Exhibit 23(e)
PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Between
LINCOLN VARIABLE INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST
and
LINCOLN FINANCIAL DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
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Table of Contents
1. Appointment of the Distributor 3
2. Exclusive Nature of Trust 4
3. Sale and Redemption of Shares of the Trust 4
4. Duties of the Trust 4
5. Duties of the Distributor 5
6. Independent Contractor 5
7. Payment of Expenses 6
8. Duration and Termination of This Agreement 6
9. Governing Law 6
10. Miscellaneous 7
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PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 1/st/ day of June, 2007, between LINCOLN VARIABLE
INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST, a business trust organized under the laws of Delaware
(the "Trust"), and Lincoln Financial Distributors, Inc. a Connecticut
corporation, (the "Distributor");
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940
(the "Investment Company Act") as an open-end management investment company;
WHEREAS, the Trust is comprised of separate series, listed on the attached
Schedule A (each, a "Fund") as it may be amended from time to time, each of
which pursues its investment objectives through separate investment policies;
WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the Trust to offer Fund shares for sale
continuously pursuant to a prospectus and statement of additional information,
as now and hereafter amended or supplemented (the "Prospectus") which is
currently effective under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), to
(i) directly or indirectly to separate accounts of The Lincoln National Life
Insurance Company ("Lincoln Life"), any of its affiliated insurance companies,
or unaffiliated insurance companies that have entered into a Participation
Agreement with the Trust, or (ii) to one or more employer-sponsored products
issued or administered by Lincoln Life or its affiliates (all eligible
purchasers of such shares being referred to collectively as the "Purchasers");
and
WHEREAS, the Distributor is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities
and Exchange Commission;
WHEREAS, the Distributor is also the principal underwriter and distributor
of variable life insurance policies and variable annuities issued by Lincoln
Life and funded by various separate accounts; and
WHEREAS, the Trust and the Distributor wish to enter into an agreement with
each other with respect to the continuous offering to the Purchasers of the
shares of each class of each Fund (the "Shares"), in order to promote the
growth of the Trust and the Funds and facilitate the distribution of Shares.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
1. Appointment of the Distributor. The Trust hereby appoints the Distributor
as the principal underwriter and distributor of the Trust to sell the Shares to
the Purchasers, and the Distributor hereby accepts such appointment. The Trust
during the term of this Agreement shall sell the Shares to the Purchasers at
net asset value for each Portfolio determined in the manner set forth in the
Prospectus, and upon the terms and conditions set forth below.
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2. Exclusive Nature of Duties. The Distributor shall be the exclusive
representative of the Trust to act as principal underwriter and distributor.
3. Sale and Redemption of Shares of the Fund.
(a) Orders for the sale, redemption or repurchase of the Shares shall be
transmitted directly from the Purchasers to the Trust or its agent, and
payments for Shares shall be transmitted by the Purchasers directly to the
Trust's custodian or to an account designated by the Trust.
(b) The Trust shall have the right to suspend the redemption of Shares of
any of the Funds pursuant to the conditions set forth in the Prospectus. The
Trust shall also have the right to suspend the sale of Shares of any or all
of its Funds at any time when it is authorized to suspend redemption of such
Shares, or at any time when there shall have occurred an extraordinary event
or circumstance which, in the reasonable judgment of the Trust, makes it
impracticable or inadvisable to continue to sell any such shares.
(c) The Trust will give the Distributor prompt notice of any such
suspension and shall promptly furnish such other information in connection
with the sale and redemption of Shares as the Distributor reasonably
requests.
On behalf of the Distributor, if requested, the Trust, or its agent, in
issuing Shares and processing redemptions and repurchase of Shares, shall
maintain a record of the time when a proper and complete order for each such
transaction was received by it and, to the extent legally required, confirm
to all Trust shareholders all transactions in the manner required by law,
and shall keep records of confirmations and all other records in connection
with the sale, redemption or repurchase of Trust shares required by, and
subject to, all the terms and conditions of Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All records required by this paragraph to
be maintained by the Trust or its agent shall (i) be and remain the property
of the Trust's Distributor and (ii) be at all times subject to inspection by
the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with Section 17(a) of
said Act. The Trust shall have access to all records maintained hereunder
and, upon reasonable request, copies shall be furnished to the Trust.
4. Duties of the Trust.
(a) The Trust shall furnish to the Distributor copies of all information,
financial statements and other papers which the Distributor may reasonably
request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares. The Trust
shall also make available to the Distributor such number of copies of its
Prospectus as the Distributor shall reasonably request.
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(b) The Trust shall take, from time to time, but subject to the necessary
approval of its shareholders, all necessary action to fix the number of its
authorized Shares of each Fund and to register Shares under the Securities
Act, to the end that there will be available for sale such number of Shares
of each Fund as may reasonably be expected to be sold and issued.
(c) The Trust shall use its best efforts to qualify and maintain the
qualification of an appropriate number of Shares of each Fund for sale under
the securities laws of such states as the Distributor and the Trust may
approve, if such qualification is required by such securities laws. Any such
qualification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by the Trust at any
time in its discretion. The Distributor shall furnish such information and
other material relating to its affairs and activities as may be required by
the Trust in connection with such qualification and with registration under
the Securities Act.
(d) The Trust will furnish, in reasonable quantities upon request by the
Distributor, copies of annual and interim reports of the Funds.
(e) The Trust shall promptly notify the Distributor if the registration
or qualification of any Shares under any state or Federal securities laws,
or the Trust's registration under the Investment Company Act, is suspended
or terminated, or if any governmental body or agency institutes proceedings
to terminate the offer and sale of any Shares in any jurisdiction.
5. Duties of the Distributor. The Distributor shall be subject to the
direction and control of the Trust in the sale of Shares and shall not be
obligated to sell any specific number of Shares of any Fund. In offering or
selling the Shares, the Distributor shall in all respects duly conform with the
requirements of all federal and state laws and regulations and the regulations
of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD"), relating
to the offer and sale of such securities. Neither the Distributor nor any other
person is authorized by the Trust to give any information or to make any
representations, other than those contained in the registration statement with
respect to the Shares which is effective under the Securities Act, including
any amendment thereto, or related Prospectus and any advertising or sales
literature authorized by responsible officers of Lincoln Life. The Distributor,
directly or through the Trust, as its agent, shall cause any sales literature,
advertising, or other similar materials to be filed and, if necessary, approved
by the NASD, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other required
securities regulatory body, as appropriate.
6. Independent Contractor. The Distributor shall act as an independent
contractor and nothing herein contained shall constitute the Distributor, its
agents or representatives, or any employees thereof, as employees of the Trust
in connection with the sale of Shares. The Distributor is responsible for its
own conduct and the employment, control and conduct of its agents and employees
and for injury to such agents or employees or to others through its agents or
employees. The Distributor
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assumes full responsibility for its agents and employees under applicable
statutes and agrees to pay all employer taxes thereunder. The Distributor will
maintain at its own expense insurance against public liability in such an
amount as the Trust and the Distributor may from time to time agree.
7. Payment of Expenses. The Distributor will, from its own resources, pay or
cause to be paid all of the following Trust expenses and costs:
(a) The preparation, printing and distribution of other sales literature,
and
(b) All other expenses which are primarily for the purpose of promoting
sales of the Shares to new beneficial owners.
Other than as aforesaid, the Distributor shall not be responsible for paying
any expenses of the Trust under this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything else
in this Agreement, the Principal Underwriter may receive payments relating to
the Service Class shares of each Fund under the Service Class Plan (12b-1Plan)
adopted by the Trust's Board of Trustees for the Service Class shares of the
Funds, as such Service Class Plan (12b-1 Plan) may be amended from time to
time. In addition to the expenditures specifically authorized herein, the
Principal Underwriter may spend with respect to the Service Class shares such
amounts as it deems appropriate for any purpose consistent with the Service
Class Plan, as amended from time to time.
8. Duration and Termination of This Agreement. This Agreement shall become
effective as of the date first above written and shall remain in force
continuously thereafter, but only so long as such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually (as defined in the Investment Company Act) by
(a) the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or, with respect to each Fund, by the
vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that Fund cast in
person or by proxy, and (b) a majority of those directors who are not parties
to this Agreement, or interested persons of any such party, cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting upon such approval.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any
penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or, with respect to each Fund,
by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that Fund, or by
the Distributor, on sixty days' written notice to the other party. This
Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment by
either party.
The terms "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" and
"interested person," when used in this Agreement, shall have the respective
meanings specified in the Investment Company Act and rules thereunder.
9. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the
laws of the State of Delaware and the applicable provisions of the Investment
Company Act and rules thereunder. To the extent the applicable law of the State
of Delaware, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable
provisions of the 1940 Act or rules thereunder, the latter shall control.
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10. Miscellaneous. The Distributor shall not disclose or use any records or
information obtained hereunder and, further, it shall keep confidential any
information obtained pursuant to its relationship with the Trust set forth
herein, and disclose such information only if the Trust has authorized such
disclosure, or if such disclosure is expressly required by appropriate Federal
or state regulatory authorities. The Distributor shall furnish state insurance
regulatory authorities with any information or reports in connection with the
services it provides to the Trust hereunder, which such authorities may request
in order to ascertain whether the variable life insurance operations of any
insurance company are being conducted in a manner consistent with applicable
laws or regulations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this
Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
LINCOLN VARIABLE INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST
By: /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------
Title: Chairman and President
LINCOLN FINANCIAL DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
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Title: President
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