FUND ADMINISTRATION SERVICING AGREEMENT
THIS
AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of this 1st day of January, 2002, by
and between Kinetics Mutual Funds, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the
"Corporation") and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services,
LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company ("USBFS").
WHEREAS, the
Corporation is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the "1940 Act"), as an open-end management investment company, and is
authorized to issue shares of common stock in separate series, with
each such series representing interests in a
separate portfolio of securities and other
assets;
WHEREAS,
USBFS is, among other things, in the business of providing fund administration
services for the benefit of its customers; and
WHEREAS, the Corporation desires to retain USBFS to provide fund
administration services for each series of the
Corporation listed on Exhibit A hereto (as amended from time to time)
(each a "Fund", collectively the "Funds").
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the promises and mutual covenants
herein contained, and other good
and valuable consideration, the receipt of
which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound,
do hereby agree as follows:
1. Appointment
of USBFS as Administrator
The
Corporation hereby appoints USBFS as administrator of the Corporation on the
terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and USBFS hereby accepts
such
appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this
Agreement.
2. Services
and Duties of USBFS
USBFS
shall provide the following fund administration services for the Funds,
including but not limited to:
A.
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General
Fund Management:
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(1)
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Act
as liaison among all Fund service
providers.
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(2)
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Supply:
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a.
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Corporate
secretarial services.
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b.
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Office
facilities (which may be in
USBFS's or its affiliate's own
offices).
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c.
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Non-investment-related
statistical and research data as
needed.
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(3)
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Coordinate
the Corporation's Board of Directors' (the "Board of Directors" or
the
"Directors") communication:
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a.
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Establish
meeting agendas.
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b.
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Prepare reports for the Board of Directors based on
financial and administrative data.
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c.
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Evaluate
independent auditor.
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d.
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Secure
and monitor fidelity bond and director and officer liability coverage,
and
make the necessary Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC")
filings
relating thereto.
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e.
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Prepare
minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors and Fund
shareholders.
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f.
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Recommend
dividend declarations to the Board of Directors, prepare and distribute
to
appropriate parties notices announcing declaration of dividends and
other
distributions to shareholders.
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g.
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Provide
personnel to serve as officers of the Corporation if
so elected by
the Board of Directors, attend Board
of Directors meetings and
present materials for Directors' review
at such meetings.
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(4)
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Audits:
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a.
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Prepare
appropriate schedules and assist independent
auditors.
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b.
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Provide
information to the SEC and facilitate audit
process.
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c.
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Provide
office facilities.
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(5)
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Assist
in overall operations of the Fund.
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(6)
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Pay
Fund expenses upon written
authorization from the Corporation.
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(7)
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Monitor
arrangements under shareholder services or similar
plan.
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B.
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Compliance:
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(1)
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Regulatory
Compliance:
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a.
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Monitor
compliance with the 1940 Act requirements,
including:
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(i)
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Asset
diversification tests.
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(ii)
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Total
return and SEC yield calculations.
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(iii)
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Maintenance
of books and records under Rule
31a-3.
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(iv)
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Code
of Ethics for the disinterested Directors of the
Fund.
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b.
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Monitor
Fund's compliance with the policies and investment limitations of
the
Corporation as set forth in its current prospectus (the "Prospectus")
and
statement of additional information (the
"SAI").
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c.
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Maintain
awareness of applicable regulatory and operational service issues
and
recommend dispositions.
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(2)
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Blue
Sky Compliance:
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a.
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Prepare and
file with the appropriate state securities
authorities any and all required compliance filings relating to
the registration of the securities of the Corporation so as to
enable the Corporation to make a continuous offering
of its shares in all states.
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b.
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Monitor
status and maintain registrations in each
state.
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c.
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Provide
information regarding material developments in state securities
regulation.
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(3)
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SEC
Registration and Reporting:
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a.
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Assist
Corporate counsel in updating the Prospectus and SAI and in preparing
proxy statements and Rule 24f-2
notices.
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b.
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Prepare
annual and semiannual reports, Form N-SAR filings and Rule 24f-2
notices.
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c.
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Coordinate
the printing, filing and mailing of publicly disseminated Prospectuses
and
reports.
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d.
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File
fidelity bond under Rule 17g-1.
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e.
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File
shareholder reports under Rule
30b2-1.
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f.
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Monitor sales
of each Fund's shares and ensure that
such
shares are properly registered with the SEC and the
appropriate state authorities.
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g.
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File
Rule 24f-2 notices.
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(4)
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IRS
Compliance:
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a.
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Monitor
the Corporation's status as a regulated investment company under
Subchapter M, including without limitation, review of the
following:
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(i)
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Asset
diversification requirements.
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(ii)
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Qualifying
income requirements.
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(iii)
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Distribution
requirements.
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b.
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Calculate required distributions (including excise tax
distributions).
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C.
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Financial
Reporting:
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(1)
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Provide
financial data required by the Fund's Prospectus and
SAI.
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(2)
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Prepare
financial reports for
officers, shareholders, tax
authorities, performance reporting companies, the Board
of Directors, the SEC, and independent
auditors.
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(3)
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Supervise
the Corporation's custodian and fund accountants in the maintenance of the Corporation's general ledger and in
the
preparation of the Fund's financial statements, including
oversight of expense accruals and payments, of the
determination of net asset value of
the Corporation's net assets and of the
Corporation's shares, and of
the declaration and payment of
dividends and other distributions to
shareholders.
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(4)
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Compute
the yield, total return and expense ratio of each class of each Fund,
and
each Fund's portfolio turnover
rate.
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(5)
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Monitor
the expense accruals and notify the Corporation's management of any
proposed adjustments.
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(6)
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Prepare
monthly financial statements, which include without limitation the
following items:
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a.
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Schedule
of Investments.
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b.
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Statement
of Assets and Liabilities.
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c.
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Statement
of Operations.
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d.
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Statement
of Changes in Net Assets.
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e.
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Cash
Statement.
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f.
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Schedule
of Capital Gains and Losses.
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(7)
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Prepare
quarterly broker security transaction
summaries.
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D.
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Tax
Reporting:
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(1)
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Prepare
and file on a timely basis appropriate federal and state tax returns
including, without limitation, Forms 1120/8610 with any necessary
schedules.
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(2)
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Prepare
state income breakdowns where
relevant.
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(3)
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File
Form 1099 Miscellaneous for payments to Directors and other service
providers.
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(4)
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Monitor
wash losses.
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(5)
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Calculate
eligible dividend income for corporate
shareholders.
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3. Compensation
USBFS
shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement
in
accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit A hereto (as amended
from
time to time). The Corporation shall pay all fees and reimbursable expenses
within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt of the billing notice, except
for any fee or expense subject to a good faith dispute. The Corporation shall
notify USBFS in writing within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt
of
each invoice if the Corporation is disputing any amounts in good
faith. The Corporation shall settle such disputed amounts within ten
(10) calendar days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be
paid. With the exception of any fee or expense the Corporation is disputing
in
good faith as set forth above, unpaid invoices shall accrue a finance charge
of
one and one-half percent (1 1/2%) per month, after the due
date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the
Corporation to USBFS shall only be paid out of the assets and property of the
particular Fund involved.
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4. Indemnification;
Limitation of Liability
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A.
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USBFS
shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under
this
Agreement. USBFS shall not be liable for any error of judgment
or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Corporation in
connection with matters to which this Agreement relates, including
losses
resulting from mechanical breakdowns or the failure of
communication or power supplies beyond USBFS's control, except
a loss arising out of or relating to
USBFS's refusal or failure to comply with the terms of
this Agreement or from bad
faith, negligence, or willful misconduct
on its part in the performance of its duties under this Agreement.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if
USBFS has exercised reasonable care
in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless
USBFS from and against any and all
claims, demands, losses,
expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature (including
reasonable attorneys' fees) which USBFS may sustain or incur or
which may be asserted against USBFS by any person arising out
of any action
taken or omitted to be taken by
it in performing the services
hereunder, except for any and all claims,
demands, losses, expenses,
and liabilities arising out of
or relating to USBFS's refusal or failure
to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from bad faith,
negligence or from willful misconduct on its part
in performance of its duties under this
Agreement, (i) in accordance with the foregoing
standards, or (ii) in reliance upon any written or
oral instruction provided to USBFS by any duly
authorized officer of the Corporation, such
duly authorized officer to be included in a list
of authorized
officers furnished to USBFS and
as amended from time to time in writing
by resolution of the Board of
Directors.
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USBFS
shall indemnify and hold the Corporation harmless from and against
any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and
every
nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees)
that the Corporation may sustain or incur or that may be
asserted against the Corporation by any
person arising out of
any action taken or omitted to be taken by USBFS as a
result of USBFS's refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement,
its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct.
In
the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of
communication or power supplies beyond its control, USBFS
shall take all reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions for
any period that such interruption continues beyond USBFS's
control. USBFS will make every reasonable effort to restore any lost
or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown
at the
expense of USBFS. USBFS agrees that it
shall, at all times, have reasonable
contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable
provision for emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to
the
extent appropriate equipment is available. Representatives of the
Corporation shall be entitled to inspect USBFS's premises and
operating capabilities at any time during
regular business hours of USBFS, upon reasonable notice to
USBFS.
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Notwithstanding
the above, USBFS reserves the right to reprocess and correct
administrative errors at its own
expense.
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B.
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In
order that the indemnification provisions contained in this section
shall
apply, it is understood that if in any case the
indemnitor may be asked to indemnify or hold the indemnitee
harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and
promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning
the situation in question, and
it is further understood that the
indemnitee will use all reasonable care
to notify the indemnitor
promptly concerning any situation that presents or
appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification.
The indemnitor shall have the option to defend the indemnitee against
any
claim that may be the subject of this indemnification. In the
event that the indemnitor so elects, it will so notify the indemnitee
and
thereupon the indemnitor shall take over complete defense of the
claim,
and the indemnitee shall in such situation initiate no further legal
or
other expenses for which it shall seek indemnification under this
section.
The indemnitee shall in no
case confess any claim or make any
compromise in any case
in which the indemnitor will
be asked to indemnify the indemnitee except with
the indemnitor's prior written
consent.
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5. Proprietary
and Confidential Information
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USBFS
agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers,
and
employees to treat confidentially and as
proprietary information of the Corporation all records and
other information relative to the Corporation and prior, present,
or
potential shareholders of the Corporation (and
clients of said shareholders), and not to use
such records and information for
any purpose other than the performance of
its responsibilities and
duties hereunder, except after prior notification to
and approval in writing by the Corporation, which approval shall
not be
unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where USBFS 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
Corporation.
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Further,
USBFS will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the
Corporation pursuant to Title V
of the Xxxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Act, as
may be modified from time to time (the
"Act"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, USBFS
will not share any nonpublic personal information concerning any of
the Corporation's shareholders to any third party
unless specifically directed by the Corporation or
allowed under one of the exceptions noted under the
Act.
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6. Term
of Agreement; Amendment
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This
Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written
above
and will continue in effect for a period of one
year. Subsequent to the initial
one-year term, this Agreement may
be terminated by either party upon giving ninety (90) days
prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period
as is mutually agreed upon by
the parties. However, this Agreement may be amended
by mutual written consent of the
parties.
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7. Records
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USBFS
shall keep records relating to the services to be performed
hereunder in the form and manner, and for such
period, as it may deem advisable and is
agreeable to the Corporation, but not inconsistent with the rules and
regulations of appropriate government authorities, in
particular, Section 31 of the 1940 Act and
the rules thereunder. USBFS agrees that
all such records prepared
or maintained by USBFS relating to
the services to be performed by
USBFS hereunder are the property of
the Corporation and will be preserved,
maintained, and made available in accordance with such
applicable sections and rules of the 1940 Act and will be
promptly surrendered to the Corporation on and in accordance with
its
request.
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8. Governing
Law
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This
Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws
of the
State of Wisconsin, without regard to conflicts of law principles.
To the
extent that the applicable laws of the State of Wisconsin, or
any of the provisions herein, conflict with
the applicable provisions of the 1940
Act, the latter shall control, and
nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with
the 1940
Act or any rule or order of the SEC
thereunder.
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9. Duties
in the Event of Termination
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In
the event that, in
connection with termination, a successor
to any of USBFS's duties or responsibilities hereunder is designated
by
the Corporation by written notice to USBFS, USBFS will
promptly, upon such termination and at the expense of
the Corporation, transfer to
such successor all relevant books,
records, correspondence, and other data established or maintained
by USBFS
under this Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the
Corporation (if such form differs from the form in which USBFS
has
maintained, the Corporation shall pay
any expenses associated with transferring the
data to such form), and will cooperate in
the transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including
provision for assistance from USBFS's personnel in
the establishment of books, records, and other data by such
successor.
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10. No
Agency Relationship
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Nothing
herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower
USBFS to
act as agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct
business
in the name, or for the account, of the other party to this
Agreement.
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11. Data
Necessary to Perform Services
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The
Corporation or its agent shall furnish to USBFS the data necessary
to
perform the services described herein at such times and in such form
as
mutually agreed upon. If USBFS is also acting in another
capacity for the Corporation, nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve
USBFS of any of its obligations in such
capacity.
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12. Assignment
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This
Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the
prior
written consent of the other
party.
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13. Notices
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Any
notice required or permitted to be given by either party
to the
other shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given
on the
date delivered personally or by courier service, or three (3) days
after
sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt
requested, or on the date sent and confirmed received by facsimile
transmission to the other party's address set forth
below:
|
Notice
to
USBFS shall be sent to:
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
|
000
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
|
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
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and
notice to the Corporation shall be sent to:
Kinetics
Mutual Funds, Inc.
|
0000
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
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Xxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
|
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
by
a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first
above
written.
KINETICS MUTUAL FUNDS, INC. | U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC | |
By: /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx | By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. XxXxx | |
Title: Treasurer | Title: Senior Vice President |
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