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TRANSFER AGENCY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated as of March 20, 1995, between IDS Special Tax-Exempt Series
Trust, (the "Trust"), a Massachusetts business trust, on behalf if its
underlying series funds, and American Express Financial Corporation (the
"Transfer Agent"), a Delaware
corporation.
In consideration of the mutual promises set forth below, the Trust and the
Transfer Agent agree as follows:
1. Appointment of the Transfer Agent. The Trust hereby appoints the Transfer
Agent, as transfer agent for its shares and as shareholder servicing agent for
the Trust, and the Transfer Agent accepts such appointment and agrees to perform
the duties set forth below.
2. Compensation. The Trust will compensate the Transfer Agent for
the performance of its obligations as set forth in Schedule A.
Schedule A does not include out-of-pocket disbursements of the
Transfer Agent for which the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to
xxxx the Trust separately.
The Transfer Agent will xxxx the Trust monthly. The fee provided for hereunder
shall be paid in cash by the Trust to American Express Financial Corporation
within five (5) business days after the last day of each month.
Out-of-pocket disbursements shall include, but shall not be limited to, the
items specified in Schedule B. Reimbursement by the Trust for expenses incurred
by the Transfer Agent in any month shall be made as soon as practicable after
the receipt of an itemized xxxx from the Transfer Agent.
Any compensation jointly agreed to hereunder may be adjusted from time to time
by attaching to this Agreement a revised Schedule A, dated and signed by an
officer of each party.
3. Documents. The Trust will furnish from time to time such
certificates, documents or opinions as the Transfer Agent deems to
be appropriate or necessary for the proper performance of its
duties.
4. Representations of the Trust and the Transfer Agent.
(a) The Trust represents to the Transfer Agent that all outstanding shares are
validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust. When shares are
hereafter issued in accordance with the terms of the Trust's Articles of
Incorporation and its prospectus, such shares shall be validly issued, fully
paid and non-assessable by the Trust.
(b) The Transfer Agent represents that it is registered under Section 17A(c) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Transfer Agent agrees to maintain the
necessary facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and
obligations under this agreement and to comply with all applicable laws.
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5. Duties of the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent shall be
responsible, separately and through its subsidiaries or affiliates,
for the following functions:
(a) Sale of Trust Shares.
(1) On receipt of an application and payment, wired instructions and payment, or
payment identified as being for the account of a shareholder, the Transfer Agent
will deposit the payment, prepare and present the necessary report to the
Custodian and record the purchase of shares in a timely fashion in accordance
with the terms of the prospectus. All shares shall be held in book entry form
and no certificate shall be issued unless the Trust is permitted to do so by the
prospectus and the purchaser so requests.
(2) On receipt of notice that payment was dishonored, the Transfer Agent shall
stop redemptions of all shares owned by the purchaser related to that payment,
place a stop payment on any checks that have been issued to redeem shares of the
purchaser and take such other action as it deems appropriate.
(b) Redemption of Trust Shares. On receipt of instructions to redeem shares in
accordance with the terms of the Trust's prospectus, the Transfer Agent will
record the redemption of shares of the Trust, prepare and present the necessary
report to the Custodian and pay the proceeds of the redemption to the
shareholder, an authorized agent or legal representative upon the receipt of the
monies from the Custodian.
(c) Transfer or Other Change Pertaining to Trust Shares. On receipt of
instructions or forms acceptable to the Transfer Agent to transfer the shares to
the name of a new owner, change the name or address of the present owner or take
other legal action, the Transfer Agent will take such action as is requested.
(d) Exchange of Trust Shares. On receipt of instructions to exchange the shares
of the Trust for the shares of another fund in the IDS MUTUAL FUND GROUP or
other American Express Financial Corporation product in accordance with the
terms of the prospectus, the Transfer Agent will process the exchange in the
same manner as a redemption and sale of shares.
(e) Right to Seek Assurance. The Transfer Agent may refuse to transfer, exchange
or redeem shares of the Trust or take any action requested by a shareholder
until it is satisfied that the requested transaction or action is legally
authorized or until it is satisfied there is no basis for any claims adverse to
the transaction or action. It may rely on the provisions of the Uniform Act for
the Simplification of Fiduciary Security Transfers or the Uniform Commercial
Code. The Trust shall indemnify the Transfer Agent for any act done or omitted
to be done in reliance on such laws or for refusing to transfer, exchange or
redeem shares or taking any requested action if it acts on a good faith belief
that the transaction or action is illegal or unauthorized.
(f) Shareholder Records, Reports and Services.
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(1) The Transfer Agent shall maintain all shareholder accounts, which shall
contain all required tax, legally imposed and regulatory information; shall
provide shareholders, and file with federal and state agencies, all required tax
and other reports pertaining to shareholder accounts; shall prepare shareholder
mailing lists; shall cause to be printed and mailed all required prospectuses,
annual reports, semiannual reports, statements of additional information (upon
request), proxies and other mailings to shareholders; and shall cause proxies to
be tabulated.
(2) The Transfer Agent shall respond to all valid inquiries related to its
duties under this Agreement.
(3) The Transfer Agent shall create and maintain all records in accordance with
all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, the
records required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(g) Dividends and Distributions. The Transfer Agent shall prepare and present
the necessary report to the Custodian and shall cause to be prepared and
transmitted the payment of income dividends and capital gains distributions or
cause to be recorded the investment of such dividends and distributions in
additional shares of the Trust or as directed by instructions or forms
acceptable to the Transfer Agent.
(h) Confirmations and Statements. The Transfer Agent shall confirm each
transaction either at the time of the transaction or through periodic reports as
may be legally permitted.
(i) Lost or Stolen Checks. The Transfer Agent will replace lost or stolen checks
issued to shareholders upon receipt of proper notification and will maintain any
stop payment orders against the lost or stolen checks as it is economically
desirable to do.
(j) Reports to Trust. The Transfer Agent will provide reports pertaining to the
services provided under this Agreement as the Trust may request to ascertain the
quality and level of services being provided or as required by law.
(k) Other Duties. The Transfer Agent may perform other duties for
additional compensation if agreed to in writing by the parties to
this Agreement.
6. Ownership and Confidentiality of Records. The Transfer Agent agrees that all
records prepared or maintained by it relating to the services to be performed by
it under the terms of this Agreement are the property of the Trust and may be
inspected by the Trust or any person retained by the Trust at reasonable times.
The Trust and Transfer Agent agree to protect the confidentiality of those
records.
7. Action by Board and Opinion of Trust's Counsel. The Transfer
Agent may rely on resolutions of the Board of Trustees or the
Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees and on opinion of
counsel for the Trust.
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8. Duty of Care. It is understood and agreed that, in furnishing the Trust with
the services as herein provided, neither the Transfer Agent, nor any officer,
trustee or agent thereof shall be held liable for any loss arising out of or in
connection with their actions under this Agreement so long as they act in good
faith and with due diligence, and are not negligent or guilty of any willful
misconduct. It is further understood and agreed that the Transfer Agent may rely
upon information furnished to it reasonably believed to be accurate and
reliable. In the event the Transfer Agent is unable to perform its obligations
under the terms of this Agreement because of an act of God, strike or equipment
or transmission failure reasonably beyond its control, the Transfer Agent shall
not be liable for any damages resulting from such failure.
9. Term and Termination. This Agreement shall become effective on the date first
set forth above (the "Effective Date") and shall continue in effect from year to
year thereafter as the parties may mutually agree; provided that either party
may terminate this Agreement by giving the other party notice in writing
specifying the date of such termination, which shall be not less than 60 days
after the date of receipt of such notice. In the event such notice is given by
the Trust, it shall be accompanied by a vote of the Board of Trustees, certified
by the Secretary, electing to terminate this Agreement and designating a
successor transfer agent or transfer agents. Upon such termination and at the
expense of the Trust, the Transfer Agent will deliver to such successor a
certified list of shareholders of the Trust (with name, address and taxpayer
identification or Social Security number), a historical record of the account of
each shareholder and the status thereof, and all other relevant books, records,
correspondence, and other data established or maintained by the Transfer Agent
under this Agreement in the form reasonably acceptable to the Trust, and will
cooperate in the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including
provisions for assistance from the Transfer Agent's personnel in the
establishment of books, records and other data by such successor or successors.
10. Amendment. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any
manner except by a written agreement executed by both parties.
11. Subcontracting. The Trust agrees that the Transfer Agent may subcontract for
certain of the services described under this Agreement with the understanding
that there shall be no diminution in the quality or level of the services and
that the Transfer Agent remains fully responsible for the services. Except for
out-of-pocket expenses identified in Schedule B, the Transfer Agent shall bear
the cost of subcontracting such services, unless otherwise agreed by the
parties.
12. Miscellaneous.
(a) This Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto,
and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this
Agreement shall not be assignable without the written consent of the other
party.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of
Minnesota.
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13. Limitation of Liability. The Trust and the Transfer Agent agree that the
obligations of the Trust hereunder shall not be binding upon any of the
trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, employees or agents, whether past,
present or future, of the Trust, individually, but are binding only upon the
assets and property of the Trust, as provided in the Agreement and Declaration
of Trust. The execution and delivery of this Agreement have been authorized by
the trustees of the Trust, and signed by an authorized officer of the Trust,
acting as such, and neither such authorization by such trustees nor such
execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have been made by any
of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them or any
shareholder of the Trust personally, but shall bind only the property of the
Trust as provided in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
by their respective officers as of the day and year written above.
IDS SPECIAL TAX-EXEMPT SERIES TRUST IDS Insured Tax-Exempt Fund IDS
Massachusetts Tax-Exempt Fund IDS Michigan Tax-Exempt Fund IDS Minnesota
Tax-Exempt Fund IDS New York Tax-Exempt Fund IDS Ohio Tax-Exempt Fund
By: /s/Xxxxxx X. Xxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxx
Vice President
AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL CORPORATION
By: /s/Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Vice President
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Schedule A
IDS SPECIAL TAX-EXEMPT SERIES TRUST
TRANSFER AGENT FEE
Effective the 20th day of March, 1995, the Annual Per Account Fee
accrued daily and payable monthly is revised as follows:
CLASS FEE
A $ 15.50
B 16.50
Y 15.50
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Schedule B
OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES
The Trust shall reimburse the Transfer Agent monthly for the following
out-of-pocket expenses:
o typesetting, printing, paper, envelopes, postage and return
postage for proxy soliciting material, and proxy tabulation costs
o printing, paper, envelopes and postage for dividend notices, dividend checks,
records of account, purchase confirmations, exchange confirmations and exchange
prospectuses, redemption confirmations, redemption checks, confirmations on
changes of address and any other communication required to be sent to
shareholders
o typesetting, printing, paper, envelopes and postage for prospectuses, annual
and semiannual reports, statements of additional information, supplements for
prospectuses and statements of additional information and other required
mailings to shareholders
o stop orders
o outgoing wire charges
o other expenses incurred at the request or with the consent of the
Trust
