Exhibit (h)(ii) under Form N-1A
Exhibit 10 under Item 601/Reg. S-K
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, amended and restated as of the first day of September,
1995, (originally made and entered into as of the first day of March, 1994), by
and between those investment companies listed on Exhibit 1, as may be amended
from time to time, having their principal office and place of business at 0000
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000-0000 and who have approved this
form of Agreement (individually referred to herein as a "Fund" and collectively
as "Funds") and Federated Shareholder Services, a Delaware business trust,
having its principal office and place of business at Federated Investors Tower,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779 ("FSS").
1. The Funds hereby appoint FSS to render or cause to be rendered
personal services to shareholders of the Funds and/or the
maintenance of accounts of shareholders of the Funds
("Services"). In addition to providing Services directly to
shareholders of the Funds, FSS is hereby appointed the Funds'
agent to select, negotiate and subcontract for the performance of
Services. FSS hereby accepts such appointments. FSS agrees to
provide or cause to be provided Services which, in its best
judgment (subject to supervision and control of the Funds' Boards
of Trustees or Directors, as applicable), are necessary or
desirable for shareholders of the Funds. FSS further agrees to
provide the Funds, upon request, a written description of the
Services which FSS is providing hereunder.
2. During the term of this Agreement, each Fund will pay FSS and FSS
agrees to accept as full compensation for its services rendered
hereunder a fee at an annual rate, calculated daily and payable
monthly, up to 0.25% of 1% of average net assets of each Fund.
For the payment period in which this Agreement becomes effective or
terminates with respect to any Fund, there shall be an appropriate
proration of the monthly fee on the basis of the number of days that
this Agreement is in effect with respect to such Fund during the month.
3. This Agreement shall continue in effect for one year from the date of
its execution, and thereafter for successive periods of one year only
if the form of this Agreement is approved at least annually by the
Board of each Fund, including a majority of the members of the Board of
the Fund who are not interested persons of the Fund ("Independent Board
Members") cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.
4. Notwithstanding paragraph 3, this Agreement may be terminated as follows:
(a) at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the vote of
a majority of the Independent Board Members of any Fund or by a
vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any
Fund as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 on sixty
(60) days' written notice to the parties to this Agreement;
(b) automatically in the event of the Agreement's assignment as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940; and
(c) by any party to the Agreement without cause by giving the other
party at least sixty (60) days' written notice of its intention
to terminate.
5. FSS agrees to obtain any taxpayer identification number certification
from each shareholder of the Funds to which it provides Services that
is required under Section 3406 of the Internal Revenue Code, and any
applicable Treasury regulations, and to provide each Fund or its
designee with timely written notice of any failure to obtain such
taxpayer identification number certification in order to enable the
implementation of any required backup withholding.
6. FSS shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for
any loss suffered by any Fund in connection with the matters to which this
Agreement relates, except 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 obligations and duties under this
Agreement. FSS shall be entitled to rely on and may act upon advice of
counsel (who may be counsel for such Fund) on all matters, and shall be
without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to
such advice. Any person, even though also an officer, trustee, partner,
employee or agent of FSS, who may be or become a member of such Fund's
Board, officer, employee or agent of any Fund, shall be deemed, when
rendering services to such Fund or acting on any business of such Fund
(other than services or business in connection with the duties of FSS
hereunder) to be rendering such services to or acting solely for such Fund
and not as an officer, trustee, partner, employee or agent or one under the
control or direction of FSS even though paid by FSS.
This Section 6 shall survive termination of this Agreement.
7. 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 an enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or
termination is sought.
8. FSS is expressly put on notice of the limitation of liability as set
forth in the Declaration of Trust of each Fund that is a Massachusetts
business trust and agrees that the obligations assumed by each such
Fund pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in any case to such
Fund and its assets and that FSS shall not seek satisfaction of any
such obligations from the shareholders of such Fund, the Trustees,
Officers, Employees or Agents of such Fund, or any of them.
9. The execution and delivery of this Agreement have been authorized by
the Trustees of FSS and signed by an authorized officer of FSS, acting
as such, and neither such authorization by such Trustees nor such
execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have been
made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of
them personally, and the obligations of this Agreement are not binding
upon any of the Trustees or shareholders of FSS, but bind only the
trust property of FSS as provided in the Declaration of Trust of FSS.
10. Notices of any kind to be given hereunder shall be in writing
(including facsimile communication) and shall be duly given if
delivered to any Fund and to such Fund at the following address:
Federated Investors Tower, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779 Attention:
President and if delivered to FSS at Federated Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000, Attention:
President.
11. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto
and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject hereof
whether oral or written. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held
or made invalid by a court or regulatory agency decision, statute, rule or
otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
Subject to the provisions of Sections 3 and 4, hereof, this Agreement shall
be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and
their respective successors and shall be governed by Pennsylvania law;
provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed in a manner
inconsistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 or any rule or
regulation promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission
thereunder.
12. This Agreement may be executed by different parties on separate
counterparts, each of which, when so executed and delivered, shall be
an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute one
and the same instrument.
13. This Agreement shall not be assigned by any party without the prior
written consent of FSS in the case of assignment by any Fund, or of the
Funds in the case of assignment by FSS, except that any party may
assign to a successor all of or a substantial portion of its business
to a party controlling, controlled by, or under common control with
such party. Nothing in this Section 14 shall prevent FSS from
delegating its responsibilities to another entity to the extent
provided herein.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to
be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first
above written.
Attest: Investment Companies (listed on Exhibit 1)
/s/ Xxxx X. XxXxxxxxx By:/s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Xxxx X. XxXxxxxxx Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Secretary Chairman
Attest: Federated Shareholder Services
/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx By: /s/ Xxxx X. XxXxxxxxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx Xxxx X. XxXxxxxxx
Secretary President
EXHIBIT 1
Federated U.S. Government Bond Fund
