SUB-TRANSFER AGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT (h)(5)
SUB-TRANSFER AGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT | |
This Sub-Transfer Agency Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) is effective as of September 1, | |
2011 by and between BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (BNYM), a Massachusetts corporation | |
(f/k/a PNC Global Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc.), and Xxxxx Xxxxx Management, a Massachusetts | |
business trust (“Xxxxx Xxxxx”). | |
W I T N E S S E T H: | |
WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Transfer Agency Agreement, with an effective date of | |
September 1, 2011, by and between BNYM and the registered investment companies listed on Schedule B | |
thereto, as such Schedule B may be amended from time to time ("Listed Investment Companies"), BNYM | |
serves as transfer agent for the Listed Investment Companies (the “TA Agreement”); and | |
WHEREAS, BNYM and Xxxxx Xxxxx were parties to a Sub-Transfer Agency Services Agreement, | |
dated as of August 1, 2008 (the "2008 Agreement"), which provided for Xxxxx Xxxxx to perform certain of | |
BNYM’s duties under the predecessor agreement to the TA Agreement; and | |
WHEREAS, the 2008 Agreement is being terminated simultaneously with the execution of this | |
Agreement; and | |
WHEREAS, Xxxxx Xxxxx and BNYM desire that Xxxxx Xxxxx be retained by BNYM to continue | |
performing certain duties of BNYM under the TA Agreement for the "Funds", which is hereby defined to | |
mean the registered investment companies for which BNYM acts as transfer agent under the TA Agreement | |
and any successor agreements to the TA Agreement. | |
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, and | |
intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows: | |
1. | Definitions. As used in this Agreement: |
(a) | “1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
(b) | “1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
(c) | “Authorized Person” means any officer of the Fund and any other person duly authorized by the |
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Fund’s Board of Trustees to give Oral Instructions and Written Instructions on behalf of the Funds. | ||
An Authorized Person’s scope of authority may be limited by setting forth such limitation in a | ||
written document signed by both parties hereto. | ||
(d) | “Financial Intermediaries” means any investment advisor, broker-dealer, financial planner or any | |
other person authorized by a Shareholder or a Fund to act on behalf of a Shareholder. | ||
(e) | “SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission. | |
(f) | “Securities Laws” mean the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act. | |
(g) | “Shareholder” means a record owner of Shares of a Fund. | |
(h) | “Shares” mean the shares of beneficial interest of any series or class of the Funds. | |
2. | Appointment. BNYM hereby engages Xxxxx Xxxxx to perform those services set forth on the | |
attached Schedule A in accordance with the terms set forth in this Agreement and Xxxxx Xxxxx agrees to | ||
perform such services directly on behalf of the Funds. | ||
3. | Compliance with Rules and Regulations. Xxxxx Xxxxx shall comply with all applicable | |
requirements of the Securities Laws and any laws, rules and regulations of governmental authorities having | ||
jurisdiction with respect to the duties to be performed by Xxxxx Xxxxx hereunder. | ||
4. | Records. The books and records pertaining to the Funds, which are in the possession or under the | |
control of Xxxxx Xxxxx, shall be the property of the Funds. Such books and records shall be prepared and | ||
maintained as required by the 1940 Act and other applicable Securities Laws, rules and regulations. The | ||
Funds shall have access to such books and records at all times during normal business hours. Upon the | ||
reasonable request of the Funds, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by Xxxxx Xxxxx to | ||
the Funds. | ||
5. | Confidentiality. | |
(a) | Each party shall keep confidential any information relating to the other party’s business | |
(“Confidential Information”). Confidential Information shall include: | ||
(i) | any data or information that is competitively sensitive material, and not generally known to | |
the public, including, but not limited to, information about product plans, marketing | ||
strategies, finances, operations, customer relationships, customer profiles, customer lists, |
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sales estimates, business plans, and internal performance results relating to the past, present | ||
or future business activities of Xxxxx Xxxxx or BNYM, their respective subsidiaries and | ||
affiliated companies and the customers, clients and suppliers of any of them; | ||
(ii) | any scientific or technical information, design, process, procedure, formula, or improvement | |
that is commercially valuable and secret in the sense that its confidentiality affords Xxxxx | ||
Xxxxx or BNYM a competitive advantage over its competitors; | ||
(iii) | all confidential or proprietary concepts, documentation, reports, data, specifications, | |
computer software, source code, object code, flow charts, databases, inventions, know-how, | ||
and trade secrets, whether or not patentable or copyrightable; and | ||
(iv) | anything designated as confidential. | |
(b) | Notwithstanding the foregoing, information shall not be subject to such confidentiality obligations if | |
it: | ||
(i) | is already known to the receiving party at the time it is obtained; | |
(ii) | is or becomes publicly known or available through no wrongful act of the receiving party; | |
(iii) | is rightfully received from a third party who, to the best of the receiving party’s knowledge, | |
is not under a duty of confidentiality; | ||
(iv) | is released by the protected party to a third party without restriction; | |
(v) | is required to be disclosed by the receiving party pursuant to a requirement of a court order, | |
subpoena, governmental or regulatory agency or law (provided the receiving party will | ||
provide the other party written notice of such requirement, to the extent such notice is | ||
permitted); | ||
(vi) | is relevant to the defense of any claim or cause of action asserted against the receiving party; | |
or | ||
(vii) | has been or is independently developed or obtained by the receiving party. | |
6. | Compensation BNYM and Xxxxx Xxxxx acknowledge that the Funds have agreed to pay to BNYM | |
an amount equal to the lesser of (i) actual expense of Xxxxx Xxxxx associated with providing the services set | ||
forth in this Agreement; or (ii) $2,500,000.00 annually. BNYM shall, within thirty (30) of receipt of the | ||
foregoing payment from the Funds, remit to Xxxxx Xxxxx such monies so received as compensation for the | ||
services performed by Xxxxx Xxxxx hereunder. BNYM shall have no obligation to make payments to Xxxxx | ||
Xxxxx unless and until it receives payment from the Funds. In addition, it shall be the responsibility of Xxxxx | ||
Xxxxx to provide information with respect to its expense associated with the services provided pursuant to |
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this Agreement. | |
Xxxxx Xxxxx represents and warrants to BNYM that (i) the terms of this Agreement, (ii) the fees and | |
expenses associated with this Agreement, and (iii) any benefits accruing to BNYM or to Xxxxx Xxxxx in | |
connection with this Agreement, including all payments, fee waivers, or reimbursements made or to be made | |
by BNYM to Xxxxx Xxxxx or any affiliate of the Fund relating to the Agreement have been fully disclosed to | |
the Board of Trustees of the Funds and that, if required by applicable law, such Board of Trustees has | |
approved or will approve the terms of this Agreement, any such fees and expenses, and any such benefits. | |
7. | Indemnification. BNYM shall have no liability for and Xxxxx Xxxxx agrees to indemnify, defend |
and hold harmless BNYM and its affiliates, including their respective officers, directors, agents and | |
employees, from any and all taxes, charges, expenses, assessments, claims and liabilities (including, without | |
limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements and liabilities arising under the Securities Laws and any state | |
and foreign securities and blue sky laws) arising directly or indirectly from any action or omission to act | |
which Xxxxx Xxxxx takes in connection with the provision of services hereunder. The provisions of this | |
Section 7 shall survive termination of this Agreement. | |
8. | Duration and Termination. This Agreement shall be effective on the date first written above and |
unless otherwise terminated by the parties shall remain in effect until the termination of the later of (i) TA | |
Agreement or (ii) any successor agreement to the TA Agreement entered into between BNYM and the | |
Funds. | |
9. | Notices. Notices shall be addressed (a) if to BNYM, to BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. |
at 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: President; with a copy to BNY Mellon | |
Investment Servicing (US) Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention Senior | |
Counsel – Transfer Agency, and (b) if to Xxxxx Xxxxx, at Xxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxx, XX 00000, | |
Attention: Vice President of Mutual Funds Operations; with a copy to Xxxxx Xxxxx, Two International Place, | |
Boston, N 02110, Attention Chief Legal Officer; or (c) if to neither of the foregoing, at such other address as | |
shall have been given by like notice to the sender of any such notice or other communication by the other | |
party. If notice is sent by confirming telegram, cable, telex or facsimile sending device, it shall be deemed to |
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have been given immediately. If notice is sent by first-class mail, it shall be deemed to have been given three | |
days after it has been mailed. If notice is sent by messenger, it shall be deemed to have been given on the | |
day it is delivered. | |
10. | Amendments. This Agreement, or any term thereof, may be changed or waived only by a written |
amendment, signed by the party against whom enforcement of such change or waiver is sought. | |
11. | Delegation; Assignment. Except as expressly provided in this Section 11, no party may assign or |
transfer this Agreement or assign or transfer any right or obligation hereunder without the written consent of | |
the other party and any attempt at such assignment or transfer, or any such assignment or transfer, shall be | |
void. Any assignment of this Agreement (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) shall require written consent of the | |
other party. A merger, a sale of a majority or more of the assets, equity interests or voting control, or a | |
transfer by operation of law shall be considered a "transfer" under this Section and require written consent of | |
the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing: BNYM may assign or transfer this Agreement to an | |
Affiliate, provided that BNYM gives the Xxxxx Xxxxx thirty (30) days' prior written notice of such | |
assignment or transfer and such assignment or transfer does not impair Xxxxx Xxxxx'x receipt of services | |
under this Agreement in any material respect, and the assignee or transferee agrees to be bound by all terms | |
of this Agreement in place of BNYM; and BNYM may subcontract with, hire, engage or otherwise outsource | |
to any third party with respect to the performance of any one or more of the functions, services, duties or | |
obligations of BNYM under this Agreement but BNYM will be fully responsible for the actions or inactions | |
of any such third party to the same extent as if such actions or inactions had been taken by BNYM directly. | |
12. | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall |
be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. | |
13. | Further Actions. Each party agrees to perform such further acts and execute such further |
documents as are necessary to effectuate the purposes hereof. | |
14. | Miscellaneous. |
(a) | Entire Agreement. This Agreement embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the |
parties and supersedes all prior agreements (including the Superseded Agreement) and |
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understandings relating to the subject matter hereof, provided that the parties may embody in one or | |
more separate documents their agreement, if any, with respect to delegated duties. | |
(b) | Captions. 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. | |
(d) | Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made in Delaware and governed |
by Delaware law, without regard to principles of conflicts of law. | |
(e) | Partial Invalidity. 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. | |
(f) | Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the |
parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns. | |
(g) | Facsimile Signatures. The facsimile signature of any party to this Agreement shall constitute the |
valid and binding execution hereof by such party. | |
(h) | To help the U.S. government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, U.S. |
Federal law requires each financial institution to obtain, verify, and record certain information that | |
identifies each person who initially opens an account with that financial institution on or after | |
October 1, 2003. Certain of BNYM’s affiliates are financial institutions, and BNYM may, as a | |
matter of policy, request (or may have already requested) the Fund’s name, address and taxpayer | |
identification number or other government-issued identification number, and, if such party is a | |
natural person, that party’s date of birth. BNYM may also ask (and may have already asked) for | |
additional identifying information, and BNYM may take steps (and may have already taken steps) to | |
verify the authenticity and accuracy of these data elements. |
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the
day and year first above written.
BNY MELLON INVESTMENT SERVICING (US) INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Managing Director
XXXXX XXXXX MANAGEMENT
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Vice President
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SCHEDULE A
Xxxxx Xxxxx shall perform the following services directly on behalf of the Funds:
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Provide call center services to Financial Intermediaries and Shareholders.
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Answer written inquiries relating to Shareholder accounts (matters relating to portfolio management, distribution of Shares and other management policy questions will be referred to the Funds).
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Furnish a prospectus and/or Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) to any Shareholder who requests (in writing or by telephone) a prospectus or SAI from a Fund.
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Processing transaction requests received via telephone.
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