Representations and Warranties of the Servicer The Servicer represents and warrants to, and covenants with, the Trustee for the benefit of the Certificateholders that as of the Closing Date: (a) The Servicer is a corporation duly chartered and validly existing in good standing under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and the Servicer is duly qualified or registered as a foreign corporation in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the ownership or lease or its properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification; (b) The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Servicer and its performance and compliance with the terms of this Agreement will not violate the Servicer's corporate charter or by-laws or constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the breach of, any material contract, agreement or other instrument to which the Servicer is a party or which may be applicable to the Servicer or any of its assets; (c) This Agreement, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Trustee and the Depositor, constitutes a valid, legal and binding obligation of the Servicer, enforceable against it in accordance with the terms hereof subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally and to general principles of equity, regardless of whether such enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law; (d) The Servicer is not in default with respect to any order or decree of any court or any order, regulation or demand of any federal, state, municipal or governmental agency, which default might have consequences that would materially and adversely affect the condition (financial or other) or operations of the Servicer or its properties or might have consequences that would affect its performance hereunder; and (e) No litigation is pending or, to the best of the Servicer's knowledge, threatened against the Servicer which would prohibit its entering into this Agreement or performing its obligations under this Agreement. It is understood and agreed that the representations and warranties set forth in this Section 3.02 shall survive the issuance and delivery of the Certificates and shall be continuing as long as any Certificate shall be outstanding or this Agreement has been terminated.
Additional Representations and Warranties of the Servicer Except as disclosed in writing to the Seller, the Master Servicer, the Depositor and the Trustee prior to the Closing Date: (i) the Servicer is not aware and has not received notice that any default, early amortization or other performance triggering event has occurred as to any other securitization due to any act or failure to act of the Servicer; (ii) the Servicer has not been terminated as servicer in a residential mortgage loan securitization, either due to a servicing default or to application of a servicing performance test or trigger; (iii) no material noncompliance with the applicable servicing criteria with respect to other securitizations of residential mortgage loans involving the Servicer as servicer has been disclosed or reported by the Servicer; (iv) no material changes to the Servicer’s policies or procedures with respect to the servicing function it will perform under this Agreement for mortgage loans of a type similar to the Mortgage Loans have occurred during the three-year period immediately preceding the Closing Date; (v) there are no aspects of the Servicer’s financial condition that could have a material adverse effect on the performance by the Servicer of its servicing obligations under this Agreement and (vi) there are no affiliations, relationships or transactions relating to the Servicer or any Subservicer with any party listed on Exhibit I hereto.
Representations and Warranties of the Special Servicer (a) The Special Servicer, in such capacity, hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the other parties hereto and for the benefit of the Certificateholders and the Serviced Non-Trust Mortgage Loan Noteholders, as of the Closing Date, that: (i) The Special Servicer is a corporation validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, and the Special Servicer is in compliance with the laws of each state in which any Mortgaged Property is located to the extent necessary to perform its obligations under this Agreement. (ii) The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Special Servicer, and the performance and compliance with the terms of this Agreement by the Special Servicer, will not: (A) violate the Special Servicer's organizational documents; or (B) constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the breach of, any material agreement or other material instrument to which it is a party or which is applicable to it or any of its assets, which default or breach, in the good faith and reasonable judgment of the Special Servicer, would reasonably be expected to affect materially and adversely either the ability of the Special Servicer to perform its obligations under this Agreement or the financial condition of the Special Servicer. (iii) The Special Servicer has the full power and authority to enter into and consummate all transactions contemplated by this Agreement, has duly authorized the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and has duly executed and delivered this Agreement. (iv) This Agreement, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by each of the other parties hereto, constitutes a valid, legal and binding obligation of the Special Servicer, enforceable against the Special Servicer in accordance with the terms hereof, subject to (A) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally, and (B) general principles of equity, regardless of whether such enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law. (v) The Special Servicer is not in violation of, and its execution and delivery of this Agreement and its performance and compliance with the terms of this Agreement will not constitute a violation of, any law, any order or decree of any court or arbiter, or any order, regulation or demand of any federal, state or local governmental or regulatory authority, which violation, in the Special Servicer's good faith and reasonable judgment, is likely to affect materially and adversely either the ability of the Special Servicer to perform its obligations under this Agreement or the financial condition of the Special Servicer. (vi) No litigation is pending or, to the best of the Special Servicer's knowledge, threatened, against the Special Servicer, the outcome of which, in the Special Servicer's good faith and reasonable judgment, could reasonably be expected to prohibit the Special Servicer from entering into this Agreement or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Special Servicer to perform its obligations under this Agreement. (vii) Any consent, approval, authorization or order of any court or governmental agency or body required under federal or state law for the execution, delivery and performance by the Special Servicer of or compliance by the Special Servicer with this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement has been obtained and is effective except where the lack of consent, approval, authorization or order would not have a material adverse effect on the performance by the Special Servicer under this Agreement. (viii) The Special Servicer possesses all insurance required pursuant to Section 3.07(c) of this Agreement. (b) The representations and warranties of the Special Servicer set forth in Section 3.24(a) shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and shall inure to the benefit of the Persons for whose benefit they were made for so long as the Trust Fund remains in existence. Upon discovery by any party hereto of any breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties, the party discovering such breach shall give prompt written notice thereof to the other parties hereto. (c) Any successor Special Servicer shall be deemed to have made, as of the date of its succession, each of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.24(a), subject to such appropriate modifications to the representation and warranty set forth in Section 3.24(a)(i) to accurately reflect such successor's jurisdiction of organization and whether it is a corporation, partnership, bank, association or other type of organization.
Representations and Warranties of the Master Servicer (a) The Master Servicer hereby represents and warrants to the Depositor, the Securities Administrator and the Trustee, for the benefit of the Certificateholders, as of the Closing Date that: (i) it is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the United States of America as a national banking association, and as Master Servicer has full power and authority to transact any and all business contemplated by this Agreement and to execute, deliver and comply with its obligations under the terms of this Agreement, the execution, delivery and performance of which have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Master Servicer; (ii) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Master Servicer and its performance and compliance with the terms of this Agreement will not (A) violate the Master Servicer’s charter or bylaws, (B) violate any law or regulation or any administrative decree or order to which it is subject or (C) constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the breach of, any material contract, agreement or other instrument to which the Master Servicer is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its assets are subject, which violation, default or breach would materially and adversely affect the Master Servicer’s ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement; (iii) this Agreement constitutes, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the other respective parties hereto, a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Master Servicer, enforceable against it in accordance with the terms hereof, except as such enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights in general, and by general equity principles (regardless of whether such enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); (iv) the Master Servicer is not in default with respect to any order or decree of any court or any order or regulation of any federal, state, municipal or governmental agency to the extent that any such default would materially and adversely affect its performance hereunder; (v) the Master Servicer is not a party to or bound by any agreement or instrument or subject to any charter provision, bylaw or any other corporate restriction or any judgment, order, writ, injunction, decree, law or regulation that may materially and adversely affect its ability as Master Servicer to perform its obligations under this Agreement or that requires the consent of any third person to the execution of this Agreement or the performance by the Master Servicer of its obligations under this Agreement; (vi) no litigation is pending or, to the best of the Master Servicer’s knowledge, threatened against the Master Servicer which would prohibit its entering into this Agreement or performing its obligations under this Agreement; (vii) the Master Servicer, or an affiliate thereof the primary business of which is the servicing of conventional residential mortgage loans, is a Xxxxxx Mae- or FHLMC-approved seller/servicer; (viii) no consent, approval, authorization or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Master Servicer of or compliance by the Master Servicer with this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for such consents, approvals, authorizations and orders (if any) as have been obtained; and (ix) the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are in the ordinary course of business of the Master Servicer. (b) It is understood and agreed that the representations and warranties set forth in this Section shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement. The Master Servicer shall indemnify the Depositor, the Securities Administrator and the Trustee and hold them harmless against any loss, damages, penalties, fines, forfeitures, legal fees and related costs, judgments, and other costs and expenses resulting from any claim, demand, defense or assertion based on or grounded upon, or resulting from, a material breach of the Master Servicer’s representations and warranties contained in Section 9.03(a). It is understood and agreed that the enforcement of the obligation of the Master Servicer set forth in this Section to indemnify the Depositor, the Securities Administrator and the Trustee as provided in this Section constitutes the sole remedy (other than as set forth in Section 6.14) of the Depositor, the Securities Administrator and the Trustee, respecting a breach of the foregoing representations and warranties. Such indemnification shall survive any termination of the Master Servicer as Master Servicer hereunder, and any termination of this Agreement. Any cause of action against the Master Servicer relating to or arising out of the breach of any representations and warranties made in this Section shall accrue upon discovery of such breach by either the Depositor, the Master Servicer or the Trustee or notice thereof by any one of such parties to the other parties.
Representations and Warranties of the Backup Servicer The Backup Servicer in its individual capacity and as Backup Servicer represents and warrants as follows:
Representations of the Servicer The Servicer hereby represents and warrants to the Indenture Trustee, the Depositor, the Collateral Agent, the Trust, the Note Insurer and the Noteholders as of the Closing Date and during the term of this Agreement that: (a) Each of the Servicer and the Subservicers is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective states of incorporation and has the power to own its assets and to transact the business in which it is currently engaged. Each of the Servicer and the Subservicers is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the character of the business transacted by it or properties owned or leased by it or the performance of its obligations hereunder requires such qualification and in which the failure so to qualify could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, assets, or condition (financial or other) of the Servicer or the Subservicers or the performance of their respective obligations hereunder; (b) The Servicer has the power and authority to make, execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and all of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, and has taken all necessary corporate action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, and assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by the other parties hereto constitutes, or will constitute, the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Servicer, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement of such terms may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights of creditors generally, and by general equity principles (regardless of whether such enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); (c) The Servicer is not required to obtain the consent of any other party or any consent, license, approval or authorization from, or registration or declaration with, any governmental authority, bureau or agency which consent already has not been obtained in connection with the execution, delivery, performance, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, except such as have been obtained prior to the Closing Date; (d) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Servicer will not violate any provision of any existing law or regulation or any order or decree of any court or the charter or bylaws of the Servicer, or constitute a breach of any mortgage, indenture, contract or other Agreement to which the Servicer is a party or by which it may be bound; (e) There is no action, suit, proceeding or investigation pending or threatened against the Servicer or the Subservicers which, either in any one instance or in the aggregate, is, in the Servicer's judgment, likely to result in any material adverse change in the business, operations, financial condition, properties, or assets of the Servicer or the Subservicers, or in any material impairment of the right or ability of any of them to carry on its business substantially as now conducted, or in any material liability on the part of any of them, or which would draw into question the validity of this Agreement, the Notes, or the Mortgage Loans or of any action taken or to be taken in connection with the obligations of the Servicer or the Subservicers contemplated herein or therein, or which would be likely to impair materially the ability of the Servicer or the Subservicers to perform their respective obligations hereunder; (f) Neither this Agreement nor any statement, report, or other document furnished by the Servicer or the Subservicers pursuant to this Agreement or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, the sale or placement of the Notes, contains any untrue statement of fact provided by or on behalf of the Servicer or omits to state a fact necessary to make the statements provided by or on behalf of the Servicer contained herein or therein not misleading: (g) The Servicer does not believe, nor does it have any reason or cause to believe, that it cannot perform each and every covenant contained in this Agreement; and (h) None of the Servicer or the Subservicers is an "investment company" or a company "controlled by an investment company," within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. It is understood and agreed that the representations, warranties and covenants set forth in this Section 3.01 shall survive the delivery of the respective Indenture Trustee's Mortgage Files to the Collateral Agent, on behalf of the Indenture Trustee or to another custodian, as the case may be, and inure to the benefit of the Indenture Trustee.
Representations and Warranties of the Sponsor The Sponsor makes the following representations and warranties on which the Owner Trustee relies in accepting the Owner Trust Estate in trust and issuing the Notes and the Residual Certificates and upon which the Insurer relies in issuing the Policy. (a) The Sponsor is duly organized and validly existing as a Delaware limited liability company with power and authority to own its properties and to conduct its business as such properties are currently owned and such business is presently conducted and is proposed to be conducted pursuant to this Agreement and the Basic Documents; (b) It is duly qualified to do business as a foreign company in good standing, and has obtained all necessary licenses and approvals, in all jurisdictions in which the ownership or lease of its property, the conduct of its business and the performance of its obligations under this Agreement and the Basic Documents requires such qualification; (c) The Sponsor has the power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to carry out its terms; this Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Sponsor, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Sponsor, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles; the Sponsor has full power and authority to sell and assign the property to be sold and assigned to and deposited with the Trust and the Sponsor has duly authorized such sale and assignment and deposit to the Trust by all necessary action; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement has been duly authorized by the Sponsor by all necessary action; (d) No consent, license, approval or authorization or registration or declaration with, any Person or with any governmental authority, bureau or agency is required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement and the Basic Documents, except for such as have been obtained, effected or made; (e) The consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the fulfillment of the terms hereof do not conflict with, result in any breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute (with or without notice or lapse of time) a default under, the certificate of formation or operating agreement of the Sponsor, or any material indenture, agreement or other instrument to which the Sponsor is a party or by which it is bound; nor result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any of its properties pursuant to the terms of any such indenture, agreement or other instrument (other than pursuant to the Basic Documents); nor violate any law or, to the best of the Sponsor’s knowledge, any order, rule or regulation applicable to the Sponsor of any court or of any Federal or state regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality having jurisdiction over the Sponsor or its properties; and (f) There are no proceedings or investigations pending or, to its knowledge threatened against it before any court, regulatory body, administrative agency or other tribunal or governmental instrumentality having jurisdiction over the Sponsor or its properties (A) asserting the invalidity of this Agreement or any of the Basic Documents, (B) seeking to prevent the issuance of the Notes or the Residual Certificates or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any of the Basic Documents, (C) seeking any determination or ruling that might materially and adversely affect its performance of its obligations under, or the validity or enforceability of, this Agreement or any of the Basic Documents, or (D) seeking to adversely affect the federal income tax or other federal, state or local tax attributes of the Notes or the Residual Certificates.
Representations and Warranties of the Subadviser The Subadviser hereby represents and warrants to the Fund and MML Advisers that: (a) The Subadviser (i) is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act and will continue to be so registered for so long as this Subadvisory Agreement remains in effect; (ii) is not prohibited by the Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Subadvisory Agreement; (iii) has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer under Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act; (iv) has adopted written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violations of the Advisers Act from occurring, detect violations that have occurred and correct promptly any violations that have occurred, and will provide prompt notice of any material violations relating to the Fund to MML Advisers; (v) has met and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Subadvisory Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any regulatory or industry self-regulatory agency; (vi) has the authority to enter into and perform the services contemplated by this Subadvisory Agreement; and (vii) will promptly notify MML Advisers of the occurrence of any event that would disqualify the Subadviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9(a) of the Act or otherwise. (b) The Subadviser has adopted a written code of ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the Act and will provide MML Advisers with a copy of the code of ethics. Within 60 days of the end of the last calendar quarter of each year that this Subadvisory Agreement is in effect, a duly authorized officer of the Subadviser shall certify to MML Advisers that the Subadviser has complied with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 during the previous year and that there has been no material violation of the Subadviser’s code of ethics or, if such a violation has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such violation. (c) The Subadviser has provided MML Advisers with a copy of its Form ADV Part 2, which as of the date of this Subadvisory Agreement is its Form ADV Part 2 as most recently deemed to be filed with the Commission (“SEC”), and promptly will furnish a copy of all amendments thereto to MML Advisers. The Subadviser will promptly notify MML Advisers of any changes in its key personnel who are either the portfolio manager(s) responsible for the Portfolio or the Subadviser’s Chief Executive Officer or President, or if there is otherwise an actual or expected change in control or management of the Subadviser. (d) There is no pending, or to the best of its knowledge, threatened or contemplated action, suit or proceeding before or by any court, governmental, administrative or self-regulatory body or arbitration panel to which the Subadviser or any of its principals or affiliates is a party, or to which any of the assets of the Subadviser is subject, which reasonably might be expected to (i) result in any material adverse change in the Subadviser’s condition (financial or otherwise), business or prospects; (ii) affect adversely in any material respect any of the Subadviser’s assets; (iii) materially impair the Subadviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Subadvisory Agreement; or (iv) result in a matter which would require an amendment to the Subadviser’s Form ADV Part 2; and the Subadviser has not received any notice of an investigation by the Commission or any state regarding U.S. federal or state securities laws, regulations or rules which would materially impair the Subadviser’s ability to discharge its obligations under this Subadvisory Agreement. (e) All references in the Disclosure Documents concerning the Subadviser and its affiliates and the controlling persons, affiliates, stockholders, directors, officers and employees of any of the foregoing provided to MML Advisers by the Subadviser or approved by the Subadviser for use in the Disclosure Documents, as well as all performance information provided to MML Advisers by the Subadviser or approved by the Subadviser for use by MML Advisers, are accurate in all material respects and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make such information not misleading. The foregoing representations and warranties shall be continuing and be deemed repeated at and as of all times during the term of this Subadvisory Agreement.
Representations and Warranties of the Depositor (a) The Depositor hereby represents and warrants to the Trustee, for the benefit of the Certificateholders, and to the Master Servicer and the Securities Administrator, as of the Closing Date or such other date as is specified, that: (i) the Depositor is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws governing its creation and existence and has full corporate power and authority to own its property, to carry on its business as presently conducted, to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, and to create the trust pursuant hereto; (ii) the execution and delivery by the Depositor of this Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Depositor; neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement, nor the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated, nor compliance with the provisions hereof, will conflict with or result in a breach of, or constitute a default under, any of the provisions of any law, governmental rule, regulation, judgment, decree or order binding on the Depositor or its properties or the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Depositor; (iii) the execution, delivery and performance by the Depositor of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby do not require the consent or approval of, the giving of notice to, the registration with, or the taking of any other action in respect of, any state, federal or other governmental authority or agency, except such as has been obtained, given, effected or taken prior to the date hereof; (iv) this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Depositor and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Trustee, the Master Servicer and the Securities Administrator, constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Depositor enforceable against it in accordance with its terms except as such enforceability may be subject to (A) applicable bankruptcy and insolvency laws and other similar laws affecting the enforcement of the rights of creditors generally and (B) general principles of equity regardless of whether such enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law; (v) there are no actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Depositor, threatened or likely to be asserted, against or affecting the Depositor, before or by any court, administrative agency, arbitrator or governmental body (A) with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (B) with respect to any other matter which in the judgment of the Depositor will be determined adversely to the Depositor and will if determined adversely to the Depositor materially and adversely affect it or its business, assets, operations or condition, financial or otherwise, or adversely affect its ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement; (vi) immediately prior to the transfer and assignment of the Mortgage Loans to the Trustee, the Depositor was the sole owner and holder of each Mortgage Loan, and the Depositor had good and marketable title thereto, and had full right to transfer and sell each Mortgage Loan to the Trustee free and clear, subject only to (1) liens of current real property taxes and assessments not yet due and payable and, if the related Mortgaged Property is a condominium unit, any lien for common charges permitted by statute, (2) covenants, conditions and restrictions, rights of way, easements and other matters of public record as of the date of recording of such Mortgage acceptable to mortgage lending institutions in the area in which the related Mortgaged Property is located and specifically referred to in the lender’s title insurance policy or attorney’s opinion of title and abstract of title delivered to the originator of such Mortgage Loan, and (3) such other matters to which like properties are commonly subject which do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially interfere with the benefits of the security intended to be provided by the Mortgage, of any encumbrance, equity, participation interest, lien, pledge, charge, claim or security interest, and had full right and authority, subject to no interest or participation of, or agreement with, any other party, to sell and assign each Mortgage Loan pursuant to this Agreement; (vii) This Agreement creates either a sale or a valid and continuing security interest (as defined in the UCC), in the Mortgage Loans in favor of the Trustee, which security interest is prior to all other liens, and is enforceable as such against creditors of and purchasers from the Depositor; (viii) The Mortgage Notes constitute “instruments” within the meaning of the applicable UCC; (ix) Other than the security interest or ownership interest granted to the Trustee pursuant to this Agreement, the Depositor has not pledged, assigned, sold, granted a security interest in, or otherwise conveyed any of the Mortgage Loans. The Depositor has not authorized the filing of and is not aware of any financing statement against the Depositor that includes a description of the collateral covering the Mortgage Loans other than a financing statement relating to the security interest granted to the Trustee hereunder or that has been terminated. The Depositor is not aware of any judgment or tax lien filings against the Depositor; (x) None of the Mortgage Loans have any marks or notations indicating that such Mortgage Loans have been pledged, assigned or otherwise conveyed to any Person other than the Trustee; and (xi) The Depositor has received all consents and approvals required by the terms of the Mortgage Loans to convey the Mortgage Loans hereunder to the Trustee. The foregoing representations made in this Section 2.03 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and shall not be waived by any party hereto.
Representations and Warranties of the Custodian The Custodian hereby represents and warrants to the Trust, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, that: (a) It is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted, to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; (b) It is a U.S. Bank as defined in section (a)(7) of Rule 17f-5. (c) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Custodian in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Custodian, enforceable 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; and (d) It is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or performance of this Agreement.