Duties of Trustees (a) The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing of all Events of Default which may have occurred, undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Agreement. In case an Event of Default has occurred (which has not been cured or waived) 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 its exercise as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.
(b) The Trustee, upon receipt of all resolutions, certificates, statements, opinions, reports, documents, orders or other instruments furnished to it which are specifically required to be furnished to it pursuant to any provision of this Agreement, shall examine them to determine whether they are in the form required by this Agreement; provided, however, that the Trustee shall not be responsible for the accuracy or content of any such certificate, statement, opinion, report, or other order or instrument furnished by the Company or Servicer to the Trustee pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to relieve the Trustee or the Delaware Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct; provided, however, that:
(i) Prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing of all such Events of Default which may have occurred, the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Agreement,
(ii) Neither the Trustee nor the Delaware Trustee shall be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Agreement, no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against the Trustee or the Delaware Trustee, and, in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee or the Delaware Trustee, such 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 such trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Agreement; and
(iii) Neither the Trustee nor the Delaware Trustee shall be personally liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Certificateholders holding Certificates which evidence Percentage Interests aggregating not less than 25% relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to such trustee, or relating to the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon such trustee under this Agreement.
(d) Within ten Business Days after the occurrence of any Event of Default known to the Trustee, the Trustee shall transmit by mail to the Rating Agencies notice of each Event of Default. Within 90 days after the occurrence of any Event of Default known to the Trustee, the Trustee shall transmit by mail to all Certificateholders (with a copy to the Rating Agencies) notice of each Event of Default, unless such Event of Default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the best interests of the Certificateholders; and provided, further, that in the case of any Event of Default of the character specified in Section 7.01(a)(i) or Section 7.01(a)(ii), no such notice to Certificateholders or to the Rating Agencies shall be given until at least 30 days after the occurrence thereof.
Election of Trustees The members of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company are its policyholders of insurance policies and deferred annuity contracts. The members exercise control through a Board of Trustees. Elections to the Board are held each year at the annual meeting of members. Members are entitled to vote in person or by proxy.
Compensation of Trustees The Trustees as such shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from the Trust, and they may fix the amount of such compensation from time to time. Nothing herein shall in any way prevent the employment of any Trustee to provide advisory, management, legal, accounting, investment banking or other services to the Trust and to be specially compensated for such services by the Trust.
Term of Office of Trustees The Board of Trustees shall be divided into three classes. Within the limits above specified, the number of the Trustees in each class and the class which each Trustee is assigned shall be determined by resolution of the Board of Trustees. The term of office of the first class shall expire on the date of the first annual meeting of Shareholders or special meeting in lieu thereof following the effective date of the Registration Statement. The term of office of the second class shall expire on the date of the second annual meeting of Shareholders or special meeting in lieu thereof following the effective date of the Registration Statement. The term of office of the third class shall expire on the date of the third annual meeting of Shareholders or special meeting in lieu thereof following the effective date of the Registration Statement. Upon expiration of the term of office of each class as set forth above, the number of Trustees in such class, as determined by the Board of Trustees, shall be elected for a term expiring on the date of the third annual meeting of Shareholders or special meeting in lieu thereof following such expiration to succeed the Trustees whose terms of office expire. The Trustees shall be elected at an annual meeting of the Shareholders or special meeting in lieu thereof called for that purpose, except as provided in Section 2.3 of this Article and each Trustee elected shall hold office until his successor shall have been elected and shall have qualified; except (a) that any Trustee may resign his trust (without need for prior or subsequent accounting) by an instrument in writing signed by him and delivered to the other Trustees, which shall take effect upon such delivery or upon such later date as is specified therein; (b) that any Trustee may be removed (provided the aggregate number of Trustees after such removal shall not be less than the number required by Section 2.2 hereof) for cause, at any time by written instrument, signed by the remaining Trustees, specifying the date when such removal shall become effective; and (c) that any Trustee who requests in writing to be retired or who has become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees, and he shall execute and deliver such documents as the remaining Trustees shall require for the purpose of conveying to the Fund or the remaining Trustees any Fund property held in the name of the resigning or removed Trustee. Upon the incapacity or death of any Trustee, his legal representative shall execute and deliver on his behalf such document as the remaining Trustees shall require as provided in the preceding sentence.
Vacancies; Appointment of Trustees Whenever a vacancy shall exist in the Board of Trustees, regardless of the reason for such vacancy, the remaining Trustees shall appoint any person as they determine in their sole discretion to fill that vacancy, consistent with the limitations under the 1940 Act. Such appointment shall be made by a written instrument signed by a majority of the Trustees or by a resolution of the Trustees, duly adopted and recorded in the records of the Trust, specifying the effective date of the appointment. The Trustees may appoint a new Trustee as provided above in anticipation of a vacancy expected to occur because of the retirement, resignation or removal of a Trustee, or an increase in number of Trustees, provided that such appointment shall become effective only at or after the expected vacancy occurs. As soon as any such Trustee has accepted his appointment in writing, the trust estate shall vest in the new Trustee, together with the continuing Trustees, without any further act or conveyance, and he shall be deemed a Trustee hereunder. The Trustees' power of appointment is subject to Section 16(a) of the 1940 Act. Whenever a vacancy in the number of Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled as provided in this Article II, the Trustees in office, regardless of their number, shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees and shall discharge all the duties imposed upon the Trustees by the Declaration. The death, declination to serve, resignation, retirement, removal or incapacity of one or more Trustees, or all of them, shall not operate to annul the Trust or to revoke any existing agency created pursuant to the terms of this Declaration of Trust.
Number of Trustees (a) The number of Trustees shall initially be four, provided that the Depositor by written instrument may increase or decrease the number of Administrative Trustees.
(b) If a Trustee ceases to hold office for any reason and the number of Administrative Trustees is not reduced pursuant to Section 8.17(a), or if the number of Trustees is increased pursuant to Section 8.17(a), a vacancy shall occur. The vacancy shall be filled with a Trustee appointed in accordance with Section 8.10.
(c) The death, resignation, retirement, removal, bankruptcy, incompetence or incapacity to perform the duties of a Trustee shall not operate to annul the Trust. Whenever a vacancy in the number of Administrative Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled by the appointment of an Administrative Trustee in accordance with Section 8.10, the Administrative Trustees in office, regardless of their number (and notwithstanding any other provision of this Trust Agreement), shall have all powers granted to the Administrative Trustees and shall discharge the duties imposed upon the Administrative Trustees by this Trust Agreement.
Vacancies and Appointment of Trustees In case of the declination to serve, death, resignation, retirement or removal of a Trustee, or a Trustee is otherwise unable to serve, or an increase in the number of Trustees, a vacancy shall occur. Whenever a vacancy in the Board of Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled, the other Trustees shall have all the powers hereunder and the certification of the other Trustees of such vacancy shall be conclusive. In the case of an existing vacancy, the remaining Trustees may fill such vacancy by appointing such other person as they in their discretion shall see fit, or may leave such vacancy unfilled or may reduce the number of Trustees to not less than two (2)
Nature of Trust The Trust shall be a trust with transferable shares under the laws of The State of Delaware, of the type defined in Title 12, Chapter 38, Section 3801 of the Delaware Code as a business trust. The Trust is not intended to be, shall not be deemed to be, and shall not be treated as, a general partnership, limited partnership, joint venture, corporation or joint stock company. The Shareholders shall be beneficiaries and their relationship to the Trustees shall be solely in that capacity in accordance with the rights conferred upon them hereunder.
Terms of Office of Trustees The Trustees shall hold office during the lifetime of this Trust, and until its termination as herein provided; except that (A) any Trustee may resign his trusteeship or may retire by written instrument signed by him and delivered to the other Trustees, which shall take effect upon such delivery or upon such later date as is specified therein; (B) any Trustee may be removed at any time by written instrument signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal, specifying the date when such removal shall become effective; (C) any Trustee who has died, become physically or mentally incapacitated by reason of disease or otherwise, or is otherwise unable to serve, may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees, specifying the date of his retirement; (D) a Trustee may be removed at any meeting of the Shareholders by a vote of the Shareholders owning at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the Outstanding Shares; and (E) a Trustee shall be retired in accordance with the terms of any retirement policy adopted by the Trustees and in effect from time to time.
Certain Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee (a) The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing of all Events of Default with respect to the Securities of that series that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform with respect to the Securities of such series such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series has occurred (that has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise with respect to Securities of that series such of 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 man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
(b) No provision of this Indenture 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, except that:
(i) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of a series and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default with respect to that series that may have occurred:
(A) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall with respect to the Securities of such series be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to the Securities of such series except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and
(B) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may with respect to the Securities of such series 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 Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture;
(ii) the Trustee shall not be liable to any Securityholder or to any other Person for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Responsible Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
(iii) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Securities of any series at the time Outstanding 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 Indenture with respect to the Securities of that series;
(iv) none of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there is reasonable ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or adequate indemnity against such risk is not reasonably assured to it;
(v) The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the performance of its powers or duties hereunder;
(vi) The permissive right of the Trustee to do things enumerated in this Indenture shall not be construed as a duty of the Trustee; and
(vii) No Trustee shall have any duty or responsibility for any act or omission of any other Trustee appointed with respect to a series of Securities hereunder.
