Consolidations and Mergers The Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary (other than any Allied Unrestricted Subsidiary, any Securitization Subsidiary or any Republic Insurance Entity) to, merge, consolidate with, or convey, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any other Person, except:
(a) any Subsidiary may merge with the Borrower or with any one or more Subsidiaries; provided that (i) if any transaction shall be between the Borrower and a Subsidiary, the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, (ii) if any transaction shall be between a Subsidiary and a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary, a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving Person; and (iii) if any transaction shall be between an Excluded Subsidiary and a Subsidiary that is not an Excluded Subsidiary, a Subsidiary that is not an Excluded Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving Person;
(b) any Subsidiary (other than an Excluded Subsidiary) may sell or transfer all or substantially all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary, and any Excluded Subsidiary may transfer all or substantially all of its assets to the Borrower or a Subsidiary that is not an Excluded Subsidiary for nominal consideration or as a result of the voluntary dissolution or liquidation of such Excluded Subsidiary; and
(c) any merger, consolidation or disposition in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 7.03 or an Acquisition permitted by Section 7.05.
Reorganization and Master/Feeder (a) Notwithstanding anything else herein, the Trustees may, in their sole discretion and without Shareholder approval unless such approval is required by the 1940 Act, (i) cause the Trust to convert or merge, reorganize or consolidate with or into one or more trusts, partnerships, limited liability companies, associations, corporations or other business entities (or a series of any of the foregoing to the extent permitted by law) (including trusts, partnerships, limited liability companies, associations, corporations or other business entities created by the Trustees to accomplish such conversion, merger, reorganization or consolidation) so long as the surviving or resulting entity is an open-end management investment company under the 1940 Act, or is a series thereof, to the extent permitted by law, and that, in the case of any trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other business entity created by the Trustees to accomplish such conversion, merger, reorganization or consolidation, may (but need not) succeed to or assume the Trust’s registration under the 1940 Act and that, in any case, is formed, organized or existing under the laws of the United States or of a state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United States, (ii) cause the Shares to be exchanged under or pursuant to any state or federal statute to the extent permitted by law, (iii) cause the Trust to incorporate under the laws of a state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United States, (iv) sell or convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust or any Series or Class to another Series or Class of the Trust or to another trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other business entity (or a series of any of the foregoing to the extent permitted by law) (including a trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other business entity created by the Trustees to accomplish such sale and conveyance), organized under the laws of the United States or of any state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United States so long as such trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other business entity is an open-end management investment company under the 1940 Act and, in the case of any trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other business entity created by the Trustees to accomplish such sale and conveyance, may (but need not) succeed to or assume the Trust’s registration under the 1940 Act, for adequate consideration as determined by the Trustees that may include the assumption of all outstanding obligations, taxes and other liabilities, accrued or contingent of the Trust or any affected Series or Class, and that may include Shares of such other Series or Class of the Trust or shares of beneficial interest, stock or other ownership interest of such trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other business entity (or series thereof) or (v) at any time sell or convert into money all or any part of the assets of the Trust or any Series or Class. Any certificate of merger, certificate of conversion or other applicable certificate may be signed by any one (1) Trustee and facsimile signatures conveyed by electronic or telecommunication means shall be valid.
(b) Pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Section 3815(f) of the Delaware Act, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Declaration of Trust, an agreement of merger or consolidation approved by the Trustees in accordance with this Section 8.3 may effect any amendment to this Declaration of Trust or effect the adoption of a new governing instrument of the Trust if the Trust is the surviving or resulting entity in the merger or consolidation.
(c) Notwithstanding anything else herein, the Trustees may, in their sole discretion and without Shareholder approval unless such approval is required by the 1940 Act, invest all or a portion of the Trust Property or the Trust Property of any Series, or dispose of all or a portion of the Trust Property or the Trust Property of any Series, and invest the proceeds of such disposition in interests issued by one or more other investment companies registered under the 1940 Act. Any such other investment company may (but need not) be a trust (formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state or jurisdiction) (or subtrust thereof) which is classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Notwithstanding anything else herein, the Trustees may, without Shareholder approval unless such approval is required by the 1940 Act, cause the Trust or any Series that is organized in the master/feeder fund structure to withdraw or redeem its Trust Property from the master fund and cause the Trust or such Series to invest its Trust Property directly in securities and other financial instruments or in another master fund.
