Prospectuses and Proxy Statements; Voting 3.1. The Underwriter shall provide the Company with as many copies of the Fund's current prospectus (describing only the Designated Portfolios listed on Schedule B) as the Company may reasonably request. If requested by the Company in lieu thereof, the Fund shall provide such documentation (including a final copy of the new prospectus on computer diskette or other electronic means at the Fund's expense) and other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order for the Company once each year (or more frequently if the prospectus for a Designated Portfolio is amended) to have the prospectus for the Contracts and the prospectus for the Designated Portfolios printed together in one document. Expenses with respect to the foregoing shall be borne as provided under Article V.
3.2. The Fund's prospectus shall state that the current Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") for the Fund is available from the Fund and the Fund shall provide a copy of such SAI to any owner of a Contract who requests such SAI and to the Company in such quantities as the Company may reasonably request. Expenses with respect to the foregoing shall be borne as provided under Article V.
3.3. The Fund shall provide the Company with copies of its proxy material, reports to shareholders, and other communications to shareholders of the Designated Portfolios in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably require for distributing to Contract owners. Expenses with respect to the foregoing shall be borne as provided under Article V.
3.4. The Company shall:
(i) solicit voting instructions from Contract owners;
(ii) vote the shares of each Designated Portfolio in accordance with instructions received from Contract owners; and
(iii) vote shares of each Designated Portfolio for which no instructions have been received in the same proportion as fund shares of such Designated Portfolio for which instructions have been received, so long as and to the extent that the SEC continues to interpret the 1940 Act to require pass-through voting privileges for variable contract owners or to the extent otherwise required by law. The Company reserves the right to vote shares of each Designated Portfolio held in any segregated asset account in its own right, to the extent permitted by law.
3.5. The Fund reserves the right, upon prior written notice to the Company (given at the earliest practicable time), to take all actions, including but not limited to, the dissolution, termination, merger and sale of all assets of the Fund or any Designated Portfolio upon the sole authorization of the Board, to the extent permitted by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the 1940 Act.
3.6. Participating Insurance Companies shall be responsible for assuring that each of their separate accounts participating in a Designated Portfolio calculates voting privileges as required by the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order and consistent with any reasonable standards that the Fund may adopt and provide in writing.
3.7. It is understood and agreed that, except with respect to information regarding the Fund, the Underwriter, the Adviser or Designated Portfolios provided in writing by the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser, none of the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser is responsible for the content of the prospectus or statement of additional information for the Contracts.
PROSPECTUS AND PROXY STATEMENTS; VOTING 3.1. At least annually, the Trust or its designee shall provide the Company, free of charge, with as many copies of the current prospectus (describing only the Portfolios listed in Schedule A hereto) for the Shares as the Company may reasonably request for distribution to existing Policy owners whose Policies are funded by such Shares. The Trust or its designee shall provide the Company, at the Company's expense, with as many copies of the current prospectus for the Shares as the Company may reasonably request for distribution to prospective purchasers of Policies. If requested by the Company in lieu thereof, the Trust or its designee shall provide such documentation (including a "camera ready" copy of the new prospectus as set in type or, at the request of the Company, as a diskette in the form sent to the financial printer) and other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order for the parties hereto once each year (or more frequently if the prospectus for the Shares is supplemented or amended) to have the prospectus for the Policies and the prospectus for the Shares printed together in one document; the expenses of such printing to be apportioned between (a) the Company and (b) the Trust or its designee in proportion to the number of pages of the Policy and Shares' prospectuses, taking account of other relevant factors affecting the expense of printing, such as covers, columns, graphs and charts; the Trust or its designee to bear the cost of printing the Shares' prospectus portion of such document for distribution to owners of existing Policies funded by the Shares and the Company to bear the expenses of printing the portion of such document relating to the Accounts; provided, however, that the Company shall bear all printing expenses of such combined documents where used for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Policies not funded by the Shares. In the event that the Company requests that the Trust or its designee provides the Trust's prospectus in a "camera ready" or diskette format, the Trust shall be responsible for providing the prospectus in the format in which it or MFS is accustomed to formatting prospectuses and shall bear the expense of providing the prospectus in such format (e.g., typesetting expenses), and the Company shall bear the expense of adjusting or changing the format to conform with any of its prospectuses.
3.2. The prospectus for the Shares shall state that the statement of additional information for the Shares is available from the Trust or its designee. The Trust or its designee, at its expense, shall print and provide such statement of additional information to the Company (or a master of such statement suitable for duplication by the Company) for distribution to any owner of a Policy funded by the Shares. The Trust or its designee, at the Company's expense, shall print and provide such statement to the Company (or a master of such statement suitable for duplication by the Company) for distribution to a prospective purchaser who requests such statement or to an owner of a Policy not funded by the Shares.
3.3. The Trust or its designee shall provide the Company free of charge copies, if and to the extent applicable to the Shares, of the Trust's proxy materials, reports to Shareholders and other communications to Shareholders in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably require for distribution to Policy owners.
3.4. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 above, or of Article V below, the Company shall pay the expense of printing or providing documents to the extent such cost is considered a distribution expense. Distribution expenses would include by way of illustration, but are not limited to, the printing of the Shares' prospectus or prospectuses for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Policies not funded by such Shares.
3.5. The Trust hereby notifies the Company that it may be appropriate to include in the prospectus pursuant to which a Policy is offered disclosure regarding the potential risks of mixed and shared funding.
3.6. If and to the extent required by law, the Company shall:
(a) solicit voting instructions from Policy owners;
(b) vote the Shares in accordance with instructions received from Policy owners; and
(c) vote the Shares for which no instructions have been received in the same proportion as the Shares of such Portfolio for which instructions have been received from Policy owners; so long as and to the extent that the SEC continues to interpret the 1940 Act to require pass through voting privileges for variable contract owners. The Company will in no way recommend action in connection with or oppose or interfere with the solicitation of proxies for the Shares held for such Policy owners. The Company reserves the right to vote shares held in any segregated asset account in its own right, to the extent permitted by law. Participating Insurance Companies shall be responsible for assuring that each of their separate accounts holding Shares calculates voting privileges in the manner required by the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order. The Trust and MFS will notify the Company of any changes of interpretations or amendments to the Mixed and Shared Funding Exemptive Order.
Prospectuses All expenses of preparing, converting to XXXXX format, filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other appropriate regulatory body, setting in type, printing and mailing annual or more frequent revisions of the Fund 's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and any supplements thereto and of supplying them to shareholders.
PROSPECTUS AND PROXY STATEMENTS 3.1 TRUST shall prepare and be responsible for filing with the SEC and any state regulators requiring such filing all shareholder reports, notices, proxy materials (or similar materials such as voting instruction solicitation materials), prospectuses and statements of additional information of TRUST. TRUST shall bear the costs of registration and qualification of shares of the Portfolios, preparation and filing of the documents listed in this Section 3.1 and all taxes and filing fees to which an issuer is subject on the issuance and transfer of its shares.
3.2 TRUST or its designee shall provide LIFE COMPANY, free of charge, with as many copies of the current prospectus (or prospectuses), statements of additional information, annual and semi-annual reports and proxy statements for the shares of the Portfolios as LIFE COMPANY may reasonably request for distribution to existing Variable Contract owners whose Variable Contracts are funded by such shares. TRUST or its designee shall provide LIFE COMPANY, at LIFE COMPANY's expense, with as many copies of the current prospectus (or prospectuses) for the shares as LIFE COMPANY may reasonably request for distribution to prospective purchasers of Variable Contracts. If requested by LIFE COMPANY, TRUST or its designee shall provide such documentation (including a "camera ready" copy of the current prospectus (or prospectuses) as set in type or, at the request of LIFE COMPANY, as a diskette in the form sent to the financial printer) and other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order for the parties hereto once a year (or more frequently if the prospectus (or prospectuses) for the shares is supplemented or amended) to have the prospectus for the Variable Contracts and the prospectus (or prospectuses) for the TRUST shares printed together in one document. The expenses of such printing will be apportioned between LIFE COMPANY and TRUST in proportion to the number of pages of the Variable Contract and TRUST prospectus, taking account of other relevant factors affecting the expense of printing, such as covers, columns, graphs and charts; TRUST shall bear the cost of printing the TRUST prospectus portion of such document for distribution only to owners of existing Variable Contracts funded by the TRUST shares and LIFE COMPANY shall bear the expense of printing the portion of such documents relating to the Separate Account; provided, however, LIFE COMPANY shall bear all printing expenses of such combined documents where used for distribution to prospective purchasers or to owners of existing Variable Contracts not funded by the shares. In the event that LIFE COMPANY requests that TRUST or its designee provide TRUST's prospectus in a "camera ready" or diskette format, TRUST shall be responsible for providing the prospectus (or prospectuses) in the format in which it is accustomed to formatting prospectuses and shall bear the expense of providing the prospectus (or prospectuses) in such format (e.g. typesetting expenses), and LIFE COMPANY shall bear the expense of adjusting or changing the format to conform with any of its prospectuses.
3.3 TRUST will provide LIFE COMPANY with at least one complete copy of all prospectuses, statements of additional information, annual and semi-annual reports, proxy statements, exemptive applications and all amendments or supplements to any of the above that relate to the Portfolios promptly after the filing of each such document with the SEC or other regulatory authority. LIFE COMPANY will provide TRUST with at least one complete copy of all prospectuses, statements of additional information, annual and semi-annual reports, proxy statements, exemptive applications and all amendments or supplements to any of the above that relate to a Separate Account promptly after the filing of each such document with the SEC or other regulatory authority.
Registration Statement and Prospectuses Each of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto has become effective under the 1933 Act. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been issued under the 1933 Act, no order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus has been issued and no proceedings for any of those purposes have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, contemplated. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. Each preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time each was filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations. Each preliminary prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering and the Prospectus was or will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to XXXXX, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.
Prospectuses, Reports to Shareholders and Proxy Statements; Voting 3.1. The Fund or its designee shall provide the Company with as many printed copies of the Fund's current prospectus and statement of additional information as the Company may reasonably request. If requested by the Company, in lieu of providing printed copies the Fund shall provide camera-ready film or computer diskettes containing the Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information, and such other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order for the Company once each year (or more frequently if the prospectus and/or statement of additional information for the Fund is amended during the year) to have the prospectus for the Contracts and the Fund's prospectus printed together in one document, and to have the statement of additional information for the Fund and the statement of additional information for the Contracts printed together in one document. Alternatively, the Company may print the Fund's prospectus and/or its statement of additional information in combination with other fund companies' prospectuses and statements of additional information.
3.2. Except as provided in this Section 3.2, all expenses of preparing, setting in type, printing and distributing Fund prospectuses and statements of additional information shall be the expense of the Company. For prospectuses and statements of additional information provided by the Company to its Contract owners who currently own shares of one or more Portfolios ("Existing Contract Owners"), in order to update disclosure as required by the 1933 Act and/or the 1940 Act, the cost of printing shall be borne by the Fund. If the Company chooses to receive camera-ready film or computer diskettes in lieu of receiving printed copies of the Fund's prospectus, the Fund shall bear the cost of typesetting to provide the Fund's prospectus to the Company in the format in which the Fund is accustomed to formatting prospectuses, and the Company shall bear the expense of adjusting or changing the format to conform with any of its prospectuses. In such event, the Fund will reimburse the Company in an amount equal to the product of "x" and "y", where "x" is the number of such prospectuses distributed to Existing Contract Owners and "y" is the Fund's per unit cost of printing the Fund's prospectus. The same procedures shall be followed with respect to the Fund's statement of additional information. The Company agrees to provide the Fund or its designee with such information as may be reasonably requested by the Fund to assure that the Fund's expenses do not include the costs of printing, typesetting or distributing any prospectuses or statements of additional information other than the costs of printing those prospectuses or statements of additional information actually distributed to Existing Contract Owners.
Voting and Proxies Neither the Bank nor any nominee of the Bank will vote any of the Portfolio Securities held hereunder, except in accordance with Proper Instructions or an Officers' Certificate. The Bank will execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the Fund all notices, proxies and proxy soliciting materials delivered to the Bank with respect to such Securities, such proxies to be executed by the registered holder of such Securities (if registered otherwise than in the name of the Fund), but without indicating the manner in which such proxies are to be voted.
Voting; Proxies Unless otherwise provided in the Agreement, each Securityholder entitled to vote at any meeting of Securityholders shall have voting power proportionate to the outstanding amount, based on initial issue price, of the Securities held by such Securityholder that have voting power upon the matter in question. Each Securityholder entitled to vote at a meeting of Securityholders or to express consent or dissent to action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such Securityholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A duly executed proxy shall be irrevocable if it states that it is irrevocable and if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power, regardless of whether the interest with which it is coupled is an interest in the Securities themselves or an interest in the Company generally. A Securityholder may revoke any proxy which is not irrevocable by attending the meeting and voting in person or by filing an instrument in writing revoking the proxy or another duly executed proxy bearing a later date with the Secretary of the Company. Voting at meetings of Securityholders need not be by written ballot unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Securities entitled to vote thereon present in person or represented by proxy at such meeting shall so determine. Directors shall be designated, removed and replaced as provided in the Agreement and Article II hereof. Other than in the case of any matter expressly set forth in the Agreement for which a higher vote may be required, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Securities present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the Securityholders.
Furnishing of Prospectuses The Company will furnish to the Representatives copies of the Registration Statement, including all exhibits, any Statutory Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents, in each case as soon as available and in such quantities as the Representatives reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the Underwriters all such documents.
Amendments and Supplements to the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package and Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters If, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or then prevailing, as the case may be, not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or then prevailing, as the case may be, not misleading, or if, in the reasonable judgment of the Ventas Entities or their counsel, it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or to file a new registration statement containing the Prospectus, in order to comply with applicable law, including in connection with the delivery of the Prospectus, the Ventas Entities agree to (i) notify the Representatives of any such event or condition and (ii) upon reasonable notice to the Representatives and subject to Section 3(a) hereof, promptly prepare and file with the Commission (and use their commercially reasonable efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement or any new registration statement declared effective) and furnish to the Underwriters and to dealers, such amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any new registration statement, necessary in order to make the statements in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or then prevailing, as the case may be, not misleading or so that the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
