UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT made as of this 19th day of November, 1997, by and between
Phoenix Aberdeen, a Massachusetts business trust having a place of business
located at 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx (the "Fund") and Phoenix
Equity Planning Corporation, a Connecticut corporation having a place of
business located at 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx (the
"Underwriter").
WITNESSETH THAT:
1. The Fund hereby grants to the Underwriter the right to purchase shares of
beneficial interest of each class of each series of the Fund established and
designated as of the date hereof and of any additional series and classes
thereof which the Board of Directors or Board of Trustees, as applicable
("Trustees") may establish and designate during the term of this Agreement
(called the "Series" and "Classes", respectively) and to resell shares of
various Classes, as applicable, of each Series (collectively called the
"Shares") as principal and not as agent. The Underwriter accepts such
appointment and agrees to render the services described in this Agreement for
the compensation herein provided.
2. The Underwriter's right to purchase Shares shall be exclusive except that the
terms of this Agreement shall not apply to Shares issued or transferred:
a) pursuant to an offer of exchange exempted under Section 22(d) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act") by reason of the
fact that said offer is permitted by Section 11 of the Act, including
any offer made pursuant to clause (1) or (2) of Section 11(b);
b) upon the sale to a registered unit investment trust which is the issuer
of periodic payment plan certificates the net proceeds of which are
invested in redeemable securities;
c) pursuant to an offer made solely to all registered holders of Shares, or
all registered holders of Shares of any Series, proportionate to their
holdings or proportionate to any cash distribution made to them by the
Fund (subject to appropriate qualifications designed solely to avoid
issuance of fractional securities);
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d) in connection with any merger or consolidation of the Fund or of any
Series with any other investment company or the acquisition by the Fund,
by purchase or otherwise, of any other investment company;
e) pursuant to sales exempted from Section 22(d) of the Act, by rule or
regulation or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission as
provided in the then current registration statement of the Fund; or
f) in connection with the reinvestment by Fund shareholders of dividend and
capital gains distributions.
3. The "Net Asset Value" and the "Public Offering Price" of the Shares as
referred to in this Agreement shall be computed in accordance with the
provisions of the then current registration statement of the Fund. The
Underwriter shall be notified promptly by the Fund of such computations.
4. The Underwriter has and shall enter into written sales agreements with
broker/dealers ("dealers") and with banks as defined in Section 3(a)(6) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (Exchange Act) that are not
required to register as a broker/dealer under the Exchange Act or the
regulations thereunder ("Banks"). Such sales agreements shall provide that
dealers or Banks shall use their best efforts to promote the sale of Shares.
Such sales agreements shall include such terms and conditions as Underwriter may
determine not inconsistent with this Agreement; provided, however, that such
sales agreements shall specify a) that the dealer is registered as a
broker/dealer under the Exchange Act and a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. or, in the alternative, that the Bank is exempt from
broker/dealer registration under the Exchange Act; and b) that such dealers and
Banks agree that they will comply with all applicable state, and federal laws
and the rules and regulations of applicable regulatory agencies.
5. Each day the Underwriter shall have the right to purchase from the Fund, as
principal, the amount of Shares needed to fill unconditional orders for such
Shares received by the Underwriter from dealers, Banks, or investors, but no
more than the Shares needed, at a price equal to the Net Asset Value of the
Shares. Any purchase of Shares by the Underwriter under this Agreement shall be
subject to reasonable adjustment for clerical errors, delays and errors of
transmission and cancellation of orders.
6. With respect to transactions other than with dealers or Banks, the
Underwriter will sell Shares only at the Public Offering Price then in effect,
except to the extent that sales at less than the Public Offering Price may be
allowed by the Act, any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder or by order of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, provided, however, that any such sales
at less than the Public Offering Price shall be consistent with the terms of the
then
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current registration statement of the Fund. The Underwriter will sell at Net
Asset Value Shares of any Classes which are offered by the then current
registration statement or prospectus of the Fund for sale at such Net Asset
Value or at Net Asset Value with a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC
Shares"). The Underwriter shall receive from the Fund all contingent deferred
sales charges applied on redemptions of CDSC Shares.
7. Sales at a discount from the Public Offering Price shall be made in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the terms of the current
registration statement of the Fund allowing such discounts. Such discounts shall
not exceed the difference between the Net Asset Value and the Public Offering
Price; however, the Underwriter may offer compensation in excess of the
difference between the Net Asset Value and the Public Offering Price, at its
discretion and from its own profits and resources, and only as described in the
current registration statement of the Fund. With respect to sales of CDSC
Shares, the Underwriter, in accordance with the terms of the current
registration statement of the Fund, shall pay dealers a commission on such sales
from its own profits and resources.
8. As reimbursement for expenditures made in connection with providing certain
distribution-related services, the Underwriter may receive from the Fund a
distribution service fee under the terms and conditions set forth in the Fund's
distribution plan adopted under Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, as the plan may be amended from time to time and subject to
any further limitations on such fees as the Trustees may impose. The Underwriter
may receive from the Fund a service fee to be retained by the Underwriter as
compensation for providing services to shareholders of the Fund or to be paid to
dealers and Banks for providing services to their clients who are also
shareholders of the Fund.
9. The Fund shall furnish the Underwriter with copies of its organizational
documents, as amended from time to time. The Fund shall also furnish the
Underwriter with any other documents of the Fund which will assist the
Underwriter in the performance of its duties hereunder.
10. The Underwriter agrees to use its best efforts (in states where it may
lawfully do so) to obtain from investors unconditional orders for Shares
authorized for issue by the Fund and registered under applicable Federal
securities laws, and, so long as it does so, nothing herein contained shall
prevent the Underwriter from entering into similar arrangements with other
registered investment companies. The Underwriter may, in the exercise of its
discretion, refuse to accept orders for Shares from any person.
11. Upon receipt by the Fund of a purchase order from the Underwriter,
accompanied by proper delivery instructions, the Fund shall, as promptly as
practicable thereafter, cause evidence of ownership of Shares to be delivered as
indicated in such purchase order. Payment for such Shares shall be made by the
Underwriter to the Fund in a manner acceptable to the Fund,
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provided that the Underwriter shall pay for such Shares no later than the third
business day after the Underwriter shall have contracted to purchase such
shares.
12. In connection with offering for sale and selling Shares, the Fund authorizes
the Underwriter to give only such information and to make only such statements
or representations as are contained in the then current registration statement
of the Fund. The Underwriter shall be responsible for the approval and filing of
sales material as required under SEC and NASD regulations.
13. The Fund agrees to pay the following expenses:
a) the cost of mailing stock certificates representing Shares;
b) fees and expenses (including legal expenses) of registering and
maintaining registrations of the Fund and of each Series and Class with
the Securities and Exchange Commission including the preparation and
printing of registration statements and prospectuses for filing with
said Commission;
c) fees and expenses (including legal expenses) incurred in registering and
qualifying Shares for sale with any state regulatory agency and fees and
expenses of maintaining, renewing, increasing or amending such
registrations and qualifications;
d) the expense of any issue or transfer taxes upon the sale of Shares to
the Underwriter by the Fund;
e) the cost of preparing and distributing reports and notices to
shareholders; and
f) fees and expenses of the transfer agent, including the cost of preparing
and mailing notices to shareholders pertaining to transactions with
respect to such shareholders accounts.
14. The Underwriter agrees to pay the following expenses:
a) all expenses of printing prospectuses and statements of additional
information used in connection with the sale of Shares and printing and
preparing all other sales literature;
b) all fees and expenses in connection with the qualification of the
Underwriter as a dealer in the various states and countries;
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c) the expense of any stock transfer tax required in connection with the
sale of Shares by the Underwriter as principal to dealers or to
investors; and
d) all other expenses in connection with offering for sale and the sale of
Shares which have not been herein specifically allocated to the Fund.
15. The Fund hereby appoints the Underwriter its agent to receive requests to
accept the Fund's offer to repurchase Shares upon such terms and conditions as
may be described in the Fund's then current registration statement. The agency
granted in this paragraph 15 is terminable at the discretion of the Fund. As
compensation for acting as such agent and as part of the consideration for
acting as underwriter, Underwriter shall receive from the Fund all contingent
deferred sales charges imposed upon the redemption of Shares. Whether and to
what extent a contingent deferred sales charge will be imposed shall be
determined in accordance with, and in the manner set forth in, the Fund's
prospectus.
16. The Fund agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter, its officers
and directors and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the
meaning of section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, against any
losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including the cost of any
legal fees incurred in connection therewith) which the Underwriter, its
officers, directors or any such controlling person may incur under said Act,
under any other statute, at common law or otherwise, arising out of or based
upon
a) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in the Fund's registration statement or prospectus (including
amendments and supplements thereto), or
b) any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be
stated in the Fund's registration statement or prospectus or necessary
to make the statements in either not misleading, provided, however, that
insofar as losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses arise out of
or are based upon any such untrue statement or omission or alleged
untrue statement or omission made in reliance and in conformity with
information furnished to the Fund by the Underwriter for use in the
Fund's registration statement or prospectus, such indemnification is not
applicable. In no case shall the Fund indemnify the Underwriter or its
controlling persons as to any amounts incurred for any liability arising
out of or based upon any action for which the Underwriter, its officers
and directors or any controlling person would otherwise be subject to
liability by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross
negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of the reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
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17. The Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, its officers
and trustees and each person, if any, who controls the Fund within the meaning
of Section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, against any losses,
claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including the cost of any legal fees
incurred in connection therewith) which the Fund, its officers, trustees or any
such controlling person may incur under said Act, under any other statute, at
common law or otherwise arising out of the acquisition of any shares by any
person which
a) may be based upon any wrongful act by the Underwriter or any of its
employees or representatives, or
b) may be based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Fund's registration statement, prospectus
(including amendments and supplements thereto) or sales material, or any
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon
information furnished or confirmed in writing to the Fund by the
Underwriter.
18. It is understood that:
a) trustees, officers, employees, agents and shareholders of the Fund are
or may be interested persons, as that term is defined in the Act
("Interested Persons"), of the Underwriter as directors, officers,
stockholders or otherwise;
b) directors, officers, employees, agents and stockholders of the
Underwriter are or may be Interested Persons of the Fund as trustees,
officers, shareholders or otherwise;
c) the Underwriter may be an Interested Person of the Fund as shareholder
or otherwise; and
d) the existence of any such dual interest shall not offset the validity
hereof or of any transactions hereunder.
19. The Fund may terminate this Agreement by 60 days written notice to the
Underwriter at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by vote of the
Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, as
that term is defined in the Act, of the Fund. The Underwriter may terminate this
Agreement by 60 days written notice to the Fund, without the payment of any
penalty. This Agreement shall immediately terminate in the event of its
assignment, as that term is defined in the Act.
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20. Subject to prior termination as provided in paragraph 19, this Agreement
shall continue in force for one year from the date of execution and from year to
year thereafter so long as the continuance after such one year period shall be
specifically approved at least annually by vote of the Trustees, or by a vote of
a majority of the appropriate class of outstanding voting securities, as that
term is defined in the Act, of the Fund. Additionally, each annual renewal of
this Agreement must be approved by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who
are not parties to the Agreement or Interested Persons of any such party, cast
in person at a meeting of the Trustees called for the purpose of voting on such
approval.
21. It is expressly agreed that the obligations of the Fund hereunder shall not
be binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents or
employees of the Fund personally, but bind only the trust property of the Fund,
as provided in the Declaration of Trust. The execution and delivery of this
Agreement by the President of the Fund has been authorized by the Trustees
acting as such, and neither such execution and delivery by such officer nor such
authorization by such Trustees shall be deemed to have been made by any of them
individually or be binding upon or impose any liability on any of them
personally, but shall bind only the trust property of the Fund as provided in
the Declaration of Trust. The Declaration of Trust is on file with the
Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
22. This Agreement shall become effective upon the date first set forth
above. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut
and shall be binding on the successors and assigns of the parties to the extend
permitted by law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed
by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first written above.
PHOENIX ABERDEEN SERIES FUND
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxxx
--------------------------------
Xxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxxx
President
PHOENIX EQUITY PLANNING CORPORATION
By: /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
--------------------------------
Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Executive Vice President
