AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
Exhibit 99.B(4)
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION (the “Agreement”) is made as of this 24th day of July, 2007, by and between ING Equity Trust, a Massachusetts business trust with its principal place of business at 0000 Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000-0000 (“ING Equity Trust”), on behalf of its series, ING Opportunistic LargeCap Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), and ING Series Fund, Inc., a Maryland corporation with its principal place of business at 0000 Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000-0000 (“ING Series Fund”), on behalf of its series, ING Growth Fund (the “Acquired Fund”).
This Agreement is intended to be and is adopted as a plan of reorganization and liquidation within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The reorganization (the “Reorganization”) will consist of the transfer of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I voting shares of beneficial interest of the Acquiring Fund (the “Acquiring Fund Shares”), the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of the liabilities of the Acquired Fund described in paragraph 1.3, and the distribution of the Acquiring Fund Shares to the shareholders of the Acquired Fund in complete liquidation of the Acquired Fund as provided herein, all upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth in this Agreement.
WHEREAS, the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund are series of open-end, registered investment companies of the management type and the Acquired Fund owns securities which generally are assets of the character in which the Acquiring Fund is permitted to invest; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of ING Equity Trust has determined that the exchange of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of the liabilities of the Acquired Fund, as described in paragraph 1.3 herein, by the Acquiring Fund is in the best interests of the Acquiring Fund and its shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquiring Fund would not be diluted as a result of this transaction; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of ING Series Fund has determined that the exchange of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of the liabilities of the Acquired Fund by the Acquiring Fund, as described in paragraph 1.3 herein, is in the best interests of the Acquired Fund and its shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquired Fund would not be diluted as a result of this transaction.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
1. TRANSFER OF ASSETS OF THE ACQUIRED FUND TO THE ACQUIRING FUND IN EXCHANGE FOR THE ACQUIRING FUND SHARES, THE ASSUMPTION OF ALL KNOWN ACQUIRED FUND LIABILITIES AND THE LIQUIDATION OF THE ACQUIRED FUND
1.1. Subject to the requisite approval of the Acquired Fund shareholders and the other terms and conditions herein set forth and on the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, the Acquired Fund agrees to transfer all of the Acquired Fund’s assets, as set forth in paragraph 1.2, to the Acquiring Fund, and the Acquiring Fund agrees in exchange therefor: (i) to deliver to the Acquired Fund the number of full and fractional Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares determined by dividing the value of the Acquired Fund’s net assets with respect to each class, computed in the manner and as of the time and date set forth in paragraph 2.1, by the net asset value of one Acquiring Fund Share of the same class, computed in the manner and as of the time and date set forth in paragraph 2.2; and (ii) to assume the liabilities of the Acquired Fund, as set forth in paragraph 1.3. Such transactions shall take place at the closing provided for in paragraph 3.1 (the “Closing”).
1.2. The assets of the Acquired Fund to be acquired by the Acquiring Fund shall consist of all assets and property, including, without limitation, all cash, securities, commodities and futures interests and dividends or interests receivable that are owned by the Acquired Fund and any deferred or prepaid expenses shown as an asset on the books of the Acquired Fund on the closing date provided for in paragraph 3.1 (the “Closing Date”) (collectively, “Assets”).
1.3. The Acquired Fund will endeavor to discharge all of its known liabilities and obligations prior to the Closing Date. The Acquiring Fund shall assume the liabilities of the Acquired Fund set forth in the Acquired Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of the Closing Date delivered by ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, to ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, pursuant to paragraph 7.2 hereof. On or as soon as practicable prior to the Closing Date, the Acquired Fund will declare and pay to its shareholders of record one or more dividends and/or
other distributions so that it will have distributed substantially all (and in no event less than 98%) of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and realized net capital gain, if any, for the current taxable year through the Closing Date.
1.4. Immediately after the transfer of assets provided for in paragraph 1.1, the Acquired Fund will: (i) distribute to the Acquired Fund’s shareholders of record with respect to its Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares, determined as of immediately after the close of business on the Closing Date, on a pro rata basis within each class, the Acquiring Fund Shares of the same class received by the Acquired Fund pursuant to paragraph 1.1, and (ii) completely liquidate. Such distribution and liquidation will be accomplished, with respect to each class of the Acquired Fund’s shares, by the transfer of the Acquiring Fund Shares then credited to the account of the Acquired Fund on the books of the Acquiring Fund to open accounts on the share records of the Acquiring Fund in the names of the shareholders of record of each class of the Acquired Fund’s shares, determined as of immediately after the close of business on the Closing Date (the “Acquired Fund Shareholders”). The aggregate net asset value of Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares to be so credited to Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquired Fund Shareholders shall, with respect to each class, be equal to the aggregate net asset value of the Acquired Fund shares of that same class owned by such shareholders on the Closing Date. All issued and outstanding Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class I Acquired Fund shares will simultaneously be canceled on the books of the Acquired Fund, although share certificates representing interests in Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares of the Acquired Fund will represent a number of the same class of Acquiring Fund Shares after the Closing Date, as determined in accordance with Section 2.3. The Acquiring Fund shall not issue certificates representing the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares in connection with such exchange.
1.5. Ownership of Acquiring Fund Shares will be shown on the books of the Acquiring Fund’s transfer agent, as defined in paragraph 3.3.
1.6. Any reporting responsibility of the Acquired Fund including, but not limited to, the responsibility for filing of regulatory reports, tax returns, or other documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), any state securities commission, and any federal, state or local tax authorities or any other relevant regulatory authority, is and shall remain the responsibility of the Acquired Fund.
2. VALUATION
2.1. The value of the Assets shall be the value computed as of immediately after the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange and after the declaration of any dividends on the Closing Date (such time and date being hereinafter called the “Valuation Date”), using the valuation procedures in the then-current prospectus and statement of additional information with respect to the Acquiring Fund, and valuation procedures established by the Acquiring Fund’s Board of Trustees.
2.2. The net asset value of a Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Share shall be the net asset value per share computed with respect to that class as of the Valuation Date, using the valuation procedures set forth in the Acquiring Fund’s then-current prospectus and statement of additional and valuation procedures established by the Acquiring Fund’s Board of Trustees.
2.3. The number of the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued (including fractional shares, if any) in exchange for the Acquired Fund’s assets shall be determined with respect to each such class by dividing the value of the net assets with respect to the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares of the Acquired Fund, as the case may be, determined using the same valuation procedures referred to in paragraph 2.1, by the net asset value of an Acquiring Fund Share of the same class, determined in accordance with paragraph 2.2.
2.4. All computations of value shall be made by the Acquired Fund’s designated record keeping agent and shall be subject to review by Acquiring Fund’s record keeping agent and by each Fund’s respective independent registered public accountants.
3. CLOSING AND CLOSING DATE
3.1. The Closing Date shall be November 10, 2007, or such other date as the parties may agree. All acts taking place at the Closing shall be deemed to take place simultaneously as of immediately after the close of business on the Closing Date unless otherwise agreed to by the parties. The close of business on the Closing Date shall be as of 4:00
p.m., Eastern Time. The Closing shall be held at the offices of the Acquiring Fund or at such other time and/or place as the parties may agree.
3.2. The Acquired Fund shall direct the Bank of New York Company, Inc., as custodian for the Acquired Fund (the “Custodian”), to deliver, at the Closing, a certificate of an authorized officer stating that (i) the Assets shall have been delivered in proper form to the Acquiring Fund within two business days prior to or on the Closing Date; and (ii) all necessary taxes in connection with the delivery of the Assets, including all applicable federal and state stock transfer stamps, if any, have been paid or provision for payment has been made. The Acquired Fund’s portfolio securities represented by a certificate or other written instrument shall be presented for examination by the Custodian to the custodian for the Acquiring Fund no later than five business days preceding the Closing Date, and shall be transferred and delivered by the Acquired Fund as of the Closing Date for the account of the Acquiring Fund duly endorsed in proper form for transfer in such condition as to constitute good delivery thereof. The Custodian shall deliver as of the Closing Date by book entry, in accordance with the customary practices of the Custodian and any securities depository (as defined in Rule 17f-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) in which the Acquired Fund’s Assets are deposited, the Acquired Fund’s portfolio securities and instruments deposited with such depositories. The cash to be transferred by the Acquired Fund shall be delivered by wire transfer of federal funds on the Closing Date.
3.3. The Acquired Fund shall direct DST Systems, Inc. (the “Transfer Agent”), on behalf of the Acquired Fund, to deliver at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer stating that its records contain the names and addresses of the Acquired Fund Shareholders and the number and percentage ownership of outstanding Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares owned by each such shareholder immediately prior to the Closing. The Acquiring Fund shall issue and deliver a confirmation evidencing the Acquiring Fund Shares to be credited on the Closing Date to the Secretary of the Acquiring Fund, or provide evidence satisfactory to the Acquired Fund that such Acquiring Fund Shares have been credited to the Acquired Fund’s account on the books of the Acquiring Fund. At the Closing, each party shall deliver to the other such bills of sale, checks, assignments, share certificates, if any, receipts or other documents as such other party or its counsel may reasonably request.
3.4. In the event that on the Valuation Date (a) the New York Stock Exchange or another primary trading market for portfolio securities of the Acquiring Fund or the Acquired Fund shall be closed to trading or trading thereupon shall be restricted, or (b) trading or the reporting of trading on such Exchange or elsewhere shall be disrupted so that, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of the Acquired Fund or the Board of Directors of the Acquiring Fund, accurate appraisal of the value of the net assets of the Acquiring Fund or the Acquired Fund is impracticable, the Closing Date shall be postponed until the first business day after the day when trading shall have been fully resumed and reporting shall have been restored.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
4.1. Except as has been disclosed to the Acquiring Fund in a written instrument executed by an officer of ING Series Fund, ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, represents and warrants to ING Equity Trust as follows:
(a) The Acquired Fund is duly organized as a series of ING Series Fund, which is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland, with power under ING Series Fund’s Articles of Incorporation to own all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted;
(b) ING Series Fund is a registered investment company classified as a management company of the open-end type, and its registration with the Commission as an investment company under the 1940 Act, and the registration of shares of the Acquired Fund under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), is in full force and effect;
(c) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquired Fund of the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state securities laws;
(d) The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquired Fund and each prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquired Fund used during the three years previous to the date of this Agreement conforms or conformed at the time of its use in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and does not, or did not at the time
of its use, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not materially misleading;
(e) On the Closing Date, the Acquired Fund will have good and marketable title to the Assets and full right, power, and authority to sell, assign, transfer and deliver such Assets hereunder free of any liens or other encumbrances, and upon delivery and payment for such Assets, the Acquiring Fund will acquire good and marketable title thereto, subject to no restrictions on the full transfer thereof, including such restrictions as might arise under the 1933 Act, other than as disclosed to the Acquiring Fund;
(f) The Acquired Fund is not engaged currently, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not result, in (i) a material violation of ING Series Fund’s Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws or of any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease or other undertaking to which ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, is a party or by which it is bound; or (ii) the acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, judgment or decree to which ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, is a party or by which it is bound;
(g) All material contracts or other commitments of the Acquired Fund (other than this Agreement and certain investment contracts including options, futures and forward contracts) will terminate without liability to the Acquired Fund prior to the Closing Date;
(h) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, no litigation or administrative proceeding or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or, to its knowledge, threatened against the Acquired Fund or any of its properties or assets that, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect its financial condition or the conduct of its business. ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, knows of no facts which might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or governmental body which materially and adversely affects its business or its ability to consummate the transactions herein contemplated;
(i) The Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statements of Operations and Changes in Net Assets, and Schedule of Investments of the Acquired Fund at May 31, 2007, have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accountants, and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquiring Fund) present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition of the Acquired Fund as of such date in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquired Fund required to be reflected on a balance sheet (including the notes thereto) in accordance with U.S. GAAP as of such date not disclosed therein;
(j) Since May 31, 2007, there has not been any material adverse change in the Acquired Fund’s financial condition, assets, liabilities or business, other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any incurrence by the Acquired Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and accepted by the Acquiring Fund (for the purposes of this subparagraph (j), a decline in net asset value per share of the Acquired Fund due to declines in market values of securities in the Acquired Fund’s portfolio, the discharge of Acquired Fund liabilities, or the redemption of Acquired Fund shares by shareholders of the Acquired Fund shall not constitute a material adverse change);
(k) On the Closing Date, all Federal and other tax returns, dividend reporting forms, and other tax-related reports of the Acquired Fund required by law to have been filed by such date (including any extensions) shall have been filed and are or will be correct in all material respects, and all Federal and other taxes shown as due or required to be shown as due on said returns and reports shall have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof, and to the best of the Acquired Fund’s knowledge, no such return is currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to such returns;
(l) For each taxable year of its operation (including the taxable year ending on the Closing Date), the Acquired Fund has met (or will meet) the requirements of Sub-chapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company, has been (or will be) eligible to and has computed (or will compute) its federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code, and will have distributed all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain (as defined in the Code) that has accrued through the Closing Date, and before the Closing Date will have declared dividends
sufficient to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain for the period ending on the Closing Date;
(m) All issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund are, and on the Closing Date will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable, and have been offered and sold in every state and the District of Columbia in compliance in all material respects with applicable registration requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws. All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund will, at the time of Closing, be held by the persons and in the amounts set forth in the records of the Transfer Agent, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, as provided in paragraph 3.3. The Acquired Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any of the shares of the Acquired Fund, nor is there outstanding any security convertible into any of the Acquired Fund shares;
(n) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will have been duly authorized prior to the Closing Date by all necessary action, if any, on the part of the Directors of ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, and, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund, this Agreement will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Acquired Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles;
(o) The information to be furnished by the Acquired Fund for use in registration statements, proxy materials and other documents filed or to be filed with any federal, state or local regulatory authority (including the NASD), which may be necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be accurate and complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with Federal securities and other laws and regulations thereunder applicable thereto; and
(p) The proxy statement of the Acquired Fund (the “Proxy Statement”) to be included in the Registration Statement referred to in paragraph 5.6, insofar as it relates to the Acquired Fund, will, on the effective date of the Registration Statement and on the Closing Date (i) not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not materially misleading provided, however, that the representations and warranties in this subparagraph (p) shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Proxy Statement and the Registration Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information that was furnished by the Acquiring Fund for use therein; and (ii) comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
4.2. Except as has been disclosed to the Acquired Fund in a written instrument executed by an officer of ING Equity Trust, ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, represents and warrants to ING Series Fund as follows:
(a) The Acquiring Fund is duly organized as a series of ING Equity Trust, which is a business trust duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with power under ING Equity Trust’s Declaration of Trust to own all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted;
(b) ING Equity Trust is a registered investment company classified as a management company of the open-end type, and its registration with the Commission as an investment company under the 1940 Act and the registration of the shares of the Acquiring Fund under the 1933 Act, is in full force and effect;
(c) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquiring Fund of the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state securities laws;
(d) The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquiring Fund and each prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquiring Fund used during the three years previous to the date of this Agreement conforms or conformed at the time of its use in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and does not or did not at the time of its use include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not materially misleading;
(e) On the Closing Date, the Acquiring Fund will have good and marketable title to the Acquiring Fund’s assets, free of any liens of other encumbrances, except those liens or encumbrances as to which the Acquired Fund has received notice and necessary documentation at or prior to the Closing;
(f) The Acquiring Fund is not engaged currently, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not result, in (i) a material violation of ING Equity Trust’s Declaration of Trust or By-Laws or of any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease or other undertaking to which ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, is a party or by which it is bound; or (ii) the acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, judgment or decree to which ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, is a party or by which it is bound;
(g) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, no litigation or administrative proceeding or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or, to its knowledge, threatened against ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, or any of the Acquiring Fund’s properties or assets that, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect the Acquiring Fund’s financial condition or the conduct of the Acquiring Fund’s business. ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, knows of no facts which might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or governmental body which materially and adversely affects its business or its ability to consummate the transactions herein contemplated;
(h) The Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statements of Operations and Changes in Net Assets and Schedule of Investments of the Acquiring Fund at May 31, 2007 have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accountants, and are in accordance with U.S. GAAP consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquired Fund) present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition of the Acquiring Fund as of such date in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquiring Fund required to be reflected on a balance sheet (including the notes thereto) in accordance with U.S. GAAP as of such date not disclosed therein;
(i) Since May 31, 2007, there has not been any material adverse change in the Acquiring Fund’s financial condition, assets, liabilities or business, other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any incurrence by the Acquiring Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and accepted by the Acquired Fund (For purposes of this subparagraph (i), a decline in net asset value per share of the Acquiring Fund due to declines in market values of securities in the Acquiring Fund’s portfolio, the discharge of Acquiring Fund liabilities, or the redemption of Acquiring Fund Shares by shareholders of the Acquiring Fund, shall not constitute a material adverse change);
(j) On the Closing Date, all Federal and other tax returns, dividend reporting forms, and other tax-related reports of the Acquiring Fund required by law to have been filed by such date (including any extensions) shall have been filed and are or will be correct in all material respects, and all Federal and other taxes shown as due or required to be shown as due on said returns and reports shall have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof, and to the best of the Acquiring Fund’s knowledge no such return is currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to such returns;
(k) For each taxable year of its operation (including the taxable year that includes the Closing Date), the Acquiring Fund has met (or will meet) the requirements of Sub-chapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company, has been eligible to (or will be eligible to) and has computed (or will compute) its federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code, and has distributed all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain (as defined in the Code) for periods ending prior to the Closing Date;
(l) All issued and outstanding shares of the Acquiring Fund are, and on the Closing Date will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable by ING Equity Trust and have been offered and sold in every state and the District of Columbia in compliance in all material respects with applicable registration requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws. The Acquiring Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any Acquiring Fund Shares, nor is there outstanding any security convertible into any Acquiring Fund Shares;
(m) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will have been fully authorized prior to the Closing Date by all necessary action, if any, on the part of the Trustees of ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the
Acquiring Fund, and this Agreement will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Acquiring Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles;
(n) The Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued and delivered to the Acquired Fund, for the account of the Acquired Fund Shareholders, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, will on the Closing Date have been duly authorized and, when so issued and delivered, will be duly and validly issued Acquiring Fund Shares, and will be fully paid and non-assessable;
(o) The information to be furnished by ING Equity Trust for use in the registration statements, proxy materials and other documents that may be necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be accurate and complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with Federal securities and other laws and regulations applicable thereto; and
(p) That insofar as it relates to the Acquiring Fund, the Registration Statement relating to the Acquiring Fund Shares issuable hereunder, and the proxy materials of the Acquired Fund to be included in the Registration Statement, and any amendment or supplement to the foregoing, will, from the effective date of the Registration Statement through the date of the meeting of shareholders of the Acquired Fund contemplated therein (i) not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading, provided, however, that the representations and warranties in this subparagraph (p) shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information that was furnished by the Acquired Fund for use therein; and (ii) comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
5. COVENANTS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND AND THE ACQUIRED FUND
5.1. The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund each will operate its business in the ordinary course between the date hereof and the Closing Date, it being understood that such ordinary course of business will include the declaration and payment of customary dividends and distributions, and any other distribution that may be advisable.
5.2. The Acquired Fund will call a meeting of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund to consider and act upon this Agreement and to take all other action necessary to obtain approval of the transactions contemplated herein.
5.3. The Acquired Fund covenants that the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued hereunder are not being acquired for the purpose of making any distribution thereof, other than in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
5.4. The Acquired Fund will assist the Acquiring Fund in obtaining such information as the Acquiring Fund reasonably requests concerning the beneficial ownership of the Acquired Fund shares.
5.5. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund will each take, or cause to be taken, all action, and do or cause to be done, all things reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
5.6. The Acquired Fund will provide the Acquiring Fund with information reasonably necessary for the preparation of a prospectus (the “Prospectus”), which will include the Proxy Statement referred to in paragraph 4.1(p), all to be included in a Registration Statement on Form N-14 of the Acquiring Fund (the “Registration Statement”), in compliance with the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act, in connection with the meeting of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund to consider approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein.
5.7. As soon as is reasonably practicable after the Closing, the Acquired Fund will make a liquidating distribution to its shareholders consisting of the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares received at the Closing.
5.8. The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund shall each use its reasonable best efforts to fulfill or obtain the fulfillment of the conditions precedent to effect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as promptly as practicable.
5.9. ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, covenants that ING Series Fund will, from time to time, as and when reasonably requested by the Acquiring Fund, execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered all such assignments and other instruments, and will take or cause to be taken such further action as ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, may reasonably deem necessary or desirable in order to vest in and confirm (a) ING Series Fund’s, on behalf of the Acquired Fund’s, title to and possession of the Acquiring Fund’s Shares to be delivered hereunder, and (b) ING Equity Trust’s, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund’s, title to and possession of all the assets and otherwise to carry out the intent and purpose of this Agreement.
5.10. The Acquiring Fund will use all reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals and authorizations required by the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act and such of the state blue sky or securities laws as may be necessary in order to continue its operations after the Closing Date.
6. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRED FUND
The obligations of ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, to consummate the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at ING Series Fund’s election, to the performance by ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, of all the obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date, and, in addition thereto, the following further conditions:
6.1. All representations and warranties of ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as of the Closing Date, with the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
6.2. ING Equity Trust shall have delivered to ING Series Fund a certificate executed in its name by its President or Vice President and its Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, in a form reasonably satisfactory to ING Series Fund and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the representations and warranties of ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, made in this Agreement are true and correct at and as of the Closing Date, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and as to such other matters as ING Series Fund shall reasonably request;
6.3. ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, shall have performed all of the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, on or before the Closing Date; and
6.4. The Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares of each Class to be issued in connection with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in accordance with paragraph 1.1.
7. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND
The obligations of ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, to complete the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at ING Equity Trust’s election, to the performance by ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, of all of the obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date and, in addition thereto, the following conditions:
7.1. All representations and warranties of ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as of the Closing Date, with the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
7.2. ING Series Fund shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund a statement of the Acquired Fund’s assets and liabilities, as of the Closing Date, certified by the Treasurer of ING Series Fund;
7.3. ING Series Fund shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund on the Closing Date a certificate executed in its name by its President or Vice President and its Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, in form and substance satisfactory to ING Equity Trust and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the representations and warranties of ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, made in this Agreement are true and correct at and as of the Closing Date, except as they
may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and as to such other matters as ING Equity Trust shall reasonably request;
7.4. ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, shall have performed all of the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, on or before the Closing Date;
7.5. The Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares of each class to be issued in connection with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in accordance with paragraph 1.1; and
7.6. The Acquired Fund shall have declared and paid a distribution or distributions prior to the Closing that, together with all previous distributions, shall have the effect of distributing to its shareholders (i) all of its investment company taxable income and all of its net realized capital gains, if any, for the period from the close of its last fiscal year to 4:00p.m. Eastern time on the Closing; and (ii) any undistributed investment company taxable income and net realized capital gains from any period to the extent not otherwise already distributed.
8. FURTHER CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND AND THE ACQUIRED FUND
If any of the conditions set forth below have not been satisfied on or before the Closing Date with respect to ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, or ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, the other party to this Agreement shall, at its option, not be required to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement:
8.1. The Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein shall have been approved by the requisite vote of the holders of the outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund in accordance with the provisions of ING Series Fund’s Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, applicable Maryland law and the 1940 Act, and certified copies of the resolutions evidencing such approval shall have been delivered to the Acquiring Fund. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither ING Equity Trust nor ING Series Fund may waive the conditions set forth in this paragraph 8.1;
8.2. On the Closing Date no action, suit or other proceeding shall be pending or, to its knowledge, threatened before any court or governmental agency in which it is sought to restrain or prohibit, or obtain damages or other relief in connection with, this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein;
8.3. All consents of other parties and all other consents, orders and permits of Federal, state and local regulatory authorities deemed necessary by ING Equity Trust or ING Series Fund to permit consummation, in all material respects, of the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been obtained, except where failure to obtain any such consent, order or permit would not involve a risk of a material adverse effect on the assets or properties of the Acquiring Fund or the Acquired Fund, provided that either party hereto may for itself waive any of such conditions;
8.4. The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop orders suspending the effectiveness thereof shall have been issued and, to the best knowledge of the parties hereto, no investigation or proceeding for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending, threatened or contemplated under the 1933 Act; and
8.5. The parties shall have received the opinion of Dechert LLP addressed to ING Series Fund and ING Equity Trust substantially to the effect that, based upon certain facts, assumptions, and representations, the transaction contemplated by this Agreement shall constitute a tax-free reorganization for Federal income tax purposes. The delivery of such opinion is conditioned upon receipt by Dechert LLP of representations it shall request of ING Equity Trust and ING Series Fund. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither ING Equity Trust nor ING Series Fund may waive the condition set forth in this paragraph 8.5.
9. BROKERAGE FEES AND EXPENSES
9.1. ING Series Fund, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, and ING Equity Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, represent and warrant to each other that there are no brokers or finders entitled to receive any payments in connection with the transactions provided for herein.
9.2 The expenses relating to the proposed Reorganization will be borne equally by (i) the investment adviser to the Acquiring Fund (or an affiliate of the investment adviser) and (ii) the Acquired Fund. The costs of the Reorganization shall include, but not be limited to, costs associated with obtaining any necessary order of exemption from the 1940 Act, preparation of the Registration Statement, printing and distributing the Acquiring Fund’s prospectus and the Acquired Fund’s proxy materials, legal fees, accounting fees, securities registration fees, and expenses of holding shareholders’ meetings. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, expenses will in any event be paid by the party directly incurring such expenses if and to the extent that the payment by another person of such expenses would result in the disqualification of such party as a “regulated investment company” within the meaning of Section 851 of the Code.
10. ENTIRE AGREEMENT; SURVIVAL OF WARRANTIES
10.1. ING Equity Trust and ING Series Fund agree that neither party has made any representation, warranty or covenant not set forth herein and that this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties.
10.2. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in this Agreement or in any document delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall survive the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder. The covenants to be performed after the Closing shall survive the Closing.
11. TERMINATION
This Agreement may be terminated and the transactions contemplated hereby may be abandoned by either party by (i) mutual agreement of the parties; or (ii) by either party if the Closing shall not have occurred on or before May 30, 2008, unless such date is extended by mutual agreement of the parties; or (iii) by either party if the other party shall have materially breached its obligations under this Agreement or made a material and intentional misrepresentation herein or in connection herewith. In the event of any such termination, this Agreement shall become void and there shall be no liability hereunder on the part of any party or their respective Directors or officers, except for any such material breach or intentional misrepresentation, as to each of which all remedies at law or in equity of the party adversely affected shall survive.
12. AMENDMENTS
This Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented in such manner as may be deemed necessary or advisable by the authorized officers of ING Series Fund and ING Equity Trust; provided, however, that following the meeting of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund called by ING Series Fund pursuant to paragraph 5.2 of this Agreement, no such amendment may have the effect of changing the provisions for determining the number of the Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued to the Acquired Fund Shareholders under this Agreement to the detriment of such shareholders without their further approval.
13. NOTICES
Any notice, report, statement or demand required or permitted by any provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given by facsimile, personal service or prepaid or certified mail addressed to:
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ING Equity Trust |
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ING Series Fund |
14. HEADINGS; COUNTERPARTS; GOVERNING LAW; ASSIGNMENT; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
14.1. The Article and paragraph headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
14.2. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.
14.3. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
14.4. This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns, but no assignment or transfer hereof or of any rights or obligations hereunder shall be made by any party without the written consent of the other party. Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any person, firm or corporation, other than the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns, any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement.
14.5. It is expressly agreed that the obligations of the parties hereunder shall not be binding upon any of the Directors, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents, or employees of ING Series Fund personally, but shall bind only the corporate property of the Acquired Fund, as provided in the Articles of Incorporation of ING Series Fund. The execution and delivery by such officers shall not be deemed to have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them personally, but shall bind only the property of such party.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Agreement to be executed by its President or Vice President.
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ING EQUITY TRUST on behalf of its |
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ING OPPORTUNISTIC LARGECAP FUND series |
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Title: |
Senior Vice President |
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ING SERIES FUND, INC. on behalf of its |
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ING GROWTH FUND series |
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/s/ Xxxxxx C’XxXxxx |
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Title: |
Senior Vice President |
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