PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT Among THE UNIVERSAL INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS, INC., MORGAN STANLEY & CO. INCORPORATED, MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. and NATIONWIDE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. Dated as of February 1, 2002
Among
THE
UNIVERSAL INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS, INC.,
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX & CO. INCORPORATED,
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC.
and
NATIONWIDE
FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
Dated
as of
February
1, 2002
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE
III. Prospectuses, Reports
to Shareholders and Proxy Statements; Voting [INSERT PAGE NUMBER]
PORTFOLIOS
OF THE XXX XXXXXX LIFE INVESTMENT TRUST
AVAILABLE
UNDER THIS AGREEMENT B-1
PROXY
VOTING PROCEDURES C-1
OPERATING
PROCEDURES………………………………………………………................D-1
2
THIS
AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of the 1st day of
February,
2002 by and among NATIONWIDE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., a Delaware corporation
and its subsidiary life insurance companies (the "Company"), on its own behalf
and on behalf of each separate account of the Company set forth on Schedule
A
hereto as may be amended from time to time (each such account referred to as
an
"Account"), THE UNIVERSAL INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS, INC. (the "Fund"), a Maryland
corporation, XXXXXX XXXXXXX & CO. INCORPORATED (the "Underwriter"), a
Delaware corporation, and XXXXXX XXXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. (the
"Adviser"), a Delaware corporation.
WHEREAS,
the Fund engages in business
as an open-end management investment company and is available to act as (i)
the
investment vehicle for separate accounts established by insurance companies
for
individual and group life insurance policies and annuity contracts with variable
accumulation and/or pay-out provisions (hereinafter referred to individually
and/or collectively as "Variable Insurance Products") and (ii) the investment
vehicle for certain qualified pension and retirement plans ("Qualified Plans");
and
WHEREAS,
insurance companies desiring
to utilize the Fund as an investment vehicle under their Variable Insurance
Products enter into participation agreements with the Fund, the Underwriter
and
the Adviser (the "Participating Insurance Companies"); and
WHEREAS,
shares of the Fund are divided
into several series of shares, each representing the interest in a particular
managed portfolio of securities and other assets, any one or more of which
may
be made available under this Agreement; and
WHEREAS,
the Fund intends to offer
shares of the series set forth on Schedule B hereto (each such series referred
to as a "Portfolio"), as such Schedule may be amended from time to time by
mutual agreement of the parties hereto, to the Account(s) of the Company (all
references herein to "shares" of a Portfolio shall mean the class or classes
of
shares specifically identified on Schedule B); and
WHEREAS,
the Fund has obtained an order
from the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), dated September 19, 1996
(File No. 812-10118), granting Participating Insurance Companies and Variable
Insurance Product separate accounts exemptions from the provisions of Sections
9(a), 13(a), 15(a), and 15(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the "1940 Act"), and Rules 6e-2(b)(15) and 6e-3(T)(b)(15) thereunder, to the
extent necessary to permit shares of the Fund to be sold to and held by Variable
Insurance Product separate accounts of both affiliated and unaffiliated life
insurance companies and Qualified Plans (the "Shared Funding Exemptive Order");
and
WHEREAS,
the Fund is registered as an
open-end management investment company under the 1940 Act and its shares are
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act");
and
WHEREAS,
the Adviser is duly registered
as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended,
and any applicable state securities laws; and
WHEREAS,
the Adviser manages the
Portfolios of the Fund; and
WHEREAS,
the Underwriter is registered
as a broker/dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"1934 Act"), is a member in good standing of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD") and serves as principal underwriter of
the
shares of the Fund; and
WHEREAS,
the Company offers or proposes
to offer certain Variable Insurance Products that it has registered (or will
register) under the 1933 Act (the “Registered Contracts”), as well as other
3
Variable
Insurance Products that are not registered under the 1933 Act (the “Unregistered
Contracts,” and together with the Registered Contracts, the “Contracts”), each
as set forth on Schedule A hereto; and
WHEREAS,
each Account is a duly
organized, validly existing separate account, established by resolution or
under
authority of the Board of Directors of the Company, on the date shown for such
Account on Schedule A hereto, to set aside and invest assets attributable to
the
Contracts; and
WHEREAS,
the Company has registered (or
will register) certain Accounts as unit investment trusts under the 1940 Act
that are attributable to the Registered Contracts (the “Registered Accounts”),
while certain other Accounts that are attributable to the Unregistered Contracts
will not be registered under the 1940 Act (the “Unregistered Accounts,” and
together with the Registered Accounts, the “Accounts”), each as set forth on
Schedule A hereto; and
WHEREAS,
to the extent permitted by
applicable insurance laws and regulations, the Company, operating through
financial intermediaries, intends to purchase shares of the Portfolios, on
behalf of each Account or sub-Account thereof (together, as applicable, an
"Account"), to fund the Contracts and the Underwriter is authorized to sell
such
shares to each such Account at net asset value; and
WHEREAS,
the Fund, acting through the
Fund's transfer agent, has established a master account on its mutual fund
shareholder account system (the "T/A Account") reflecting the aggregate
ownership of shares of the Fund and all transactions involving such shares
by
the Company on behalf of the Accounts; and
WHEREAS,
the Company, the Fund, the
Underwriter and the Adviser wish to permit the Fund to receive, and the Company
to transmit, purchase and redemption orders of Portfolio shares using the
National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") Fund/SERV System
("Fund/SERV"); and
WHEREAS,
in order to receive and
transmit Fund shares via Fund/SERV, it is intended that the Fund and the Company
will establish an account using Fund/SERV (the "Fund/SERV Account") that will
reflect corresponding transactions and Fund share balances in the T/A
Account.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of
their mutual promises, the Company, the Fund, the Underwriter and the Adviser
agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I. Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares
1.1. The
Fund and the Underwriter agree to make available for purchase by the Company
shares of the Portfolio(s) and shall execute purchase orders placed for each
Account on each Business Day at the net asset value next computed after receipt
by the Fund or its designee of such purchase order. For purposes of
this Section 1.1, the Company shall be the designee of the Fund and the
Underwriter for receipt of such purchase orders from each Account and receipt
by
such designee shall constitute receipt by the Fund; provided that such purchase
orders are received and transmitted in accordance with the Operating Procedures
attached hereto as Schedule D (the "Operating Procedures"). "Business
Day" shall mean any day on which the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. is open
for
trading and on which the Fund calculates its net asset value pursuant to SEC
rules.
1.2. The
Fund, so long as this Agreement is in effect, agrees to make shares of the
Portfolios available for purchase at the applicable net asset value per share
by
the Company and its Accounts on those days on which the Fund calculates its
net
asset value pursuant to SEC rules and the Fund shall use reasonable efforts
to
calculate such net asset value on each day that the New York Stock Exchange,
Inc. is open for trading. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of
Directors of the Fund (the "Board")
4
may
refuse to permit the Fund to sell shares of any Portfolio to any person, or
suspend or terminate the offering of shares of any Portfolio if such action
is
required by law or by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction or is, in
the
sole discretion of the Board acting in good faith and in light of its fiduciary
duties under federal and any applicable state laws, necessary in the best
interests of the shareholders of such Portfolio.
1.3. The
Fund and the Underwriter agree that shares of the Fund will be sold only to
Participating Insurance Companies and their separate accounts and to certain
Qualified Plans. No shares of a Portfolio will be sold to the general
public.
1.4. The
Fund and the Underwriter agree to redeem for cash, on the Company's request,
any
full or fractional shares of the Portfolio(s) held by the Company, executing
such redemption requests for each Account on each Business Day at the net asset
value next computed after receipt by the Fund or its designee of the request
for
redemption. For purposes of this Section 1.4, the Company shall be
the designee of the Fund and the Underwriter for receipt of requests for
redemption from each Account and receipt by such designee shall constitute
receipt by the Fund; provided that such redemption requests are received and
transmitted in accordance with the Operating Procedures.
1.5. The
Company agrees that purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares offered by
the
then current prospectus of the Fund shall be made in accordance with the
provisions of such prospectus. Upon request by the Fund, the
Underwriter or the Adviser, on at most a quarterly basis, the Company will
make
available a list of other investment companies to be used as funding vehicles
under the Contracts.
1.6. The
Fund and the Company will settle all purchase and redemption orders transmitted
pursuant to Sections 1.1 and 1.4 of this Agreement, respectively, in accordance
with the Operating Procedures.
1.7. Issuance
and transfer of the Fund's shares will be by book entry only. Share
certificates will not be issued to the Company or any Account. Shares
ordered from the Fund will be recorded in an appropriate title for each Account
or the appropriate sub-account of each Account.
1.8. The
Company shall not redeem Fund shares attributable to the Contracts (as distinct
from Fund shares attributable to the Company's assets held in the Account)
except (i) as necessary to implement Contract owner initiated or approved
transactions, (ii) as required by state and/or federal laws or regulations
or
judicial or other legal precedent of general application (hereinafter referred
to as a "Legally Required Redemption") or (iii) as permitted by an order of
the
SEC pursuant to Section 26(c) of the 1940 Act. Upon request, the
Company will promptly furnish to the Fund the opinion of counsel for the Company
(which counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Fund) to the effect
that
any redemption pursuant to clause (ii) above is a Legally Required
Redemption. Furthermore, except in cases where permitted under the
terms of the Contracts, the Company shall not prevent Contract owners from
allocating payments to a Portfolio that was otherwise available under the
Contracts without first using its best efforts to give the Fund forty-five
(45)
days prior written notice of its intention to do so.
ARTICLE
II. Representations and Warranties
2.1. The
Company represents and warrants that: (i) it is comprised of several insurance
companies which are duly organized and in good standing under applicable law;
(ii) it is a member in good standing of the NSCC, or is otherwise entitled
to
use Fund/SERV; (iii) it will abide by the rules and regulations of the NSCC;
(iv) it has legally and validly established each Account prior to any issuance
or sale thereof as a segregated asset account under applicable laws and
regulations; (v) it has registered or, prior to any issuance or sale of the
Registered Contracts, will register and will thereafter maintain the
5
registration
of each Registered Account as a unit investment trust in accordance with the
provisions of the 1940 Act to serve as a segregated investment account for
the
Registered Contracts; (vi) the Unregistered Accounts are exempt from the
registration requirements of the 1940 Act specifically under the provisions
of
Section 3(c)(1), 3(c)(7) or 3(c)(11) thereof or other provisions as applicable;
and (vii) the Unregistered Accounts are exempt from the provisions of Section
12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act under the provisions of Section 12(d)(1)(E) of the
1940
Act. The Company further represents and warrants that: (i) the
Registered Contracts are or will be registered and shall remain registered
under
the 1933 Act; (ii) the Unregistered Contracts are exempt from the registration
requirements of the 1933 Act under the provisions of Section 4(2) thereof or
other provisions as applicable; (iii) the Contracts will be issued and sold
through third party financial intermediaries in compliance in all material
respects with all applicable federal and state laws; and (iv) the sale of the
Contracts shall comply in all material respects with state insurance suitability
requirements. The Company shall amend the registration statement for
the Registered Accounts and the Registered Contracts under the 1940 Act and
the
1933 Act, respectively, from time to time as required in order to effect the
continuous offering of the Registered Contracts; moreover, the Company will
notify the Fund immediately in writing of any changes in facts or circumstances
leading the Company to believe that any of the exemptions described above with
respect to the Unregistered Contracts or Unregistered Accounts are not
applicable as represented.
2.2. The
Fund and the Underwriter represent and warrant that Fund shares sold pursuant
to
this Agreement shall be registered under the 1933 Act, duly authorized for
issuance and sold in compliance with the laws of the State of Delaware and
all
applicable federal and state securities laws and that the Fund is and shall
remain registered under the 0000 Xxx. The Fund shall amend the
registration statement for its shares under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act from
time to time as required in order to effect the continuous offering of its
shares. The Fund shall register and qualify the shares for sale in
accordance with the laws of the various states only if and to the extent deemed
advisable by the Fund.
2.3. The
Fund represents that it is currently qualified as a Regulated Investment Company
under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code"), and that it will use its reasonable efforts to maintain such
qualification (under Subchapter M or any successor or similar provision) and
that it will notify the Company immediately upon having a reasonable basis
for
believing that it has ceased to so qualify.
2.4. The
Company represents and warrants that each Account is and will continue to be
a
"segregated asset account" under applicable provisions of the Code and
applicable Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder and that each Contract
is
and will continue to be treated as a "variable contract" under applicable
provisions of the Code and applicable Treasury Regulations promulgated
thereunder. The Company further represents and warrants that it will
make every effort to maintain such treatment and that it will notify the Fund
immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that any Account or
Contract has ceased to be so treated or that any Account or Contract might
not
be so treated in the future.
2.5. The
Fund represents that to the extent that it decides to finance distribution
expenses pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Fund undertakes to
have
the Board, a majority of whom are not interested persons of the Fund, formulate
and approve any plan under Rule 12b-1 to finance distribution
expenses.
2.6. The
Fund makes no representation as to whether any aspect of its operations
(including, but not limited to, fees and expenses and investment policies)
complies with the insurance laws or regulations of the various
states.
6
2.7. The
Fund represents that it is lawfully organized and validly existing under the
laws of the State of Delaware and that it does and will comply in all material
respects with the 1940 Act. The Fund represents and warrants that it
is a member in good standing of the NSCC, or is otherwise entitled to use
Fund/SERV, and will abide by the rules and regulations of the NSCC.
2.8. The
Adviser represents and warrants that it is and shall remain duly registered
in
all material respects under all applicable federal and state securities laws
and
that it will perform its obligations for the Fund in compliance in all material
respects with the laws of its state of domicile and any applicable state and
federal securities laws.
2.9. The
Underwriter represents and warrants that it is and shall remain duly registered
in all material respects under all applicable federal and state securities
laws
and that it will perform its obligations for the Fund in compliance in all
material respects with the laws of its state of domicile and any applicable
state and federal securities laws.
2.10. The
Fund represents and warrants that all of its trustees, officers, employees,
and
other individuals/entities dealing with the money and/or securities of the
Fund
are and shall continue to be at all times covered by a blanket fidelity bond
or
similar coverage for the benefit of the Fund in an amount not less than the
minimum coverage as currently required by Rule 17g-1 of the 1940 Act or related
provisions as may be promulgated from time to time. The aforesaid
blanket fidelity bond shall include coverage for larceny and embezzlement and
shall be issued by a reputable bonding company.
2.11. The
Company represents and warrants that all of its directors, officers, employees,
investment advisers, and other individuals/entities dealing with the money
and/or securities of the Account(s) are and shall continue to be at all times
covered by a blanket fidelity bond or similar coverage for the benefit of the
Company and/or the Account(s) that is reasonable and customary in light of
the
Company's obligations under this Agreement. The aforesaid includes
coverage for larceny and embezzlement and shall be issued by a reputable bonding
company in an amount not less than. The Company agrees to make all
reasonable efforts to see that this bond or another bond containing these
provisions is always in effect, and agrees to notify the Fund, the Underwriter
and the Adviser in the event that such coverage no longer applies.
ARTICLE
III. Prospectuses, Reports to Shareholders and Proxy Statements;
Voting
3.1. The
Fund or its designee shall provide the Company with as many printed copies
of
the Fund's current prospectus and statement of additional information as the
Company may reasonably request. If requested by the Company, in lieu
of providing printed copies the Fund shall provide camera-ready film or computer
diskettes containing the Fund's prospectus and statement of additional
information, and such other assistance as is reasonably necessary in order
for
the Company once each year (or more frequently if the prospectus and/or
statement of additional information for the Fund is amended during the year)
to
have the prospectus or other disclosure document for the Contracts and the
Fund's prospectus (and statement of additional information for the Fund and
the
statement of additional information for the Registered Contracts) printed
together in one document. Alternatively, the Company may print the
Fund's prospectus and/or its statement of additional information in combination
with other fund companies' prospectuses and statements of additional
information.
3.2. Except
as provided in this Section 3.2, all expenses of preparing, setting in type,
printing and distributing Fund prospectuses and statements of additional
information shall be the expense of the Company. For prospectuses and
statements of additional information provided by the Company to its Contract
owners who currently own shares of one or more Portfolios ("Existing Contract
Owners"), in order to update disclosure as required by the 1933 Act and/or
the
1940 Act, the cost of printing shall be
7
borne
by
the Fund. If the Company chooses to receive camera-ready film or
computer diskettes in lieu of receiving printed copies of the Fund's prospectus,
the Fund shall bear the cost of typesetting to provide the Fund's prospectus
to
the Company in the format in which the Fund is accustomed to formatting
prospectuses, and the Company shall bear the expense of adjusting or changing
the format to conform with any of its prospectuses or other disclosure
documents. In such event, the Fund will reimburse the Company in an
amount equal to the product of "x" and "y", where "x" is the number of such
disclosure documents distributed to Existing Contract Owners and "y" is the
Fund's per unit cost of printing the Fund's prospectus. The same
procedures shall be followed with respect to the Fund's statement of additional
information. The Company agrees to provide the Fund or its designee
with such information as may be reasonably requested by the Fund to assure
that
the Fund's expenses do not include the costs of printing, typesetting or
distributing any prospectuses or statements of additional information other
than
the costs of printing those prospectuses or statements of additional information
actually distributed to Existing Contract Owners.
3.3. The
statement of additional information of the Fund shall be obtainable from the
Fund, the Underwriter, the Company or such other person as the Fund may
designate.
3.4. The
Fund, at its expense, shall provide the Company with copies of its proxy
statements, reports to shareholders, and other communications (except for
prospectuses and statements of additional information, which are covered in
Section 3.1) to shareholders in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably
require for distributing to Existing Contract Owners. The Fund shall
not pay any costs of distributing such proxy materials, reports to shareholders
and other communications to prospective Contract owners.
3.5. If
and to the extent required by law, the Company shall distribute all proxy
materials furnished by the Fund to Contract owners to whom voting privileges
are
required to be extended and shall:
|
(i)
|
solicit
voting instructions from Contract
owners;
|
|
(ii)
|
vote
the Portfolio shares in accordance with instructions received from
Contract owners; and
|
|
(iii)
|
vote
Portfolio shares for which no instructions have been received in
the same
proportion as Portfolio shares for which instructions have been
received;
|
so
long
as and to the extent that the SEC continues to interpret the 1940 Act to require
pass-through voting privileges for variable contract owners. The
Company reserves the right to vote Portfolio shares held in any segregated
asset
account in its own right, to the extent permitted by law. If the
Company is required to solicit voting instructions, the Fund and the Company
shall follow the procedures, and shall have the corresponding responsibilities,
for the handling of proxies and voting instruction solicitations, as set forth
in Schedule C attached hereto and incorporated herein by
reference. Participating Insurance Companies shall be responsible for
ensuring that each of their separate accounts participating in the Fund (and
for
which the soliciting of voting instructions is required) calculates voting
privileges in a manner consistent with the standards set forth on Schedule
C,
which standards will also be provided to the other Participating Insurance
Companies.
3.6. The
Fund will comply with all provisions of the 1940 Act requiring voting by
shareholders, and in particular the Fund will either provide for annual meetings
(except insofar as the SEC may interpret Section 16 of the 1940 Act not to
require such meetings) or comply with Section 16(c) of the 1940 Act (although
the Fund is not one of the trusts described in Section 16(c) of the 0000 Xxx)
as
8
well
as
with Section 16(a) of the 1940 Act and, if and when applicable, Section 16(b)
of
the 1940 Act. Further, the Fund will act in accordance with the SEC's
interpretation of the requirements of Section 16(a) of the 1940 Act with respect
to periodic elections of trustees and with whatever rules the SEC may promulgate
with respect thereto.
3.7 Within
five (5) Business Days after the end of each calendar month, the Underwriter
shall provide the Company, or its designee, a monthly statement of account,
which shall confirm all transactions made during that month.
ARTICLE
IV. Sales Material and Information
4.1. The
Company shall furnish, or shall cause to be furnished, to the Fund or its
designee, each piece of sales literature or other promotional material in which
the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser is named, at least ten (10) Business
Days prior to its use. No such material shall be used without the
prior approval of the Fund or its designee. The Fund shall use its
reasonable best efforts to review any such material as soon as practicable
after
receipt and no later than ten (10) Business Days after receipt of such
material.
4.2. The
Company shall not give any information or make any representations or statements
on behalf of the Fund or concerning the Fund in connection with the sale of
the
Contracts other than the information or representations contained in the
registration statement or prospectus for the Fund shares, as such registration
statement or prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time, or
in
reports or proxy statements for the Fund which are in the public domain or
approved by the Fund for distribution to Fund shareholders, or in sales
literature or other promotional material approved by the Fund or its designee,
except with the permission of the Fund.
4.3. The
Fund or its designee shall furnish, or shall cause to be furnished, to the
Company or its designee, each piece of sales literature or other promotional
material in which the Company and/or its Account(s) or Contract(s) are named
at
least ten (10) Business Days prior to its use. No such material shall
be used if the Company or its designee reasonably objects to such use within
ten
(10) Business Days after receipt of such material.
4.4. Neither
the Fund, the Underwriter nor the Adviser shall give any information or make
any
representations on behalf of the Company or concerning the Company, each
Account, or the Contracts, other than the information or representations
contained in a registration statement, prospectus, offering memorandum or other
disclosure document for the Contracts, as such documents may be amended or
supplemented from time to time, or in reports or proxy statements for each
Account which are in the public domain or approved by the Company for
distribution to Contract owners, or in sales literature or other promotional
material approved by the Company or its designee, except with the permission
of
the Company.
4.5. The
Fund will provide to the Company at least one complete copy of all registration
statements, prospectuses, statements of additional information, reports, proxy
statements, sales literature and other promotional materials, applications
for
exemptions, requests for no-action letters, and all amendments to any of the
above, that relate to the Fund or its shares and are relevant to the Company
or
the Contracts.
4.6. The
Company will provide to the Fund if required or upon reasonable request, to
the
extent applicable, a copy of relevant portions of all registration statements,
prospectuses, statements of additional information, offering
memoranda or other disclosure documents, reports, solicitations for voting
instructions, sales literature and other promotional materials, applications
for
exemptions, requests
9
for
no
action letters, and all amendments to any of the above, that relate to
investment in the Fund or the Portfolios under the Contracts.
4.7. For
purposes of this Article IV, the phrase "sales literature or other promotional
material" includes, but is not limited to, any of the following that refer
to
the Fund or any affiliate of the Fund: advertisements (such as material
published, or designed for use in, a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical,
radio, television, telephone or tape recording, videotape display, signs or
billboards, motion pictures, or other public media), sales literature
(i.e., any written communication distributed or made generally available
to customers or the public, including brochures, circulars, research reports,
market letters, form letters, seminar texts, reprints or excerpts of any other
advertisement, sales literature, or published article), educational or training
materials or other communications distributed or made generally available to
some or all agents or employees, and registration statements, offering
memoranda, prospectuses, statements of additional information or other
disclosure documents, shareholder reports, and proxy materials.
ARTICLE
V. Fees and Expenses
5.1. The
Fund shall pay no fee or other compensation to the Company under this Agreement,
except that if the Fund or any Portfolio adopts and implements a service plan
and/or a plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1, then the Underwriter may make payments
to
the Company or to the underwriter for the Contracts pursuant to such plans
if
and in amounts agreed to by the Underwriter in writing.
5.2. All
expenses incident to performance by the Fund under this Agreement shall be
paid
by the Fund. The Fund shall see to it that all its shares are
registered and authorized for issuance in accordance with applicable federal
law
and, if and to the extent deemed advisable by the Fund, in accordance with
applicable state laws prior to their sale. Except as otherwise set
forth in Section 3.2 of this Agreement, the Fund shall bear the expenses for
the
cost of registration and qualification of the Fund's shares, preparation and
filing of the Fund's prospectus and registration statement, proxy materials
and
reports, setting the prospectus in type, setting in type and printing the proxy
materials and reports to shareholders, the preparation of all statements and
notices required by any federal or state law, and all taxes on the issuance
or
transfer of the Fund's shares.
5.3. The
Company shall bear the expenses of distributing the Fund's prospectus, statement
of additional information, proxy materials and reports to owners of Contracts
issued by the Company.
ARTICLE
VI. Diversification
6.1. The
Fund will use its best efforts to at all times comply with Section 817(h) of
the
Code and Treasury Regulation 1.817-5, relating to the diversification
requirements for annuity, endowment, or life insurance contracts and any
amendments or other modifications to such Section or Regulations. In
the event the Fund ceases to so qualify, it will take reasonable steps to (a)
notify the Company of such event and (b) adequately diversify the Fund so as
to
achieve compliance within the time period afforded by Regulation
1.817-5.
ARTICLE
VII. Potential Conflicts
7.1. The
Board will monitor the Fund for the existence of any material irreconcilable
conflict between the interests of the contract owners of all separate accounts
investing in the Fund. An irreconcilable material conflict may arise
for a variety of reasons, including: (a) an action by any state insurance
regulatory authority; (b) a change in applicable federal or state insurance,
tax, or securities laws or regulations, or a public ruling, private letter
ruling, no-action or interpretative letter, or any
10
similar
action by insurance, tax, or securities regulatory authorities; (c) an
administrative or judicial decision in any relevant proceeding; (d) the manner
in which the investments of any Portfolio are being managed; (e) a difference
in
voting instructions given by contract owners; or (f) a decision by a
Participating Insurance Company to disregard the voting instructions of contract
owners. The Fund shall promptly inform the Company if the Board
determines that an irreconcilable material conflict exists and the implications
thereof.
7.2. The
Company will report any potential or existing conflicts of which it is aware
to
the Board. The Company will assist the Board in carrying out its
responsibilities under the Shared Funding Exemptive Order by providing the
Board
with all information reasonably necessary for the Board to consider any issues
raised. This includes, but is not limited to, an obligation by the
Company to inform the Board whenever Contract owner voting instructions are
disregarded. The Company agrees that these responsibilities will be
carried out with a view only to the interests of Contract owners.
7.3. If
it is determined by a majority of the Board, or a majority of its disinterested
members, that a material irreconcilable conflict exists, the Company and other
Participating Insurance Companies shall, at their expense and to the extent
reasonably practicable (as determined by a majority of the disinterested
trustees), take whatever steps are necessary to remedy or eliminate the
irreconcilable material conflict, up to and including: (1) withdrawing the
assets allocable to some or all of the separate accounts from the Fund or any
Portfolio and reinvesting such assets in a different investment medium,
including (but not limited to) another portfolio of the Fund, or submitting
the
question whether such segregation should be implemented to a vote of all
affected contract owners and, as appropriate, segregating the assets of any
appropriate group (i.e., annuity contract owners, life insurance policy
owners, or variable contract owners of one or more Participating Insurance
Companies) that votes in favor of such segregation, or offering to the affected
contract owners the option of making such a change; and (2) establishing a
new
registered management investment company or managed separate
account. No charge or penalty will be imposed as a result of such
withdrawal. The Company agrees that it bears the responsibility to
take remedial action in the event of a Board determination of an irreconcilable
material conflict and the cost of such remedial action, and that these
responsibilities will be carried out with a view only to the interests of
Contract owners.
7.4. If
a material irreconcilable conflict arises because of a decision by the Company
to disregard contract owner voting instructions and that decision represents
a
minority position or would preclude a majority vote, the Company may be
required, at the Fund's election, to withdraw the affected Account's investment
in the Fund and terminate this Agreement with respect to such Account (at the
Company's expense); provided, however that such withdrawal and termination
shall
be limited to the extent required by the foregoing material irreconcilable
conflict as determined by a majority of the disinterested members of the
Board. No charge or penalty will be imposed as a result of such
withdrawal. The Company agrees that it bears the responsibility to
take remedial action in the event of a Board determination of an irreconcilable
material conflict and the cost of such remedial action, and that these
responsibilities will be carried out with a view only to the interests of
Contract owners.
7.5. For
purposes of Sections 7.3 and 7.4 of this Agreement, a majority of the
disinterested members of the Board shall determine whether any proposed action
adequately remedies any irreconcilable material conflict, but in no event will
the Fund be required to establish a new funding medium for the
Contracts. The Company shall not be required by Section 7.3 or 7.4 to
establish a new funding medium for the Contracts if an offer to do so has been
declined by vote of a majority of Contract owners materially adversely affected
by the irreconcilable material conflict.
7.6. If
and to the extent that Rule 6e-2 and Rule 6e-3(T) are amended, or Rule 6e-3
is
adopted, to provide exemptive relief from any provision of the 1940 Act or
the
rules promulgated
11
thereunder
with respect to mixed or shared funding (as defined in the Shared Funding
Exemptive Order) on terms and conditions materially different from those
contained in the Shared Funding Exemptive Order, then (a) the Fund and/or the
Participating Insurance Companies, as appropriate, shall take such steps as
may
be necessary to comply with Rules 6e-2 and 6e-3(T), as amended, and Rule 6e-3,
as adopted, to the extent such rules are applicable; and (b) Sections 3.4,
3.5,
7.1, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 of this Agreement shall continue in effect only to the
extent that terms and conditions substantially identical to such Sections are
contained in such Rule(s) as so amended or adopted.
7.7. Each
of the Company and the Adviser shall at least annually submit to the Board
such
reports, materials or data as the Board may reasonably request so that the
Board
may fully carry out the obligations imposed upon it by the provisions hereof
and
in the Shared Funding Exemptive Order. Such reports, materials and
data shall be submitted more frequently if deemed appropriate by the
Board.
ARTICLE
VIII. Indemnification
8.1. Indemnification
by the Company
8.1(a). The
Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, the Underwriter, the
Adviser and each member of the Board and each officer and employee of the Fund,
and each director, officer and employee of the Underwriter and the Adviser,
and
each person, if any, who controls the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the "Indemnified
Parties" and individually, an "Indemnified Party," for purposes of this Section
8.1) against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts
paid in settlement with the written consent of the Company) or litigation
(including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the Indemnified
Parties may become subject under any statute or regulation, at common law or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses
(or
actions in respect thereof) or settlements are related to the sale or
acquisition of the Fund's shares or the Contracts and:
|
(i)
|
arise
out of or are based upon any untrue statements or alleged untrue
statements of any material fact contained in the registration statement,
prospectus, offering memorandum or other disclosure document for
the
Contracts or contained in the Contracts or sales or other promotional
literature for the Contracts (or any amendment or supplement to any
of the
foregoing), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the
alleged
omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein
or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, provided
that
this agreement to indemnify shall not apply as to any Indemnified
Party if
such statement or omission or such alleged statement or omission
was made
in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to
the
Company by or on behalf of the Fund for use in the registration statement,
prospectus, offering memorandum or other disclosure document for
the
Contracts or in the Contracts or sales or other promotional literature
(or
any amendment or supplement) or otherwise for use in connection with
the
sale of the Contracts or Fund shares;
or
|
|
(ii)
|
arise
out of or as a result of statements or representations (other than
statements or representations contained in the registration statement,
prospectus or sales literature of the Fund not supplied by the Company,
or
persons under its control and other than statements or representations
authorized by the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser) or unlawful
conduct of the Company or persons under its control, with respect to the
sale or distribution of the Contracts or Fund shares;
or
|
12
|
(iii)
|
arise
out of or as a result of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in a registration statement, prospectus,
or
sales literature of the Fund or any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading if such a statement or omission was made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the
Fund by
or on behalf of the Company; or
|
|
(iv)
|
arise
as a result of any failure by the Company to provide the services
and
furnish the materials under the terms of this Agreement;
or
|
|
(v)
|
arise
out of or result from any material breach of any representation and/or
warranty made by the Company in this Agreement or arise out of or
result
from any other material breach of this Agreement by the
Company.
|
Each
of
paragraphs (i) through (v) above is limited by and in accordance with the
provisions of Sections 8.1(b) and 8.1(c) below.
8.1(b). The
Company shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect
to
any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation incurred or assessed
against an Indemnified Party as such may arise from such Indemnified Party's
willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of such
Indemnified Party's duties or by reason of such Indemnified Party's reckless
disregard of obligations or duties under this Agreement.
8.1(c). The
Company shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect
to
any claim made against an Indemnified Party unless such Indemnified Party shall
have notified the Company in writing within a reasonable time after the summons
or other first legal process giving information of the nature of the claim
shall
have been served upon such Indemnified Party (or after such Indemnified Party
shall have received notice of such service on any designated agent), but failure
to notify the Company of any such claim shall not relieve the Company from
any
liability which it may have to the Indemnified Party against whom such action
is
brought otherwise than on account of this indemnification
provision. In case any such action is brought against the Indemnified
Parties, the Company shall be entitled to participate, at its own expense,
in
the defense of such action. The Company also shall be entitled to
assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to the party named in
the
action. After notice from the Company to such party of the Company's
election to assume the defense thereof, the Indemnified Party shall bear the
fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by it, and the Company
will
not be liable to such party under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses
subsequently incurred by such party independently in connection with the defense
thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.
8.1(d). The
Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser, as applicable, will promptly notify the
Company of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against an
Indemnified Party in connection with this Agreement, the issuance or sale of
the
Fund shares or the Contracts, or the operation of the Fund.
8.2. Indemnification
by the Underwriter
8.2(a). The
Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each of its
directors, officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls the
Company within the meaning
13
of
Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties" and
individually, an "Indemnified Party," for purposes of this Section 8.2) against
any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts paid in
settlement with the written consent of the Underwriter) or litigation (including
reasonable legal and other expenses) to which the Indemnified Parties may become
subject under any statute or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar
as
such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (or actions in respect
thereof) or settlements are related to the sale or acquisition of shares of
a
Portfolio and:
|
(i)
|
arise
out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of any material fact contained in the registration statement or prospectus
or sales literature of the Fund (or any amendment or supplement to
any of
the foregoing), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or
the
alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
provided that this agreement to indemnify shall not apply as to any
Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged statement
or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished to the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser by or on behalf
of
the Company for use in the registration statement or prospectus for
the
Fund or in sales literature (or any amendment or supplement) or otherwise
for use in connection with the sale of the Contracts or Portfolio
shares;
or
|
|
(ii)
|
arise
out of or as a result of statements or representations (other than
statements or representations contained in registration statement,
prospectus, offering memorandum, other disclosure document or sales
or
other promotional literature for the Contracts not supplied by the
Fund or
the Underwriter or persons under their respective control and other
than
statements or representations authorized by the Company) or unlawful
conduct of the Fund or the Underwriter or persons under their respective
control, with respect to the sale or distribution of the Contracts
or
Portfolio shares; or
|
|
(iii)
|
arise
out of or as a result of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in a registration statement, prospectus,
offering memorandum, other disclosure document or sales or other
promotional literature covering the Contracts, or any amendment thereof
or
supplement thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state
therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the
statement or statements therein not misleading, if such statement
or
omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Company
by
or on behalf of the Fund or the Underwriter;
or
|
|
(iv)
|
arise
as a result of any failure by the Underwriter to provide the services
and
furnish the materials under the terms of this Agreement;
or
|
|
(v)
|
arise
out of or result from any material breach of any representation and/or
warranty made by the Underwriter in this Agreement or arise out of
or
result from any other material breach of this Agreement by the
Underwriter.
|
Each
of
paragraphs (i) through (v) above is limited by and in accordance with the
provisions of Sections 8.2(b) and 8.2(c) below.
8.2(b). The
Underwriter shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with
respect to any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation incurred
or
assessed against an Indemnified Party as
14
such
may
arise from such Indemnified Party's willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross
negligence in the performance of such Indemnified Party's duties or by reason
of
such Indemnified Party's reckless disregard of obligations and duties under
this
Agreement.
8.2(c). The
Underwriter shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with
respect to any claim made against an Indemnified Party unless such Indemnified
Party shall have notified the Underwriter in writing within a reasonable time
after the summons or other first legal process giving information of the nature
of the claim shall have been served upon such Indemnified Party (or after such
Indemnified Party shall have received notice of such service on any designated
agent), but failure to notify the Underwriter of any such claim shall not
relieve the Underwriter from any liability which it may have to the Indemnified
Party against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of this
indemnification provision. In case any such action is brought against
the Indemnified Parties, the Underwriter will be entitled to participate, at
its
own expense, in the defense thereof. The Underwriter also shall be
entitled to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to the party
named in the action. After notice from the Underwriter to such party
of the Underwriter's election to assume the defense thereof, the Indemnified
Party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by
it,
and the Underwriter will not be liable to such party under this Agreement for
any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such party independently
in
connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of
investigation.
8.2(d). The
Company will promptly notify the Underwriter of the commencement of any
litigation or proceedings against an Indemnified Party in connection with this
Agreement, the issuance or sale of the Contracts or the operation of the
Account(s).
8.3. Indemnification
by the Adviser
8.3(a). The
Adviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each of its
directors, officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls the
Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the
"Indemnified Parties" and individually, an "Indemnified Party," for purposes
of
this Section 8.3) against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities
(including amounts paid in settlement with the written consent of the Adviser)
or litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses) to which the
Indemnified Parties may become subject under any statute or regulation, at
common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities
or
expenses (or actions in respect thereof) or settlements are related to the
sale
or acquisition of shares of a Portfolio and:
|
(i)
|
arise
out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of any material fact contained in the registration statement or prospectus
or sales literature of the Fund (or any amendment or supplement to
any of
the foregoing), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or
the
alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
provided that this agreement to indemnify shall not apply as to any
Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged statement
or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished to the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser by or on behalf
of
the Company for use in the registration statement or prospectus for
the
Fund or in sales literature (or any amendment or supplement) or otherwise
for use in connection with the sale of the Contracts or Portfolio
shares;
or
|
|
(ii)
|
arise
out of or as a result of statements or representations (other than
statements or representations contained in the registration statement,
prospectus, offering
|
15
memorandum, other disclosure document or sales or other promotional literature for the Contracts not supplied by the Fund or the Adviser or persons under their
respective control
and other than statements or representations authorized by the Company) or
unlawful conduct of the Fund or the Adviser or persons under
their respective control, with respect to the sale or distribution of the
Contracts or Portfolio shares; or
|
(iii)
|
arise
out of or as a result of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in a registration statement, prospectus,
offering memorandum, other disclosure document or sales or other
promotional literature covering the Contracts, or any amendment thereof
or
supplement thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state
therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the
statement or statements therein not misleading, if such statement
or
omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Company
by
or on behalf of the Fund or the Adviser;
or
|
|
(iv)
|
arise
as a result of any failure by the Adviser to provide the services
and
furnish the materials under the terms of this Agreement;
or
|
|
(v)
|
arise
out of or result from any material breach of any representation and/or
warranty made by the Adviser in this Agreement or arise out of or
result
from any other material breach of this Agreement by the
Adviser.
|
Each
of
paragraphs (i) through (v) above is limited by and in accordance with the
provisions of Sections 8.3(b) and 8.3(c) below.
8.3(b). The
Adviser shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect
to
any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation incurred or assessed
against an Indemnified Party as such may arise from such Indemnified Party's
willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of such
Indemnified Party's duties or by reason of such Indemnified Party's reckless
disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement.
8.3(c). The
Adviser shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect
to
any claim made against an Indemnified Party unless such Indemnified Party shall
have notified the Adviser in writing within a reasonable time after the summons
or other first legal process giving information of the nature of the claim
shall
have been served upon such Indemnified Party (or after such Indemnified Party
shall have received notice of such service on any designated agent), but failure
to notify the Adviser of any such claim shall not relieve the Adviser from
any
liability which it may have to the Indemnified Party against whom such action
is
brought otherwise than on account of this indemnification
provision. In case any such action is brought against the Indemnified
Parties, the Adviser will be entitled to participate, at its own expense, in
the
defense thereof. The Adviser also shall be entitled to assume the
defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to the party named in the
action. After notice from the Adviser to such party of the Adviser's
election to assume the defense thereof, the Indemnified Party shall bear the
fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by it, and the Adviser
will
not be liable to such party under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses
subsequently incurred by such party independently in connection with the defense
thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.
8.3(d). The
Company will promptly notify the Adviser of the commencement of any litigation
or proceedings against an Indemnified Party in connection with this Agreement,
the issuance or sale of the Contracts or the operation of the
Account(s).
16
ARTICLE
IX. Applicable Law
9.1. This
Agreement shall be construed and the provisions hereof interpreted under and
in
accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
9.2. This
Agreement shall be subject to the provisions of the 1933, 1934 and 1940 Acts,
and the rules and regulations and rulings thereunder, including such exemptions
from those statutes, rules and regulations as the SEC may grant (including,
but
not limited to, the Shared Funding Exemptive Order) and the terms hereof shall
be interpreted and construed in accordance therewith.
ARTICLE
X. Termination
10.1. This
Agreement shall continue in full force and effect until the first to occur
of:
|
(a)
|
termination
by any party for any reason by ninety (90) days advance written notice
delivered to the other parties; or
|
|
(b)
|
termination
by the Company by written notice to the Fund, the Underwriter and
the
Adviser with respect to any Portfolio based upon the Company's
determination that shares of such Portfolio are not reasonably available
to meet the requirements of the Contracts; provided, however, that
said
termination shall become effective ten (10) days after receipt of
notice
unless the Fund makes available a sufficient number of shares of
the
Portfolio to reasonably meet the requirements of the Contracts within
said
ten (10) day period; or
|
|
(c)
|
termination
by the Company by written notice to the Fund, the Underwriter and
the
Adviser with respect to any Portfolio in the event that any of the
Portfolio's shares are not registered, issued or sold in accordance
with
applicable state and/or federal law or such law precludes the use
of such
shares as the underlying investment media of the Contracts issued
or to be
issued by the Company; or
|
|
(d)
|
termination
by the Company by written notice to the Fund, the Underwriter and
the
Adviser with respect to any Portfolio in the event that such Portfolio
ceases to qualify as a Regulated Investment Company under Subchapter
M of
the Code or under any successor or similar provision;
or
|
(e)
|
termination
by the Company by written notice to the Fund, the Underwriter and
the
Adviser with respect to any Portfolio in the event that such Portfolio
fails to meet the diversification requirements specified in Article
VI
hereof; or
|
|
(f)
|
termination
by the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser by written notice to
the
Company if the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser, as applicable,
shall
determine, in its sole judgment exercised in good faith, that the
Company
and/or its affiliated companies has suffered a material adverse change
in
its business, operations, financial condition or prospects since
the date
of this Agreement or is the subject of material adverse publicity;
or
|
|
(g)
|
termination
by the Company by written notice to the Fund, the Underwriter and
the
Adviser, if the Company shall determine, in its sole judgment exercised
in
good faith, that the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser has suffered
a
material adverse change in its business, operations, financial condition
or prospects since the date of this Agreement or is the subject of
material adverse publicity; or
|
17
|
(h)
|
termination
by the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser by written notice to
the
Company, if the Company gives the Fund, the Underwriter and the Adviser
the written list specified in Section 1.5 hereof, and such list specifies
the Company’s intention to make available any other investment company as
a funding vehicle under the Contracts the investment objective of
which is
substantially similar to the Fund, and if at the time there was no
notice
of termination outstanding under any other provision of this Agreement;
provided, however, any termination under this Section 10.1(h) shall
be
effective forty-five (45) days after the list specified in Section
1.5 was
provided; or
|
|
(i)
|
termination
by any party to this Agreement upon another party's material breach
of any
provision of this Agreement.
|
10.2. Notwithstanding
any termination of this Agreement with respect to a Portfolio, the Fund and
the
Underwriter shall at the option of the Company continue to make available
additional shares of the Portfolio, pursuant to the terms and conditions of
this
Agreement, for all Contracts in effect on the effective date of termination
of
this Agreement (the "Existing Contracts"), unless such further sale of Portfolio
shares is proscribed by law, regulation or applicable regulatory authority,
or
unless the Board determines that liquidation of the Portfolio following
termination of this Agreement is in the best interests of the
Portfolio. Specifically, subject to the foregoing, the owners of the
Existing Contracts shall be permitted to direct reallocation of investments
in
the Portfolio, redemption of investments in the Portfolio and/or investment
in
the Portfolio upon the making of additional purchase payments under the Existing
Contracts. The parties agree that this Section 10.2 shall not apply
to any terminations under Article VII and the effect of such Article VII
terminations shall be governed by Article VII of this Agreement.
ARTICLE
XI. Notices
Any
notice shall be sufficiently given
when sent by registered or certified mail to the other party at the address
of
such party set forth below or at such other address as such party may from
time
to time specify in writing to the other party.
If
to the Fund:
The
Universal Institutional Funds,
Inc.
c/x
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Investment
Management Inc.
0000
Xxxxxx xx xxx
Xxxxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: President
If
to the Underwriter:
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx & Co.
Incorporated
c/x
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Investment
Management Inc.
0000
Xxxxxx xx xxx
Xxxxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: General
Counsel
18
If
to the Adviser:
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Investment Management
Inc.
0000
Xxxxxx xx xxx
Xxxxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: General
Counsel
If
to the Company:
Nationwide
Financial
Xxx
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx,
0-00-00
Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxx 00000
Attention: Vice
President –
Investment and Advisory Services
ARTICLE
XII. Miscellaneous
12.1. All
persons dealing with the Fund must look solely to the property of the Fund
for
the enforcement of any claims against the Fund, as neither the Board, officers,
agents or shareholders of the Fund assume any personal liability for obligations
entered into on behalf of the Fund. Each of the Company, the Underwriter and
the
Adviser acknowledges and agrees that, as provided by the Fund's Agreement and
Declaration of Trust, the shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and other
agents of the Fund and the Portfolios shall not personally be bound by or be
liable for matters set forth hereunder, nor shall resort be had to their private
property for the satisfaction of any obligation or claim hereunder. A
Certificate of Trust referring to the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust
is on file with the Secretary of State of Delaware.
12.2. Subject
to the requirements of legal process and regulatory authority, each party hereto
shall treat as confidential any "non-public personal information" about any
"consumer" of another party (as such terms are defined in SEC Regulation S-P)
and any other information reasonably identified as confidential in writing
by
another party ("Confidential Information"). Each party agrees to
provide to the other(s) any information technology protection or continuity
of
business plans as they become available and/or are updated. Each
party agrees not to disclose, disseminate or utilize another party's
Confidential Information except: (i) as permitted by this Agreement, (ii) upon
the written consent of the other party, (iii) where the Confidential Information
comes into the public domain through no fault of the party receiving the
information, or (iv) as otherwise required or permitted under applicable
law.
12.3. The
captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and
in
no way define or delineate any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect
their construction or effect.
12.4. This
Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, each
of
which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
12.5. If
any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court
decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of the Agreement shall
not
be affected thereby.
12.6. Each
party hereto shall cooperate with each other party and all appropriate
governmental authorities (including without limitation the SEC, the National
Association of Securities Dealers and state insurance regulators) and shall
permit such authorities reasonable access to its books and records in connection
with any investigation or inquiry relating to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby. Notwithstanding the generality of the foregoing,
each party hereto further agrees to furnish state
19
insurance
authorities with any information or reports in connection with services provided
under this Agreement which such authorities may request in order to ascertain
whether the insurance operations of the Company are being conducted in a manner
consistent with applicable law and regulations.
12.7. The
rights, remedies and obligations contained in this Agreement are cumulative
and
are in addition to any and all rights, remedies and obligations at law or in
equity, which the parties hereto are entitled to under state and federal
laws.
12.8. This
Agreement or any of the rights and obligations hereunder may not be assigned
by
any party without the prior written consent of all parties hereto; provided,
however, that the Adviser may assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations
hereunder to any affiliate of or company under common control with the Adviser,
if such assignee is duly licensed and registered to perform the obligations
of
the Adviser under this Agreement. This Agreement shall bind and, to
the extent herein permitted, shall inure to the benefit of the successors,
representatives and rightful assigns of a party.
12.9. If
requested by the Fund, the Underwriter or the Adviser, the Company shall
furnish, or shall cause to be furnished, to the requesting party or its designee
copies of the following documents:
|
(a)
|
the
Company's annual statement (prepared under statutory accounting
principles) and annual report (prepared under generally accepted
accounting principles ("GAAP"), if any), as soon as practical and
in any
event within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal
year;
|
|
(b)
|
the
Company's quarterly statements (prepared under statutory accounting
principles and GAAP, if any), as soon as practical and in any event
within
forty-five (45) days after the end of each quarterly
period;
|
|
(c)
|
any
financial statement, proxy statement, notice or report of the Company
sent
to stockholders and/or policyholders, as soon as practical after
the
delivery thereof to stockholders;
|
|
(d)
|
any
registration statement (without exhibits) and financial reports of
the
Company filed with the SEC or any state insurance regulator, as soon
as
practical after the filing thereof;
and
|
12.10. Unless
otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, no provision of this
Agreement may be amended, modified or waived in any manner except by a written
agreement executed by all parties. Any party’s failure to insist at
any time on strict compliance with this Agreement or with any terms under this
Agreement or any continued course of such conduct on its part will in no event
constitute or be considered a waiver by such party of any of its rights or
privileges.
12.11 Each
of the parties acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement and the arrangement
described herein are intended to be non-exclusive and that each of the parties
is free to enter into similar agreements and arrangements with other
entities.
12.12 The
provisions of the following paragraphs will survive termination of this
Agreement: Article VIII (Indemnification) and Article XII
(Miscellaneous).
20
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Agreement to be
executed in its name and on its behalf by its duly authorized representative
and
its seal to be hereunder affixed hereto as of the date specified
above.
NATIONWIDE
FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
By: ______________________________
Name: [Xxxxxxx
X.
Xxxxxx]
Title: [Vice
President]
THE
UNIVERSAL INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS, INC.
By: ______________________________
Name: [Xxxxxx
X.
Xxxxxxxx]
Title: [President]
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX & CO. INCORPORATED
By: ______________________________
Name: [Xxxxxx
X.
Xxxxxxxx]
Title: [President]
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC.
By: ______________________________
Name: [Xxxxxx
X.
Xxxxxxxx]
Title: [President]
L:\COMPL\Xxxxxx\MS
Insurance\NWFS_UIF_Class12Reg_PP_FS.doc
21
SCHEDULE
A
SEPARATE
ACCOUNTS AND ASSOCIATED CONTRACTS
(The
following list is to be updated as needed, but is current as of:
5/12/2004.)
Name
of Separate Account and
Date
Established by Board of Directors
|
Form
Number and Name of
Contract
Funded by Separate Account
|
Registered
Account(s): Registered
Contract(s): * Note that only
AO
contract numbers have been
provided.
State
specific versions are not
listed.
Nationwide
Variable
Account Soloist
(APO-1293-3A)
Successor
(APO-4677)
Nationwide
Variable Account
II BOA
I (Life 2496)
BOA
II (Life
2662)
BOA
III
(APO-1293-3)
Xxxxxxxx
XX
(XXX-0000-0X)
Group
403b
(APO-2935)
BOA
Vision – Individual
(APO-1293-36)
BOA
Vision – Group
(APO-2580/2581)
NEBA
(APO-2796)
BOA
Future II
(APO-6302)
All
American Gold
(APO-6282)
Key
All American Gold
(APO-6282)
First
Tennessee All Amer. Gld
(APO-6282)
South
Trust All Amer. Gld
(APO-6282)
BOA
Achiever
(APO-6317-A)
BB&T
Achiever
(APO-6317-A)
BOA
Future Venue
(APO-6304)
BOA
Exclusive Venue
(APO-6334-A)
BOA
Elite Venue (APO-6332
–A)
BOA
Choice Venue II
(APO-6330-A)
Schwab
Custom Solutions
(APO-5486)
Compass
All American Gold
(APO-6282)
Nationwide
Variable Account
3 American
Capital (APO-1293-2)
Nationwide
Variable Account
7 Nationwide
Classic (APO-1293-3A)
Nationwide
Select Individual
(APO-1293-36)
Nationwide
Select Group
(APO-2580/2581)
All
American Annuity
(APO-3416/3417)
M&T
All Amer. Annuity
(APO-3416/3417)
Sun
Trust All Amer. Annuity
(APO-3416/3417)
Compass
All Amer.
Annuity(APO-3416/3417)
Nationwide
Variable Account
8 Vision
Plus (APO-4384)
A-1
Registered
Account(s):
(continued) Registered
Contract(s): (continued)
Nationwide
Variable Account
9 BOA
Future (APO-3416/3417)
NEA
Future
(APO-3416/3417)
America’s
Future Horizon
(APO-3416/3417)
BB&T
Future
(APO-3416/3417)
BOA
Exclusive II
(APO-3275B)
BOA
V
(APO-3691)
NEA
Select
(APO-3691)
BOA
Choice
(APO-3694)
Choice
Venue
(APO-5224)
Key
Choice
(APO-3694)
America’s
Income Annuity
(APO-4364)
ElitePro
LTD
(APO-5108)
ElitePro
Classic
(APO-5015)
BOA
VISION II
(APO-3694)
KEY
FUTURE
(APO-3416/3417)
Nationwide
Variable Account
10 InvestCare
(APO-4446)
Nationwide
Variable Account
13 BOA
Advisor (APO-5801)
Nationwide
Variable Account
14 BOA
TruAccord (APO-5813)
Nationwide
VA Separate
Account-B Exclusive
(FHL-463)
Nationwide
VLI Separate
Account American
Capital IL1 (VLO-21)
American
Capital FPVUL
(VLO-355)
American
Capital Multiple Pay
(VLO-290)
American
Capital MSPVL
(VLO-275)
Nationwide
VLI Separate
Account-2 (Investment
Life II) SPVUL (VLO-275)
MSPVL
I
(VLO-430)
MSPVL
NY (Group)
(VLO-430-31)
BOA
FPVUL
(Flex-Pay)(VLO-355)
5-pay
(Multiple Pay)
(VLO-290)
SURVL
(Survivorship)
(VLO-426)
BOA
VELP
(VLO-355)
BOA
–
Group
VEL (NY)
(VLO-375)
IL1
(Investment Life I)
(VLO-21)
A-2
A-2Registered
Account(s):
(continued) Registered
Contract(s): (continued)
Nationwide
VLI Separate
Account-3 Landmark
– Group FPVUL (NY)
(VLO-375)
NW-Landmark
FPVUL
(VLO-355)
NW
Agency FPVUL
(Multi-Flex)
(VLO-355)
NW-Landmark
5-pay
(VLO-290)
NW
Agency MSPVL
(VLO-275)
FHDAI
NWLIC MSPVL
(VLO-275)
Nationwide
VLI Separate
Account-4 Survivorship
II (VLO-426)
ChoiceLife
Survivorship
(VLO-426)
Next
GEN FPVUL
(VLO-510)
ChoiceLife
FPVUL
(VLO-510)
Next
Gen VEL
(VLO-510)
MSPVL
II
(VLO-430)
Next
Gen Survivorship
(VLO-0600-A)
ChoiceLife
Survivorship II
(VLO-0600-A)
Protection
FPVUL
(VLO-0643)
ChoiceLife
Protection FPVUL
(VLO-0643)
Protection
Survivorship
(VLO-0703)
ChoiceLife
Protection
Survivorship
(VLO-0703)
Nationwide
VLI Separate
Account-6 marketFLEX
(VLO-0721)
Nationwide
VL Separate
Account-10 Investcare
(APO-4446)
Nationwide
Provident VLI Separate Account
1 Special
Product (C122)
Options
Plus
(C126)
Options
Premier (VL101 &
VL102)
Survivor
Options Premier
(VL103)
Survivor
Options Elite
(VL104)
Survivor
Options Plus
(C130)
Nationwide
Provident VLI Separate Account
A Options
VL (PLC131)
Survivor
Options VL
(PLC134)
Options
Premier (VL201 &
VL202)
Survivor
Options Premier
(VL203)
Nationwide
Private Placement Variable Account
Nationwide
Private Placement Variable Account II
Nationwide
DC Variable Account
Nationwide
DC Variable Account-II
NACo
Variable Account
Nationwide
Governmental Plans Variable Account
Nationwide
Governmental Plans Variable Account-II
Nationwide
Qualified Plans Variable Account
Ohio
DC Variable Account
A-3
A-3SCHEDULE
B
PORTFOLIOS
OF THE XXX XXXXXX LIFE INVESTMENT TRUST
AVAILABLE
UNDER THIS AGREEMENT
Class
I Shares
Core
Plus
Fixed Income Portfolio (Class I Shares)
Emerging
Markets Debt Portfolio (Class I Shares)
Equity
Growth Portfolio (Class I Shares)
Global
Value Equity Portfolio (Class I Shares)
High
Yield Portfolio (Class I Shares)
International
Magnum Portfolio (Class I Shares)
Mid
Cap
Growth Portfolio (Class I Shares)
U.S.
Mid
Cap Value Portfolio (Class I Shares)
U.S.
Real
Estate Portfolio (Class I Shares)
Value
Portfolio (Class I Shares)
Class
II Shares
Core
Plus
Fixed Income Portfolio (Class II Shares)
U.S.
Real
Estate Portfolio (Class II Shares)
B-1
B-1
SCHEDULE
C
PROXY
VOTING PROCEDURES
The
following is a list of procedures and corresponding responsibilities for the
handling of proxies and voting instructions relating to the Fund. The
defined terms herein shall have the meanings assigned in the Participation
Agreement except that the term "Company" shall also include the department
or
third party assigned by the Company to perform the steps delineated
below.
·
|
The
proxy proposals are given to the Company by the Fund as early as
possible
before the date set by the Fund for the shareholder meeting to enable
the
Company to consider and prepare for the solicitation of voting
instructions from Contract owners and to facilitate the establishment
of
tabulation procedures. At this time the Fund will inform the
Company of the Record, Mailing and Meeting dates. This will be
done verbally approximately two months before the shareholder
meeting.
|
·
|
Promptly
after the Record Date, the Company will perform a "tape run", or
other
activity, which will generate the names, addresses and number of
units
which are attributed to each Contract owner/policyholder (the "Customer")
as of the Record Date. Allowance should be made for account
adjustments made after this date that could affect the status of
the
Customers' accounts as of the Record
Date.
|
Note:
The
number of proxy statements is determined by the activities described in this
Step #2. The Company will use its best efforts to call in the number
of Customers to the Fund, as soon as possible, but no later than two weeks
after
the Record Date.
·
|
The
Fund's Annual Report must be sent to each Customer by the Company
either
before or together with the Customers' receipt of voting instruction
solicitation material. The Fund will provide the last Annual
Report to the Company pursuant to the terms of Section 3.4 of the
Participation Agreement to which this Schedule
relates.
|
·
|
The
text and format for the Voting Instruction Cards ("Cards" or "Card")
is
provided to the Company by the Fund. The Company, at its
expense, shall produce and personalize the Voting Instruction
Cards. The Fund or its affiliate must approve the Card before
it is printed. Allow approximately 2-4 Business Days for
printing information on the Cards. Information commonly found
on the Cards includes:
|
- name
(legal name as found on account registration)
- address
- fund
or account number
- coding
to state number of units
|
-
|
individual
Card number for use in tracking and verification of votes (already
on
Cards as printed by the Fund).
|
(This
and
related steps may occur later in the chronological process due to possible
uncertainties relating to the proposals.)
·
|
During
this time, the Fund will develop, produce and pay for the Notice
of Proxy
and the Proxy Statement (one document). Printed and folded
notices and statements will be sent to
the
|
|
|
C-1
|
Company’s
tabulation agent for insertion into envelopes (envelopes and return
envelopes are
|
|
provided
and paid for by the Company). Contents of envelope sent to
Customers by the Company’s tabulation agent will
include:
|
|
-
|
Voting
Instruction Card(s)
|
|
-
|
One
proxy notice and statement (one
document)
|
|
-
|
return
envelope (postage pre-paid by Company) addressed to the Company or
its
tabulation agent
|
|
-
|
"urge
buckslip" - optional, but recommended (this is a small, single sheet
of
paper that requests Customers to vote as quickly as possible and
that
their vote is important; one copy will be supplied by the
Fund.)
|
|
-
|
cover
letter – optional; supplied by Company and reviewed and approved in
advance by the Fund
|
·
|
The
above contents should be received by the Company approximately 3-5
Business Days before mail date. Individual in charge at Company
reviews and approves the contents of the mailing package to ensure
correctness and completeness. Copy of this approval sent to the
Fund.
|
·
|
Package
mailed by the Company’s tabulation
agent.
|
|
*
|
The
Fund must allow at least a 15-day solicitation time to the Company
as the
shareowner. (A 5-week period is
recommended.) Solicitation time is calculated as calendar days
from (but not including,) the shareholder meeting, counting
backwards.
|
·
|
Collection
and tabulation of Cards begins. Tabulation usually takes place
in another department or another vendor depending on process
used. An often used procedure is to sort Cards on arrival by
proposal into vote categories of all yes, no, or mixed replies, and
to
begin data entry.
|
Note: Postmarks
are not generally needed. A need for postmark information would be
due
to an
insurance company's internal procedure and has not been required by the
Fund
in
the past.
·
|
Signatures
on Card checked against legal name on account registration that was
printed on the Card.
|
|
Note: For
Example, if the account registration is under "Xxxx X. Xxxxx, Trustee,"
then that is the exact legal name to be printed on the Card and is
the
signature needed on the Card.
|
·
|
If
Cards are mutilated, or for any reason are illegible or are not signed
properly, they are sent back to Customer with an explanatory letter
and a
new Card and return envelope. The mutilated or illegible Card
is disregarded and considered to be notreceived for purposes
of vote tabulation. Any Cards that have been "kicked out" (e.g.
mutilated, illegible) of the procedure are "hand verified," i.e.,
examined
as to why they did not complete the system. Any questions on
those Cards are usually remedied
individually.
|
C-2
·
|
There
are various control procedures used to ensure proper tabulation of
votes
and accuracy of that tabulation. The most prevalent is to sort
the Cards as they first arrive into categories depending upon their
vote;
an estimate of how the vote is progressing may then be
calculated. If the initial estimates and the actual vote do not
coincide, then an internal audit of that vote should
occur. This may entail a
recount.
|
·
|
The
actual tabulation of votes is done in units which is then converted
to
shares. (It is very important that the Fund receives the tabulations
stated in terms of a percentage and the number of shares.) The
Fund must review and approve tabulation
format.
|
·
|
Final
tabulation in shares is verbally given by the Company to the Fund
on the
morning of the shareholder meeting not later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern
time. The Fund may request an earlier deadline if reasonable
and if required to calculate the vote in time for the shareholder
meeting.
|
·
|
A
Certification of Mailing and Authorization to Vote Shares will be
required
from the Company as well as an original copy of the final
vote. The Fund will provide a standard form for each
Certification.
|
·
|
The
Company will be required to box and archive the Cards received from
the
Customers. In the event that any vote is challenged or if
otherwise necessary for legal, regulatory, or accounting purposes,
the
Fund will be permitted reasonable access to such
Cards.
|
·
|
All
approvals and "signing-off" may be done orally, but must always be
followed up in writing.
|
C-3
|
|
SCHEDULE
D
|
OPERATING
PROCEDURES
The
parties agree that orders for purchases and redemptions pursuant to this
Agreement may be placed by use of either the National Securities Clearing
Corporation’s (“NSCC”) Defined Contribution Clearance & Settlement (“DCCS”)
system, which incorporates the functionality of NSCC's Fund/SERV system, (Option
I) or by fax and wire (Option II). The procedures to be followed for
each of those options are as set forth below. Unless otherwise
defined below, all capitalized terms have the meanings specified in the
Participation Agreement, each of which this Exhibit is a part.
I. FUND/SERV
PROCEDURES
A. Fund/SERV
Account Establishment. All parties
hereto agree and acknowledge that the Company may not open or establish any
new
Fund/SERV Accounts without the prior written consent of the Fund. The
Company further acknowledges that the Fund reserves the right to reject any
new
Fund/SERV Accounts established by the Company that have not been previously
approved by the Fund in writing.
B. Transmittal
of Portfolio Information. With respect
to each Portfolio, the Fund will provide the Company with (i) the net asset
value per share of the Portfolio (the "Share Price") on each Business Day,
determined as of the time specified in the Portfolio's prospectus ("Close of
Trading"); (ii) dividend and capital gains distribution information on ex-date,
but no later than the first Business Day following each ex-date established
for
the payment of dividends or capital gains distributions by the Portfolio; and
(iii) in the case of fixed income and money market Portfolios which declare
dividends daily, the daily accrual interest rate factor. The Fund
will use its best efforts to communicate such information to the Company or
its
designee by 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time each Business Day; however, the Fund reserves
the right to communicate the Share Price at a time later than 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Time due to extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances.
C. Transmittal
of Orders. The Company agrees that,
unless otherwise agreed to in writing with the Fund, orders for the purchase
or
redemption of Fund shares ("Instructions") received by the Company prior to
the
Close of Trading on any Business Day ("Day 1") will be transmitted to the Fund
via Fund/SERV and accepted by Fund/SERV prior to 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time on
the
following Business Day ("Day 2") (such orders are referred to as "Day 1
Trades"). Each transmission by the Company of a purchase or
redemption order relating to a Business Day ("Order") will constitute a
representation by the Company that such Order was based on Instructions that
the
Company received and accepted as being in good order prior to the Close of
Trading on that Business Day, and that the Order included all purchase and
redemption Instructions so received by the Company.
In
the
event that Orders for any Business Day are not transmitted to the Fund via
Fund/SERV and accepted by Fund/SERV prior to 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Day
2,
the Company shall transmit such Orders to the Fund in accordance with the Manual
Procedures below. If such Orders are not transmitted to the Fund in
accordance with the Manual Procedures, the Fund reserves the right, in its
sole
discretion, to reject, reverse or re-price the Orders (notwithstanding that
the
Company may have received Fund/Serv confirmation of the Orders) and the Company
will be responsible for reimbursement of any loss sustained by the Fund that
may
arise out of the improper transmittal of such Orders.
D-1
All
Orders transmitted to the Fund via Fund/SERV will be communicated in accordance
with Fund/SERV rules and procedures. The Company acknowledges that
certain cash flows may be known on or before a trade date, and the Company
agrees to use its reasonable efforts to notify the Fund of such cash flows
before such trade date.
D. Fund/SERV
Confirmation. All Orders transmitted in
accordance with Section C of these Fund/Serv Procedures are subject to
acceptance by the Fund and shall become effective only upon confirmation by
the
Fund. The Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, (i) to
reject any Order, and (ii) to require any Order to be settled outside of
Fund/SERV, in which case the Fund shall not confirm such Order via Fund/SERV
and
such Order shall settle in accordance with the Manual Procedures discussed
below.
E. Pricing
of Orders. Day 1 Trades
communicated to the Fund as provided under Section C of these Fund/SERV
Procedures will be effected at the Share Price for the applicable Portfolio
on
Day 1.
F. Settlement.
Day 1 Trades confirmed by the Fund via Fund/SERV will settle in U.S.
dollars in accordance with the Fund's profile within Fund/SERV applicable to
the
Company.
G. Dividends
and Other Distributions. The Fund will furnish the
Company or its designee notice of any dividends or other distributions payable
on the shares of each Portfolio via Fund/SERV. Dividends and
distributions with respect to a Portfolio will be automatically reinvested
in
additional shares of the Portfolio held by the Account(s) and the Fund will
notify the Company or its designee as to the number of shares so
issued.
H. Confirmations
and Verification. If the Company
chooses to participate in and utilize Fund/SERV's Networking application when
trading with the Fund in accordance with the procedures herein, the Fund or
its
designee will transmit or make available to the Company via Fund/SERV, as
applicable: (i) confirmations of Orders received from the Company, and (ii)
the
share balance for each T/A Account in accordance with Fund/SERV's Networking
guidelines. The Company will promptly review and verify this
information on Fund/SERV and immediately advise the Fund or its designee in
writing of any discrepancies between the Company's records and the balance
in
the Fund/SERV Account or the T/A Account.
If
the
Company chooses to utilize Fund/SERV without the Networking application when
trading with the Fund in accordance with the procedures herein, the Fund or
its
designee will deliver to the Company: (i) physical confirmations of Orders
received from the Company, and (ii) a physical statement for the preceding
calendar month reflecting the shares of each Portfolio held by the Account(s)
as
of the end of such preceding month and all purchases and redemptions by the
Company of shares of a Portfolio during such preceding month. The
Company will immediately on receipt of any physical confirmation or statement
concerning an Account verify the information contained therein against the
information contained on the Company's record-keeping system and immediately
advise the Fund in writing of any discrepancies between such
information.
The
Fund
and the Company will cooperate to resolve any such discrepancies mentioned
in
this Section H as soon as reasonably practicable.
D-2
I. Processing
Adjustments. In the event of any error
or delay with respect to these Fund/SERV Procedures that is caused by the Fund,
the Fund will make any adjustments on its (or its transfer agent's) accounting
system necessary to correct such error or delay. The Company will make the
corresponding adjustments on its record-keeping system. The Company
and the Fund will each provide the other with prompt notice of any errors or
delays of the type referred to in these Fund/SERV Procedures.
J. Fund/SERV
Unavailability. If the Fund/SERV system is unavailable
for any reason, or if it is otherwise impracticable to operate in accordance
with these Fund/SERV Procedures, transactions shall be processed in accordance
with the Manual Procedures below.
II. MANUAL
PROCEDURES
A. Transmittal
of Portfolio Information. With respect
to each Portfolio, the Fund will provide the Company with (i) the Share Price
determined as of the Close of Trading on each Business Day; (ii) dividend and
capital gains distribution information on ex-date, but no later than the first
Business Day following each ex-date established for the payment of dividends
or
capital gains distributions by the Portfolio; and (iii) in the case of fixed
income and money market Portfolios which declare dividends daily, the daily
accrual interest rate factor. The Fund will use its best efforts to
communicate such information to the Company or its designee by 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Time each Business Day; however, the Fund reserves the right to communicate
the
Share Price at a time later than 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time due to extraordinary
or
unforeseen circumstances.
B. Transmittal
of Orders. The Company agrees that,
unless otherwise agreed to in writing with the Fund, Instructions received
by
the Company prior to the Close of Trading on any Business Day ("Day 1") will
be
transmitted to the Fund by facsimile no later than 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on
the
following Business Day ("Day 2") (such Orders are referred to as "Day 1
Trades"). Each transmission by the Company of a purchase or
redemption order relating to a Business Day ("Order") will constitute a
representation by the Company that such Order was based on Instructions that
the
Company received and accepted as being in good order prior to the Close of
Trading on that Business Day, and that the Order included all purchase and
redemption Instructions so received by the Company.
All
Orders transmitted to the Fund will be communicated in U.S. dollars and will
indicate the date of the transaction. On Business Days where there
are no Orders, or where the net dollar amount for purchases and redemptions
for
an Account equals zero, the communication will so indicate. The Company
acknowledges that certain cash flows may be known on or before a trade date,
and
the Company agrees to use its reasonable efforts to notify the Fund of such
cash
flows before such trade date.
C. Pricing
of Orders. Day 1 Trades
communicated to the Fund by 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Day 2 will be effected
at
the Share Price for the applicable Portfolio on Day 1.
D. Settlement.
1. Purchase
Orders. In the case of Day 1 Trades that constitute a
net purchase order, the Company will arrange for a federal funds wire transfer
of the net purchase amount to a custodial account designated by the Fund by
2:00
p.m. Eastern Time on Day 2.
D-3
2. Redemption
Orders. In the case of Day 1 Trades that constitute a
net redemption order, the Fund will arrange for a federal funds wire transfer
of
the net redemption amount to a custodial account designated by the Company
by
3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Day 2, or in no instance later than the time provided
for in the applicable Portfolio's Prospectus.
3. Generally. Settlements
will be in U.S. dollars, except that each Portfolio reserves the right, in
cases
of substantial liquidations, to pay redemption proceeds in whole or in part
by a
distribution in-kind of readily marketable securities that it holds in lieu
of
cash in accordance with applicable law, and the Portfolio's redemption policy
as
described in the Prospectus. On any Business Day when the Federal
Reserve Wire Transfer System is closed, all communication and processing rules
will be suspended for the settlement of Orders. Orders will be
settled on the next Business Day on which the Federal Reserve Wire Transfer
System is open. Transactions that are the subject of such Orders will
be processed at the Share Price for the applicable Portfolio on the Business
Day
to which the Orders originally relate.
E. Dividends
and Other Distributions. The Fund will
furnish the Company or its designee notice of any dividends or other
distributions payable on the shares of each Portfolio. Dividends and
distributions with respect to a Portfolio will be automatically reinvested
in
additional shares of the Portfolio held by the Account(s) and the Fund will
notify the Company or its designee as to the number of shares so
issued.
F. Confirmations
and Verification. The Fund or its
designee will deliver to the Company: (i) confirmations of Orders received
from
the Company, and (ii) a statement for the preceding calendar month reflecting
the shares of each Portfolio held by the Account(s) as of the end of such
preceding month and all purchases and redemptions by the Company of shares
of a
Portfolio during such preceding month. The Company will immediately
on receipt of any confirmation or statement concerning an Account verify the
information contained therein against the information contained on the Company's
record-keeping system and immediately advise the Fund in writing of any
discrepancies between such information. The Fund and the Company will
cooperate to resolve any such discrepancies as soon as reasonably
practicable.
G. Processing
Adjustments. In the event of any error
or delay with respect to these Manual Procedures that is caused by the Fund
the
Fund will make any adjustments on its (or its transfer agent's) accounting
system necessary to correct such error or delay. The Company will
make the corresponding adjustments on its record-keeping system. The
Company and the Fund will each provide the other with prompt notice of any
errors or delays of the type referred to in these Manual
Procedures.