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EXHIBIT 5(b)
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS TRUST
MASTER INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made this 28th day of February, 1997, by and between
Short-Term Investments Trust, a Delaware business trust (the "Company") with
respect to its series of shares shown on the Appendix A attached hereto, as the
same may be amended from time to time, and A I M Advisors, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Advisor").
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company is registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as an open-end, diversified management
investment company;
WHEREAS, the Advisor is registered under the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"), as an investment advisor and engages
in the business of acting as an investment advisor;
WHEREAS, the Company's Agreement and Declaration of Trust authorizes
the Board of Trustees of the Company to classify or reclassify authorized but
unissued shares of the Company, and as of the date of this Agreement, the
Company's Board of Trustees has authorized the issuance of two series of shares
representing interests in two investment portfolios (such portfolios and any
other portfolios hereafter added to the Company being referred to collectively
herein as the "Funds"); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Advisor desire to enter into an agreement
to provide for investment advisory services to the Funds upon the terms and
conditions hereinafter set forth;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein
contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is
hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. Advisory Services. The Advisor shall act as investment advisor for
the Funds and shall, in such capacity, supervise all aspects of the Funds'
operations, including the investment and reinvestment of cash, securities or
other properties comprising the Funds' assets, subject at all times to the
policies and control of the Company's Board of Trustees. The Advisor shall give
the Company and the Funds the benefit of its best judgment, efforts and
facilities in rendering its services as investment advisor.
2. Investment Analysis and Implementation. In carrying out its
obligations under Section 1 hereof, the Advisor shall:
(a) supervise all aspects of the operations of the Funds;
(b) obtain and evaluate pertinent information about
significant developments and economic, statistical and financial data,
domestic, foreign or otherwise, whether affecting the economy
generally or the Funds, and whether concerning the individual issuers
whose securities are included in the assets of the Funds or the
activities in which such issuers
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engage, or with respect to securities which the Advisor considers
desirable for inclusion in the Funds' assets;
(c) determine which issuers and securities shall be
represented in the Funds' investment portfolios and regularly report
thereon to the Company's Board of Trustees; and
(d) formulate and implement continuing programs for the
purchases and sales of the securities of such issuers and regularly
report thereon to the Company's Board of Trustees;
and take, on behalf of the Company and the Funds, all actions which appear to
the Company and the Funds necessary to carry into effect such purchase and sale
programs and supervisory functions as aforesaid, including but not limited to
the placing of orders for the purchase and sale of securities for the Funds.
3. Delegation of Responsibilities. Subject to the approval of the
Board of Trustees and the shareholders of the Funds, the Advisor may delegate
to a sub-advisor certain of its duties enumerated in Section 2 hereof, provided
that the Advisor shall continue to supervise the performance of any such
sub-advisor.
4. Control by Board of Trustees. Any investment program undertaken by
the Advisor pursuant to this Agreement, as well as any other activities
undertaken by the Advisor on behalf of the Funds, shall at all times be subject
to any directives of the Board of Trustees of the Company.
5. Compliance with Applicable Requirements. In carrying out its
obligations under this Agreement, the Advisor shall at all times conform to:
(a) all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the Advisers
Act and any rules and regulations adopted thereunder;
(b) the provisions of the registration statement of the Company,
as the same may be amended from time to time under the Securities Act
of 1933 and the 1940 Act;
(c) the provisions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of
the Company, as the same may be amended from time to time;
(d) the provisions of the by-laws of the Company, as the same may
be amended from time to time; and
(e) any other applicable provisions of state, federal or foreign
law.
6. Broker-Dealer Relationships. The Advisor is responsible for
decisions to buy and sell securities for the Funds, broker-dealer selection,
and negotiation of brokerage commission rates. The Advisor's primary
consideration in effecting a security transaction will be to obtain execution
at the most favorable price. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each
particular transaction, the Advisor will take the following into consideration:
the best net price available; the reliability, integrity and financial
condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and the difficulty in executing the
order; and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the
investment performance of the Funds on a continuing basis. Accordingly, the
price to the Funds in any transaction may be less favorable than that available
from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other
aspects of the fund execution services offered. Subject to such policies
as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine, the Advisor shall not
be deemed to have acted unlawfully
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or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by
reason of its having caused the Funds to pay a broker or dealer that provides
brokerage and research services to the Advisor an amount of commission for
effecting a fund investment transaction in excess of the amount of commission
another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if
the Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission was
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services
provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular
transaction or the Advisor's overall responsibilities with respect to a
particular Fund, other Funds of the Company, and to other clients of the
Advisor as to which the Advisor exercises investment discretion. The Advisor is
further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it on behalf of the Funds
to such brokers and dealers who also provide research or statistical material,
or other services to the Funds, to the Advisor, or to any sub-advisor. Such
allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Advisor shall
determine and the Advisor will report on said allocations regularly to the
Board of Trustees of the Company indicating the brokers to whom such
allocations have been made and the basis therefor. In making decisions
regarding broker-dealer relationships, the Advisor may take into consideration
the recommendations of any sub-advisor appointed to provide investment research
or advisory services in connection with the Funds, and may take into
consideration any research services provided to such sub-advisor by
broker-dealers.
7. Compensation. The Company shall pay the Advisor as compensation for
services rendered hereunder an annual fee, payable monthly, based upon the
average daily net assets of the Funds as the same is set forth in Appendix A
attached hereto. The average daily net asset value of the Funds shall be
determined in the manner set forth in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust
and registration statement of the Company, as amended from time to time.
8. Additional Services. Upon the request of the Company's Board of
Trustees, the Advisor may perform certain accounting, shareholder servicing or
other administrative services on behalf of the Funds which are not required by
this Agreement. Such services will be performed on behalf of the Funds and the
Advisor may receive from the Funds such reimbursement for costs or reasonable
compensation for such services as may be agreed upon between the Advisor and
the Company's Board of Trustees based on a finding by the Board of Trustees
that the provision of such services by the Advisor is in the best interests of
the Company and its shareholders. Payment or assumption by the Advisor of any
Fund expense that the Advisor is not otherwise required to pay or assume under
this Agreement shall not relieve the Advisor of any of its obligations to the
Funds nor obligate the Advisor to pay or assume any similar Fund expense on any
subsequent occasions. Such services may include, but are not limited to:
(a) the services of a principal financial officer of the Company
(including applicable office space, facilities and equipment) whose
normal duties consist of maintaining the financial accounts and books
and records of the Company and the Funds, including the review and
calculation of daily net asset value and the preparation of tax
returns; and the services (including applicable office space,
facilities and equipment) of any of the personnel operating under the
direction of such principal financial officer;
(b) the services of staff to respond to shareholder inquiries
concerning the status of their accounts; providing assistance to
shareholders in exchanges among the mutual funds managed or advised by
the Advisor; changing account designations or changing addresses;
assisting in the purchase or redemption of shares; supervising the
operations of the custodian, transfer agent(s) or dividend disbursing
agent(s) for the Funds; or otherwise providing services to
shareholders of the Funds; and
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(c) such other administrative services as may be furnished from
time to time by the Advisor to the Company or the Funds at the request
of the Company's Board of Trustees.
9. Expenses of the Funds. All of the ordinary business expenses
incurred in the operations of the Funds and the offering of their shares shall
be borne by the Funds unless specifically provided otherwise in this Agreement.
These expenses borne by the Funds include but are not limited to brokerage
commissions, taxes, legal, accounting, auditing, or governmental fees, the cost
of preparing share certificates, custodian, transfer and shareholder service
agent costs, expenses of issue, sale, redemption and repurchase of shares,
expenses of registering and qualifying shares for sale, expenses relating to
directors and shareholder meetings, the cost of preparing and distributing
reports and notices to shareholders, the fees and other expenses incurred by
the Company on behalf of the Funds in connection with membership in investment
company organizations and the cost of printing copies of prospectuses and
statements of additional information distributed to the Funds' shareholders.
10. Expense Limitation. If, for any fiscal year of the Company, the
total of all ordinary business expenses of the Funds, including all investment
advisory fees, but excluding brokerage commissions and fees, taxes, interest
and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation costs, would exceed the
applicable expense limitations imposed by state securities regulations in any
state in which the Funds' shares are qualified for sale, as such limitations
may be raised or lowered from time to time, the aggregate of all such
investment advisory fees shall be reduced by the amount of such excess. The
amount of any such reduction to be borne by the Advisor shall be deducted from
the monthly investment advisory fee otherwise payable to the Advisor during
such fiscal year. If required pursuant to such state securities regulations,
the Advisor will, not later than the last day of the first month of the next
succeeding fiscal year, reimburse the Funds for any such annual operating
expenses (after reduction of all investment advisory fees in excess of such
limitation). For the purposes of this Section, the term "fiscal year" shall
exclude the portion of the current fiscal year which shall have elapsed prior
to the date hereof and shall include the portion of the then current fiscal
year which shall have elapsed at the date of termination of this Agreement. The
application of expense limitations shall be applied to each Fund of the Company
separately unless the laws or regulations of any state shall require that the
expense limitations be imposed with respect to the Company as a whole.
11. Non-Exclusivity. The services of the Advisor to the Company and
the Funds are not to be deemed to be exclusive, and the Advisor shall be free
to render investment advisory and administrative or other services to others
(including other investment companies) and to engage in other activities. It is
understood and agreed that officers or directors of the Advisor may serve as
officers or directors of the Company, and that officers or directors of the
Company may serve as officers or directors of the Advisor to the extent
permitted by law; and that the officers and directors of the Advisor are not
prohibited from engaging in any other business activity or from rendering
services to any other person, or from serving as partners, officers, directors
or trustees of any other firm or trust, including other investment advisory
companies.
12. Term and Approval. This Agreement shall become effective with
respect to a Fund if approved by the shareholders of such Fund, and if so
approved, this Agreement shall thereafter continue in force and effect until
February 28, 1999, and may be continued from year to year thereafter, provided
that the continuation of the Agreement is specifically approved at least
annually:
(a) (i) by the Company's Board of Trustees or (ii) by the vote of
"a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of such Fund (as
defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act); and
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(b) by the affirmative vote of a majority of the trustees who are
not parties to this Agreement or "interested persons" (as defined in
the 0000 Xxx) of a party to this Agreement (other than as Company
trustees), by votes cast in person at a meeting specifically called
for such purpose.
13. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated as to the Company or
as to any one or more of the Funds at any time, without the payment of any
penalty, by vote of the Company's Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of
the outstanding voting securities of the applicable Fund, or by the Advisor, on
sixty (60) days' written notice to the other party. The notice provided for
herein may be waived by the party entitled to receipt thereof. This Agreement
shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment, the term
"assignment" for purposes of this paragraph having the meaning defined in
Section 2(a)(4) of the 1940 Act.
14. Liability of Advisor and Indemnification. In the absence of
willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Advisor or any of its
officers, directors or employees, the Advisor shall not be subject to liability
to the Company or to the Funds or to any shareholder of the Funds for any act
or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder
or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any
security.
15. Liability of Shareholders. Notice is hereby given that, as
provided by applicable law, the obligations of or arising out of this Agreement
are not binding upon any of the shareholders of the Company individually but
are binding only upon the assets and property of the Company and that the
shareholders shall be entitled, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law, to the same limitation on personal liability as stockholders of private
corporations for profit.
16. Notices. Any notices under this Agreement shall be in writing,
addressed and delivered, telecopied or mailed postage paid, to the other party
entitled to receipt thereof at such address as such party may designate for the
receipt of such notice. Until further notice to the other party, it is agreed
that the address of the Company shall be and that of the Advisor shall be
Eleven Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000.
17. Questions of Interpretation. Any question of interpretation of any
term or provision of this Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise
derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act or the Advisers Act shall be
resolved by reference to such term or provision of the 1940 Act or the Advisers
Act and to interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States Courts or in
the absence of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules,
regulations or orders of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued pursuant
to said Acts. In addition, where the effect of a requirement of the 1940 Act or
the Advisers Act reflected in any provision of the Agreement is revised by
rule, regulation or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such
provision shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule, regulation or
order. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws (without reference to conflicts of law
provisions) of the State of Texas.
18. License Agreement. The Company shall have the non-exclusive right
to use the name "AIM" to designate any current or future series of shares only
so long as A I M Advisors, Inc. serves as investment manager or advisor to the
Company with respect to such series of shares.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to
be executed in duplicate by their respective officers on the day and year first
written above.
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS TRUST
(a Delaware business trust)
Attest:
/s/ XXXXX X. XXXX By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXX
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Assistant Secretary President
(SEAL)
A I M Advisors, Inc.
Attest:
/s/ XXXXXX X. XXXX By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXX
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Assistant Secretary President
(SEAL)
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APPENDIX A
TO
MASTER INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
OF
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS TRUST
The Company shall pay the Advisor, out of the assets of a Fund, as
full compensation for all services rendered and all facilities furnished
hereunder, a management fee for such Fund set forth below. Such fee shall be
calculated by applying the following annual rates to the average daily net
assets of such Fund for the calendar year computed in the manner used for the
determination of the net asset value of shares of such Fund.
TREASURY PORTFOLIO
NET ASSETS ANNUAL RATE
First $300 million.........................................................................................0.15%
Over $300 million up to and including $1.5 billion.........................................................0.06%
Over $1.5 billion..........................................................................................0.05%
TREASURY TAXADVANTAGE PORTFOLIO
NET ASSETS ANNUAL RATE
First $250 million.........................................................................................0.20%
Over $250 million up to and including $500 million.........................................................0.15%
Over $500 million..........................................................................................0.10%
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