EX-99.B9(p)
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGREEMENT
NATIONS FUND TRUST
INVESTOR C SHARES -- MONEY MARKET FUNDS
INVESTOR N SHARES -- NON-MONEY MARKET FUNDS
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We wish to enter into this Shareholder Servicing Agreement ("Agreement")
with you concerning the provision of administrative support services to your
clients ("Customers") who may from time to time beneficially own Investor C
Shares in one or more of the money market portfolios or Investor N Shares in one
or more of the non-money market portfolios (collectively, the "Funds") of
Nations Fund Trust (the "Trust"). Such Investor C Shares and Investor N Shares
are collectively referred to herein as "Shares."
The terms and conditions of this Agreement are as follows:
Section 1. You agree to provide the following administrative support
services to your Customers who may from time to time beneficially own Shares:1
(i) aggregating and processing purchase and redemption requests for Shares from
Customers and transmitting promptly net purchase and redemption orders to our
distributor or transfer agent; (ii) providing Customers with a service that
invests the assets of their accounts in Shares pursuant to specific or
pre-authorized instructions; (iii) processing dividend and distribution payments
from the Trust on behalf of Customers; (iv) providing information periodically
to Customers showing their positions in Shares; (v) arranging for bank wires;
(vi) responding to Customers' inquiries concerning their investment in Shares;
(vii) providing subaccounting with respect to Shares beneficially owned by
Customers or the information to us necessary for subaccounting; (viii) if
required by law, forwarding shareholder communications from us (such as proxies,
shareholder reports, annual and semi-annual financial statements and dividend,
distribution and tax notices) to Customers; (ix) forwarding to Customers proxy
statements and proxies containing any proposals regarding this Agreement; (x)
general shareholder liaison services; and (xi) providing such other similar
services as we may reasonably request to the extent you are permitted to do so
under applicable statutes, rules or regulations. All services rendered hereunder
by you shall be performed in a professional, competent and timely manner.
Section 2. You will perform only those activities which are consistent
with statutes and regulations applicable to you. You will act solely as agent
or, upon the order of, and for the account of, your Customers.
Section 3. You will provide such office space and equipment, telephone
facilities and personnel (which may be any part of the space, equipment and
facilities currently used in your business, or any personnel employed by you) as
may be reasonably necessary or beneficial in order to provide the administrative
support services contemplated hereby.
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(1) Services may be modified or omitted in the particular case and items
relettered or renumbered.
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Section 4. Neither you nor any of your officers, employees or agents are
authorized to make any representations concerning us or the Shares except those
contained in our then current prospectuses and statements of additional
information, as amended or supplemented from time to time, copies of which will
be supplied by us to you, or in such supplemental literature or advertising as
may be authorized by the Distributor or us in writing.
Section 5. For all purposes of this Agreement you will be deemed to be an
independent contractor, and will have no authority to act as agent for us in any
matter or in any respect, except as provided herein. By your written acceptance
of this Agreement, you agree to and do release, indemnify and hold us harmless
from and against any and all direct or indirect liabilities or losses resulting
from requests, directions, actions or inactions of or by you or your officers,
employees or agents regarding your responsibilities hereunder or the purchase,
redemption, transfer or registration of Shares (or orders relating to the same)
by or on behalf of Customers. You and your employees will, upon request, be
available during normal business hours to consult with us or our designees
concerning the performance of your responsibilities under this Agreement.
Section 6. In consideration of the services and facilities provided by you
hereunder, we will pay to you, and you will accept as full payments therefor, a
fee as described in the applicable then current prospectuses. The fee rate
payable to you may be prospectively increased or decreased by us, in our sole
discretion, at any time upon notice to you. Further, we may, in our discretion
and without notice, suspend or withdraw the sale of Shares of any and all Funds,
including the sale of Shares to you for the account of any Customer or
Customers. Compensation payable under this Agreement is subject to, among other
things, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") Rules of
Fair Practice governing receipt by NASD members of service fees from registered
investment companies (the "NASD Service Fee Rule"). Such compensation shall only
be paid if permissible under the NASD Service Fee Rule and shall not be payable
for services that are deemed to be distribution-related services.
Section 7. You agree to provide to us at least quarterly, a written report
of the amounts expended by you in connection with the provision of
administrative support services hereunder and the purposes for which such
expenditures were made. In addition, you will furnish us or our designees with
such information as we or they may reasonably request (including, without
limitation, periodic certifications confirming the provision to Customers of the
services described herein), and will otherwise cooperate with us and our
designees (including, without limitation, any auditors or legal counsel
designated by us), in connection with the preparation of reports to our Board of
Trustees concerning this Agreement and the monies paid or payable by us pursuant
hereto, as well as any other reports or filings that may be required by law.
Section 8. We may enter into other similar Agreements with any other
person or persons without your consent.
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Section 9. By your written acceptance of this Agreement, you represent,
warrant and agree that: (i) in no event will any of the services provided by you
hereunder be primarily intended to result in the sale of any shares issued by
us; (ii) the compensation payable to you hereunder, together with any other
compensation you receive in connection with the investment of your Customers'
assets in Shares of the Funds, will be disclosed by you to your Customers to the
extent required by applicable laws or regulations, will be authorized by your
Customers and will not result in an excessive or unreasonable fee to you and
(iii) in the event an issue pertaining to this Agreement is submitted for
shareholder approval, and you have the authority from your Customer to do so,
you will vote any Shares held for your own account in the same proportion as the
vote of the Shares held for your Customers' benefit.
Section 10. You agree to conform to compliance standards adopted by the
Trust or its distributor as to when a class of shares in a Fund may be
appropriately sold to particular investors.
Section 11. This Agreement will become effective on the date a fully
executed copy of this Agreement is received by us or our designee and continues
in effect until terminated. This Agreement is terminable with respect to any
series of Shares, without penalty, at any time by us (which termination may be
by a vote of a majority of the disinterested Trustees of the Trust) or by you
upon written notice to the other party hereto.
Section 12. All notices and other communications to either you or us will
be duly given if mailed, telegraphed, telexed or transmitted by similar
telecommunications device to the appropriate address or number stated herein
(with a confirming copy by mail), or to such other address as either party shall
so provide in writing to the other.
Section 13. This Agreement will be construed in accordance with the
internal laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts without giving effect to
principles of conflict of laws, and is nonassignable by the parties hereto.
Section 14. The names "Nations Fund Trust" and "Trustees" refer
respectively to the trust created and the Trustees, as trustees but not
individually or personally, acting from time to time under a Declaration of
Trust dated May 6, 1985 which is hereby referred to and a copy of which is on
file at the office of the State Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and at the principal office of the Trust. The obligations of "Nations Fund
Trust" entered into in the name or on behalf thereof by any of the Trustees,
officers, representatives or agents are made not individually, but in such
capacities, and are not binding upon any of the Trustees, Shareholders,
officers, representatives or agents of the Trust personally, but bind only the
Trust Property (as defined in the Declaration of Trust), and all persons dealing
with any class of shares of the Trust must look solely to the Trust Property
belonging to such class for the enforcement of any claims against the Trust.
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If you agree to be legally bound by the provisions of this Agreement,
please sign a copy of this letter where indicated below and promptly return it
to us, at the following address: 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx
00000; Fax No. (000) 000-0000; Attention: Xx. Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Xx.
Very truly yours,
NATIONS FUND TRUST
By: _________________________
Name: ____________________
Title: _____________________
Accepted and Agreed to:
Servicing Agent
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(Firm Name
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(Address)
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(City) (State) (County)
Fax # __________________________
Date: __________________ Attention:_______________________
By: _________________________
Name: _______________________
Date: __________________ Title: _________________________
