EXHIBIT 99(g)(1)
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, dated February 21, 2003, between BlackRock Preferred
Opportunity Trust (the "Trust"), a Delaware statutory trust, and BlackRock
Advisors, Inc. (the "Advisor"), a Delaware corporation.
WHEREAS, Advisor has agreed to furnish investment advisory services to
the Trust, a closed-end management investment company registered under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act");
WHEREAS, this Agreement has been approved in accordance with the
provisions of the 1940 Act, and the Advisor is willing to furnish such services
upon the terms and conditions herein set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual premises and covenants
herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which
is hereby acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as
follows:
1. IN GENERAL. The Advisor agrees, all as more fully set forth herein,
to act as investment advisor to the Trust with respect to the investment of the
Trust's assets and to supervise and arrange for the day-to-day operations of the
Trust and the purchase of securities for and the sale of securities held in the
investment portfolio of the Trust.
2. DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO INVESTMENT OF
ASSETS OF THE TRUST. Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section and
subject to the direction and control of the Trust's Board of Trustees, the
Advisor shall (i) act as investment advisor for and supervise and manage the
investment and reinvestment of the Trust's assets and in connection therewith
have complete discretion in purchasing and selling securities and other assets
for the Trust and in voting, exercising consents and exercising all other rights
appertaining to such securities and other assets on behalf of the Trust; (ii)
supervise continuously the investment program of the Trust and the composition
of its investment portfolio; (iii) arrange, subject to the provisions of
paragraph 4 hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other assets
held in the investment portfolio of the Trust; and (iv) provide investment
research to the Trust.
3. DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE
ADMINISTRATION OF THE TRUST. The Advisor also agrees to furnish office
facilities and equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services
(other than such services, if any, provided by the Trust's Custodian, Transfer
Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent and other service providers) for the Trust.
To the extent requested by the Trust, the Advisor agrees to provide the
following administrative services:
(a) Oversee the determination and publication of the Trust's net
asset value in accordance with the Trust's policy as adopted from time to time
by the Board of Trustees;
(b) Oversee the maintenance the Trust's Custodian and Transfer
Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent of certain books and records of the Trust as
required under Rule 31a-1(b)(4) of the 1940 Act and maintain (or oversee
maintenance by such other persons as approved by the Board of Trustees) such
other books and records required by law or for the proper operation of the
Trust;
(c) Oversee the preparation and filing of the Trust's federal,
state and local income tax returns and any other required tax returns;
(d) Review the appropriateness of and arrange for payment of the
Trust's expenses;
(e) Prepare for review and approval by officers of the Trust
financial information for the Trust's semi-annual and annual reports, proxy
statements and other communications with shareholders required or otherwise to
be sent to Trust share holders, and arrange for the printing and dissemination
of such reports and communications to shareholders;
(f) Prepare for review by an officer of the Trust the Trust's
periodic financial reports required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") on Form N-SAR and such other reports, forms and filings, as
may be mutually agreed upon;
(g) Prepare reports relating to the business and affairs of the
Trust as may be mutually agreed upon and not otherwise appropriately prepared by
the Trust's custodian, counsel or auditors;
(h) Prepare such information and reports as may be required by
any stock exchange or exchanges on which the Trust's shares are listed;
(i) Make such reports and recommendations to the Board of
Trustees concerning the performance of the independent accountants as the Board
of Trustees may reasonably request or deems appropriate;
(j) Make such reports and recommendations to the Board of
Trustees concerning the performance and fees of the Trust's Custodian and
Transfer and Dividend disbursing agent as the Board of Trustees may reasonably
request or deems appropriate;
(k) Oversee and review calculations of fees paid to the Trust's
service providers;
(l) Oversee the Trust's portfolio and perform necessary
calculations as required under Section 18 of the 1940 Act;
(m) Consult with the Trust's officers, independent accountants,
legal counsel, custodian, accounting agent and transfer and dividend disbursing
agent in establishing the accounting policies of the Trust and monitor financial
and shareholder accounting services;
(n) Review implementation of any share purchase programs
authorized by the Board of Trustees;
(o) Determine the amounts available for distribution as dividends
and distributions to be paid by the Trust to its shareholders; prepare and
arrange for the printing of dividend notices to shareholders; and provide the
Trust's dividend disbursing agent and custodian with such information as is
required for such parties to effect the payment of dividends and distributions
and to implement the Trust's dividend reinvestment plan;
(p) Prepare such information and reports as may be required by
any banks from which the Trust borrows funds;
(q) Provide such assistance to the Custodian and the Trust's
counsel and auditors as generally may be required to properly carry on the
business and operations of the Trust;
(r) Assist in the preparation and filing of Forms 3, 4, and 5
pursuant to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and
Section 30(f) of the 1940 Act for the officers and trustees of the Trust, such
filings to be based on information provided by those persons;
(s) Respond to or refer to the Trust's officers or transfer
agent, shareholder (including any potential shareholder) inquiries relating to
the Trust.
(t) Supervise any other aspects of the Trust's administration as
may be agreed to by the Trust and the Advisor.
All services are to be furnished through the medium of any directors,
officers or employees of the Advisor or its affiliates as the Advisor deems
appropriate in order to fulfill its obligations hereunder.
The Trust will reimburse the Advisor or its affiliates for all
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with the performance of
the administrative services described in this paragraph 3.
4. COVENANTS. In the performance of its duties under this Agreement,
the Advisor shall at all times conform to, and act in accordance with, any
requirements imposed by:
(a) (i) the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and all applicable Rules and Regulations of
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"); (ii) any other applicable
provision of law; (iii) the provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of
Trust, as amended and restated, and By-Laws of the Trust, as such documents are
amended from time to time; (iv) the investment objectives and policies of the
Trust as set forth in its Registration Statement on Form N-2; and (v) any
policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Trust;
(b) will place orders either directly with the issuer or with any
broker or dealer. Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, in placing
orders with brokers and dealers, the Advisor will attempt to obtain the best
price and the most favor able execution of its orders. In placing orders, the
Advisor will consider the experience and skill of the firm's securities traders
as well as the firm's financial responsibility and administrative efficiency.
Consistent with this obligation, the Advisor may select brokers on the basis of
the research, statistical and pricing services they provide to the Trust and
other clients of the Advisor. Information and research received from such
brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be
performed by the Advisor hereunder. A commission paid to such brokers may be
higher than that which another qualified broker would have charged for effecting
the same transaction, provided that the Advisor determines in good faith that
such commission is reasonable in terms either of the transaction or the overall
responsibility of the Advisor to the Trust and its other clients and that the
total commissions paid by the Trust will be reasonable in relation to the
benefits to the Trust over the long-term. In addition, the Advisor is authorized
to take into account the sale of shares of the Trust in allocating purchase and
sale orders for port folio securities to brokers or dealers (including brokers
and dealers that are affiliated with the Advisor), provided that the Advisor
believes that the quality of the transaction and the commission are comparable
to what they would be with other qualified firms. In no in stance, however, will
the Trust's securities be purchased from or sold to the Advisor, or any
affiliated person thereof, except to the extent permitted by the SEC or by
applicable law;
(c) will maintain a policy and practice of conducting its
investment advisory services hereunder independently of the commercial banking
operations of its affiliates. When the Advisor makes investment recommendations
for the Trust, its investment advisory personnel will not inquire or take into
consideration whether the issuer of securities proposed for purchase or sale for
the Trust's account are customers of the commercial department of its
affiliates; and
(d) will treat confidentially and as proprietary information of
the Trust all records and other information relative to the Trust, and the
Trust's prior, current or potential shareholders, and will not use such records
and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities
and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing
by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be
withheld where the Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt
proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by
duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Trust.
5. SERVICES NOT EXCLUSIVE. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the
Advisor or any officer, employee or other affiliate thereof from acting as
investment advisor for any other person, firm or corporation, or from engaging
in any other lawful activity, and shall not in any way limit or restrict the
Advisor or any of its officers, employees or agents from buying, selling or
trading any securities for its or their own accounts or for the accounts of
others for whom it or they may be acting; provided, however, that the Advisor
will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will adversely affect the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement.
6. BOOKS AND RECORDS. In compliance with the requirements of Rule
31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Advisor hereby agrees that all records which it
maintains for the Trust are the property of the Trust and further agrees to
surrender promptly to the Trust any such records upon the Trust's request. The
Advisor further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2
under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the
1940 Act.
7. AGENCY CROSS TRANSACTIONS. From time to time, the Advisor or
brokers or dealers affiliated with it may find themselves in a position to buy
for certain of their brokerage clients (each an "Account") securities which the
Advisor's investment advisory clients wish to sell, and to sell for certain of
their brokerage clients securities which advisory clients wish to buy. Where
one of the parties is an advisory client, the Advisor or the affiliated broker
or dealer cannot participate in this type of transaction (known as a cross
transaction) on behalf of an advisory client and retain commissions from one or
both parties to the transaction without the advisory client's consent. This is
because in a situation where the Advisor is making the investment decision (as
opposed to a brokerage client who makes his own investment decisions), and the
Advisor or an affiliate is receiving commissions from both sides of the
transaction, there is a potential conflicting division of loyalties and
responsibilities on the Advisor's part regarding the advisory client. The
Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted a rule under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, which permits the Advisor or its affiliates
to participate on behalf of an Account in agency cross transactions if the
advisory client has given writ ten consent in advance. By execution of this
Agreement, the Trust authorizes the Advisor or its affiliates to participate in
agency cross transactions involving an Account. The Trust may revoke its consent
at any time by written notice to the Advisor.
8. EXPENSES. During the term of this Agreement, the Advisor will bear
all costs and expenses of its employees and any overhead incurred in connection
with its duties hereunder and shall bear the costs of any salaries or trustees
fees of any officers or trustees of the Trust who are affiliated persons (as
defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Advisor; provided that the Board of Trustees of
the Trust may approve reimbursement to the Advisor of the pro rata portion of
the salaries, bonuses, health insurance, retirement benefits and all similar
employment costs for the time spent on Trust operations (other than the
provision of investment advice and administrative services required to be
provided hereunder) of all personnel employed by the Advisor who devote
substantial time to Trust operations or the operations of other investment
companies advised by the Advisor.
9. COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISOR. (a) The Trust agrees to pay to the
Advisor and the Advisor agrees to accept as full compensation for all services
rendered by the Advisor as such, a monthly fee (the "Investment Advisory Fee")
in arrears at an annual rate equal to 0.65% of the average weekly value of the
Trust's Managed Assets. "Managed Assets" means the total assets of the Trust
minus the sum of the accrued liabilities (other than the aggregate indebtedness
constituting financial leverage). For any period less than a month during which
this Agreement is in effect, the fee shall be prorated according to the
proportion which such period bears to a full month of 28, 29, 30 or 31 days, as
the case may be.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, the net assets of the Trust
shall be calculated pursuant to the procedures adopted by resolutions of the
Trustees of the Trust for calculating the value of the Trust's assets or
delegating such calculations to third parties.
10. INDEMNITY. (a) The Trust hereby agrees to indemnify the Advisor,
and each of the Advisor's directors, officers, employees, agents, associates and
controlling persons and the directors, partners, members, officers, employees
and agents thereof (including any individual who serves at the Advisor's request
as director, officer, partner, member, trustee or the like of another entity)
(each such person being an "Indemnitee") against any liabilities and expenses,
including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines
and penalties, and counsel fees (all as provided in accordance with applicable
state law) reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with the defense
or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or
criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in which such
Indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with
which such Indemnitee may be or may have been threatened, while acting in any
capacity set forth herein or thereafter by reason of such Indemnitee having
acted in any such capacity, except with respect to any matter as to which such
Indemnitee shall have been adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the
reasonable belief that such Indemnitee's action was in the best interest of the
Trust and furthermore, in the case of any criminal proceeding, so long as such
Indemnitee
had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful; provided,
however, that (1) no Indemnitee shall be indemnified hereunder against any
liability to the Trust or its shareholders or any expense of such Indemnitee
arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith, (iii) gross
negligence or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of
such Indemnitee's position (the conduct referred to in such clauses (i) through
(iv) being sometimes referred to herein as "disabling conduct"), (2) as to any
matter disposed of by settlement or a compromise payment by such Indemnitee,
pursuant to a consent decree or otherwise, no indemnification either for said
payment or for any other expenses shall be provided unless there has been a
determination that such settlement or compromise is in the best interests of the
Trust and that such Indemnitee appears to have acted in good faith in the
reasonable belief that such Indemnitee's action was in the best interest of the
Trust and did not involve disabling conduct by such Indemnitee and (3) with
respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily prosecuted by any
Indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory only if the
prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such Indemnitee was
authorized by a majority of the full Board of Trustees of the Trust.
(b) The Trust shall make advance payments in connection with the
expenses of defending any action with respect to which indemnification might be
sought hereunder if the Trust receives a written affirmation of the Indemnitee's
good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has
been met and a written undertaking to reimburse the Trust unless it is
subsequently determined that such Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification
and if the trustees of the Trust determine that the facts then known to them
would not preclude indemnification. In addition, at least one of the following
conditions must be met: (A) the Indemnitee shall provide a security for such
Indemnitee-undertaking, (B) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by
reason of any lawful advance, or (C) a majority of a quorum consisting of
trustees of the Trust who are neither "interested persons" of the Trust (as
defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 0000 Xxx) nor parties to the proceeding
("Disinterested Non-Party Trustees") or an independent legal counsel in a
written opinion, shall determine, based on a review of readily available facts
(as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that
the Indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
(c) All determinations with respect to indemnification hereunder
shall be made (1) by a final decision on the merits by a court or other body
before whom the proceeding was brought that such Indemnitee is not liable or is
not liable by reason of disabling conduct, or (2) in the absence of such a
decision, by (i) a majority vote of a quorum of the Disinterested Non-Party
Trustees of the Trust, or (ii) if such a quorum is not obtainable or, even if
obtainable, if a majority vote of such quorum so directs, independent legal
counsel in a written opinion. All determinations that advance payments in
connection with the expense of defending any proceeding shall be authorized
shall be made in accordance with the immediately preceding clause (2) above.
The rights accruing to any Indemnitee under these provisions
shall not exclude any other right to which such Indemnitee may be lawfully
entitled.
11. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY. (a) The Advisor will not be liable for
any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by Advisor or
by the Trust in connection with the performance of this Agreement, except a loss
resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of
compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad
faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from
reckless disregard by it of its duties under this Agreement.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
Agreement, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, as provided in Section
5.1 of Article V of the Declaration of Trust, as amended and restated, this
Agreement is executed by the Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, not
individually but as such Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, and the
obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders
individually but bind only the estate of the Trust.
12. DURATION AND TERMINATION. This Agreement shall become effective as
of the date hereof and, unless sooner terminated with respect to the Trust as
provided herein, shall continue in effect for a period of two years. Thereafter,
if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to the
Trust for successive periods of 12 months, provided such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by both (a) the vote of a majority of
the Trust's Board of Trustees or the vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, and
(b) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this
Agreement or interested persons of any party to this Agreement, cast in person
at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by the Trust at any time,
without the payment of any penalty, upon giving the Advisor 60 days' notice
(which notice may be waived by the Advisor), provided that such termination by
the Trust shall be directed or approved by the vote of a majority of the
Trustees of the Trust in office at the time or by the vote of the holders of a
majority of the voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and
entitled to vote, or by the Advisor on 60 days' written notice (which notice may
be waived by the Trust). This Agreement will also immediately terminate in the
event of its assignment. (As used in this Agreement, the terms "majority of the
outstanding voting securities," "interested person" and "assignment" shall have
the same meanings of such terms in the 1940 Act.)
13. NOTICES. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing to
the other party at such address as the other party may designate from time to
time for the receipt of such notice and shall be deemed to be received on the
earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark
if such notice is mailed first class postage prepaid.
14. AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT. No provision of this Agreement may be
changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in
writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver,
discharge or termination is sought. Any amendment of this Agreement shall be
subject to the 1940 Act.
15. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of New York for contracts to be
performed entirely therein without reference to choice of law principles
thereof and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act.
16. USE OF THE NAME BLACKROCK. The Advisor has consented to the use by
the Trust of the name or identifying word "BlackRock" in the name of the Trust.
Such consent is conditioned upon the employment of the Advisor as the investment
advisor to the Trust. The name or identifying word "BlackRock" may be used from
time to time in other connections and for other purposes by the Advisor and any
of its affiliates. The Advisor may require the Trust to cease using "BlackRock"
in the name of the Trust if the Trust ceases to employ, for any reason, the
Advisor, any successor thereto or any affiliate thereof as investment advisor of
the Trust.
17. MISCELLANEOUS. The captions in this Agreement are included for
convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the
provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. 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. This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the
benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.
18. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts by
the parties hereto, each of which shall constitute an original counterpart, and
all of which, together, shall constitute one Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the foregoing
instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers, all as of the day
and the year first above written.
BLACKROCK PREFERRED OPPORTUNITY
TRUST
By: /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
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Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Secretary
BLACKROCK ADVISORS, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
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Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Managing Director
