.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.
DUTIES OF THE COMPANY The Company shall provide Consultant, on a regular and timely basis, with all approved data and information about it, its subsidiaries, its management, its products and services and its operations as shall be reasonably requested by Consultant, and shall advise Consultant of any facts which would affect the accuracy of any data and information previously supplied pursuant to this paragraph. The Company shall promptly supply Consultant with full and complete copies of all financial reports, all fillings with all federal and state securities agencies; with full and complete copies of all stockholder reports; with all data and information supplied by any financial analyst, and with all brochures or other sales materials relating to its products or services.
Duties of the Custodian with Respect to Property of the Fund Held By the Custodian in the United States
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.
Duties of the Subadviser (a) The Subadviser shall, subject to the direction and control of the Trust’s Board of Trustees and MML Advisers, (i) provide a continuing investment program for the Portfolio and determine what securities or other investments shall be purchased or sold by the Portfolio; (ii) arrange, subject to the provisions of Section 5 hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other investments for the Portfolio; and (iii) provide reports on the foregoing to the Board of Trustees of the Trust at each Board meeting. Unless MML Advisers gives the Subadviser written instructions to the contrary, the Subadviser shall vote or determine to abstain from voting all proxies solicited by or with respect to the issuers of securities in which assets of the Portfolio are invested for which Subadviser receives timely materials from the Fund’s custodian, in accordance with Subadviser’s policies and procedures. The Subadviser shall provide the Fund in a timely manner with such records of its proxy voting on behalf of the Fund as is necessary for the Fund to comply with the requirements of Form N-PX or any law, rule, regulation or Commission position. Subject to the provisions of this Subadvisory Agreement, the Subadviser shall have the authority to buy, sell or otherwise effect investment transactions for and in the name of the Fund, including without limitation, the power to enter into swap, futures, options and other agreements with counterparties on the Fund’s behalf as the Subadviser deems appropriate from time to time in order to carry out the Subadviser’s responsibilities hereunder.
(b) The Subadviser shall provide to MML Advisers such reports for the Portfolio, on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, as MML Advisers or the Board of Trustees of the Trust shall reasonably request or as required by applicable law or regulation, including, but not limited to, compliance reports and those reports listed in Appendix A.
(c) The Subadviser shall provide full and prompt disclosure to MML Advisers and the Fund regarding itself and its partners, officers, directors, shareholders, employees, affiliates or any person who controls any of the foregoing, including, but not limited to, information regarding any change in control of the Subadviser or any change in its personnel that could materially affect the services provided by the Subadviser to the Fund hereunder, information regarding any material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise) of the Subadviser or any person who controls the Subadviser, information regarding the investment performance and general investment methods of the Subadviser or its principals and affiliates relating to the Portfolio and the performance of the Subadviser’s composite of accounts following the same or similar investment strategies as the Portfolio, information regarding the results of any examination conducted by the Commission or any other state or federal governmental agency or authority or any self-regulatory organization relating directly or indirectly to the services performed by the Subadviser hereunder with respect to the Fund, and, upon request, other information that MML Advisers reasonably deems necessary or desirable to enable MML Advisers to monitor the performance of the Subadviser and information that is required, in the reasonable judgment of MML Advisers and upon prior written request, to be disclosed in any filings required by any governmental agency or by any applicable law, regulation, rule or order.
(d) The Subadviser (i) shall maintain such books and records as are required under the Act or other applicable law, based on the services provided by the Subadviser pursuant to this Subadvisory Agreement and as are necessary for MML Advisers or the Trust to meet its record keeping obligations generally set forth under Section 31 of the Act and rules thereunder; and (ii) shall meet with any persons at the request of MML Advisers or the Board of Trustees of the Trust for the purpose of reviewing the Subadviser’s performance under this Subadvisory Agreement at reasonable times and upon reasonable advance written notice. The Subadviser shall provide the Fund and MML Advisers (or their agents or accountants), upon reasonable prior written request by MML Advisers to the Subadviser, with access to inspect at the Subadviser’s office during normal business hours the books and records of the Subadviser relating to the Portfolio and the Subadviser’s performance hereunder. The Subadviser agrees that all records which it maintains relating to the Fund are property of the Fund, and the Subadviser will promptly surrender to the Fund any of such records or copies thereof upon the Fund’s request. The Subadviser may maintain copies of any such records and further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed under the Act any such records as are required to be maintained by it pursuant to this Subadvisory Agreement. If the Subadviser delegates to any third party any of its obligations under this Section 2(d) relating to books and records, the Subadviser (i) shall only do so to the extent consistent with applicable law, (ii) shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of any such third party as if they were those of the Subadviser, and (iii) shall obtain the written agreement of such third party to comply with the requirements of this Section 2(d) to the same extent as if it were a signatory to this Subadvisory Agreement.
(e) On each business day the Subadviser shall provide to the Fund’s custodian information relating to all transactions concerning the Portfolio’s assets and shall provide to the Fund’s custodian, administrator and/or sub-administrator any such additional information as reasonably requested.
(f) The Subadviser agrees to reimburse MML Advisers and the Fund for any reasonable costs, upon evidence of invoices, bills, etc., associated with the production, printing and filing with the Commission (not including attorneys’ fees or mailing costs) of supplements to the Disclosure Documents due to material changes caused by or relating to the Subadviser, except for any such costs which may properly be charged to the Fund.
(g) The Subadviser shall not consult with any other subadviser to the Fund or any other subadviser to any other portfolio of the Trust or to any other investment company or investment company series for which MML Advisers serves as investment adviser concerning transactions for the Fund in securities or other assets, other than for purposes of complying with conditions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 12d3-1 under the Act.
(h) As MML Advisers or the Board of Trustees of the Trust may request from time to time, the Subadviser shall timely provide to MML Advisers (i) information and commentary for the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, in a format approved by MML Advisers, and shall (A) certify that such information and commentary discuss the factors that materially affected the performance of the Portfolio, including the relevant market conditions and the investment techniques and strategies used, and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the information and commentary not misleading and (B) provide additional certifications related to the Subadviser’s management of the Portfolio in order to support the Fund’s filings on Form N-CSR and Form N-Q, and the Fund’s Principal Executive Officer’s and Principal Financial Officer’s certifications under Rule 30a-2 under the Act; (ii) a quarterly certification, as well as any requested sub-certifications, with respect to compliance matters related to the Subadviser and the Subadviser’s management of the Portfolio, in formats reasonably requested by MML Advisers, as they may be amended from time to time; and (iii) an annual certification from the Subadviser’s Chief Compliance Officer, appointed under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act, with respect to the design and operation of the Subadviser’s compliance program, in a format reasonably requested by MML Advisers.
(i) In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or fraud on the part of the Subadviser, or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder, the Subadviser shall not be subject to any liability to MML Advisers, the Trust or the Fund, or to any shareholder, officer, director, partner or Trustee thereof, for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder.
(j) The Subadviser shall have no liability for the acts or omissions of any custodian of the Fund’s assets.
(k) Provided that none of MML Advisers, the Fund or the Trust shall be required to pay any compensation other than as provided by the terms of this Subadvisory Agreement and subject to the provisions of Section 5 hereof and applicable law, the Subadviser may obtain investment information, research or assistance from any other person, firm or corporation to assist the Subadviser with respect to the performance of its obligations under this Subadvisory Agreement. Such engagement shall not involve any such person serving as an “adviser” to the Portfolio within the meaning of the Act or represent an assignment of any rights or responsibilities, and the Subadviser shall remain liable for the performance of its obligations under this Subadvisory Agreement and for the acts and omissions of such persons, firms or corporations.
Duties of the Adviser The Adviser shall continue to have responsibility for all services to be provided to the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement and shall oversee and review the Subadviser’s performance of its duties under this Agreement. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall obligate the Adviser to provide any funding or other support for the purpose of directly or indirectly promoting investments in the Fund.
DUTIES OF THE ADVISOR The Advisor will use its reasonable best efforts to present to the Company and the Operating Partnership potential investment opportunities and to provide a continuing and suitable investment program consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Company as determined and adopted from time to time by the Board. In performance of this undertaking, subject to the supervision of the Board and consistent with the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and the Operating Partnership Agreement, the Advisor, directly or indirectly, will:
(a) serve as the Company’s and the Operating Partnership’s investment and financial advisor;
(b) provide the daily management for the Company and the Operating Partnership and perform and supervise the various administrative functions necessary for the day-to-day management of the operations of the Company and the Operating Partnership;
(c) investigate, select and, on behalf of the Company and the Operating Partnership, engage and conduct business with and supervise the performance of such Persons as the Advisor deems necessary to the proper performance of its obligations hereunder (including consultants, accountants, correspondents, lenders, technical advisors, attorneys, brokers, underwriters, corporate fiduciaries, escrow agents, depositaries, custodians, agents for collection, insurers, insurance agents, banks, builders, developers, property owners, property managers, real estate management companies, real estate operating companies, securities investment advisors, mortgagors, the registrar and the transfer agent and any and all agents for any of the foregoing), including Affiliates of the Advisor and Persons acting in any other capacity deemed by the Advisor necessary or desirable for the performance of any of the foregoing services (including entering into contracts in the name of the Company and the Operating Partnership with any of the foregoing);
(d) consult with the officers and Directors of the Company and assist the Directors in the formulation and implementation of the Company’s financial policies, and, as necessary, furnish the Board with advice and recommendations with respect to the making of investments consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Company and in connection with any borrowings proposed to be undertaken by the Company or the Operating Partnership;
(e) subject to the provisions of Section 4 , (i) participate in formulating an investment strategy and asset allocation framework; (ii) locate, analyze and select potential Investments; (iii) structure and negotiate the terms and conditions of transactions pursuant to which acquisitions and dispositions of Investments will be made; (iv) research, identify, review and recommend acquisitions and dispositions of Investments to the Board and make Investments on behalf of the Company and the Operating Partnership in compliance with the investment objectives and policies of the Company; (v) arrange for financing and refinancing and make other changes in the asset or capital structure of, and dispose of, reinvest the proceeds from the sale of, or otherwise deal with, Investments; (vi) enter into leases and service contracts for Real Estate Assets and, to the extent necessary, perform all other operational functions for the maintenance and administration of such Real Estate Assets; (vii) actively oversee and manage Investments for purposes of meeting the Company’s investment objectives and reviewing and analyzing financial information for each of the Investments and the overall portfolio;
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.
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 the Sub-Adviser Subject to supervision by the Adviser and the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Sub-Adviser shall manage all of the securities and other assets of each Fund entrusted to it hereunder (the “Assets”), including the purchase, retention and disposition of the Assets, in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in each Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, as currently in effect and as amended or supplemented from time to time (referred to collectively as the “Prospectus”), and subject to the following:
(a) The Sub-Adviser shall, in consultation with and subject to the direction of the Adviser, determine from time to time what Assets will be purchased, retained or sold by a Fund, and what portion of the Assets will be invested or held uninvested in cash.
(b) In the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall act in conformity with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust (as defined herein), Prospectus, Compliance Policies and Procedures and with the instructions and directions of the Adviser and of the Board of Trustees of the Trust and will conform to and comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations, as each is amended from time to time.
(c) The Sub-Adviser shall determine the Assets to be purchased or sold by a Fund as provided in subparagraph (a) and will place orders with or through such persons, brokers or dealers to carry out the policy with respect to brokerage set forth in a Fund’s Prospectus or as the Board of Trustees or the Adviser may direct from time to time, in conformity with all federal securities laws. In executing Fund transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, the Sub-Adviser will use its best efforts to seek on behalf of each Fund the best overall terms available. In assessing the best overall terms available for any transaction, the Sub-Adviser shall consider all factors that it deems relevant, including the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the financial condition and execution capability of the broker or dealer, and the reasonableness of the commission, if any, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. In evaluating the best overall terms available, and in selecting the broker-dealer to execute a particular transaction, the Sub-Adviser may also consider the brokerage and research services provided (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)). Consistent with any guidelines established by the Board of Trustees of the Trust and Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to pay to a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and research services a commission for executing a portfolio transaction for a Fund which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if, but only if, the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer — viewed in terms of that particular transaction or in terms of the overall responsibilities of the Sub-Adviser to its discretionary clients, including a Fund. In addition, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to allocate purchase and sale orders for securities to brokers or dealers (including brokers and dealers that are affiliated with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser or the Trust’s principal underwriter) if the Sub-Adviser believes that the quality of the transaction and the commission are comparable to what they would be with other qualified firms. In no instance, however, will a Fund’s Assets be purchased from or sold to the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, the Trust’s principal underwriter, or any affiliated person of either the Trust, Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or the principal underwriter, acting as principal in the transaction, except to the extent permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the 1940 Act.
(d) The Sub-Adviser shall maintain all books and records with respect to transactions involving the Assets required by subparagraphs (b)(5), (6), (7), (9), (10) and (11) and paragraph (f) of Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Sub-Adviser shall keep the books and records relating to the Assets required to be maintained by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement and shall timely furnish to the Adviser all information relating to the Sub-Adviser’s services under this Agreement needed by the Adviser to keep the other books and records of a Fund required by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Sub-Adviser agrees that all records that it maintains on behalf of a Fund are property of the Fund and the Sub-Adviser will surrender promptly to a Fund any of such records upon the Fund’s request; provided, however, that the Sub-Adviser may retain a copy of such records. In addition, for the duration of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act any such records as are required to be maintained by it pursuant to this Agreement, and shall transfer said records to any successor sub-adviser upon the termination of this Agreement (or, if there is no successor sub-adviser, to the Adviser).
(e) The Sub-Adviser shall provide a Fund’s custodian on each business day with information relating to all transactions concerning a Fund’s Assets and shall provide the Adviser with such information upon request of the Adviser.
(f) To the extent called for by the Trust’s Compliance Policies and Procedures, or as reasonably requested by a Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall provide the Fund with information and advice regarding Assets to assist the Fund in determining the appropriate valuation of such Assets.
(g) The investment management services provided by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive and the Sub-Adviser shall be free to render similar services to others, as long as such services do not impair the services rendered to the Adviser or the Trust.
(h) The Sub-Adviser shall promptly notify the Adviser of any financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair the Sub-Adviser’s ability to fulfill its commitment under this Agreement.
(i) Except under the circumstances set forth in subsection (ii), the Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible for reviewing proxy solicitation materials or voting and handling proxies in relation to the securities held as Assets in a Fund. If the Sub-Adviser receives a misdirected proxy, it shall promptly forward such misdirected proxy to the Adviser.
(ii) The Sub-Adviser hereby agrees that upon 60 days’ written notice from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser shall assume responsibility for reviewing proxy solicitation materials and voting proxies in relation to the securities held as Assets in a Fund. As of the time the Sub-Adviser shall assume such responsibilities with respect to proxies under this sub-section (ii), the Adviser shall instruct the custodian and other parties providing services to a Fund to promptly forward misdirected proxies to the Sub-Adviser.
(j) In performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser shall not consult with any other sub-adviser to a Fund or a sub-adviser to a portfolio that is under common control with a Fund concerning the Assets, except as permitted by the policies and procedures of a Fund. The Sub-Adviser shall not provide investment advice to any assets of a Fund other than the Assets.
(k) On occasions when the Sub-Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of a Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Adviser, the Sub-Adviser may, to the extent permitted by applicable law and regulations, aggregate the order for securities to be sold or purchased. In such event, the Sub-Adviser will allocate securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, in a manner the Sub-Adviser reasonably considers to be equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to a Fund and to such other clients under the circumstances.
(l) The Sub-Adviser shall provide to the Adviser or the Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports, balance sheets or financial information, and such other information with regard to its affairs as the Adviser or Board of Trustees may reasonably request. The Sub-Adviser shall also furnish to the Adviser any other information relating to the Assets that is required to be filed by the Adviser or the Trust with the SEC or sent to shareholders under the 1940 Act (including the rules adopted thereunder) or any exemptive or other relief that the Adviser or the Trust obtains from the SEC.
(m) With respect to the Assets of a Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall file any required reports with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(f) and Section 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the rules and regulations thereunder. To the extent permitted by law, the services to be furnished by the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any of the Sub-Adviser’s partners, officers, employees or control affiliates; provided, however, that the use of such mediums does not relieve the Sub-Adviser from any obligation or duty under this Agreement.
