Duties of the Trustee The Trustee, before the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing of all Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Agreement. In case an Event of Default has occurred and remains uncured, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Agreement, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person's own affairs. The Trustee, upon receipt of all resolutions, certificates, statements, opinions, reports, documents, orders or other instruments furnished to the Trustee that are specifically required to be furnished pursuant to any provision of this Agreement shall examine them to determine whether they are in the form required by this Agreement. The Trustee shall not be responsible for the accuracy or content of any such resolution, certificate, statement, opinion, report, document, order, or other instrument. No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct; provided, however, that, unless an Event of Default known to the Trustee has occurred and is continuing,
(a) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Agreement, the Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of the duties and obligations specifically set forth in this Agreement, no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against the Trustee, and the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Agreement which it believed in good faith to be genuine and to have been duly executed by the proper authorities respecting any matters arising hereunder;
(b) the Trustee shall not be liable for an error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it is finally proven that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and
(c) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of Holders of Certificates evidencing not less than 25% of the Voting Rights of Certificates relating to the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee under this Agreement.
REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TRUST The Trust certifies to Ultimus that: (1) as of the close of business on the Effective Date, each Portfolio that is in existence as of the Effective Date has authorized unlimited shares, and (2) this Agreement has been duly authorized by the Trust and, when executed and delivered by the Trust, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable against the Trust 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.
Powers of the Trustee 3.1.1 Except as set forth in this State Trust Agreement, the Trustee shall have the power to perform those acts necessary and desirable to accomplish the purposes of the State Mitigation Trust, which shall be exercised in an efficient and expeditious manner in furtherance of and in a manner consistent with the purposes of this State Trust Agreement and the Consent Decree. Subject to the limitations on liability set forth in subparagraph 3.5.2, the Trustee shall act in accordance with the current professional standards of care and with the diligence, skill, and care expected for the administration of such a Trust. The Trustee shall have only such duties, rights, powers, and privileges expressly set forth in the Consent Decree, this State Trust Agreement, and as otherwise provided by the Delaware Act. No implied duties (including fiduciary duties) shall be read into this State Trust against Wilmington Trust, N.A., acting as the Trustee.
3.1.2 Upon the Trust Effective Date, the powers of the Trustee shall include the following:
3.1.2.1 To receive, manage, invest, reinvest, supervise, and protect the Trust Assets as provided in Paragraph 3.2 of this State Trust Agreement or to engage a professional investment manager (“Investment Manager”) to receive, manage, invest, reinvest, supervise, and protect the Trust Assets as provided in Paragraph 3.2 for the benefit of the Beneficiaries. The Trustee appoints Wilmington Trust, N.A. as the Investment Manager for the State Mitigation Trust pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement entered into on the Trust Effective Date to manage the Trust Assets in accordance with Paragraph 3.2;
3.1.2.2 To establish and maintain a public-facing website onto which it will post all materials as required hereunder;
3.1.2.3 To establish and maintain a secure method of internet-based communications for the use of the Trustee and the Beneficiaries;
3.1.2.4 To hold title to property in the name of the Trustee in its capacity as such;
3.1.2.5 To incur, and pay from the Trust Administration Cost Subaccount, any and all customary and commercially reasonable charges and expenses upon or connected with the administration of this State Mitigation Trust in the discharge of its obligations hereunder, including 98% of Start-up Costs and 98% of Shared State and Indian Tribe Administration Costs;
3.1.2.6 To engage and compensate professionals to assist the Trustee in accordance with this State Trust Agreement, including, but not limited to, legal, environmental, investment, accounting, tax, website, and third-party auditing professionals, or internet service providers, or insurance providers. Such third-party auditing professionals may be used by the Trustee to audit and/or review expenditures to verify that they comport with the requirements and limitations on use of Trust Funds, as set forth herein. The Trustee may initiate such an audit and/or review on its own initiative or in response to credible reports or suggestions that such review or audit is appropriate. The Trustee shall have an annual independent audit prepared and posted on the website. In its sole discretion, the United States may waive the requirement of an annual audit starting in year ten or at an earlier time in order to preserve Trust Funds;
3.1.2.7 To engage and compensate professionals to assist the Trustee in requesting a Private Letter Ruling from the IRS: (1) that the State Mitigation Trust will be treated as a Qualified Settlement Fund under 26 C.F.R. § 1.468B-1; (2) that all investment income earned on the Trust Assets will be excludible from gross income under Section 115 of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 115; and (3) on any federal tax matter that the Tax Professionals reasonably believe is necessary to support the rulings in (1) and
Rights of the Trustee (a) The Trustee may conclusively rely upon any document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper Person. The Trustee need not investigate any fact or matter stated in any such document.
(b) Before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel, or both. The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel. The Trustee may consult with counsel of its own selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection from liability in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon.
(c) The Trustee may act through its attorneys and agents and shall not be responsible for the misconduct or negligence of any agent appointed with due care.
(d) The Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith that it believes to be authorized or within the rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture, provided that the Trustee’s conduct does not constitute willful misconduct or negligence.
(e) Unless otherwise specifically provided in this Indenture, any demand, request, direction or notice from the Issuer shall be sufficient if signed by an Officer of the Issuer.
(f) The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities that might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.
(g) The Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its reasonable discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall reasonably determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Issuer during normal business hours and upon reasonable notice, personally or by agent or attorney at the sole cost of the Issuer and shall incur no liability or additional liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation.
(h) The Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any willful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it under this Indenture.
(i) The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its power and duties hereunder.
(j) Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture to the contrary, the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee under this Article 7, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas in each of its capacities hereunder as an Agent, and are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, each other Agent, Custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder.
(k) The permissive right of the Trustee to take or refrain from taking any actions enumerated in this Indenture shall not be construed as a duty.
(l) The Trustee shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under this Indenture arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God; earthquakes; fire; flood; terrorism; wars and other military disturbances; sabotage; epidemics; riots; interruptions; loss or malfunctions of utilities, computer (hardware or software) or communication services; accidents; labor disputes; acts of civil or military authority and governmental action.
(m) Anything in this Indenture notwithstanding, in no event shall the Trustee be liable for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to loss of profit), even if the Trustee has been advised as to the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.
(n) The Company shall provide prompt written notice to the Trustee of any change to its fiscal year.
Duties of the Indenture Trustee (a) If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Indenture Trustee shall exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
(b) Except during the continuance of an Event of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer:
(i) the Indenture Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Indenture Trustee; and
(ii) in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Indenture Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Indenture Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; provided, however, in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Indenture Trustee, the Indenture Trustee shall examine the certificates and opinions to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture.
(c) The Indenture Trustee may not be relieved from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
(i) this clause (c) does not limit the effect of clause (b) of this Section;
(ii) the Indenture Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer unless it is conclusively determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that the Indenture Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(iii) the Indenture Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in accordance with a direction received by it pursuant to the Indenture;
(iv) the Indenture Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of an Event of Default or Servicer Default unless a Responsible Officer obtains actual knowledge of such event or the Indenture Trustee receives written notice of such event from the Seller, Servicer or Note Owners owning Notes aggregating not less than 10% of the Outstanding Amount of the Notes; and
(v) the Indenture Trustee shall have no duty to monitor the performance of the Issuing Entity, the Trustee, the Seller or the Servicer, nor shall it have any liability in connection with malfeasance or nonfeasance by the Issuing Entity, the Trustee, the Seller or the Servicer. The Indenture Trustee shall have no liability in connection with compliance of the Issuing Entity, the Trustee, the Seller or the Servicer with statutory or regulatory requirements related to the Receivables. The Indenture Trustee shall not make or be deemed to have made any representations or warranties with respect to the Receivables or the validity or sufficiency of any assignment of the Receivables to the Trust Estate or the Indenture Trustee.
(d) Every provision of this Indenture that in any way relates to the Indenture Trustee is subject to clauses (a), (b), (c) and (g).
(e) The Indenture Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money received by it except as the Indenture Trustee may agree in writing with the Issuing Entity.
(f) Money held in trust by the Indenture Trustee need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law, this Indenture or the Sale and Servicing Agreement.
(g) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Indenture Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds to believe that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense is not reasonably assured to it.
(h) Every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Indenture Trustee shall be subject to this Section and the TIA.
Duties of the Trust (a) The Trust agrees to create, issue, and redeem Creation Units of each Fund in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus. Upon reasonable notice to the Distributor and in accordance with the procedures described in the Prospectus, the Trust reserves the right to reject any order for Creation Units or to stop all receipts of such orders at any time.
(b) The Trust agrees that it will take all actions necessary to register an indefinite number of Shares under the 1933 Act.
(c) The Trust will make available to the Distributor such number of copies as Distributor may reasonably request of (i) its then currently effective Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information and product description, (ii) copies of semi-annual reports and annual audited reports of the Trust’s books and accounts made by independent public accountants regularly retained by the Trust, and (iii) such other publicly available information for use in connection with the distribution of Creation Units.
(d) The Trust shall inform Distributor of any such jurisdictions in which the Trust has filed notice filings for Shares for sale under the securities laws thereof and shall promptly notify the Distributor of any change in this information. The Distributor shall not be liable for damages resulting from the sale of Shares in authorized jurisdictions where the Distributor had no information from the Trust that such sale or sales were unauthorized at the time of such sale or sales. The Distributor acknowledges and agrees that the Trust reserves the right to suspend sales and Distributor’s authority to review and approve orders for Creation Units on behalf of the Trust. Upon due notice to the Distributor, the Trust shall suspend the Distributor’s authority to review and approve Creation Units if, in the judgment of the Trust, it is in the best interests of the Trust to do so. Suspension will continue for such period as may be determined by the Trust.
(e) The Trust shall arrange to provide the Listing Exchanges with copies of Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, and product descriptions to be provided to purchasers in the secondary market.
(f) The Trust will make it known that Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information and product descriptions are available by making sure such disclosures are in all marketing and advertising materials prepared by the Trust.
Replacement of the Trustee (A) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.07, a resignation or removal of the Trustee, and the appointment of a successor Trustee, will become effective only upon such successor Trustee’s acceptance of appointment as provided in this Section 10.07.
(B) The Trustee may resign at any time and be discharged from the trust created by this Indenture by so notifying the Company. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding may remove the Trustee by so notifying the Trustee and the Company in writing. The Company may remove the Trustee if:
(i) the Trustee fails to comply with Section 10.09;
(ii) the Trustee is adjudged to be bankrupt or insolvent or an order for relief is entered with respect to the Trustee under any Bankruptcy Law;
(iii) a custodian or public officer takes charge of the Trustee or its property; or
(iv) the Trustee becomes incapable of acting.
(C) If the Trustee resigns or is removed, or if a vacancy exists in the office of Trustee for any reason, then (i) the Company will promptly appoint a successor Trustee; and (ii) at any time within one (1) year after the successor Trustee takes office, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding may appoint a successor Trustee to replace such successor Trustee appointed by the Company.
(D) If a successor Trustee does not take office within sixty (60) days after the retiring Trustee resigns or is removed, then the retiring Trustee, the Company or the Holders of at least ten percent (10%) in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.
(E) If the Trustee, after written request by a Holder of at least six (6) months, fails to comply with Section 10.09, then such Holder may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee.
(F) A successor Trustee will deliver a written acceptance of its appointment to the retiring Trustee and to the Company, upon which notice the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee will become effective and the successor Trustee will have all the rights, powers and duties of the Trustee under this Indenture. The successor Trustee will send notice of its succession to Holders. The retiring Trustee will, upon payment of all amounts due to it under this Indenture, promptly transfer all property held by it as Trustee to the successor Trustee, which property will, for the avoidance of doubt, be subject to the lien provided for in Section 10.06(D).
Powers of the Trustees Without limiting the provisions of Section 5.1, the Trustees shall have power and authority:
5.3.1. To operate as, and to carry on the business of, an investment company, and exercise all the powers necessary and appropriate to the conduct of such operations;
5.3.2. To invest and reinvest cash and cash items, to hold cash uninvested, and to subscribe for, invest in, reinvest in, purchase or otherwise acquire, own, hold, pledge, sell, assign, transfer, exchange, distribute, write options on, lend or otherwise deal in or dispose of contracts for the future acquisition or delivery of all types of securities, futures contracts and options thereon, and forward currency contracts of every nature and kind, including, without limitation, all types of bonds, debentures, stocks, preferred stocks, negotiable or non-negotiable instruments, obligations, evidences of indebtedness, certificates of deposit or indebtedness, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, bankers’ acceptances, and other securities of any kind, issued, created, guaranteed, or sponsored by any and all Persons, including, without limitation, states, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, any foreign government or any political subdivision of the U.S. Government or any foreign government, or any international instrumentality or organization, or by any bank or savings institution, or by any corporation or organization organized under the laws of the United States or of any state, territory, or possession thereof, or by any corporation or organization organized under any foreign law, or in “when issued” contracts for any such securities, futures contracts and options thereon, and forward currency contracts, to change the investments of the assets of the Trust; and to exercise any and all rights, powers, and privileges of ownership or interest in respect of any and all such investments of every kind and description, including, without limitation, the right to consent and otherwise act with respect thereto, with power to designate one or more Persons, to exercise any of said rights, powers, and privileges in respect of any of said instruments;
5.3.3. To sell, exchange, lend, pledge, mortgage, hypothecate, lease, or write options with respect to or otherwise deal in any property rights relating to any or all of the assets of the Trust or any Series;
5.3.4. To vote or give assent, or exercise any rights of ownership, with respect to stock or other securities or property; and to execute and deliver proxies or powers of attorney to such person or persons as the Trustees shall deem proper, granting to such person or persons such power and discretion with relation to securities or property as the Trustees shall deem proper;
5.3.5. To exercise powers and right of subscription or otherwise which in any manner arise out of ownership of securities;
5.3.6. To hold any security or property in a form not indicating that it is Trust Property, whether in bearer, book entry, unregistered or other negotiable form, or in its own name or in the name of a custodian or subcustodian or a nominee or nominees or otherwise or to authorize the custodian or a subcustodian or a nominee or nominees to deposit the same in a securities depository, subject in each case to the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act;
5.3.7. To consent to, or participate in, any plan for the reorganization, consolidation or merger of any corporation or issuer of any security which is held in the Trust; to consent to any contract, lease, mortgage, purchase or sale of property by such corporation or issuer; and to pay calls or subscriptions with respect to any security held in the Trust;
5.3.8. To join with other security holders in acting through a committee, depositary, voting trustee or otherwise, and in that connection to deposit any security with, or transfer any security to, any such committee, depositary or trustee, and to delegate to them such power and authority with relation to any security (whether or not so deposited or transferred) as the Trustees shall deem proper, and to agree to pay, and to pay, such portion of the expenses and compensation of such committee, depositary or trustee as the Trustees shall deem proper;
5.3.9. To litigate, compromise, arbitrate, settle or otherwise adjust claims in favor of or against the Trust or a Series, or any matter in controversy, including but not limited to claims for taxes;
5.3.10. To enter into joint ventures, general or limited partnerships and any other combinations or associations;
5.3.11. To borrow funds or other property in the name of the Trust or Series exclusively for Trust purposes;
5.3.12. To endorse or guarantee the payment of any notes or other obligations of any Person; to make contracts of guaranty or suretyship, or otherwise assume liability for payment thereof;
5.3.13. Subject to ARTICLE IX, to purchase and pay for entirely out of Trust Property such insurance as the Trustees may deem necessary, desirable or appropriate for the conduct of the business, including, without limitation, insurance policies insuring the assets of the Trust or payment of distributions and principal on its Series investments, and insurance policies insuring the Shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees, agents, Investment Adviser, Principal Underwriters, or independent contractors of the Trust, individually against all claims and liabilities of every nature arising by reason of holding Shares, holding, being or having held any such office or position, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted by any such Person as Trustee, officer, employee, agent, Investment Adviser, Principal Underwriter, or independent contractor, including any action taken or omitted that may be determined to constitute negligence;
5.3.14. Subject to the provisions of Section 3804 of the Delaware Act, to allocate assets, liabilities and expenses of the Trust to a particular Series or to apportion the same between or among two or more Series, provided that any liabilities or expenses incurred by a particular Series shall be payable solely out of the assets of that Series;
5.3.15. To adopt, establish and carry out pension, profit-sharing, share bonus, share purchase, savings, thrift and other retirement, incentive and benefit plans, trusts and provisions, including the purchasing of life insurance and annuity contracts as a means of providing such retirement and other benefits, for any or all of the Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust;
5.3.16. To adopt, amend and repeal By-Laws not inconsistent with this Declaration of Trust providing for the regulation and management of the affairs of the Trust;
5.3.17. To elect and remove such officers and appoint and terminate such agents as they consider appropriate;
5.3.18. To appoint from their own and establish and terminate one or more committees consisting of two or more Trustees and such persons as may be designated by the Board of Trustees who may exercise the powers and authority of the Board of Trustees to the extent that the Trustees determine and to adopt a committee charter providing for such responsibilities;
5.3.19. To employ one or more custodians of the assets of the Trust and may authorize such custodians to employ subcustodians and to deposit all or any part of such assets in a system or systems for the central handling of securities or with a Federal Reserve Bank;
5.3.20. To retain one or more transfer agents or shareholder servicing agents;
5.3.21. To provide for the issuance and distribution of Shares by the Trust directly or through one or more Principal Underwriters or otherwise;
5.3.22. To set record dates for the determination of Shareholders with respect to various matters; declare and pay dividends and distributions to Shareholders of each Series from the assets of such Series;
5.3.23. To establish from time to time separate and distinct Series with separately defined investment objectives and policies and distinct investment purposes in accordance with ARTICLE III hereof;
5.3.24. To interpret the investment policies, practices or limitations of any Series;
5.3.25. To establish, from time to time, a minimum investment for Shareholders in the Trust or in one or more Series, or to require the redemption of the Shares of any Shareholder whose investment is less than such minimum upon giving notice to such Shareholder or in accordance with Section 8.4;
5.3.26. To delegate such authority as they consider desirable to any officer of the Trust, to any committee of the Trustees and to any agent or employee of the Trust or to any such custodian, transfer or servicing agents, Investment Adviser or Principal Underwriter; and
5.3.27. In general to carry on any other business in connection with or incidental to any of the foregoing powers, to do everything necessary, suitable or proper for the accomplishment of any purpose or the attainment of any object or the furtherance of any power set forth herein, either alone or in association with others, and to do every other act or thing incidental or appurtenant to or arising from the businesses, purposes, objects or powers set forth above. The Trust shall not be limited to investing in obligations maturing before the possible termination of the Trust or one or more of its Series and the Trust shall not be required to diversify each individual Series of the Trust. The Trust shall not in any way be bound or limited by any present or future law or custom in regard to investment by fiduciaries. The Trust shall not be required to obtain any court order to deal with any assets of the Trust or take any other action hereunder.
Rights of the Depositor and the Trustee in Respect of the Master Servicer The Depositor may, but is not obligated to, enforce the obligations of the Master Servicer hereunder and may, but is not obligated to, perform, or cause a designee to perform, any defaulted obligation of the Master Servicer hereunder and in connection with any such defaulted obligation to exercise the related rights of the Master Servicer hereunder; provided that the Master Servicer shall not be relieved of any of its obligations hereunder by virtue of such performance by the Depositor or its designee. Neither the Trustee nor the Depositor shall have any responsibility or liability for any action or failure to act by the Master Servicer nor shall the Trustee or the Depositor be obligated to supervise the performance of the Master Servicer hereunder or otherwise.
DUTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TRUST (a) The Trust shall furnish to NLD copies of all financial statements and other documents to be delivered to shareholders or investors at least two (2) Fund Business Days prior to such delivery and shall furnish NLD copies of all other financial statements, documents and other papers or information which NLD may reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares. The Trust shall make available to NLD the number of copies of the Funds’ Prospectuses as NLD shall reasonably request.
(b) The Trust shall take, from time to time, subject to the approval of the Board and any required approval of the shareholders of the Funds, all actions necessary to fix the number of authorized Shares (if such number is not unlimited) and to register the Shares under the Securities Act, to the end that there will be available for sale the number of Shares as reasonably may be expected to be sold pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) The Trust will execute any and all documents, furnish any and all information and otherwise take all actions that may be reasonably necessary to register or qualify Shares for sale in such states as NLD may designate to the Funds and the Funds may approve, and the Funds shall pay all fees and other expenses incurred in connection with such registration or qualification; provided that NLD shall not be required to register as a broker-dealer or file a consent to service of process in any State and the Funds shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation, Fund or association in any State. Any registration or qualification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by the Funds at any time in its discretion. NLD shall furnish such information and other material relating to its affairs and activities as the Funds require in connection with such registration or qualification.
(d) The Trust represents and warrants to NLD that:
(i) It is a business trust duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the state of Delaware;
(ii) It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Organizational Documents to enter into and perform this Agreement;
(iii) All proceedings required by the Organizational Documents have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform its duties under this Agreement;
(iv) It is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act;
(v) All Shares, when issued, shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable;
(vi) This Agreement, when executed and delivered, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Trust, enforceable against the Trust 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;
(vii) The performance by the Trust of its obligations hereunder does not and will not contravene any provision of the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
(viii) The Registration Statement is currently effective and will remain effective with respect to all Shares of the Funds being offered for sale;
(ix) The Registration Statement and Prospectus have been or will be, as the case may be, carefully prepared in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder;
(x) The Registration Statement and Prospectus contain or will contain all statements required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; all statements of fact contained or to be contained in the Registration Statement or Prospectus are or will be true and correct at the time indicated or on the effective date as the case may be; and neither the Registration Statement nor any Prospectus, when they shall become effective or be authorized for use, will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of Shares;
(xi) It will from time to time file such amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement and Prospectus as, in the light of then-current and then-prospective developments, shall, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order to have the Registration Statement and Prospectus at all times contain all material facts required to be stated therein or necessary to make any statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of Shares ("Required Amendments");
(xii) It shall not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus without giving NLD reasonable advance notice thereof; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Agreement shall in any way limit the Funds’ right to file at any time such amendments to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, of whatever character, as the Funds may deem advisable, such right being in all respects absolute and unconditional; and
(xiii) All Shares of the Fund are properly registered in the states as required by applicable state laws; and
(xiv) Any amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus hereafter filed will, when it becomes effective, contain all statements required to be stated therein in accordance with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; all statements of fact contained in the Registration Statement or Prospectus will, when it becomes effective, be true and correct at the time indicated or on the effective date as the case may be; and no such amendment, when it becomes effective, will include an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of the Shares.
(xv) In connection with any registered representatives maintained under this Agreement, the Trust agrees to cooperate with NLD and provide reports as necessary to maintain appropriate licensing and qualifications and report to NLD any complaints, arbitrations, litigation or any other material matter that may affect a registered representative’s registration status.
(xvi) It has adopted necessary procedures to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act ("BSA"), as amended by The International Money Laundering Abatement and Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002, Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act (the “PATRIOT Act"), its implementing regulations, and related SEC and SRO rules. Consistent with this requirement, the Trust shall ensure that the account opening forms utilized by the Funds contain the necessary customer information such as name, address, taxpayer identification and other information to verify the identity of such customers as well as provide proper notification to customers of such anti-money laundering program adopted by the Trust and/or its service providers.
(xvii) NLD may rely on and will be held harmless from relying on oral or written instructions it receives from an officer, agent, or legal counsel to the Trust.
