Transaction Processing All orders are subject to acceptance by us and by the Fund or its transfer agent, and become effective only upon confirmation by us. If required by law, each transaction shall be confirmed in writing on a fully disclosed basis and if confirmed by us, a copy of each confirmation shall be sent to you if you so request. All sales are made subject to receipt of shares by us from the Funds. We reserve the right in our discretion, without notice, to suspend the sale of shares of the Funds or withdraw the offering of shares of the Funds entirely. Orders will be effected at the price(s) next computed on the day they are received if, as set forth in the applicable Fund’s current Prospectus, the orders are received by us or an agent appointed by us or the Fund prior to the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. eastern time (“Close of Trading”). Orders received after that time will be effected at the price(s) computed on the next business day. All orders must be accompanied by payment in U.S. Dollars. Orders payable by check must be drawn payable in U.S. Dollars on a U.S. bank, for the full amount of the investment. If you have entered into a FundSERV Agreement with us to effect transactions in Fund shares through FundSERV, you are hereby authorized to act on our behalf for the limited purpose of receiving purchase, exchange and redemption orders for Fund shares executed through FundSERV. You represent and warrant that all orders for the purchase, exchange or redemption of Fund shares transmitted to FundSERV for processing on or as of a given business day (Day 1) shall have been received by you prior to the Close of Trading on Day 1. Such orders shall receive the share price next calculated following the Close of Trading on Day 1 .You represent and warrant that orders received by you after the Close of Trading on Day 1 shall be treated by you and transmitted to FundSERV as if received on the next business day (Day 2). Such orders shall receive the share price next calculated following the Close of Trading on Day 2. You represent that you have systems in place reasonably designed to prevent orders received after the Close of Trading on Day 1 from being executed with orders received before the Close of Trading on Day 1.
CONCERNING CUSTODIAN 1. (a) The Custodian shall be held to a standard of reasonable care in carrying out the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Custodian shall be held to different standard of care of imposed by any other provision of this Agreement or imposed upon Custodian by any applicable law or regulation, which by its terms cannot be contractually modified or waived. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, Custodian shall not be liable for any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims, including attorneys' and accountants' fees (collectively, “Losses”), incurred by or asserted against the Fund, except those Losses arising out of Custodian's own negligence or willful misconduct. Custodian shall have no liability whatsoever for the action or inaction of any Depositories or of any Foreign Depositories, except in each case to the extent such action or inaction is a direct result of the Custodian' s failure to fulfill its duties hereunder. With respect to any Losses incurred by the Fund as a result of the acts or any failures to act by any Subcustodian (other than a BNY Affiliate), Custodian shall take appropriate action to recover such Losses from such Subcustodian; and Custodian's sole responsibility and liability to the Fund shall be limited to amounts so received from such Subcustodian ( exclusive of costs and expenses incurred by Custodian). In no event shall Custodian be liable to the Fund or any third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost profits or loss of business, arising in connection with this Agreement, nor shall Custodian or any Subcustodian be liable: (i) for acting in accordance with any Certificate or Oral Instructions actually received by Custodian and reasonably believed by Custodian to be given by an Authorized Person; (ii) for acting in accordance with Instructions without reviewing the same; (iii) for conclusively presuming that all Instructions are given only by person(s) duly authorized; (00 for conclusively presuming that all disbursements of cash directed by the Fund, whether by a Certificate, an Oral Instruction, or an Instruction, are in accordance with Section 2(i) of Article II hereof; (y) for holding property in any particular country, including, but not limited to, Losses resulting from nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions; regulation of the banking or securities industry; exchange or currency controls or restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations; availability of cash or Securities or market conditions which prevent the transfer of property or execution of Securities transactions or affect the value of property; (yi) for any Losses due to forces beyond the control of Custodian, including without limitation strikes, work stoppages, acts of war or terrorism, insurrection, revolution, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, or interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; (yii) for the insolvency of any Subcustodian (other than a BNY Affiliate), any Depository, or, except to the extent such action or inaction is a direct result of the Custodian's failure to fulfill its duties hereunder, any Foreign Depository; or (yiii)l for any Losses arising from the applicability of any law or regulation now or hereafter in effect, or from the occurrence of any event, including, without limitation, implementation or adoption of any rules or procedures of a Foreign Depository, which may affect, limit prevent or impose costs or burdens on, the transferability, convertibility, or availability of any currency or Composite Currency Unit in any country or on the transfer of any Securities, and in no event shall Custodian be obligated to substitute another currency for a currency (including a currency that is a component of a Composite Currency Unit) whose transferability, convertibility or availability has been affected, limited, or prevented by such law, regulation or event and to the extent that any such law, regulation or event imposes a cost or charge upon Custodian in relation to the transferability, convertibility, or availability of any cash currency or Composite Currency Unit, such cost or charge shall be for the account of the Fund, and Custodian may treat any account denominated in an affected currency as a group of separate accounts denominated in the relevant component currencies.
