STANDARD OF CARE AS FOREIGN CUSTODY MANAGER OF A PORTFOLIO In performing the responsibilities delegated to it, the Foreign Custody Manager agrees to exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence such as a person having responsibility for the safekeeping of assets of management investment companies registered under the 1940 Act would exercise.
Foreign Custody Manager (a) Each Fund, by resolution adopted by its Board, hereby delegates to the Custodian, subject to Section (b) of Rule 17f-5 under the 1940 Act, the responsibilities set forth in Sections 4.1 through 4.4 with respect to Foreign Assets of the Portfolios held outside the United States, and the Custodian hereby accepts such delegation as Foreign Custody Manager with respect to the Portfolios.
(b) The Foreign Custody Manager shall be responsible for performing the delegated responsibilities defined below only with respect to the countries and custody arrangements for each such country listed on Schedule A to this Agreement, which list of countries may be amended from time to time by any Fund with the consent of the Foreign Custody Manager, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. Schedule A further lists the Foreign Sub-Custodians selected by the Foreign Custody Manager to maintain the assets of the Portfolios.
(c) Upon the receipt by the Foreign Custody Manager of Proper Instructions to open an account or to place or maintain Foreign Assets in a country listed on Schedule A, and the fulfillment by each Fund, on behalf of the applicable Portfolio(s), of the applicable account opening requirements for such country, the Foreign Custody Manager shall be deemed to have been delegated by such Fund’s Board on behalf of such Portfolio(s) responsibility as Foreign Custody Manager with respect to that country and to have accepted such delegation. Execution of this Agreement by the Fund shall, to the extent any particular Fund has or will have Foreign Assets, be deemed to be a Proper Instruction to open an account or to place or maintain Foreign Assets in each country listed on Schedule A in which the Custodian has previously placed or currently maintains such Fund’s Foreign Assets pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. Following the receipt of Proper Instructions directing the Foreign Custody Manager to close the account of a Portfolio with the Eligible Foreign Custodian selected by the Foreign Custody Manager in a designated country, the delegation by the Board on behalf of such Portfolio to the Custodian as Foreign Custody Manager for that country shall be deemed to have been withdrawn and the Custodian shall immediately cease to be the Foreign Custody Manager with respect to such Portfolio with respect to that country.
(d) The Foreign Custody Manager may withdraw its acceptance of delegated responsibilities with respect to a designated country upon at least 60 days (or such longer period which the parties may agree) prior written notice to the Fund.
BNY AS A FOREIGN CUSTODY MANAGER 1. The Funds on behalf of its Board hereby delegate to BNY with respect to each Specified Country the Responsibilities.
2. BNY accepts the Board’s delegation of Responsibilities with respect to each Specified Country and agrees in performing the Responsibilities as a Foreign Custody Manager to exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence such as a person having responsibility for the safekeeping of the Funds’ assets would exercise.
3. BNY shall provide to the Board at such times as the Board deems reasonable and appropriate based on the circumstances of the Funds’ foreign custody arrangements written reports notifying the Board of the placement of assets of the Funds with a particular Eligible Foreign Custodian within a Specified Country and of any material change in the arrangements (including the contract governing such arrangements) with respect to assets of the Funds with any such Eligible Foreign Custodian.
Servicer’s Standard of Care In performing Serviced Duties hereunder with respect to any Serviced Appointment, the Purchasers shall comply with the terms of the applicable Serviced Corporate Trust Contracts, including the standard of care set forth therein (including the standard that applies in the case of an event of default), and shall perform the Serviced Duties in accordance with the terms of the applicable Serviced Corporate Trust Contracts and this Agreement and in compliance with applicable Law, including, as applicable, Item 1122 of Regulation AB and 12 C.F.R. Part 9, as though the Purchasers were directly responsible for the Serviced Duties under the applicable Serviced Corporate Trust Contracts. Each of the Purchasers covenants and agrees that it shall perform the Serviced Duties in a manner consistent with (and with a standard of care no less than) the Purchasers’ practices in servicing its own corporate trust business (including the Business acquired by the Purchasers), and, with respect to each Serviced Appointment, in accordance with the applicable Serviced Corporate Trust Contract.
The Custodian as Foreign Custody Manager Each Fund, by resolution adopted by its Board of Trustees, hereby delegates to the Custodian, subject to Rule 17f-5(b), the responsibilities set forth in this Section 2.3 with respect to Foreign Securities of the Funds held outside the United States, and the Custodian hereby accepts such delegation as Foreign Custody Manager with respect to the Funds. The services and duties of the Custodian shall be confined to those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against the Custodian hereunder.
Standard of Care In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Sub-Advisor, the Sub-Advisor shall not be subject to liability to the Advisor, the Trust or to any shareholder of the Portfolio for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
DELEGATION TO THE CUSTODIAN AS FOREIGN CUSTODY MANAGER Each Fund, by resolution adopted by its Board, hereby delegates to the Custodian, subject to Section (b) of Rule 17f-5, the responsibilities set forth in this Section 3.2 with respect to Foreign Assets of the Portfolios held outside the United States, and the Custodian hereby accepts such delegation as Foreign Custody Manager with respect to the Portfolios.
Standard of Care; Liabilities (a) The Bank shall be responsible for the performance of only such duties as are set forth in this Agreement or expressly contained in Instructions which are consistent with the provisions of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement:
(i) The Bank will use reasonable care with respect to its obligations under this Agreement and the safekeeping of Assets. The Bank shall be liable to the Customer for any loss which shall occur as the result of the failure of a Subcustodian to exercise reasonable care with respect to the safekeeping of such Assets to the same extent that the Bank would be liable to the Customer if the Bank were holding such Assets in New York. In the event of any loss to the Customer by reason of the failure of the Bank or its Subcustodian to utilize reasonable care, the Bank shall be liable to the Customer only to the extent of the Customer’s direct damages, and shall in no event be liable for any special or consequential damages.
(ii) The Bank will not be responsible for any act, omission, default or for the solvency of any broker or agent which it or a Subcustodian appoints unless such appointment was made negligently or in bad faith or for any loss due to the negligent act of such broker or agent except to the extent that such broker or agent (other than a Subcustodian) performs in a negligent manner which is the cause of the loss to the Customer and the Bank failed to exercise reasonable care in monitoring such broker’s or agent’s performance where Customer has requested and Bank has agreed to accept such monitoring responsibility.
(iii) The Bank shall be indemnified by, and without liability to the Customer for any action taken or omitted by the Bank whether pursuant to Instructions or otherwise within the scope of this Agreement if such act or omission was in good faith, without negligence. In performing its obligations under this Agreement, the Bank may rely on the genuineness of any document which it believes in good faith to have been validly executed.
(iv) The Customer agrees to pay for and hold the Bank harmless from any liability or loss resulting from the imposition or assessment of any taxes or other governmental charges, and any related expenses with respect to income from or Assets in the Accounts, except to the extent that the Bank has failed to exercise reasonable care in performing any obligations which the Bank may have agreed to assume (in addition to those stated in this Agreement) with respect to taxes and such failure by the Bank is the direct cause of such imposition or assessment of such taxes, charges or expenses.
(v) The Bank shall be entitled to rely, and may act, upon the advice of counsel (who may be counsel for the Customer) on all legal matters and shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to such advice; provided, that the Bank gives (to the extent practicable) prior notice to Customer of Bank’s intention to so seek advice of counsel and an opportunity for consultation with Customer on the proposed contact with counsel.
(vi) The Bank represents and warrants that it currently maintain a banker's blanket bond which provides standard fidelity and non-negligent loss coverage with respect to the Securities and Cash which may be held by Subcustodians pursuant to this Agreement. The Bank agrees that if at any time it for any reason discontinues such coverage, it shall immediately give sixty (60) days' prior written notice to the Customer. The Bank need not maintain any insurance for the benefit of the Customer.
(vii) Without limiting the foregoing, the Bank shall not be liable for any loss which results from: (1) the general risk of investing, or (2) investing or holding Assets in a particular country including, but not limited to, losses resulting from nationalization, expropriation or other governmental actions; regulation of the banking or securities industry; currency restrictions, devaluations or fluctuations; and market conditions which prevent the orderly execution of securities transactions or affect the value of Assets.
(viii) Neither party shall be liable to the other for any loss due to forces beyond their control including, but not limited to strikes or work stoppages, acts of war or terrorism, insurrection, revolution, nuclear fusion, fission or radiation, or acts of God.
(b) Consistent with and without limiting the first paragraph of this Section 12, it is specifically acknowledged that the Bank shall have no duty or responsibility to:
(i) question Instructions or make any suggestions to the Customer or an Authorized Person regarding such Instructions;
(ii) supervise or make recommendations with respect to investments or the retention of Securities;
(iii) advise the Customer or an Authorized Person regarding any default in the payment of principal or income of any security other than as provided in Section 5(c) of this Agreement;
(iv) evaluate or report to the Customer or an Authorized Person regarding the financial condition of any broker, agent (other than a Subcustodian) or other party to which Securities are delivered or payments are made pursuant to this Agreement;
(v) review or reconcile trade confirmations received from brokers. The Customer or its Authorized Persons (as defined in Section 10) issuing Instructions shall bear any responsibility to review such confirmations against Instructions issued to and statements issued by the Bank.
(c) The Customer authorizes the Bank to act under this Agreement notwithstanding that the Bank or any of its divisions or affiliates may have a material interest in a transaction, or circumstances are such that the Bank may have a potential conflict of duty or interest including the fact that the Bank or any of its affiliates may provide brokerage services to other customers, act as financial advisor to the issuer of Securities, act as a lender to the issuer of Securities, act in the same transaction as agent for more than one customer, have a material interest in the issue of Securities, or earn profits from any of the activities listed herein.
STANDARD OF CARE; COLLATERAL AGENT MAY PERFORM The powers conferred on the Collateral Agent hereunder are solely to protect its interest in the Collateral and shall not impose any duty upon it to exercise any such powers. Except for the exercise of reasonable care in the custody of any Collateral in its possession and the accounting for moneys actually received by it hereunder, the Collateral Agent shall have no duty as to any Collateral or as to the taking of any necessary steps to preserve rights against prior parties or any other rights pertaining to any Collateral. The Collateral Agent shall be deemed to have exercised reasonable care in the custody and preservation of Collateral in its possession if such Collateral is accorded treatment substantially equal to that which the Collateral Agent accords its own property. Neither the Collateral Agent nor any of its directors, officers, employees or agents shall be liable for failure to demand, collect or realize upon all or any part of the Collateral or for any delay in doing so or shall be under any obligation to sell or otherwise dispose of any Collateral upon the request of any Grantor or otherwise. If any Grantor fails to perform any agreement contained herein, the Collateral Agent may itself perform, or cause performance of, such agreement, and the expenses of the Collateral Agent incurred in connection therewith shall be payable by each Grantor under Section 10.2 of the Credit Agreement.
Standard of Care; Liability (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, Bank shall exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence in carrying out all of its duties and obligations under this Agreement (except to the extent Applicable Law provides for a higher standard of care, in which case such higher standard shall apply), and shall be liable to Customer for any and all Liabilities suffered or incurred by Customer resulting from the failure of Bank to exercise such reasonable care, prudence and diligence or resulting from Bank's negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud and to the extent provided in Section 5.2(a). Unless otherwise specified or required by Applicable Law, Bank shall not be in violation of this Agreement with respect to any matter as to which it has satisfied the standard of care under this Agreement.
(b) Bank shall not be liable under any circumstances for any indirect, incidental, consequential or special damages (including, without limitation, lost profits) of any form incurred by any person, whether or not foreseeable and regardless of the type of action in which such a claim may be brought, with respect to the Accounts or Bank's performance hereunder or Bank's role as custodian.
(c) Subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement, each Customer severally and not jointly shall indemnify the Bank Indemnitees against, and hold them harmless from, any Liabilities that may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against any of the Bank Indemnitees in connection with or arising out of Bank's performance under this Agreement, provided the Bank Indemnitees have not acted with negligence or bad faith or engaged in fraud or willful misconduct in connection with the Liabilities in question. Nevertheless, Customer shall not be obligated to indemnify any Bank Indemnitee under the preceding sentence with respect to any Liability for which Bank is liable under Section 5.2 of this Agreement. Bank shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate any Liability for which indemnity is sought hereunder (provided, however, that reasonable expenses incurred with respect to such mitigation shall be Liabilities subject to indemnification hereunder).
(d) Subject to any obligation Customer may have to indemnify Bank with respect to amounts claimed by third parties, Customer shall have no liability whatsoever for any consequential, special, indirect or speculative loss or damages (including, but not limited to, lost profits) suffered by Bank Indemnitees in connection with the transactions and services contemplated hereby and the relationship established hereby even if Customer has been advised as to the possibility of the same and regardless of the form of action.
(e) Without limiting Subsections 7.1 (a) or (b), Bank shall have no duty or responsibility to:
(i) question Instructions or make any suggestions to Customer or an Authorized Person regarding such Instructions, provided that Bank believes in good faith that such Instructions have been given by Authorized Persons or which are transmitted with proper testing or authentication pursuant to terms and conditions that Bank may specify; (ii) supervise or make recommendations with respect to investments or the retention of Financial Assets; (iii) advise Customer or an Authorized Person regarding any default in the payment of principal or income of any security other than as provided in Section 2.7(b) of this Agreement; (iv) except as otherwise expressly required herein, evaluate or report to Customer or an Authorized Person regarding the financial condition of any broker, agent or other party to which Bank is instructed to deliver Financial Assets or cash; or (v) except for trades settled at DTC where the broker provides DTC trade confirmation and Customer provides for Bank to receive the trade instruction, review or reconcile trade confirmations received from brokers (and Customer or its Authorized Persons issuing Instructions shall bear any responsibility to review such confirmations against Instructions issued to and statements issued by Bank).
(f) Bank shall indemnify the Customer from and against any and all Liabilities which may be imposed on, incurred by, or asserted against the Customer resulting directly either from Bank's negligence, bad faith, fraud or willful misconduct in the performance of its obligations or duties hereunder, or from any act or omission by a Subcustodian in the performance of its subcustodial obligations or duties hereunder for which Bank is expressly liable under Section 5.2, taking into account the standards and market practice prevailing in the relevant market, provided that (i) in no event shall the Bank be obliged to indemnify Customer from against any Liability (or any claim for a Liability) to the extent such Liability is described in clause 7.1(b) this Agreement and (ii) the Customer shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate any Liability for which indemnity is sought hereunder (provided, however, that reasonable expenses incurred with respect to such mitigation shall be Liabilities subject to indemnification hereunder).
