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 Company The Company shall at all times during the term of Options:
(a) Reserve and keep available for issue such number of shares of its authorized and unissued common stock as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this Agreement;
(b) Pay all original issue taxes with respect to the issue of shares pursuant hereto and all other fees and expenses necessarily incurred by the Company in connection therewith;
(c) Use its best efforts to comply with all laws and regulations which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, shall be applicable thereto.
DUTIES OF GFS GFS’s duties with respect to Fund Accounting, Fund Administration and Transfer Agency services are detailed in Appendices I, II and III to this Agreement.
(a) In order for GFS to perform the Services, the Trust (i) shall cause all service providers to the Funds of the Trust to furnish any and all information to GFS, and assist GFS as may be required and (ii) shall ensure that GFS has access to all records and documents maintained by the Trust or any service provider to the Trust or a Fund of the Trust.
(b) GFS shall, for all purposes herein, be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.
(c) Whenever, in the course of performing its duties under this Agreement, GFS determines, on the basis of information supplied to GFS by the Trust, that a violation of applicable law has occurred, or that, to its knowledge, a possible violation of applicable law may have occurred, or with the passage of time could occur, GFS shall promptly notify the Trust and its legal counsel of such violation.
Duties of Members Each Member must have a duty as set forth in Exhibit 1 to this agreement. The Members agree that the failure to satisfy a Member’s duties may result in the expulsion or removal of that Member.
(a) If a Member fails at their duties for a period of one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days, the Member will lose their membership interest. The start date of the failure must be documented.
(b) If a Member fails to do their duties for one hundred twenty (120) days out of any two hundred thirty nine (239) day period, the Company will consider such a failure and whether the Member will be expelled and lose their membership interest in accordance with this Article and Section 00-00-000 of the Act. The dates of failure in question must be documented.
(c) If a Member disputes the completion of another Member’s duties and attempts to take over that Member’s interest, they must do so in writing by certified delivery to the Member’s residential address as listed in Exhibit 1. If certified delivery is not available, hand delivery by a third party is acceptable.
(d) If a Member receives a complaint as described above, the Member must fulfill their established duties within fourteen (14) days.
(e) If there is a dispute as to what any Member’s duties are or if those duties are being fulfilled, and the Members have gone through the dispute process outlined in the above subsections (a) through (d) of this Section 4.06, the Members agree to enter into binding mediation or arbitration to decide if the Member’s duties are being performed in compliance with the agreed duties as outlined in Exhibit 1 of this Agreement. If the Members fail to reach an agreement through arbitration or mediation, the Members in dispute agree to file a complaint in the appropriate Court to procure a decision as to the fulfillment of Members’ duties. Upon a decision by the Court that a Member has failed to meet its duties, the Member will assign and forfeit their membership interest to the other remaining Member(s). The assignment of the non-compliant Member’s membership interest will result in a debt owed to the non-compliant Member by the Company. The debt owed to the expelled Member shall be the aggregate sum of any capital contributions submitted to the Company by the expelled Member.
(f) The value of the non-compliant Member’s interest being transferred to the remaining Member(s) must be determined before the transfer can be completed. During the course of the transfer, the non-compliant Member will maintain complete powers of membership in the Company.
(g) In the event of a dispute of Member’s duties, Members may negotiate an exchange of membership interests for a lesser amount of Member duties, provided that modification is memorialized and attached to Exhibit 1.
Services and Duties of USBFS USBFS shall provide the following transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent services to the Fund:
A. Receive and process all orders for the purchase, exchange, transfer, and/or redemption of Fund shares in accordance with Rule 22c-1 under the 1940 Act, other applicable regulations, and as specified in the Fund's prospectus (the "Prospectus”).
B. Process purchase and redemption orders with prompt delivery, where appropriate, of payment and supporting documentation to the shareholder based on the shareholder’s or the Trust’s custodian instructions, and record the appropriate number of shares being held in the appropriate shareholder account.
C. Process redemption requests received in good order and, where relevant, deliver appropriate documentation to the Trust's custodian.
D. Pay proceeds upon receipt from the Trust's custodian, where relevant, in accordance with the instructions of redeeming shareholders.
E. Process transfers of shares in accordance with the shareholder's instructions, after receipt of appropriate documentation from the shareholder as specified in the Prospectus.
F. Prepare and transmit payments, or apply reinvestments for income dividends and capital gains distributions declared by the Trust with respect to a Fund, after deducting any amount required to be withheld by any applicable laws, rules and regulations and in accordance with shareholder instructions.
G. Serve as the Fund’s agent in connection with systematic plans including, but not limited to, systematic investment plans, systematic withdrawal plans, and systematic exchange plans.
H. Make changes to shareholder records, including, but not limited to, address and plan changes (e.g., systematic investment and withdrawal, dividend reinvestment).
I. Handle load and multi-class processing, including rights of accumulation and purchases by letters of intent in accordance with the Prospectus.
J. Record the issuance of shares of each Fund and maintain, pursuant to Rule 17Ad-10(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), a record of the total number of shares of each Fund which are authorized, issued and outstanding.
K. Prepare ad-hoc reports as necessary at prevailing rates.
L. Mail shareholder reports and Prospectuses to current shareholders.
M. Prepare and file U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate information returns required with respect to dividends and distributions for all shareholders.
N. Provide shareholder account information upon shareholder or Trust requests and prepare and mail confirmations and statements of account to shareholders for all purchases, redemptions and other confirmable transactions as agreed upon with the Trust.
O. Mail and/or obtain shareholders’ certifications under penalties of perjury and pay on a timely basis to the appropriate federal or state authorities any taxes to be withheld on dividends and distributions paid by the Trust, all as required by applicable federal and state tax laws and regulations.
P. Answer correspondence from shareholders, securities brokers and others relating to USBFS’ duties hereunder within required time periods established by applicable regulation.
Q. Reimburse the Fund for all material losses resulting from “as of” processing errors for which USBFS is responsible in accordance with the “as of” processing guidelines set forth on Exhibit B hereto.
R. Calculate average assets held in shareholder accounts for purposes of paying Rule 12b-1 and/or shareholder servicing fees as directed by a Fund
S. Provide service and support to financial intermediaries including but not limited to trade placements, settlements, and corrections.
Duties of Contractor The Contractor shall provide the following services relative to this Contract:
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.
Duties of Consultant The Consultant agrees that it will generally provide the following specified consulting services through its officers and employees during the term specified in Section 1, above.
(a) Consult with and assist the Company in developing and implementing appropriate plans and means for presenting the Company and its business plans, strategy and personnel to the financial community, establishing an image for the Company in the financial community, and creating the foundation for subsequent financial public relations efforts;
(b) Introduce the Company to the financial community, including, but not limited to, retail brokers, buy side and sell side institutional managers, portfolio managers, analysts, and financial public relations professionals;
(c) With the cooperation of the Company, maintain an awareness during the term of this Agreement of the Company’s plans, strategy and personnel, as they may evolve during such period, and consult and assist the Company in communicating appropriate information regarding such plans, strategy and personnel to the financial community;
(d) Assist and consult the Company with respect to its (i) relations with stockholders, (ii) relations with brokers, dealers, analysts and other investment professionals, and (iii) financial public relations generally;
(e) Perform the functions generally assigned to stockholder relations and public relations departments in major corporations, including responding to telephone and written inquiries (which may be referred to the Consultant by the Company); reviewing press releases before they are released by the Company as well as reports and other communications with or to shareholders, the investment community and the general public; consulting with respect to the timing, form, distribution and other matters related to such releases, reports and communications; and, at the Company’s request and subject to the Company’s securing its own rights to the use of its names, marks, and logos, consulting with respect to corporate symbols, logos, names, the presentation of such symbols, logos and names, and other matters relating to corporate image;
(f) Upon and with the Company’s direction and written approval, disseminate information regarding the Company to shareholders, brokers, dealers, other investment community professionals and the general investing public;
(g) Upon and with the Company’s direction, conduct meetings, in person or by telephone, with brokers, dealers, analysts and other investment professionals to communicate with them regarding the Company’s plans, goals and activities, and assist the Company in preparing for press conferences and other forums involving the media, investment professionals and the general investment public;
(h) At the Company’s request, review business plans, strategies, mission statements budgets, proposed transactions and other plans for the purpose of advising the Company of the public relations implications thereof; and
(i) Otherwise perform as the Company’s consultant for public relations and relations with financial professionals.
Duties of the Custodian with Respect to Property of the Fund Held By the Custodian in the United States
Duties of Advisor The Trust employs the Advisor to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Wellington Management Portfolio; to continuously review, supervise, and administer an investment program for the Wellington Management Portfolio; to determine in its discretion the securities to be purchased or sold and the portion of such assets to be held uninvested; to provide the Fund with all records concerning the activities of the Advisor that the Fund is required to maintain; and to render regular reports to the Trust's officers and the Board of Trustees concerning the discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Advisor will discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the supervision and oversight of the Trust's officers and the Board of Trustees, and in compliance with the objective, policies, and limitations set forth in the Fund's prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, any additional operating policies or procedures that the Fund communicates to the Advisor in writing, and applicable laws and regulations. The Advisor agrees to provide, at its own expense, the office space, furnishings and equipment, and personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein.
