LIBERTY ALL-STAR EQUITY FUND
FUND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
FUND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT dated December 18, 2006, between Liberty All-Star
Equity Fund, a business trust organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts (the "Trust"), and ALPS Advisers, Inc., a corporation organized
under the laws of the State of Colorado ("Manager").
WHEREAS the Trust will operate as a closed-end investment company registered
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("Investment Company Act") for the
purpose of investing and reinvesting its assets in securities pursuant to the
investment objectives, policies and restrictions set forth in its Declaration of
Trust and By-Laws, as amended from time to time, and its registration statement
on Form N-2 under the Investment Company Act and the Securities Act of 1933 (the
"Registration Statement"), all as heretofore amended and supplemented; and the
Trust desires to avail itself of the services, information, advice, assistance
and facilities of the Manager and to have the Manager provide or perform for it
various administrative, management and other services; and
WHEREAS the Manager is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"), and desires to provide
services to the Trust in consideration of and on the terms and conditions
hereinafter set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Trust and the Manager agree as follows:
1. EMPLOYMENT OF THE MANAGER. The Trust hereby employs the Manager to manage
the investment and reinvestment of the Trust's assets in the manner set forth in
Section 2(A) of this Agreement and to provide the other services set forth in
Section 2 of this Agreement, subject to the direction of the Board of Trustees
and the officers of the Trust, for the period, in the manner, and on the terms
hereinafter set forth. The Manager hereby accepts such employment and agrees
during such period to render the services and to assume the obligations herein
set forth. The Manager shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an
independent contractor and shall, except as expressly provided or authorized
(whether herein or otherwise), have no authority to act for or represent the
Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.
2. OBLIGATION OF AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE MANAGER. The Manager
undertakes to provide the services hereinafter set forth and to assume the
following obligations:
A. Investment Management Services.
(1) The Manager shall have overall supervisory responsibility for the general
management and investment of the Trust's assets and securities portfolio
subject to and in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and
restrictions of the Trust, and any directions which the Trust's Trustees
may issue to the Manager from time to time.
(2) The Manager shall provide overall investment programs and strategies for
the Trust, shall revise such programs as necessary and shall monitor and
report periodically to the Trustees concerning the implementation of the
programs.
(3) The Trust and the Manager intend to appoint one or more persons or
companies ("Portfolio Managers"), each such Portfolio Manager to have
full investment discretion and to make all determinations with respect to
the investment and reinvestment of the portion of the Trust's assets
assigned to that Portfolio Manager and the purchase and sale of portfolio
securities with those assets, all within the Trust's investment
objectives, policies and restrictions, and the Trust will take such steps
as may be necessary to implement such appointments. The Manager shall not
be responsible or liable for the investment merits of any decision by a
Portfolio Manager to purchase, hold or sell a security for the portfolio
of the Trust. The Manager shall advise the Trustees of the Trust which
Portfolio Managers the Manager believes are best suited to invest the
assets of the Trust; shall monitor and evaluate the investment
performance of each Portfolio Manager employed by the Trust; shall
allocate and reallocate the portion of the Trust's assets to be managed
by each Portfolio Manager; shall recommend changes of or additional
Portfolio Managers when deemed appropriate by the Manager; shall
coordinate and monitor the investment activities of the Portfolio
Managers to ensure compliance with the Trust's investment objectives,
policies and restrictions and applicable laws, including the Investment
Company Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; shall have
full investment discretion to make all determinations with respect to the
investment of the Trust's assets not then managed by a Portfolio Manager;
and shall implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the
Portfolio Managers comply with the Trust's investment objectives,
policies and restrictions.
(4) The Manager shall render regular reports to the Trust, at regular
meetings of the Trustees, of, among other things, the decisions that it
has made with respect to the allocation of the Trust's assets among
Portfolio Managers.
(5) The Manager shall comply - and to the extent the Manager takes or is
required to take action on behalf of the Trust hereunder shall cause the
Trust to comply - with all applicable requirements of the Investment
Company Act and other applicable laws, rules, regulations, orders and
codes of ethics, as well as all investment objectives, policies,
restrictions and procedures adopted by the Trust and the Trust's
registration statement on Form N-2, Declaration of Trust and By-laws.
B. Provision of Information Necessary for Preparation of Securities
Registration Statements, Amendments and Other Materials.
The Manager will make available and provide financial, accounting and
statistical information concerning the Manager required by the Trust in the
preparation of registration statements, reports and other documents required by
Federal and state securities laws, and such other information as the Trust may
reasonably request for use in the preparation of such documents or of other
materials necessary or helpful for the distribution of the Trust's shares.
C. Other Obligations and Services.
(l) The Manager will make available its officers and employees to the
Trustees and officers of the Trust for consultation and discussions
regarding the administration and management of the Trust and its
investment activities.
(2) The Manager will adopt a written code of ethics complying with the
requirements of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act and of Rule 17j-1
under the Investment Company Act, and will provide the Trust with a copy
of the code of ethics and evidence of its adoption. Within forty-five
(45) days of the end of the last calendar quarter of each year while this
Agreement is in effect, or at any other time required by the Board of
Trustees, the President or a Vice President or other officer of the
Manager shall certify to the Trust that the Manager has complied with the
requirements of Rule 17j-1 during the previous year and that there has
been no violation of the Manager's code of ethics or, if such a violation
has occurred, that appropriate action was taken in response to such
violation. Upon the written request of the Trust, the Manager shall
permit the Trust, its employees or its agents to examine the reports
required to be made by the Manager by Rule 17j-1(c)(2)(ii).
(3) The Manager will maintain and implement compliance policies and
procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure its compliance with
Rule 206(4)-7 of the Advisers Act and to prevent violations of the
Federal Securities Laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the Investment
Company Act). The Manager also will provide the Trust's Chief Compliance
Officer with periodic reports regarding the Manager's compliance with the
Federal Securities Laws and the Manager's compliance policies and
procedures, which may include, from time to time, a copy and/or summary
of such compliance policies and procedures, and a report of the annual
review determining the effectiveness of such compliance policies and
procedures.
(4) The Manager (or upon written request of the Manager, one or more
Portfolio Managers) will vote all proxies solicited by or with respect to
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the issuers of securities in which assets of the Trust may be invested
from time to time in accordance with such policies as shall be determined
by the Manager, and reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees.
3. EXECUTION AND ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIO BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS. The
Portfolio Managers, subject to and in accordance with any directions the Trust
may issue from time to time, shall place, in the name of the Trust, orders for
the execution of the Trust's portfolio transactions. When placing such orders,
the obligation of each Portfolio Manager shall be as provided in the applicable
Portfolio Management Agreement. The Manager will oversee the placement of orders
by Portfolio Managers in accordance with their respective Portfolio Management
Agreements and will render regular reports to the Trust of the total brokerage
business placed on behalf of the Trust by the Portfolio Managers and the manner
in which such brokerage business has been allocated.
The Trust hereby agrees that any entity or person associated with the Manager
that is a member of a national securities exchange is authorized to effect any
transaction on such exchange for the account of the Trust to the extent and as
permitted by Section 11(a)(1)(H) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended ("1934 Act").
Subject to the appropriate policies and procedures approved by the Board of
Trustees, the Manager may, to the extent authorized by Section 28(e) of the 1934
Act, cause the Trust to pay a broker or dealer that provides brokerage or
research services to the Manager, the Portfolio Manager or the Trust an amount
of commission for effecting a Trust transaction in excess of the amount of
commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that
transaction if the Manager determines, in good faith, that such amount of
commission is reasonable in relationship to the value of such brokerage or
research services provided in terms of that particular transaction or the
Manager's overall responsibilities to the Trust or its other investment advisory
clients. To the extent authorized by said Section 28(e) and the Board of
Trustees, the Manager shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have
breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of
such action.
4. EXPENSES OF THE TRUST. It is understood that the Trust will pay all its
expenses other than those expressly assumed by the Manager, which
expenses payable by the Trust shall include:
A. Fees of the Manager;
B. Expenses of all audits by independent public accountants;
C. Expenses of administrator, transfer agent, pricing services, bookkeeping
services, registrar, dividend disbursing agent and shareholder record
keeping services (including reasonable fees and expenses payable to the
Manager, or an affiliate of the Manager, for such services);
D. Expenses of custodial services;
E. Expenses of obtaining quotations for calculating the value of the Trust's
net assets;
F. Salaries and other compensation of any of its executive officers and
employees who are not officers, directors, stockholders or employees of
the Manager or any of its affiliates;
G. Taxes levied against the Trust and the expenses of preparing tax returns
and reports;
H. Brokerage fees and commissions in connection with the purchase and sale
of portfolio securities for the Trust;
I. Expenses associated with any offering (subject to any written agreement
by the Manager or an affiliate of the Manager to reimburse any portion of
such expenses);
J. Costs, including the interest expense, of borrowing money;
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K. Costs and/or fees incident to Trustee and shareholder meetings of the
Trust, the preparation and mailings of proxy material, prospectuses and
reports of the Trust to its shareholders, the filing of reports with
regulatory bodies, the maintenance of the Trust's legal existence,
membership dues and fees of investment company industry trade
associations, the listing (and maintenance of such listing) of the
Trust's shares on stock exchanges, and the registration of shares with
Federal and state securities authorities;
L. Legal fees and expenses (including reasonable fees for legal services
rendered by the Manager or its affiliates), including the legal fees
related to the registration and continued qualification of the Trust's
shares for sale;
M. Costs of printing stock certificates representing shares of the Trust, if
any;
N. Trustees' fees and expenses of Trustees who are not directors, officers,
employees or stockholders of the Manager or any of its affiliates;
O. Fees for the fidelity bond required by Section 17(g) of the Investment
Company Act, or other insurance premiums; and
P. Fees payable to Federal and state authorities in connection with the
registration of the Trust's shares.
Q. Nonrecurring and extraordinary expenses, such as indemnification payments
or damages awarded in litigation or settlements made.
5. ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATES OF THE MANAGER.
A. The services of the Manager to the Trust hereunder are not to be deemed
exclusive, and the Manager and any of its affiliates shall be free to
render similar services to others. The Manager shall use the same skill
and care in the management of the Trust's assets as it uses in the
administration of other accounts to which it provides asset management,
consulting and portfolio manager selection services, but shall not be
obligated to give the Trust more favorable or preferential treatment
vis-a-vis its other clients.
B. Subject to, and in accordance with, the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws
of the Trust and to Section 10(a) of the Investment Company Act, it is
understood that Trustees, officers, agents and shareholders of the Trust
are or may be interested in the Manager or its affiliates as directors,
officers, agents or stockholders of the Manager or its affiliates; that
directors, officers, agents and stockholders of the Manager or its
affiliates are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, officers,
agents, shareholders or otherwise; that the Manager or its affiliates may
be interested in the Trust as shareholders or otherwise; and that the
effect of any such interests shall be governed by said Declaration of
Trust, By-Laws and the Investment Company Act.
6. FEES FOR SERVICES: Compensation of Manager and Portfolio Managers. The
compensation of the Manager for its services under this Agreement shall be
calculated and paid by the Trust in accordance with the attached Exhibit A. The
Manager will compensate the Portfolio Managers as provided in the Portfolio
Management Agreement entered into with the Portfolio Managers from time to time.
7. LIABILITIES OF THE MANAGER.
A. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or
reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the
Manager, the Manager shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to
any shareholder of the Trust for any act or omission in the course of, or
connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may
be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
B. No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to protect any Trustee
or officer of the Trust, or the Manager, from liability in violation of
Sections 17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act.
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8. RENEWAL AND TERMINATION.
A. This Agreement shall continue in effect for two years from the date of
this Agreement and shall continue from year to year thereafter provided
such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the
Trust's Board of Trustees or (ii) a vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Trust (as defined in the Investment Company
Act), provided that in either event the continuance is also approved by a
majority of the Board of Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as
defined in the Investment Company Act) of any party to this Agreement
("Independent Trustees"), by vote cast in person at a meeting called for
the purpose of voting on such approval. The aforesaid requirement that
continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least
annually" shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment
Company Act and the Rules and Regulations thereunder.
B. This Agreement:
(a) may at any time be terminated without the payment of any penalty either
by vote of the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the
Independent Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Trust, on sixty (60) days' written notice to the
Manager;
(b) shall immediately terminate in the event of its assignment (as that term
is defined in the Investment Company Act); and
(c) may be terminated by the Manager on sixty (60) days' written notice to
the Trust.
C. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing addressed and
delivered or mailed postpaid, to the other party to this Agreement at its
principal place of business.
9. NO PERSONAL LIABILITY. Reference is hereby made to the Declaration of
Trust dated August 20, 1986 establishing the Trust, a copy of which has been
filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and elsewhere as
required by law, and to any and all amendments thereto so filed or hereafter
filed. The name Liberty All-Star Equity Fund refers to the Board of Trustees
under said Declaration of Trust, and not to the Trustees personally, and no
Trustee, shareholder, officer, agent or employee of the Trust shall be held to
any personal liability hereunder or in connection with the affairs of the Trust,
but only the trust estate under said Declaration of Trust is liable under this
Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, neither the Manager
nor any of its officers, directors, shareholders or employees shall, under any
circumstances, have recourse or cause or willingly permit recourse to be had
directly or indirectly to any personal, statutory, or other liability of any
shareholder, Trustee, officer, agent or employee of the Trust or of any
successor of the Trust, whether such liability now exists or is hereafter
incurred for claims against the trust estate, but shall look for payment solely
to said trust estate, or the assets of such successor of the Trust.
10. USE OF NAME. The Trust may use the name "Liberty All-Star," "All-Star,"
or a similar name only for so long as this Agreement or any extension, renewal
or amendment hereof remains in effect, including any similar agreement with any
organization which shall have succeeded to the Manager's business as investment
adviser. If this Agreement is no longer in effect, the Trust (to the extent it
lawfully can) will cease to use such name or any other name indicating that it
is advised by or otherwise connected with the Manager. The Trust acknowledges
that the Manager may grant the non-exclusive right to use the name "Liberty
All-Star" or "All-Star" to any other corporation or entity, including but not
limited to any investment company of which the Manager or any subsidiary or
affiliate thereof or any successor to the business or any thereof shall be an
investment adviser.
11. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made
invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this
Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
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12. GOVERNING LAW. To the extent that state law has not been preempted by the
provisions of any law of the United States heretofore or hereafter enacted, as
the same may be amended from time to time, this Agreement shall be administered,
construed and enforced according to the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
13. INTERPRETATION. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require the
Trust to take any action contrary to this Agreement and its Declaration of Trust
or By-Laws, or any applicable statutory or regulatory requirements to which it
is subject or by which it is bound, or to relieve or deprive the Trustees of
their responsibility for and control of the conduct of the affairs of the Trust.
14. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement contains the entire understanding and
agreement of the parties.
15. HEADINGS. The headings in the sections of this Agreement are inserted for
convenience of reference only and shall not constitute a part hereof.
16. FORCE MAJEURE. The Manager shall not be liable for delays or errors
occurring by reason of circumstances beyond its control, including but not
limited to acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, work
stoppages, fire, flood, catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riot, or
failure of communication or power supply. In the event of equipment breakdowns
beyond its control, the Manager shall take reasonable steps to minimize service
interruptions but shall have no liability with respect thereto.
17. RECORDS. The records relating to the services provided under this
Agreement shall be the property of the Trust and shall be under its control;
however, the Trust shall furnish to the Manager such records and permit it to
retain such records (either in original or in duplicate form) as it shall
reasonably require in order to carry out its duties. In the event of the
termination of this Agreement, such records shall promptly be returned to the
Trust by the Manager free from any claim or retention of rights therein,
provided that the Manager may retain copies of any such records that are
required by law. The Manager shall keep confidential any information obtained
in connection with its duties hereunder and disclose such information only if
the Trust has authorized such disclosure or if such disclosure is expressly
required or lawfully requested by applicable Federal or state regulatory
authorities.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Fund Management
Agreement to be executed, as of the day and year first written above.
LIBERTY ALL-STAR EQUITY FUND
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx, Xx.
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx, Xx.
Title: President
ALPS ADVISERS, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: President
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EXHIBIT A
MANAGER FEE
For the investment management services provided to the Trust pursuant to Section
2(A) of this Agreement, the Trust will pay to the Manager, on or before the 10th
day of each calendar month, a fee calculated and accrued daily and payable
monthly by the Fund for the previous calendar month at the annual rate of: 0.80%
of the first $400 million of average daily net assets; 0.72% of average daily
net assets exceeding $400 million up to and including $800 million; 0.648% of
average daily net assets exceeding $800 million up to and including $1.2
billion; and 0.584% of average daily net assets exceeding $1.2 billion.
Pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement, the Manager will pay to each Portfolio
Manager, on or before the 10th day of each calendar month, a fee calculated and
accrued daily and payable monthly by the Manager for the previous calendar month
at the annual rate of: 0.40% of the amount obtained by multiplying the Portfolio
Manager's Percentage (as hereinafter defined) times the Average Total Fund Net
Assets (as hereinafter defined) up to $400 million; 0.36% of the amount obtained
by multiplying the Portfolio Manager's Percentage times the Average Total Fund
Net Assets exceeding $400 million up to and including $800 million; 0.324% of
the amount obtained by multiplying the Portfolio Manager's Percentage times the
Average Total Fund Net Assets exceeding $800 million up to and including $1.2
billion; and 0.292% of the amount obtained by multiplying the Portfolio
Manager's Percentage times the Average Total Fund Net Assets exceeding $1.2
billion.
"Portfolio Manager's Percentage" means the percentage obtained by dividing (i)
the average daily net asset values of the portion of the portfolio assets of the
Trust assigned to that Portfolio Manager during the preceding calendar month by
(ii) the Average Total Fund Net Assets.
"Average Total Fund Net Assets" means the average daily net asset values of the
Trust as a whole during the preceding calendar month.
The fees shall be pro rated for any month during which this Agreement is in
effect for only a portion of the month.
