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.
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)
Selection and Nomination of Trustees While this Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of persons to be Trustees of the Fund who are not "interested persons" of the Fund ("Disinterested Trustees") shall be committed to the discretion of the incumbent Disinterested Trustees. Nothing herein shall prevent the incumbent Disinterested Trustees from soliciting the views or the involvement of others in such selection or nomination as long as the final decision on any such selection and nomination is approved by a majority of the incumbent Disinterested Trustees.
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.
Meetings of Trustees Section 2.1
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.
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.
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.
Appointment of Trustee The Depositor hereby appoints Wilmington Trust Company as Trustee of the Trust effective as of the date hereof, to have all the rights, powers and duties set forth herein.
Chairman of the Trustees The Trustees may appoint one of their number to be Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Trustees at which he is present and may be (but is not required to be) the chief executive officer of the Trust.
