REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND The Corporation, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, represents and warrants to the Trust, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, as follows:
a) The Acquiring Fund is a legally designated, separate series of a corporation, duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland.
b) The Corporation is registered as an open-end management investment company under the 1940 Act, and the Trust's registration with the Commission as an investment company under the 1940 Act is in full force and effect.
c) The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquiring Fund conform in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and do not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated or necessary to make such statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
d) The Acquiring Fund is not, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not, result in a violation of the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws or of any material agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, or other undertaking to which the Acquiring Fund is a party or by which it is bound. e) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by the Acquired Fund, no litigation, administrative proceeding or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or to its knowledge threatened against the Acquiring Fund or any of its properties or assets, which, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect its financial condition, the conduct of its business or the ability of the Acquiring Fund to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Acquiring Fund knows of no facts that might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and it is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree, or judgment of any court or governmental body that materially and adversely affects its business or its ability to consummate the transaction contemplated herein. f) The financial statements of the Acquiring Fund as of April 30, 2003 and for the fiscal year then ended have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquired Funds) fairly reflect the financial condition of the Acquiring Fund as of such date, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquiring Fund as of such date that are not disclosed in such statements. g) The unaudited financial statements of the Acquiring Fund as of October 31, 2003, and for the fiscal year then ended have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquired Fund) fairly reflect the financial condition of the Acquiring Fund as of such date, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquiring Fund as of such date that are not disclosed in such statements. h) Since the date of the financial statements referred to in paragraph (g) above, there have been no material adverse changes in the Acquiring Fund's financial condition, assets, liabilities or business (other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business), or any incurrence by the Acquiring Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and accepted by the Acquired Fund. For the purposes of this paragraph (h), a decline in the net asset value of the Acquiring Fund shall not constitute a material adverse change. i) All federal and other tax returns and reports of the Acquiring Fund required by law to be filed, have been filed. All federal and other taxes shown due on such returns and reports have been paid or provision shall have been made for their payment. To the best of the Acquiring Fund's knowledge, no such return is currently under audit, and no assessment has been asserted with respect to such returns.
Representations of the Acquiring Funds (a) In connection with any investment by an Acquiring Fund in an Acquired Fund in excess of the limitations in Section 12(d)(1)(A), the Acquiring Fund agrees to: (i) comply with all conditions of the Rule, as interpreted or modified by the SEC or its Staff from time to time, applicable to Acquiring Funds; (ii) comply with its obligations under this Agreement; and (iii) promptly notify the Acquired Fund if such Acquiring Fund fails to comply with the Rule with respect to its investment in such Acquired Fund, as interpreted or modified by the SEC or its Staff from time to time, or this Agreement.
(b) An Acquiring Fund shall promptly notify an Acquired Fund:
i. of any purchase or acquisition of shares in an Acquired Fund that causes such Acquiring Fund to hold 3% or more of such Acquired Fund’s total outstanding voting securities;
ii. of any purchase or acquisition of shares in an Acquired Fund that causes such Acquiring Fund to hold 5% or more of such Acquired Fund’s total outstanding voting securities;
iii. where an Acquiring Fund and its Advisory Group (as defined in the Rule), individually or in the aggregate, hold more than 25% of such Acquired Fund’s total outstanding voting securities; and
iv. if at any time an Acquiring Fund no longer holds voting securities of an Acquired Fund in excess of an amount noted in (i), (ii), or (iii) above.
(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any Acquiring Fund that has an “affiliated person” (as defined under the 1940 Act) that is: (i) a broker-dealer, (ii) a broker-dealer or bank that borrows as part of a securities lending program, or (iii) a futures commission merchant or a swap dealer, will: (a) not make an investment in an Acquired Fund that causes such Acquiring Fund to hold 5% or more of such Acquired Fund’s total outstanding voting securities without prior approval from the Acquired Fund, and (b) notify the Acquired Fund if any investment by the Acquiring Fund that complied with (a) at the time of purchase no longer complies.
(d) The requirements set forth in Sections 3(b)(i), 3(b)(ii), and 3(c) shall not apply where the Acquiring Fund’s full portfolio is sub-advised by any affiliate of BlackRock, Inc.
(e) An Acquiring Fund shall provide an Acquired Fund with information regarding the amount of such Acquiring Fund’s investments in the Acquired Fund, and information regarding affiliates of the Acquiring Fund, upon the Acquired Fund’s reasonable request.
(f) Each Acquiring Fund acknowledges that it may not rely on this Agreement to invest in the Ineligible Funds (as defined in Schedule B) and that the Enumerated Funds are subject to certain additional conditions described on the list of Ineligible Funds and Enumerated Funds (the “12d1-4 List”). Each Acquiring Fund acknowledges that the 12d1-4 List is available as described in Schedule B, and further acknowledges that it is an Acquiring Fund’s obligation to review the 12d1-4 List on an ongoing basis for any changes which may occur from time to time.
COVENANTS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND AND THE ACQUIRED FUND 5.1 The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund each will operate its business in the ordinary course between the date hereof and the Closing Date, it being understood that such ordinary course of business will include customary dividends and distributions.
5.2 The Trust will call a meeting of the Acquired Fund Shareholders to consider and act upon this Agreement and to take all other action necessary to obtain approval of the transactions contemplated herein.
5.3 Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund will each take, or cause to be taken, all action, and do or cause to be done, all things reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
5.4 As promptly as practicable, but in any case within sixty days after the Closing Date, the Acquired Fund shall furnish the Acquiring Fund, in such form as is reasonably satisfactory to the Acquiring Fund, a statement of the earnings and profits of the Acquired Fund for federal income tax purposes which will be carried over to the Acquiring Fund as a result of Section 381 of the Code and which will be certified by the Trust's President and its Treasurer.
5.5 The Acquired Fund will provide the Acquiring Fund with information reasonably necessary for the preparation of the Prospectus/Proxy Statement, referred to in paragraph 4.1(o), all to be included in a Registration Statement on Form N-14 of the Acquiring Fund (the "Registration Statement"), in compliance with the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the 1940 Act in connection with the meeting of the Acquired Fund Shareholders to consider approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein.
5.6 The Acquiring Fund agrees to use all reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals and authorizations required by the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act as it may deem appropriate in order to continue its operations after the Closing Date.
5.7 Prior to the Valuation Date, the Acquired Fund shall have declared a dividend or dividends, with a record date and ex-dividend date prior to the Valuation Date, which, together with all previous dividends, shall have the effect of distributing to its shareholders all of its investment company taxable income, if any, plus the excess of its interest income, if any, excludable from gross income under Section 103(a) of the Code over its deductions disallowed under Sections 265 and 171(a)(2) of the Code for the taxable periods or years ended on or before December 31, 1996 and for the period from said date to and including the Closing Date (computed without regard to any deduction for dividends paid), and all of its net capital gain, if any, realized in taxable periods or years ended on or before December 31, 1996 and in the period from said date to and including the Closing Date.
Termination of Fund; No Liability At any time following six months after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall be entitled to require the Paying Agent to deliver to it any funds (including any interest received with respect thereto) which had been made available to the Paying Agent and which have not been disbursed to holders of Certificates, and thereafter such holders shall be entitled to look to the Surviving Corporation (subject to abandoned property, escheat or other similar laws) only as general creditors thereof with respect to the Merger Consideration payable upon due surrender of their Certificates, without any interest thereon. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Surviving Corporation nor the Paying Agent shall be liable to any holder of a Certificate for Merger Consideration delivered to a public official pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar law.
Liability of the Master Servicer Notwithstanding any Subservicing Agreement, any of the provisions of this Agreement relating to agreements or arrangements between the Master Servicer or a Subservicer or reference to actions taken through a Subservicer or otherwise, the Master Servicer shall remain obligated and liable to the Trustee and the Certificateholders for the servicing and administering of the Mortgage Loans in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01 without diminution of such obligation or liability by virtue of such Subservicing Agreements or arrangements or by virtue of indemnification from the Subservicer or the Company and to the same extent and under the same terms and conditions as if the Master Servicer alone were servicing and administering the Mortgage Loans. The Master Servicer shall be entitled to enter into any agreement with a Subservicer or Seller for indemnification of the Master Servicer and nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to limit or modify such indemnification.
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND 7.1. With respect to each Reorganization, the obligations of the Acquiring Entity, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, to complete the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at the Acquiring Fund's election, to the performance by the Target Fund of all of the obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date and, in addition thereto, the following conditions:
(a) All representations and warranties of the Target Entity and the Target Fund contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as of the Closing Date, with the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
(b) The Target Entity, on behalf of the Target Fund, shall have delivered to the Acquiring Entity on the Closing Date (i) a statement of the Target Fund's Assets, together with a list of portfolio securities of the Target Fund, as of the Closing Date, certified by the Treasurer of the Target Entity, (ii) the Target Fund Shareholder Documentation, (iii) the AML Documentation and (iv) to the extent permitted by applicable law, all information pertaining to, or necessary or useful in the calculation or demonstration of, the investment performance of the Target Fund;
(c) The Target Entity shall have delivered to the Acquiring Entity on the Closing Date a certificate executed in its name by its President or Vice President and Treasurer, in form and substance satisfactory to the Acquiring Fund and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the representations and warranties of or with respect to the Target Fund made in this Agreement are true and correct at and as of the Closing Date, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and as to such other matters as the Acquiring Fund shall reasonably request;
(d) The Target Custodian and the Target Transfer Agent shall have delivered the certificates contemplated by Sections 3.2(b), 3.2(d) of this Agreement, respectively, and the Target Transfer Agent or the Target Fund's President or Vice President shall have delivered the certificate contemplated by Section 5.1(f) of this Agreement, each duly executed by an authorized officer of the Target Custodian, the Target Transfer Agent, the Target Fund's President or the Target Fund's Vice President, as applicable;
(e) The Target Entity and the Target Fund shall have performed all of the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Target Entity and the Target Fund, on or before the Closing Date;
(f) The Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the number of full and fractional shares of each class of the Acquiring Fund set forth on Exhibit A hereto to be issued in connection with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in accordance with Section 1.2 hereto;
(g) Unless the Target Fund has been advised by the Acquiring Fund that the Acquiring Fund will deliver an opinion of counsel that the Reorganization qualifies as a "reorganization" under Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code, the Target Fund shall have declared and paid a distribution or distributions prior to the Closing that, together with all previous distributions, shall have the effect of distributing to its shareholders (i) all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to any deductions for dividends paid) and all of its net realized capital gains, if any, for the period from the close of its last fiscal year to the Closing Time on the Closing Date; and (ii) any such undistributed investment company taxable income and net realized capital gains from any prior period to the extent not otherwise already distributed; and
Limitation on the Authority of the Manager to Purchase and Sell Securities for the Account of Certain Underwriters Notwithstanding any provision of this AAU authorizing the Manager to purchase or sell any Securities or Other Securities (including arranging for the sale of Contract Securities) or over-allot in arranging sales of Securities for the accounts of the several Underwriters, the Manager may not, in connection with the Offering of any Securities, make any such purchases, sales, and/or over-allotments for the account of any Underwriter that, not later than its acceptance of the Invitation Wire relating to such Offering, has advised the Manager that, due to its status as, or relationship to, a bank or bank holding company such purchases, sales, and/or over-allotments are prohibited by applicable law. If any Underwriter so advises the Manager, the Manager may allocate any such purchases, sales, and over-allotments (and the related expenses) which otherwise would have been allocated to your account based on your respective Underwriting Percentage to your account based on the ratio of your Original Underwriting Obligation to the Original Underwriting Obligations of all Underwriters other than the advising Underwriter or Underwriters, or in such other manner as the Manager will determine.
Failure to Consummate a Business Combination; Trust Account Waiver (a) The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agree, with respect to itself, herself or himself, that in the event that the Company fails to consummate its initial Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter, the Sponsor and each Insider shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously release to the Company to pay income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Board, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor and each Insider agree not to propose any amendment to the Charter (i) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide holders of the Public Shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete an initial Business Combination within the required time period set forth in the Charter or (ii) with respect to any provision relating to the rights of holders of Public Shares unless the Company provides its Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-outstanding Public Shares.
(b) The Sponsor and each Insider, with respect to itself, herself or himself, acknowledges that it, she or he has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or any other asset of the Company as a result of any liquidation of the Company with respect to the Founder Shares held by it, her or him, if any. The Sponsor and each of the Insiders hereby further waive, with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it, her or him, as applicable, any redemption rights it, she or he may have in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, including, without limitation, any such rights available in the context of a shareholder vote to approve such Business Combination or a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Charter (i) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide holders of the Public Shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter or (ii) with respect to any provision relating to the rights of holders of Public Shares (although the Sponsor and the Insiders shall be entitled to liquidation rights with respect to any Public Shares they hold if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in the Charter).
Liability of the Trustee The Trustee shall be liable in accordance herewith only to the extent of the obligations specifically imposed upon and undertaken by the Trustee herein. Neither the Trustee nor any of the directors, officers, employees or agents of the Trustee shall be under any liability on any Certificate or otherwise to the Depositor, either of the Sellers, the Servicer, the Certificate Insurer or any Owner for any action taken or for refraining from the taking of any action in good faith pursuant to this Agreement, or for errors in judgment; provided, however, that this provision shall not protect the Trustee, its directors, officers, employees or agents or any such Person against any liability which would otherwise be imposed by reason of negligent action, negligent failure to act or willful misconduct in the performance of duties or by reason of reckless disregard of obligations and duties hereunder. Subject to the foregoing sentence, the Trustee shall not be liable for losses on investments of amounts in the Certificate Account (except for any losses on obligations on which the bank serving as Trustee is the obligor). In addition, the Depositor, each of the Sellers and Servicer covenant and agree to indemnify the Trustee, and when the Trustee is acting as Servicer, the Servicer, from, and hold it harmless against, any and all losses, liabilities, damages, claims or expenses (including legal fees and expenses) of whatsoever kind arising out of or in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder other than those resulting from the negligence or bad faith of the Trustee, and the Depositor shall pay all amounts not otherwise paid pursuant to Sections 2.05 and 7.06 hereof. The Trustee and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Trustee may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting in good faith on any certificate, notice or other document of any kind prima facie properly executed and submitted by the Authorized Officer of any Person respecting any matters arising hereunder. The provisions of this Section 10.13 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the outstanding Certificates.
Representations of the Acquired Funds In connection with any investment by an Acquiring Fund in an Acquired Fund in excess of the limitations in Section 12(d)(1)(A), the Acquired Fund agrees to: (i) comply with all conditions of the Rule, as interpreted or modified by the SEC or its Staff from time to time, applicable to Acquired Funds; (ii) comply with its obligations under this Agreement; and (iii) promptly notify the Acquiring Fund if such Acquired Fund fails to comply with the Rule with respect to an investment by the Acquiring Fund, as interpreted or modified by the SEC or its Staff from time to time, or this Agreement.
