SUB-ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT
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EXECUTION COPY
Agreement dated as of November 16, 2007 by and between State Street Bank and Trust Company, a Massachusetts trust company (the "Sub-Administrator") and RMR Advisors, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (the "Administrator").
WHEREAS, RMR Dividend Capture Fund (the "Fund") is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") as a closed-end, management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act");
WHEREAS, the Fund has retained the Administrator to furnish administrative services to it; and
WHEREAS, the Administrator desires to retain the Sub-Administrator to furnish certain administrative services to the Fund, and the Sub-Administrator is willing to furnish such services, on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT OF SUB-ADMINISTRATOR
The Administrator hereby appoints the Sub-Administrator to act as sub-administrator with respect to the Fund's investment portfolio for purposes of providing certain sub-administrative services for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement. The Sub-Administrator accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services stated herein.
2. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS
The Administrator will promptly deliver to the Sub-Administrator upon request copies of each of the following documents and all future amendments and supplements, if any:
- a.
- The
Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust (and any amendments thereto);
- b.
- The
Fund's Bylaws;
- c.
- The
Fund's currently effective registration statement under the 1933 Act, and the 1940 Act, the Prospectus(es) and Statement(s) of Additional Information and all amendments and
supplements thereto as in effect from time to time;
- d.
- Certified
copies of the resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Fund (the "Board") authorizing (1) the Administrator to enter into this Agreement and (2) certain
individuals to give instructions to the Sub-Administrator pursuant to this Agreement;
- e.
- A
copy of the investment advisory agreement between the Fund and its investment advisor; and
- f.
- Such other certificates, documents or opinions which the Sub-Administrator may, in its reasonable discretion, deem necessary or appropriate in the proper performance of its duties.
3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE SUB-ADMINISTRATOR
The Sub-Administrator represents and warrants to the Administrator that:
- a.
- It is a Massachusetts trust company, duly organized, existing and in good standing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
- b.
- It
has the corporate power and authority under applicable laws and by its organizational documents to carry on its business in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to enter into and
perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement;
- c.
- All
requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement;
- d.
- No
legal or administrative proceedings have been instituted or threatened which would materially impair the Sub-Administrator's ability to perform its duties and
obligations under this Agreement; and
- e.
- Its entrance into this Agreement shall not cause a material breach or be in material conflict with any other agreement or obligation of the Sub-Administrator or any law or regulation applicable to it.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR
The Administrator represents and warrants to the Sub-Administrator that:
- a.
- It
is a corporation, duly organized, existing and in good standing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
- b.
- It
has the corporate power and authority under applicable laws and by its Articles of Organization and By-Laws to enter into and perform its duties and obligations under
this Agreement;
- c.
- All
requisite proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement;
- d.
- No
legal or administrative proceedings have been instituted or threatened which would impair the Administrator's ability to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement;
- e.
- Its
entrance into this Agreement will not cause a material breach or be in material conflict with any other agreement or obligation of the Administrator or any law or regulation
applicable to it;
- f.
- With
respect to the Fund:
- (1)
- The
Fund is an investment company properly registered under the 1940 Act;
- (2)
- A
registration statement under the 1940 Act has been filed and will be effective and remain effective during the term of this Agreement;
- (3)
- As
of the close of business on the date of this Agreement, the Fund is authorized to issue common shares of beneficial interest, initially in the amount as set forth in
Schedule A to this Agreement; and
- (4)
- The Fund is duly organized, existing and in good standing as a business trust under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
5. SUB-ADMINISTRATION SERVICES
The Sub-Administrator shall provide the services set forth on Schedule B annexed hereto, subject to the control, supervision and direction of the Administrator in accordance with procedures which may be established from time to time between the Administrator and the Sub-Administrator.
The Sub-Administrator shall provide the office facilities and personnel required by it to perform the services contemplated herein.
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6. FEES; EXPENSES; EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT
The Sub-Administrator shall receive from the Administrator such compensation for the Sub-Administrator's services provided pursuant to this Agreement as may be agreed to from time to time in a written Fee Schedule approved by the parties. The fees are calculated based on the average daily net assets of the Fund and billed monthly and shall be due and payable upon receipt of the invoice. Upon the termination of this Agreement before the end of any month, the fee for the part of the month before such termination shall be prorated according to the proportion which such part bears to the full monthly period and shall be payable upon the date of termination of this Agreement. In addition, the Administrator shall reimburse the Sub-Administrator for its out-of-pocket costs incurred in connection with this Agreement.
The Administrator agrees to reimburse the Sub-Administrator for any other expenses not contemplated by this Agreement as mutually agreed upon in writing by the Administrator and the Sub-Administrator from time to time.
The Sub-Administrator is authorized to and may employ or associate with such person or persons as the Sub-Administrator may deem desirable to assist it in performing its duties under this Agreement; provided, however, that the compensation of such person or persons shall be paid by the Sub-Administrator and that the Sub-Administrator shall be as fully responsible to the Administrator for the acts and omissions of any such person or persons as it is for its own acts and omissions.
7. INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICE
At any time, the Sub-Administrator may apply to any officer of the Administrator for instructions and may consult with outside counsel for the Fund or the independent auditors for the Fund at the expense of the Administrator, or other individuals designated in writing by the Administrator, for instructions with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Sub-Administrator under this Agreement. The Sub-Administrator shall not be liable, and shall be indemnified by the Administrator, for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith in reliance upon any such instructions or advice or upon any paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed by such officers or individuals. The Sub-Administrator shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any officer or individual until receipt of written notice thereof from the Administrator. Nothing in this Section shall be construed as imposing upon the Sub-Administrator any obligation to seek such instructions.
8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION
The Sub-Administrator shall be responsible for the performance of only such duties as are set forth in this Agreement, including those set forth on Schedule B annexed hereto which forms a part hereof, as such Schedule B may be amended from time to time, and, except as otherwise provided under Section 6, shall have no responsibility for the actions or activities of any other party, including other service providers. The Sub-Administrator shall have no liability for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss or damage resulting from the performance or nonperformance of its duties hereunder unless solely caused by or resulting from the bad faith, negligence, willful misconduct or reckless disregard of the duties and obligations of the Sub-Administrator, its officers or employees. The Sub-Administrator shall not be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind whatsoever (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees) under any provision of this Agreement or for any such damages arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder. In any event, for any liability or loss suffered by the Fund including, but not limited to, any liability relating to qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company or any liability relating to the Fund's compliance with any federal or state tax or securities statute, regulation or ruling, the
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Sub-Administrator's liability under this Agreement shall be limited to such amount as may be agreed upon from time to time between the parties hereto.
Except as may arise from the Sub-Administrator's bad faith, negligence, willful misconduct or reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under the Agreement, the Sub-Administrator shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its control, including without limitation, work stoppage, power or other mechanical failure, computer virus, natural disaster, governmental action or communication disruption.
The Administrator shall indemnify and hold the Sub-Administrator harmless from all loss, cost, damage and expense, including reasonable fees and expenses for counsel, incurred by the Sub-Administrator resulting from any claim, demand, action or suit in connection with the Sub-Administrator's acceptance of this Agreement, any action or omission by the Sub-Administrator in the performance of its duties hereunder, or as a result of the Sub-Administrator's acting upon any instructions reasonably believed by it to have been duly authorized by the Administrator, provided that this indemnification shall not apply to actions or omissions of the Sub-Administrator, its officers or employees in cases of its or their own bad faith, negligence, willful misconduct or reckless disregard of their duties and obligations.
The indemnification contained herein shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
9. CONFIDENTIALITY
The Sub-Administrator agrees that, except as otherwise required by law or in connection with any required disclosure to a banking or other regulatory authority, it will keep confidential all records and information in its possession relating to the Administrator, the Fund or the Fund's shareholders or shareholder accounts and will not disclose the same to any person except at the request or with the written consent of the Administrator.
10. COMPLIANCE WITH GOVERNMENTAL RULES AND REGULATIONS; RECORDS
The Fund assumes full responsibility for complying with all securities, tax, commodities and other laws, rules and regulations applicable to it.
In compliance with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Sub-Administrator agrees that all records which it maintains pursuant to its duties under this Agreement shall at all times remain the property of the Fund, shall be readily accessible during normal business hours, and shall be promptly surrendered upon the termination of the Agreement or otherwise on written request. The Sub-Administrator further agrees that all records which it maintains pursuant to its duties under this Agreement pursuant to Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act will be preserved for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act unless any such records are earlier surrendered as provided in the foregoing sentence.
11. SERVICES NOT EXCLUSIVE
The services of the Sub-Administrator under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Sub-Administrator shall be free to render similar services to others. The Sub-Administrator shall be deemed to be an independent contractor and, unless otherwise expressly provided herein or authorized by the Administrator from time to time, shall have no authority to act or represent the Administrator or the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Administrator or the Fund.
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12. TERM, TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT
- (a)
- This
Agreement shall become effective on the date of its execution and shall remain in full force and effect unless either party terminates this Agreement upon at least sixty
(60) days' prior written notice to the other party, or unless the Fund terminates the services of Administrator prior to that date. Termination of this Agreement may be effected with or without
cause and without the payment of any penalty; provided, however, that the Administrator and Sub-Administrator specifically agree that any compensation or expense described in
Section 12 (b) below shall not be deemed a penalty.
- (b)
- Upon
termination of this Agreement, the Administrator shall pay to the Sub-Administrator such compensation and any reimbursable expenses as may be due under the terms
hereof as of the date of such termination, including reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with such termination.
- (c)
- This Agreement may be modified or amended from time to time by mutual written agreement of the parties hereto.
13. NOTICES
Any instruction, notice, communication or other instrument required to be given hereunder may be (a) delivered in person to the offices of the parties as set forth herein during normal business hours; or (b) effected directly between electro-mechanical or electronic devices; or (c) delivered prepaid registered mail (in which case it shall be deemed to have been served at the expiration of five business days after posting); or (d) delivered by telecopy (in which case it shall be deemed to have been served on the business day after the receipt thereof). Each party hereto shall designate from time to time the person(s) and address(es) for proper instructions and other communications related to the daily operations. Instructions and other communications related to this Agreement (including, but not limited to termination, breach, or default) shall be delivered at the following addresses or such other addresses as may be notified by any party from time to time.
If to the Administrator:
RMR
Advisors, Inc.
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
ATTN: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
If to the Sub-Administrator:
State
Street Bank and Trust Company
0 Xxxxxx xx Xxxxxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx (LCC/6)
X.X. Xxx 0000
Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
ATTN: Xxxx Xxxxx Zeven, Esq.
Telephone: (000) 000-0000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
14. NON-ASSIGNABILITY
This Agreement shall not be assigned by either party hereto without the prior consent in writing of the other party, except that the Administrator or Sub-Administrator may assign this Agreement to a
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successor of all or a substantial portion of its business, or to a party controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Administrator or Sub-Administrator.
15. SUCCESSORS
This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the benefit of the Administrator and the Sub-Administrator and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
16. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
This Agreement and the Fee Schedule contain the entire understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous representations, warranties or commitments regarding the services to be performed hereunder whether oral or in writing.
17. WAIVER
The failure of a party to insist upon strict adherence to any term of this Agreement on any occasion shall not be considered a waiver nor shall it deprive such party of the right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any term of this Agreement. Any waiver must be in writing signed by the waiving party.
18. SEVERABILITY
If any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, the balance of the Agreement shall remain in effect, and if any provision is inapplicable to any person or circumstance it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other persons and circumstances.
19. GOVERNING LAW
This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
20. REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits, attachments and amendments hereto may be reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic or other similar process. The parties hereto all/each agree that any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not the original is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by a party in the regular course of business, and that any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction of such reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence.
21. COUNTERPARTS
This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their officers designated below as of the date first written above.
RMR ADVISORS, INC. | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||
Title: | President | |||
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President |
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FUND | AUTHORIZED SHARES | |
RMR DIVIDEND CAPTURE FUND | ||
Unlimited Common Shares of Beneficial Interest |
||
Authorized Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest |
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SCHEDULE B
SUB-ADMINISTRATION RESPONSIBILITIES
The Sub-Administrator shall provide the following services, subject to oversight by the Fund's Administrator:
- a.
- Oversee
the maintenance by the Fund's custodian of certain books and records of the Fund as required under Rule 31a-1(b) of the 1940 Act and as required by the
Custodian Agreement dated February 12, 2007, between the Fund and State Street Bank and Trust Company;
- b.
- Prepare
the Fund's federal, state and local income tax returns for review by the Fund's independent accountants (if and as directed by the Fund), execution by the Fund's treasurer;
file the Fund's federal, state and local income tax returns;
- c.
- Review
calculation of, and if appropriate, recommend changes to, Fund expense accruals. Submit for approval by officers of the Fund and arrange for payment of the Fund's expenses;
- d.
- Prepare
for review and approval by officers of the Fund financial information for the Fund's semi-annual and annual shareholder reports, proxy statements and other
communications required or otherwise to be sent to Fund shareholders;
- e.
- Prepare
for review by an officer of the Fund the Fund's periodic financial reports required to be filed with the SEC on Forms N-SAR, N-CSR and N-Q,
and financial information required by Form N-2 and such other reports, forms or filings as may be mutually agreed upon;
- f.
- Prepare
reports relating to the business and affairs of the Fund as may be mutually agreed upon and not otherwise prepared by the Fund's investment adviser, Administrator, custodian,
legal counsel or independent accountants;
- g.
- Coordinate
the audit of the Fund's financial statements by the Fund's independent accountants, including the preparation of supporting audit workpapers and other schedules, and make
such reports and recommendations to the Board (or Audit Committee of the Board) concerning the performance of the independent accountants as the Board or the Audit Committee may reasonably request;
- h.
- Oversee
and review calculations of fees paid to the Fund's investment adviser, Administrator, custodian and transfer agent;
- i.
- Consult
with the Fund's officers, Administrator, independent accountants, legal counsel, custodian and transfer agent in establishing the accounting policies of the Fund;
- j.
- Refer
to the Fund's officers or transfer agent, shareholder inquiries relating to the Fund;
- k.
- Provide
periodic testing of portfolios to assist the Fund's investment adviser in complying with Internal Revenue Code mandatory qualification requirements, the requirements of the
1940 Act and Company prospectus limitations as may be mutually agreed upon;
- l.
- Maintain
general Board and regulatory filings calendars;
- m.
- Maintain
copies of the Fund's Articles of Organization and By-Laws;
- n.
- File
annual and semi-annual shareholder reports with the appropriate regulatory agencies; review text of "President's letters" to shareholders and "Management's Discussion
of Fund Performance" (which shall also be subject to review by the Fund's legal counsel);
- o.
- Provide consultation on regulatory matters relating to portfolio management, Fund operations and any potential changes in the Fund's investment policies, operations or structure; act as
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- p.
- Maintain
continuing awareness of significant emerging regulatory and legislative developments which may affect the Fund, update the
Administrator, the Board and the investment adviser on those developments and provide related planning assistance where requested or appropriate;
- q.
- Counsel
and assist the Fund in the handling of routine regulatory examinations and work closely with the Fund's legal counsel in response to any non-routine regulatory
matters;
- r.
- Prepare
and disseminate vendor survey information;
- s.
- Prepare
and furnish performance information (including total return information and yield information) calculated in accordance with applicable U.S. securities laws and regulations as
may be reasonably requested by the Administrator;
- t.
- Provide
periodic certifications and reasonable documentation to the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund in connection with Rule 38a-1 of the 1940 Act;
- u.
- Provide periodic certifications in connection with the certification requirements of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 with respect to the services provided by the Sub-Administrator;
liaison to legal counsel to the Fund and, where applicable, to legal counsel to the Fund's independent Board members;
Subject to review and comment by the Fund's legal counsel and the Fund's Administrator:
- v.
- Prepare
for filing with the SEC amendments to the Fund's registration statement, including updating the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, where
applicable;
- w.
- Prepare
for filing with the SEC routine proxy statements; provide consultation on proxy solicitation matters;
- x.
- Prepare
agenda and background materials for Board meetings, make presentations where appropriate; attend Board meetings, prepare minutes and follow-up on matters raised at
Board meetings; attend shareholder meetings and prepare minutes; and
- x.
- Supply the Fund with officers, as necessary.
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SUB-ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT
SCHEDULE A
SCHEDULE B SUB-ADMINISTRATION RESPONSIBILITIES