REVISED 4/15/99
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
between
(Name of Mutual Fund, Trust or Company)
and
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
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1. Terms of Appointment and Duties...............................................1
2. Third Party Administrators for Defined Contribution Plans ....................4
3. Fees and Expenses.............................................................5
4. Representations and Warranties of the Transfer Agent..........................5
5. Representations and Warranties of the Fund....................................6
6. Wire Transfer Operating Guidelines............................................6
7. Data Access and Proprietary Information.......................................8
8. Indemnification..............................................................10
9. Standard of Care.............................................................11
10. Year 2000....................................................................11
11. Confidentiality .............................................................11
12. Covenants of the Fund and the Transfer Agent.................................12
13. Termination of Agreement.....................................................13
14. Assignment and Third Party Beneficiaries.....................................13
15. Subcontractors...............................................................13
16. Miscellaneous................................................................14
17. Additional Funds.............................................................15
18. Limitations of Liability of the Trustees and Shareholders....................15
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
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AGREEMENT made as of the day of , 199 , by and between , a _________business
trust, having its principal office and place of business at _________(the
"Fund"), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company
having its principal office and place of business at 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (the "Transfer Agent").
WHEREAS, the Fund is authorized to issue shares in separate series, with each
such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and
other assets;
WHEREAS, the Fund intends to initially offer shares in series, such series shall
be named in the attached Schedule A which may be amended by the parties from
time to time (each such series, together with all other series subsequently
established by the Fund and made subject to this Agreement in accordance with
Section 17, being herein referred to as a "Portfolio", and collectively as the
"Portfolios"); and
WHEREAS, the Fund on behalf of the Portfolios desires to appoint the Transfer
Agent as its transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain
retirement plans and agent in connection with certain other activities, and the
Transfer Agent desires to accept such appointment.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
l. Terms of Appointment and Duties
-------------------------------
1.1 TRANSFER AGENCY SERVICES. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth
in this Agreement, the Fund, on behalf of the Portfolios, hereby employs
and appoints the Transfer Agent to act as, and the Transfer Agent agrees
to act as its transfer agent for the Fund's authorized and issued shares
of its beneficial interest, $ par value, ("Shares"), dividend disbursing
agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in connection
with any accumulation, open-account or similar plan provided to the
shareholders of each of the respective Portfolios of the Fund
("Shareholders") and set out in the currently effective prospectus and
statement of additional information ("prospectus") of the Fund on behalf
of the applicable Portfolio, including without limitation any periodic
investment plan or periodic withdrawal program. In accordance with
procedures established from time to time by agreement between the Fund
on behalf of each of the Portfolios, as applicable and the Transfer
Agent, the Transfer Agent agrees that it will perform the following
services:
(a) Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of Shares, and
promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation thereof to the
Custodian of the Fund authorized pursuant to the Declaration of Trust of
the Fund (the "Custodian");
(b) Pursuant to purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of Shares
and hold such Shares in the appropriate Shareholder account;
(c) Receive for acceptance redemption requests and redemption directions
and deliver the appropriate documentation thereof to the Custodian;
(d) In respect to the transactions in items (a), (b) and (c) above, the
Transfer Agent shall execute transactions directly with broker-dealers
authorized by the Fund;
(e) At the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid to it by
the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay over or cause to be
paid over in the appropriate manner such monies as instructed by the
redeeming Shareholders;
(f) Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon
receipt of appropriate instructions;
(g) Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions
declared by the Fund on behalf of the applicable Portfolio;
(h) Issue replacement certificates for those certificates alleged to
have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon receipt by the Transfer Agent
of indemnification satisfactory to the Transfer Agent and protecting the
Transfer Agent and the Fund, and the Transfer Agent at its option, may
issue replacement certificates in place of mutilated stock certificates
upon presentation thereof and without such indemnity;
(i) Maintain records of account for and advise the Fund and its
Shareholders as to the foregoing; and
(j) Record the issuance of Shares of the Fund and maintain pursuant to
SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of the total number of Shares of the Fund
which are authorized, based upon data provided to it by the Fund, and
issued and outstanding. The Transfer Agent shall also provide the Fund
on a regular basis with the total number of Shares which are authorized
and issued and outstanding and shall have no obligation, when recording
the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares or to
take cognizance of any laws relating to the issue or sale of such
Shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund.
1.2 ADDITIONAL SERVICES. In addition to, and neither in lieu nor in
contravention of, the services set forth in the above paragraph, the
Transfer Agent shall perform the following services:
(a) OTHER CUSTOMARY SERVICES. Perform the customary services of a
transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain
retirement plans and, as relevant, agent in connection with
accumulation, open-account or similar plan (including without limitation
any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including
but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder accounts, preparing
Shareholder meeting lists, mailing Shareholder proxies, Shareholder
reports and prospectuses to current Shareholders, withholding taxes on
U.S. resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S.
Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with
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respect to dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all
Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of
account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and
other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and
mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder
account information.
(b) CONTROL BOOK (ALSO KNOWN AS "SUPER SHEET"). Maintain a daily record
and produce a daily report for the Fund of all transactions and receipts
and disbursements of money and securities and deliver a copy of such
report for the Fund for each business day to the Fund no later than 9:00
AM Eastern Time, or such earlier time as the Fund may reasonably
require, on the next business day.
(c) "BLUE SKY" REPORTING. The Fund shall (i) identify to the Transfer
Agent in writing those transactions and assets to be treated as exempt
from blue sky reporting for each State; and (ii) verify the
establishment of transactions for each State on the system prior to
activation and thereafter monitor the daily activity for each State. The
responsibility of the Transfer Agent for the Fund's blue sky State
registration status is solely limited to the initial establishment of
transactions subject to blue sky compliance by the Fund and providing a
system which will enable the Fund to monitor the total number of Shares
sold in each State.
(d) NATIONAL SECURITIES CLEARING CORPORATION (THE "NSCC"). (i) accept
and effectuate the registration and maintenance of accounts through
Networking and the purchase, redemption, transfer and exchange of shares
in such accounts through Fund/SERV (networking and Fund/SERV being
programs operated by the NSCC on behalf of NSCC's participants,
including the Fund), in accordance with, instructions transmitted to and
received by the Transfer Agent by transmission from NSCC on behalf of
broker-dealers and banks which have been established by, or in
accordance with the instructions of authorized persons, as hereinafter
defined on the dealer file maintained by the Transfer Agent; (ii) issue
instructions to Fund's banks for the settlement of transactions between
the Fund and NSCC (acting on behalf of its broker-dealer and bank
participants); (iii) provide account and transaction information from
the affected Fund's records on DST Systems, Inc. computer system TA2000
("TA2000 System") in accordance with NSCC's Networking and Fund/SERV
rules for those broker-dealers; and (iv) maintain Shareholder accounts
on TA2000 System through Networking.
(e) NEW PROCEDURES. New procedures as to who shall provide certain of
these services in Section 1 may be established in writing from time to
time by agreement between the Fund and the Transfer Agent. The Transfer
Agent may at times perform only a portion of these services and the Fund
or its agent may perform these services on the Fund's behalf.
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(f) ADDITIONAL TELEPHONE SUPPORT SERVICES. If the parties elect to have
the Transfer Agent provide additional telephone support services under
this Agreement, the parties will agree to such services, fees and
sub-contracting as stated in Schedule 1.2(f) entitled "Telephone Support
Services" attached hereto.
2. Third Party Administrators for Defined Contribution Plans
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2.1 The Fund may decide to make available to certain of its customers, a
qualified plan program (the "Program") pursuant to which the customers
("Employers") may adopt certain plans of deferred compensation ("Plan or
Plans") for the benefit of the individual Plan participant (the "Plan
Participant"), such Plan(s) being qualified under Section 401(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("Code") and administered by
third party administrators which may be plan administrators as defined
in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended)(the
"TPA(s)").
2.2 In accordance with the procedures established in the initial Schedule
2.1 entitled "Third Party Administrator Procedures", as may be amended
by the Transfer Agent and the Fund from time to time ("Schedule 2.1"),
the Transfer Agent shall:
(a) Treat Shareholder accounts established by the Plans in the name
of the Trustees, Plans or TPAs as the case may be as omnibus accounts;
(b) Maintain omnibus accounts on its records in the name of the TPA
or its designee as the Trustee for the benefit of the Plan; and
(c) Perform all services under SECTION 1 as transfer agent of the
Funds and not as a record-keeper for the Plans.
2.3 Transactions identified under SECTION 2 of this Agreement shall be
deemed exception services ("Exception Services") when such transactions:
(a) Require the Transfer Agent to use methods and procedures other
than those usually employed by the Transfer Agent to perform services
under Section 1 of this Agreement;
(b) Involve the provision of information to the Transfer Agent after
the commencement of the nightly processing cycle of the TA2000 System;
or
(c) Require more manual intervention by the Transfer Agent, either
in the entry of data or in the modification or amendment of reports
generated by the TA2000 System than is usually required by
non-retirement plan and pre-nightly transactions.
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3. Fees and Expenses
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3.1 FEE SCHEDULE. For the performance by the Transfer Agent pursuant to this
Agreement, the Fund agrees to pay the Transfer Agent an annual
maintenance fee for each Shareholder account as set forth in the
attached fee schedule ("Schedule 3.1"). Such fees and out-of-pocket
expenses and advances identified under SECTION 3.2 below may be changed
from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the Fund
and the Transfer Agent.
3.2 OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES. In addition to the fee paid under SECTION 3.1
above, the Fund agrees to reimburse the Transfer Agent for out-of-pocket
expenses, including but not limited to confirmation production, postage,
forms, telephone, microfilm, microfiche, mailing and tabulating proxies,
records storage, or advances incurred by the Transfer Agent for the
items set out in Schedule 3.1 attached hereto. In addition, any other
expenses incurred by the Transfer Agent at the request or with the
consent of the Fund, will be reimbursed by the Fund.
3.3 POSTAGE. Postage for mailing of dividends, proxies, Fund reports and
other mailings to all shareholder accounts shall be advanced to the
Transfer Agent by the Fund at least seven (7) days prior to the mailing
date of such materials.
3.4 INVOICES. The Fund agrees to pay all fees and reimbursable expenses
within thirty (30) days following the receipt of the respective billing
notice, except for any fees or expenses which are subject to good faith
dispute. In the event of such a dispute, the Fund may only withhold that
portion of the fee or expense subject to the good faith dispute. The
Fund shall notify the Transfer Agent in writing within twenty-one (21)
calendar days following the receipt of each billing notice if the Fund
is disputing any amounts in good faith. If the Fund does not provide
such notice of dispute within the required time, the billing notice will
be deemed accepted by the Fund.
4. Representations and Warranties of the Transfer Agent
----------------------------------------------------
The Transfer Agent represents and warrants to the Fund that:
4.1 It is a trust company duly organized and existing and in good standing
under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
4.2 It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
4.3 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Charter and By-Laws
to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4.4 All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it
to enter into and perform this Agreement.
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4.5 It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities,
equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this
Agreement.
5. Representations and Warranties of the Fund
------------------------------------------
The Fund represents and warrants to the Transfer Agent that:
5.1 It is a business trust duly organized and existing and in good standing
under the laws of .
5.2 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Declaration of Trust
and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
5.3 All corporate proceedings required by said Declaration of Trust and
By-Laws have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this
Agreement.
5.4 It is an open-end and diversified management investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
5.5 A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended is
currently effective and will remain effective, and appropriate state
securities law filings have been made and will continue to be made, with
respect to all Shares of the Fund being offered for sale.
6. Wire Transfer Operating Guidelines/Articles 4A of the Uniform Commercial
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code
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6.1 The Transfer Agent is authorized to promptly debit the appropriate Fund
account(s) upon the receipt of a payment order in compliance with the
selected security procedure (the "Security Procedure") chosen for funds
transfer and in the amount of money that the Transfer Agent has been
instructed to transfer. The Transfer Agent shall execute payment orders
in compliance with the Security Procedure and with the Fund instructions
on the execution date provided that such payment order is received by
the customary deadline for processing such a request, unless the payment
order specifies a later time. All payment orders and communications
received after this the customary deadline will be deemed to have been
received the next business day.
6.2 The Fund acknowledges that the Security Procedure it has designated on
the Fund Selection Form was selected by the Fund from security
procedures offered by the Transfer Agent. The Fund shall restrict access
to confidential information relating to the Security Procedure to
authorized persons as communicated to the Transfer Agent in writing. The
Fund must notify the Transfer Agent immediately if it has reason to
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believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such
information or of any change in the Fund's authorized personnel. The
Transfer Agent shall verify the authenticity of all Fund instructions
according to the Security Procedure.
6.3 The Transfer Agent shall process all payment orders on the basis of the
account number contained in the payment order. In the event of a
discrepancy between any name indicated on the payment order and the
account number, the account number shall take precedence and govern.
6.4 The Transfer Agent reserves the right to decline to process or delay the
processing of a payment order which (a) is in excess of the collected
balance in the account to be charged at the time of the Transfer Agent's
receipt of such payment order; (b) if initiating such payment order
would cause the Transfer Agent, in the Transfer Agent's sole judgement,
to exceed any volume, aggregate dollar, network, time, credit or similar
limits which are applicable to the Transfer Agent; or (c) if the
Transfer Agent, in good faith, is unable to satisfy itself that the
transaction has been properly authorized.
6.5 The Transfer Agent shall use reasonable efforts to act on all authorized
requests to cancel or amend payment orders received in compliance with
the Security Procedure provided that such requests are received in a
timely manner affording the Transfer Agent reasonable opportunity to
act. However, the Transfer Agent assumes no liability if the request for
amendment or cancellation cannot be satisfied.
6.6 The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for failure to detect
any erroneous payment order provided that the Transfer Agent complies
with the payment order instructions as received and the Transfer Agent
complies with the Security Procedure. The Security Procedure is
established for the purpose of authenticating payment orders only and
not for the detection of errors in payment orders.
6.7 The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for lost interest with
respect to the refundable amount of any unauthorized payment order,
unless the Transfer Agent is notified of the unauthorized payment order
within thirty (30) days of notification by the Transfer Agent of the
acceptance of such payment order. In no event (including failure to
execute a payment order) shall the Transfer Agent be liable for special,
indirect or consequential damages, even if advised of the possibility of
such damages.
6.8 When the Fund initiates or receives Automated Clearing House credit and
debit entries pursuant to these guidelines and the rules of the National
Automated Clearing House Association and the New England Clearing House
Association, the Transfer Agent will act as an Originating Depository
Financial Institution and/or receiving depository Financial Institution,
as the case may be, with respect to such entries. Credits given by the
Transfer Agent with respect to an ACH credit entry are provisional until
the Transfer Agent receives final settlement for such entry from the
Federal Reserve Bank. If the Transfer Agent does not receive such final
settlement, the Fund agrees that the Transfer Agent shall receive a
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refund of the amount credited to the Fund in connection with such entry,
and the party making payment to the Fund via such entry shall not be
deemed to have paid the amount of the entry.
6.9 Confirmation of Transfer Agent's execution of payment orders shall
ordinarily be provided within twenty four (24) hours notice of which may
be delivered through the Transfer Agent's proprietary information
systems, or by facsimile or call-back. Fund must report any objections
to the execution of an order within thirty (30) days.
7. Data Access and Proprietary Information
---------------------------------------
7.1 The Fund acknowledges that the databases, computer programs, screen
formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and
documentation manuals furnished to the Fund by the Transfer Agent as
part of the Fund's ability to access certain Fund-related data
("Customer Data") maintained by the Transfer Agent on databases under
the control and ownership of the Transfer Agent or other third party
("Data Access Services") constitute copyrighted, trade secret, or other
proprietary information (collectively, "Proprietary Information") of
substantial value to the Transfer Agent or other third party. In no
event shall Proprietary Information be deemed Customer Data. The Fund
agrees to treat all Proprietary Information as proprietary to the
Transfer Agent and further agrees that it shall not divulge any
Proprietary Information to any person or organization except as may be
provided hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing, the Fund agrees for
itself and its employees and agents to:
(a) Use such programs and databases (i) solely on the Fund's
computers, or (ii) solely from equipment at the location agreed to
between the Fund and the Transfer Agent and (iii) solely in accordance
with the Transfer Agent's applicable user documentation;
(b) Refrain from copying or duplicating in any way (other than in
the normal course of performing processing on the Fund's computer(s)),
the Proprietary Information;
(c) Refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion of the
Proprietary Information, and if such access is inadvertently obtained,
to inform in a timely manner of such fact and dispose of such
information in accordance with the Transfer Agent's instructions;
(d) Refrain from causing or allowing information transmitted from
the Transfer Agent's computer to the Fund's terminal to be
retransmitted to any other computer terminal or other device except as
expressly permitted by the Transfer Agent (such permission not to be
unreasonably withheld);
(e) Allow the Fund to have access only to those authorized
transactions as agreed to between the Fund and the Transfer Agent; and
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(f) Honor all reasonable written requests made by the Transfer Agent
to protect at the Transfer Agent's expense the rights of the Transfer
Agent in Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright
law and under other federal or state law.
7.2 Proprietary Information shall not include all or any portion of any of
the foregoing items that: (i) are or become publicly available without
breach of this Agreement; (ii) are released for general disclosure by a
written release by the Transfer Agent; or (iii) are already in the
possession of the receiving party at the time or receipt without
obligation of confidentiality or breach of this Agreement.
7.3 The Fund acknowledges that its obligation to protect the Transfer
Agent's Proprietary Information is essential to the business interest of
the Transfer Agent and that the disclosure of such Proprietary
Information in breach of this Agreement would cause the Transfer Agent
immediate, substantial and irreparable harm, the value of which would be
extremely difficult to determine. Accordingly, the parties agree that,
in addition to any other remedies that may be available in law, equity,
or otherwise for the disclosure or use of the Proprietary Information in
breach of this Agreement, the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to seek
and obtain a temporary restraining order, injunctive relief, or other
equitable relief against the continuance of such breach.
7.4 If the Fund notifies the Transfer Agent that any of the Data Access
Services do not operate in material compliance with the most recently
issued user documentation for such services, the Transfer Agent shall
endeavor in a timely manner to correct such failure. Organizations from
which the Transfer Agent may obtain certain data included in the Data
Access Services are solely responsible for the contents of such data and
the Fund agrees to make no claim against the Transfer Agent arising out
of the contents of such third-party data, including, but not limited to,
the accuracy thereof. DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND
SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN
AS IS, AS AVAILABLE BASIS. THE TRANSFER AGENT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL
WARRANTIES EXCEPT THOSE EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
7.5 If the transactions available to the Fund include the ability to
originate electronic instructions to the Transfer Agent in order to: (i)
effect the transfer or movement of cash or Shares; or (ii) transmit
Shareholder information or other information, then in such event the
Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely on the validity and
authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any further inquiry
as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with security
procedures established by the Transfer Agent from time to time.
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7.6 Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of
their obligations pursuant to this SECTION 7. The obligations of this
Section shall survive any earlier termination of this Agreement.
8. Indemnification
---------------
8.1 The Transfer Agent shall not be responsible for, and the Fund shall
indemnify and hold the Transfer Agent harmless from and against, any and
all losses, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees, payments, expenses
and liability arising out of or attributable to:
(a) All actions of the Transfer Agent or its agents or
subcontractors required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement, provided
that such actions are taken in good faith and without negligence or
willful misconduct;
(b) The Fund's lack of good faith, negligence or willful misconduct;
(c) The reliance upon, and any subsequent use of or action taken or
omitted, by the Transfer Agent, or its agents or subcontractors on: (i)
any information, records, documents, data, stock certificates or
services, which are received by the Transfer Agent or its agents or
subcontractors by machine readable input, facsimile, CRT data entry,
electronic instructions or other similar means authorized by the Fund,
and which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Fund or any
other person or firm on behalf of the Fund including but not limited to
any previous transfer agent or registrar; (ii) any instructions or
requests of the Fund or any of its officers; (iii) any instructions or
opinions of legal counsel with respect to any matter arising in
connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under
this Agreement which are provided to the Transfer Agent after
consultation with such legal counsel; or (iv) any paper or document,
reasonably believed to be genuine, authentic, or signed by the proper
person or persons;
(d) The offer or sale of Shares in violation of federal or state
securities laws or regulations requiring that such Shares be registered
or in violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by
any federal or any state agency with respect to the offer or sale of
such Shares;
(e) The negotiation and processing of any checks including without
limitation for deposit into the Fund's demand deposit account maintained
by the Transfer Agent; or
(f) Upon the Fund's request entering into any agreements required by
the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the "NSCC") for the
transmission of Fund or Shareholder data through the NSCC clearing
systems.
8.2 In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this SECTION 8
shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which the Fund may be
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required to indemnify the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall
promptly notify the Fund of such assertion, and shall keep the Fund
advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The Fund
shall have the option to participate with the Transfer Agent in the
defense of such claim or to defend against said claim in its own name or
in the name of the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent shall in no case
confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the Fund
may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent except with the Fund's
prior written consent.
9. Standard of Care
----------------
9.1 The Transfer Agent shall at all times act in good faith and agrees to
use its best efforts within reasonable limits to insure the accuracy of
all services performed under this Agreement, but assumes no
responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors
unless said errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful
misconduct or that of its employees, except as provided in SECTION 9.2
below.
9.2 In the case of Exception Services as defined in SECTION 2.3 herein, the
Transfer Agent shall be held to a standard of gross negligence and
encoding and payment processing errors shall not be deemed negligence.
10. Year 2000
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The Transfer Agent will take reasonable steps to ensure that its
products (and those of its third-party suppliers) reflect the available
technology to offer products that are Year 2000 ready, including, but
not limited to, century recognition of dates, calculations that
correctly compute same century and multi century formulas and date
values, and interface values that reflect the date issues arising
between now and the next one-hundred years, and if any changes are
required, the Transfer Agent will make the changes to its products at a
price to be agreed upon by the parties and in a commercially reasonable
time frame and will require third-party suppliers to do likewise.
11. Confidentiality
---------------
11.1 The Transfer Agent and the Fund agree that they will not, at any time
during the term of this Agreement or after its termination, reveal,
divulge, or make known to any person, firm, corporation or other
business organization, any customers' lists, trade secrets, cost figures
and projections, profit figures and projections, or any other secret or
confidential information whatsoever, whether of the Transfer Agent or of
the Fund, used or gained by the Transfer Agent or the Fund during
performance under this Agreement. The Fund and the Transfer Agent
further covenant and agree to retain all such knowledge and information
acquired during and after the term of this Agreement respecting such
lists, trade secrets, or any secret or confidential information
whatsoever in trust for the sole benefit of the Transfer Agent or the
Fund and their successors and assigns. In the event of breach of the
foregoing by either party, the remedies provided by SECTION 7.3 shall be
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available to the party whose confidential information is disclosed. The
above prohibition of disclosure shall not apply to the extent that the
Transfer Agent must disclose such data to its sub-contractor or Fund
agent for purposes of providing services under this Agreement.
11.2 In the event that any requests or demands are made for the inspection of
the Shareholder records of the Fund, other than request for records of
Shareholders pursuant to standard subpoenas from state or federal
government authorities (i.e., divorce and criminal actions), the
Transfer Agent will endeavor to notify the Fund and to secure
instructions from an authorized officer of the Fund as to such
inspection. The Transfer Agent expressly reserves the right, however, to
exhibit the Shareholder records to any person whenever it is advised by
counsel that it may be held liable for the failure to exhibit the
Shareholder records to such person or if required by law or court order.
12. Covenants of the Fund and the Transfer Agent
--------------------------------------------
12.1 The Fund shall promptly furnish to the Transfer Agent the following:
(a) A certified copy of the resolution of the Board of Trustees of
the Fund authorizing the appointment of the Transfer Agent and the
execution and delivery of this Agreement; and
(b) A copy of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Fund and
all amendments thereto.
12.2 The Transfer Agent hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities
and procedures reasonably acceptable to the Fund for safekeeping of
stock certificates, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting
devices, if any; and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account
of, such certificates, forms and devices.
12.3 The Transfer Agent shall keep records relating to the services to be
performed hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To
the extent required by Section 31 of the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as amended, and the Rules thereunder, the Transfer Agent agrees that all
such records prepared or maintained by the Transfer Agent relating to
the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent hereunder are the
property of the Fund and will be preserved, maintained and made
available in accordance with such Section and Rules, and will be
surrendered promptly to the Fund on and in accordance with its request.
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13. Termination of Agreement
------------------------
13.1 This Agreement may be terminated by either party upon one hundred twenty
(120) days' written notice to the other.
13.2 Should the Fund exercise its right to terminate, all out-of-pocket
expenses associated with the movement of records and material will be
borne by the Fund. Additionally, the Transfer Agent reserves the right
to charge for any other reasonable expenses associated with such
termination and a charge equivalent to the average of three (3) months'
fees. Payment of such expenses or costs shall be in accordance with
SECTION 3.4 of this Agreement.
13.3 Upon termination of this Agreement, each party shall return to the other
party all copies of confidential or proprietary materials or information
received from such other party hereunder, other than materials or
information required to be retained by such party under applicable laws
or regulations.
14. Assignment and Third Party Beneficiaries.
-----------------------------------------
14.1 Except as provided in SECTION 15.1 below and the Additional Telephone
Support Services Schedule 1.2(f) attached, neither this Agreement nor
any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party
without the written consent of the other party. Any attempt to do so in
violation of this Section shall be void. Unless specifically stated to
the contrary in any written consent to an assignment, no assignment will
release or discharge the assignor from any duty or responsibility under
this Agreement.
14.2 Except as explicitly stated elsewhere in this Agreement, nothing under
this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in this
Agreement to anyone other than the Transfer Agent and the Fund, and the
duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement shall
be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Transfer Agent and the
Fund. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon
the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
14.3 This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for a partnership or
joint venture between the Transfer Agent and the Fund. Other than as
provided in SECTION 15.1 and Schedule 1.2(f), neither party shall make
any commitments with third parties that are binding on the other party
without the other party's prior written consent.
15. Subcontractors
15.1 The Transfer Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Fund,
subcontract for the performance hereof with (i) Boston Financial Data
Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation ("BFDS") which is duly
registered as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (ii) a BFDS subsidiary duly
registered as a transfer agent or (iii) a BFDS affiliate duly registered
as a transfer agent; provided, however, that the Transfer Agent shall be
13
fully responsible to the Fund for the acts and omissions of BFDS or its
subsidiary or affiliate as it is for its own acts and omissions.
15.2 Nothing herein shall impose any duty upon the Transfer Agent in
connection with or make the Transfer Agent liable for the actions or
omissions to act of unaffiliated third parties such as by way of example
and not limitation, Airborne Services, Federal Express, United Parcel
Service, the U.S. Mails, the NSCC and telecommunication companies,
provided, if the Transfer Agent selected such company, the Transfer
Agent shall have exercised due care in selecting the same.
16. Miscellaneous
-------------
16.1 AMENDMENT. This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written
agreement executed by both parties and authorized or approved by a
resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Fund.
16.2 MASSACHUSETTS LAW TO APPLY. This Agreement shall be construed and the
provisions thereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
16.3 FORCE MAJEURE. In the event either party is unable to perform its
obligations under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God,
strikes, equipment or transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond
its control, or other causes reasonably beyond its control, such party
shall not be liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting
from such failure to perform or otherwise from such causes.
16.4 CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable
to the other party for consequential damages under any provision of this
Agreement or for any consequential damages arising out of any act or
failure to act hereunder.
16.5 SURVIVAL. All provisions regarding indemnification, warranty, liability,
and limits thereon, and confidentiality and/or protections of
proprietary rights and trade secrets shall survive the termination of
this Agreement.
16.6 SEVERABILITY. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be
held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and
enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be
affected or impaired.
16.7 PRIORITIES CLAUSE. In the event of any conflict, discrepancy or
ambiguity between the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement
and any Schedules or attachments hereto, the terms and conditions
contained in this Agreement shall take precedence.
16.8 WAIVER. No waiver by either party or any breach or default of any of the
covenants or conditions herein contained and performed by the other
party shall be construed as a waiver of any succeeding breach of the
same or of any other covenant or condition.
16.9 MERGER OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement
between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with
respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written.
14
16.10 COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on
any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together
shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
16.11. REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS. This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits,
attachments and amendments hereto may be reproduced by any photographic,
photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic or other
similar process. The parties hereto each agree that any such
reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in
any judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not the original
is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by a party
in the regular course of business, and that any enlargement, facsimile
or further reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence.
16.12 NOTICES. All notices and other communications as required or permitted
hereunder shall be in writing and sent by first class mail, postage
prepaid, addressed as follows or to such other address or addresses of
which the respective party shall have notified the other.
(a) If to State Street Bank and Trust Company, to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.
Xxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Legal Department
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
(b) If to the Fund, to:
Attention:
17. Additional Funds
----------------
In the event that the Fund establishes one or more series of Shares in
addition to the attached Schedule A with respect to which it desires to
have the Transfer Agent render services as transfer agent under the
terms hereof, it shall so notify the Transfer Agent in writing, and if
the Transfer Agent agrees in writing to provide such services, such
series of Shares shall become a Portfolio hereunder.
18. Limitations of Liability of the Trustees and Shareholders
---------------------------------------------------------
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the
Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby
given that this instrument is executed on behalf of the Trustees of the
Trust as Trustees and not individually and that the obligations of this
instrument are not binding upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders
individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the
Fund.
15
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized
officers, as of the day and year first above written.
BY: ___________________________________
ATTEST:
___________________________________
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY: _______________________________
Vice Chairman
ATTEST:
SCHEDULE A
[Fund List]
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY:_________________________________ BY:_________________________________
SCHEDULE 1.2(F)
ADDITIONAL TELEPHONE SUPPORT FEES AND SERVICES
Dated ____________
I. SERVICES
1. Transfer Agent and Telephone Support Functions
a. Answer telephone inquiries from [XXX 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Boston time Monday
through Friday except Christmas Day XXX] [XXX OTHER HOLIDAY COVERAGE
AVAILABLE?XXX] from [XXX existing customers and prospective customers
XXX] of the Fund [XXX for sales literature XXX] in accordance with the
telephone script provided by the Fund.
b. Answer questions pertaining thereto the extent that such questions are
answerable based upon the information supplied to the Transfer Agent by
the Fund.
c. [XXX As the Fund and the Transfer Agent may agree in writing, the
Transfer Agent will receive calls and take written transaction requests
from shareholders of the Fund. Transfer Agent transactions include: [XXX
telephone redemptions, account maintenance, exchanges, transfers,
confirmed purchases, account balances and general inquiries XXX]. Some
transactions may result in research which will be done by the Fund.
Other calls may be referred directly to the Fund. Fax any referrals to
[XXX name of company XXX] on the same day the telephone call is received
XXX];
2. Incorporate new information into the above referenced script upon
written instructions from the Fund;
3. Maintain prospect detail information for six (6) months thereafter,
provide such information to the Fund in the form that the Fund may
reasonably request;
4. Send all literature orders for information from BFDS/DST [XXX [how?] [to
whom?] XXX] a minimum of [XXX one XXX] transmission per day;
5. Provide the Fund with a [XXX daily/weekly/monthly XXX] telephone report
detailing the calls received during the [XXX day/week/month XXX];
6. [XXX Provide the Fund with monthly conversion reports as selected by the
Fund from DST's standard report package. XXX]
7. TARGET SERVICE LEVELS: Average speed of answer is fifteen (15) seconds,
abandon rate of no more than 2%, and an overall service level of 85%.
The averages will be calculated on a weekly basis.
II. SUBCONTRACTORS
1. The Transfer Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Fund,
subcontract ministerial telephone support services for the performance
hereof.
III. FEES
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY:_______________________________ BY:______________________________
SCHEDULE 2.1
THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR(S) PROCEDURES
Dated ____________
1. On each Business Day, the TPA(s) shall receive, on behalf of and as
agent of the Fund(s), Instructions (as hereinafter defined) from the
Plan. Instructions shall mean as to each Fund (i) orders by the Plan for
the purchases of Shares, and (ii) requests by the Plan for the
redemption of Shares; in each case based on the Plan's receipt of
purchase orders and redemption requests by Participants in proper form
by the time required by the term of the Plan, but not later than the
time of day at which the net asset value of a Fund is calculated, as
described from time to time in that Fund's prospectus. Each Business Day
on which the TPA receives Instructions shall be a "Trade Date".
2. The TPA(s) shall communicate the TPA(s)'s acceptance of such
Instructions, to the applicable Plan.
3. On the next succeeding Business Day following the Trade Date on which it
accepted Instructions for the purchase and redemption of Shares, (TD+1),
the TPA(s) shall notify the Transfer Agent of the net amount of such
purchases or redemptions, as the case may be, for each of the Plans. In
the case of net purchases by any Plan, the TPA(s) shall instruct the
Trustees of such Plan to transmit the aggregate purchase price for
Shares by wire transfer to the Transfer Agent on (TD+1). In the case of
net redemptions by any Plan, the TPA(s) shall instruct the Fund's
custodian to transmit the aggregate redemption proceeds for Shares by
wire transfer to the Trustees of such Plan on (TD+1). The times at which
such notification and transmission shall occur on (TD+1) shall be as
mutually agreed upon by each Fund, the TPA(s), and the Transfer Agent.
4. The TPA(s) shall maintain separate records for each Plan, which record
shall reflect Shares purchased and redeemed, including the date and
price for all transactions, and Share balances. The TPA(s) shall
maintain on behalf of each of the Plans a single master account with the
Transfer Agent and such account shall be in the name of that Plan, the
TPA(s), or the nominee of either thereof as the record owner of Shares
owned by such Plan.
5. The TPA(s) shall maintain records of all proceeds of redemptions of
Shares and all other distributions not reinvested in Shares.
6. The TPA(s) shall prepare, and transmit to each of the Plans, periodic
account statements showing the total number of Shares owned by that Plan
as of the statement closing date, purchases and redemptions of Shares by
the Plan during the period covered by the statement, and the dividends
and other distributions paid to the Plan on Shares during the statement
period (whether paid in cash or reinvested in Shares).
7. The TPA(s) shall, at the request and expense of each Fund, transmit to
the Plans prospectuses, proxy materials, reports, and other information
provided by each Fund for delivery to its shareholders.
8. The TPA(s) shall, at the request of each Fund, prepare and transmit to
each Fund or any agent designated by it such periodic reports covering
Shares of each Plan as each Fund shall reasonably conclude are necessary
to enable the Fund to comply with state Blue Sky requirements.
9. The TPA(s) shall transmit to the Plans confirmation of purchase orders
and redemption requests placed by the Plans; and
10. The TPA(s) shall, with respect to Shares, maintain account balance
information for the Plan(s) and daily and monthly purchase summaries
expressed in Shares and dollar amounts.
11. Plan sponsors may request, or the law may require, that prospectuses,
proxy materials, periodic reports and other materials relating to each
Fund be furnished to Participants in which event the Transfer Agent or
each Fund shall mail or cause to be mailed such materials to
Participants. With respect to any such mailing, the TPA(s) shall, at the
request of the Transfer Agent or each Fund, provide at the TPA(s)'s
expense complete and accurate set of mailing labels with the name and
address of each Participant having an interest through the Plans in
Shares.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY:__________________________________ BY:________________________________
SCHEDULE 3.1
FEES
Dated ____________
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
BY:_________________________________ BY:_________________________________
