Exhibit
13(c)
This agreement is
made this
day of ,
2007 by and among WILSHIRE
VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST, a Delaware Statutory Trust (the “Trust”), on
its own behalf and on behalf of each of the series of portfolios set forth on
Schedule A, as may be amended from time to time (each a “Fund” and collectively,
the “Funds”), “PFPC
DISTRIBUTORS, INC., a Massachusetts corporation (“Distributor”), and
GREAT
AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY, a life insurance company organized under the
laws of the state of
(“Company”), on its own behalf and on behalf of each separate account of the
Company set forth on Schedule B, as may be amended from time to time (“each an
“Account” and collectively the “Accounts”).
W
I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Trust
is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an
open-end, diversified management investment company under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust
desires for its Funds to act as investment vehicles for separate accounts
established for variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies
to be offered by insurance companies that have entered into participation
agreements with the Trust (“the Participating Insurance Companies”); and
WHEREAS, the
Distributor is registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC under the Securities
and 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 acts as principal underwriter for the Funds; and
WHEREAS, the
capital stock of the Trust is divided into several series of portfolios, each
series representing an interest in a particular managed portfolios of securities
and other assets; and
WHEREAS, the each
of the Funds are structured as a “fund of funds,” which means that each Fund
attempts to implement its investment strategies by investing in the Funds listed
in Schedule C (“Underlying Funds”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust
has received an order from the SEC granting Participating Insurance Companies
and their separate accounts exemptions from the provisions of sections 9(a),
13(a), 15(a) and 15(b) of 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 Funds to be sold to
and held by variable annuity and variable life insurance separate accounts of
both affiliated and unaffiliated life insurance companies (the” Shared Fund
Exemptive Order”); and
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WHEREAS, the
Company has registered or will register under the 1933 Act certain variable
annuity contracts and/or variable life insurance policies funded or to be funded
through one or more of the Accounts (the “Contracts”); and
WHEREAS, the
Company has registered or will register each Account as a unit investment trust
under the 1940 Act; and
WHEREAS, to the
extent permitted by applicable insurance laws and regulations, the Company
intends to purchase shares in one or more of the Funds (the “Shares”) on behalf
of the Accounts to fund the Contracts, and the Trust intends to sell such Shares
to the relevant Accounts at such Shares’ net asset value.
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of their mutual promises, the parties agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
Sale
of Fund Shares
A) |
Subject to
Section C, the Trust shall cause the Distributor to make Shares available
to the Accounts at the most recent net asset value provided to the Company
prior to receipt of such purchase order by the Trust or its agent, in
accordance with the operational procedures mutually agreed to by the Trust
or its agent and the Company from time to time and the provisions of the
then current prospectus of the Trust and the Funds. Shares of a particular
Fund shall be ordered in such quantities and at such times as determined
by the Company to be necessary to meet the requirements of the Contracts.
The procedures relating to purchase, redemption or exchange orders and the
handling thereof will be subject to the terms of the Prospectus of the
Fund involved and instructions received by Company from the Fund or its
Transfer Agent from time to time. The Directors of the Trust (the
“Directors”) may refuse to sell shares of any Fund to any person
(including the Company and the Accounts), or suspend or terminate the
offering of shares of any Fund, if such action is required by law or by
regulatory authorities having jurisdiction or is, in the sole discretion
of the Directors acting in good faith and in light of their fiduciary
duties under federal and any applicable state laws, necessary in the best
interest of the shareholders of such Funds.
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B) |
The Company
will not present any conditional purchase orders, and the Company
understands that no conditional orders will be accepted by the Trust or
its agents. The Company agrees that purchase orders placed by the Company
will be made only for the purpose of covering purchase orders already
received from the Company’s customers. Further, the Company shall not
withhold the placement of such orders so as to profit itself; provided,
however, that the foregoing shall not prevent the purchase of Shares by
the Company for the Company’s own bona fide investment.
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C) |
Company will
be compensated by Trust as set forth in the applicable current Prospectus
for the Trust for services that Company provides pursuant to this
agreement. The Company acknowledges that any compensation paid to the
Company is subject to the
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terms of the Distribution Plan for the Underlying Funds under Rule
12b-1 adopted by the Trust (the “Plan”), Rule 12b-1 promulgated pursuant
to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and all rules and
regulations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the
“NASD”). The Company acknowledges that any compensation paid to the
Company is subject to the terms of the Plan for the Underlying Funds,
since the Funds’ Rule 12b-1 Plan is a reimbursement plan which reimburses
only for expenses incurred and does not include payment for distribution
services. The Company understands and agrees that, if any Shares of the
Funds sold under this Agreement are redeemed or repurchased by the Funds
or are tendered for redemption within seven business days after the date
of confirmation of the initial purchase of such Shares, Company shall
forfeit and repay to the Funds any portion of a sales charge reallowed by
Distributor to Company with respect to such Shares.
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D) |
Subject to
Section C, the Trust will redeem for cash any full or fractional shares of
any Fund when requested by the Company on behalf of an Account at the most
recent net asset value provided to the Company prior to receipt by the
Trust or its agent of the request for redemption, as established in
accordance with the operational procedures mutually agreed to by the Trust
or its agent and the Company from time to time and the provisions of the
then current prospectus of the Trust and the Funds. The Trust shall make
payment for such shares in accordance with Section D, but in no event
shall payment be delayed for a greater period than is permitted by the
1940 Act (including any Rule or order of the SEC thereunder).
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E) |
(1) The
Company will not aggregate orders received from its Contract holders after
close the New York Stock Exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time
)(“Market Close”) with orders received before Market Close, and represents
that its internal control structure concerning the processing and
transmission of orders is reasonably designed to prevent or detect on a
timely basis orders received after Market Close from being aggregated with
orders received before Market Close and to minimize errors that could
result in transmission of late orders. Orders received by Company before
Market Close will receive that day’s net asset value and Orders received
by Company after Market Close will receive the next day’s net asset value.
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(2) The Trust shall
accept purchase and redemption orders resulting from investment in and payments
under the Contracts on each Business Day, provided that such orders are received
prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time and reflect instructions received by the Company
from Contract holders in good order prior to the Market Close or such other time
as of which the net asset value of each Fund is priced in accordance with the
preceding paragraph and the Fund’s prospectus on the prior Business Day.
“Business Day” shall mean any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open
for trading and on which the Fund calculates its net asset value pursuant to the
rules of the SEC. Purchase and redemption orders shall be provided by the
Company in such written or electronic form (including, without limitation,
facsimile) as may be mutually acceptable to the Company and the Trust or its
agent, to the extent consistent with the Fund’s prospectus and statement of
additional information. The Trust or its agent may reject purchase and
redemption orders which are not in such agreed upon form. In the event
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that the Company and the Trust or its agent agree to use a form of
written or electronic communication which is not capable of recording the
time, date and recipient of any communication and confirming good
transmission, the Company agrees that it shall be responsible for
confirming with the Trust or its agent that any communication sent by the
Company was in fact received by the Trust or its agent in proper form and
in accordance with the terms of the Agreement. The Trust and its agents
shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall be fully protected from all
liability in acting upon the instructions of the persons identified by the
Company to the Trust in writing as “authorized individuals” for purposes
of making communications under this paragraph (E)(2).
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F) |
Purchase
orders that are transmitted to the Trust in accordance with Section E
shall be paid for no later than the end of the Business Day on which the
Trust or its agent receives notice of the order. Payment for purchases of
Shares made by wire order from Company shall be made directly to the bank
as noted in the Prospectus, as agent for the Transfer Agent, in an amount
equal to the Current Offering Price per Share being purchased without
deduction for any compensation to be paid to Company. If such payment is
not received at the customary or required time for settlement of the
transaction, Company understands that the Trust reserves the right,
without notice, forthwith, to cancel the sale. In the event that the
Company shall fail to pay in a timely manner for any purchase order
validly received by the Trust or its agent pursuant to Section E, the
Company shall hold the Trust harmless from any losses reasonably sustained
by the Trust as a result of acting in reliance on such purchase order.
Redemption orders that are transmitted to the Trust in accordance with
Section E shall be paid for no later than the end of the Business Day on
which the Trust receives notice of the order. Payments shall be made in
federal funds transmitted by wire. In the event that the Trust shall fail
to pay in a timely manner for any redemption order pursuant to Section E,
the Trust shall hold the Company harmless from any losses reasonably
sustained by the Company as the result of acting in reliance on such
redemption order. |
G) |
Exchanges
(i.e.,
the investment of the proceeds from the liquidation of Shares of one Fund
in the Shares of another Fund or shares of another registered open-end
investment fund specified in the Prospectus) shall, where available, be
made in accordance with the terms of the Prospectus.
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H) |
Issuance and
transfer of Shares will be by book entry only. Share certificates will not
be issued to the Company or the Account. Shares ordered from the Trust
will be recorded in the appropriate title for each Account or the
appropriate subaccount for each Account. |
I) |
The Trust
shall furnish prompt written notice to the Company of any income,
dividends or capital distribution payable on Shares. The Company hereby
elects to receive all such income dividends and capital gain distributions
as are payable on a Fund’s Shares in additional Shares of that Fund. The
Company reserves the right to revoke this election and receive all such
income, dividends or capital gain distributions in cash. The Trust shall
notify the Company in writing of the number of Shares so issued as payment
of such dividends and distributions. |
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J) |
The Trust
agrees that its Shares will be sold only to Participating Insurance
Companies and their separate accounts in accordance with the Shared Fund
Exemptive Order. No Shares of any Portfolio will be sold directly to the
general public. The Company agrees that Shares will be used only for the
purpose of funding the Contracts and Accounts listed in Schedule B, as
amended from time to time. |
K) |
The Trust
agrees that all Participating Insurance Companies shall have the
obligations and responsibilities regarding conflicts of interest
corresponding to those contained in Article IV of this Agreement.
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L) |
The Trust
reserves the right to reject any purchase orders, including exchanges, for
any reason, including if the Trust, in its sole opinion, believes the
Company’s Contract holder(s) is engaging in short-term or excessive
trading into and out of a Fund or otherwise engaging in trading that may
be disruptive to a Fund (“Market Timing”). The Company agrees to provide
to the Trust, upon written request of the Trust or its agent (or their
authorized affiliates), the TIN, International Taxpayer Identification
Number (“ITIN”) or other government-issued identifier (“GII”), if known,
of any or all holders of Shares (“Shareholders”) of the account and the
amount, date, name or other identifier of any investment professional(s)
associated with the Shareholder(s) or account (if known), and transaction
type (purchase, redemption, transfer, or exchange) of every purchase,
redemption, transfer, or exchange of Shares held through an account
maintained by Company during the period covered by the request.
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(1) |
Requests must
set forth a specific period for which transaction information is sought,
which generally will not exceed ninety (90) days (or any three
(3) month period, as applicable) of transaction information. The
Trust or its agent may request transaction information older than ninety
(90) days from the date of the request as it deems necessary to
investigate compliance with policies established by the Fund for the
purpose of eliminating or reducing any dilution of the value of the
outstanding Shares issued by the Fund. |
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(2) |
Company
agrees to provide, promptly upon request of the Fund or its designee, the
requested information specified in Section L. If requested by the Fund or
its designee, Company agrees to use best efforts to determine promptly
whether any specific person about whom it has received the identification
and transaction information specified in Section L is itself an
intermediary (“Indirect Intermediary”) and, upon further request of the
Trust or its designee, promptly either (i) provide (or arrange to
have provided) the information set forth in Section L for those
shareholders who hold an account with an Indirect Intermediary or
(ii) restrict or prohibit the indirect intermediary from purchasing,
in nominee name on behalf of other persons, securities issued by the Fund.
Company additionally agrees to inform the Trust or its agent whether it
plans to perform (i) or (ii). Responses required by this paragraph
must be communicated in writing and in a format mutually agreed upon by
the parties. To the extent practicable, the format for any transaction
information provided to the Trust or its agent should be consistent with
the NSCC Standardized Data Reporting Format or another industry
standardized data reporting format. |
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(3) |
The Company
agrees to execute written instructions from the Trust or its agent to
restrict or prohibit further purchases or exchanges of Shares by a
Shareholder that has been identified by the Trust or its agent as having
engaged in transactions of the Fund’s Shares (directly or indirectly
through an account with Company) that violate policies established by the
Trust for the purpose of eliminating or reducing any dilution of the value
of the outstanding Shares issued by the Trust.
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(a) |
Instructions
to restrict trading must include the Shareholder(s)’ TIN, ITIN or GII, if
known, and the specific restriction(s) to be executed. If the TIN, ITIN or
GII is not known, the instructions must include an equivalent identifying
number of the Shareholder(s) or account(s) or other agreed upon
information to which the instruction relates.
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(b) |
Company
agrees to execute instructions as soon as reasonably practicable, but not
later than five (5) business days after receipt of the instructions
by Company. |
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(c) |
Company will
provide written confirmation to the Trust or its agent that instructions
have been executed. Company agrees to provide confirmation as soon as
reasonably practicable, but not later than ten (10) business days
after the instructions have been executed.
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ARTICLE
II
Obligations
of the Parties
A. |
The Company
shall have the following duties and obligations:
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1. |
The Company
will provide one or more of the following activities or expenses primarily
intended to result in the sale of Shares, including, but not limited to:
(i) distribution of the Shares; (ii) aiding in the processing of
purchase or redemption requests for the Shares or the processing of
dividend payments with respect to the Shares; (iii) providing
information periodically to Customers showing their positions in the Fund;
(iv) forwarding communications from the Trust to Customers;
(v) rendering ongoing advice concerning the suitability of particular
investment opportunities offered by the Trust in light of the Customer’s
needs; (vi) responding to inquiries from Customers relating to such
services; and (vii) training personnel in the provision of such
services; and / or |
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2. |
The Company
will provide one or more of the following administrative services to the
Shares, which may include (and are in addition to any such general
services provided to a Fund as a whole): (i) aggregating and
processing purchase and redemption requests for Shares from Customers and
placing net purchase and redemption orders with the Trust or its agent;
(ii) providing Customers who are
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not record owners with statements showing their positions in the
Fund; (iii) processing dividend payments for Shares;
(iv) providing sub-accounting services for Customers;
(v) forwarding shareholder communications, such as proxies,
shareholder reports, dividend and tax notices, and updating Prospectuses
to Customers who are not record owners; and (vi) receiving,
tabulating and transmitting proxies executed by Customers who are not
record owners;
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3. |
The Company
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 Company’s business, or any personnel employed by
Company) as may be reasonably necessary or beneficial in order to provide
such services to Customers. The Customers in question are for all purposes
Company’s Customers and not the Trust or the Distributor’s Customers. The
Trust or its agent shall execute Company’s transactions for each of
Company’s Customers only upon Company’s authorization; it being understood
in all cases that (i) Company is acting as the agent for the
Customer; (ii) as between Company and the Customer, the Customer will
have beneficial ownership of the securities; (iii) each transaction
is initiated solely upon the order of the Customer; (iv) each
transaction shall be executed by the Trust or its agent only upon receipt
of instructions from Company acting as agent for Company’s Customer, and
(v) each transaction is for the account of the Customer and not for
Company’s account. Company shall be responsible for opening and approving
and monitoring Customer accounts, all in accordance with applicable law,
including the rules of the SEC and NASD. |
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4. |
Company will
offer and sell the Shares only in accordance with the terms and conditions
of the current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
and Company shall not give any information or make any representations or
statements on behalf of the Trust or Distributor or concerning the Fund,
other than information or representations contained in and accurately
derived from the registration statement or prospectus or SAI for the
shares, or in any authorized supplemental material supplied by the Trust
or the Distributor. In connection with the offers to sell and sales of
Shares, Company agrees to deliver or cause to be delivered to each person
to whom such offer or sale is made, at or prior to the time of completion
of such sale, a copy of the Prospectus and, upon request, SAI of the
Portfolio involved. |
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5. |
Company may
not publish any advertisement or distribute sales literature or other
written material to the public which makes reference to the Distributor or
the Trust or any of the Funds (except material which Distributor has
furnished to Company) without Distributor’s prior written approval.
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6. |
Company
agrees to be responsible for the proper instruction and training of all
sales personnel employed or registered as a broker or sales representative
with Company, in order that the shares will be offered in accordance with
the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and all applicable laws, rules
and regulations. |
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7. |
Company
agrees to obtain from each customer to whom Company sells Shares any
taxpayer identification number certification required by Section 3406
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and the
regulations promulgated thereunder, and to provide the Trust or its agent
with timely written notice of any failure to obtain such certification in
order to enable the implementation of any required backup withholding in
accordance with Section 3406 of the Code and the regulations
thereunder. |
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8. |
The Company
shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, to the Trust or its designee, a
copy of the language that would be used in any prospectus for the
Contracts or SAI for the Contracts in which the Trust, the Distributor,
any of their affiliates, or any of the Funds (collectively, “Fund
Parties”) is named prior to the filing of such document with the SEC. Upon
request, if any of the Fund Parties are named, the Company shall furnish,
or shall cause to be furnished, to the Distributor each piece of sales
literature or other promotional material in which the Fund, the
Distributor, any of their affiliates, or any of the Funds is named, at
least ten (10) Business Days prior to its use. No such prospectus,
SAI or material should be used if the Fund Parties reasonably object to
such use within ten (10) Business Days after receipt of such
material. |
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9. |
The Company
shall register and qualify the Contracts for sale to the extent required
by applicable law. The Company shall amend the registration statement of
the Contracts under the 1933 Act and registration statement for each
Account under the 1940 Act from time to time as required in order to
effect the continuous offering of the Contracts or as may otherwise be
required by applicable law. The Company shall register and qualify the
Contracts for sale to the extent required by applicable securities laws of
the various states. |
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10. |
Solely with
respect to Contracts and Accounts that are subject to the 1940 Act, so
long as, and to the extent that the SEC interprets the 1940 Act to require
pass-through voting privileges for variable Contract holders, and if a
meeting of shareholders of the Trust (or any Fund) is called by the
Directors: (a) the Company will provide pass-through voting
privileges to owners of Contracts whose cash values are invested, through
the Accounts, in Shares of the Fund; (b) the Company shall calculate
voting privileges in the manner established by the Fund; (c) with
respect to each Account, the Company will vote Shares of the Fund held by
the Account and for which no timely voting instructions from Contract
holders are received, as well as Shares held or owned by the Company for
their general accounts, in the same proportion as the Company votes Shares
held by the Account for which timely voting instructions are received from
Contract owners; and (d) the Company and its agents will in no way
recommend or oppose or interfere with the solicitation of proxies for Fund
Shares held by Contract owners without the prior written consent of the
Fund, which consent may be withheld in the Fund’s sole discretion.
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11. |
The Company
will maintain all records required by law to be kept by Company relating
to transactions in Shares and, upon request by the Trust or its agent,
promptly make available such records and other records to the Trust or its
agent as the Trust or its agent may reasonably request. Upon the request
of the Trust or its agent, the Company shall provide copies of historical
records relating to transactions between the Trust and the Company’s
Customers, written communications regarding the Trust or any of the Funds
to or from Customers, and other materials as may reasonably be requested
to enable the Trust or any other designated entity, including without
limitation, auditors, investment advisers or transfer agents of the Trust,
to monitor and review services being provided under this Agreement, or to
comply with any request of a governmental body or self-regulatory
organization. The Company also will permit the Trust, or any duly
designated representative, to have reasonable access to the Company’s
personnel and records in order to facilitate the monitoring of the quality
of the services being provided under this Agreement.
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B. |
The Trust and
Distributor shall have the following duties and obligations:
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1. |
The Trust
shall prepare and be responsible for filing with the SEC and any state
securities regulators requiring such filing, all shareholder reports,
notices, proxy materials (or similar materials such as voting instruction
solicitation materials), prospectuses and SAI of the Trust required to be
so filed. The Trust shall bear the costs of registration and qualification
of its Shares, preparation and filing of the documents listed in this
Section B.1 and all taxes to which an issuer is subject on the issuance
and transfer of its Shares. |
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2. |
The Trust
shall amend its registration statement under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act
from time to time as required in order to effect the continuous offering
of its shares. If the Trust determines that notice filings are
appropriate, the Trust shall use its best efforts to make such notice
filings in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions reasonably
requested by the Company. |
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3. |
At least
annually, the Trust or its agent shall provide the Company, free of
charge, with as many copies of the current prospectus (describing only the
Funds listed in Schedule A hereto) for the Shares of as the Company may
reasonably request for distribution to Contract owners. The Trust or its
designee shall provide the Company, at the Company’s expense, with as many
copies of the then current prospectus for the Shares as the Company may
reasonably require for distribution to prospective purchasers of
Contracts. The Trust or its agent shall provide copies of the SAI for the
Shares to Contract owners as requested. If applicable, the Trust or its
agent shall provide the Company, free of charge, copies of the Trust’s
proxy materials, reports to shareholders and other communications to
shareholders in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably require for
distribution to Contract owners. |
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4. |
The
Distributor shall notify the Company of each state or jurisdiction in
which the Funds cannot be sold because such shares are not either
qualified for sale or exempt from the requirements of the relevant
securities laws. |
ARTICLE
III
Representations
and Warranties
A. |
The Company
makes the following representations and warranties:
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1. |
The Company
is an insurance company duly organized and in good standing under the laws
of the State of ______ and has established each Account as a separate
account under such law. |
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2. |
The execution
and delivery of this Agreement and the performance of the transactions
contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action and
all other authorizations and approvals (if any) required for the Company’s
lawful execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Company’s
performance hereunder have been obtained.
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3. |
The Company
has registered or, prior to any issuance or sale of the Contracts, will
register each Account as a unit investment trust in accordance with the
provisions of the 1940 Act to serve as a separate account for the
Contracts. |
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4. |
The Contracts
will be registered under the 1933 Act prior to any issuance or sale of the
Contracts and the Contracts will be issued in compliance in all material
respects with all applicable federal and state laws.
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5. |
The Contracts
are currently and at the time of issuance will be treated as annuity
contracts or life insurance polices, whichever is appropriate, under
applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(“Code”). The Company shall make every effort to maintain such treatment
and shall notify the Trust and the Distributor immediately upon having a
reasonable basis for believing that the Contracts have ceased to be so
treated or that they might not be so treated in the future.
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6. |
Company will
have the full right, power and authority to effect transactions (including
without limitation, placing any purchase and redemptions) in Shares on
behalf of all Customer accounts provided by Company to the Trust or to any
transfer agent of the Fund as such term is defined in the Prospectus of
the Fund (the “Transfer Agent”). |
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7. |
In the event
an issue pertaining to this Agreement or the Plan is submitted for
shareholder approval, the Company will vote any Shares held for the
Company’s own account in the same proportion as the vote of the Shares
held for the Company’s Customers’ accounts.
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8. |
The Company
is in compliance with all applicable anti-money laundering laws, rules and
regulations, including the reporting, recordkeeping and compliance
requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), as amended by the USA
PATRIOT Act, its implementing regulations, and related SEC and SRO rules
(together, “AML Regulations”). The AML Regulations include requirements to
identify and report currency transactions and suspicious activity, to
verify customer identity, to conduct customer due diligence, and to
implement anti-money laundering compliance programs. As required by the
AML Regulations, The Company hereby certifies that it has a comprehensive
anti-money laundering compliance program which includes (i) policies,
procedures and internal controls for complying with the AML Regulations;
(ii) policies, procedures and internal controls for identifying,
evaluating and reporting suspicious activity; (iii) a designated
compliance officer or officers; (iv) training for appropriate
employees; and (v) an independent review of the anti-money laundering
compliance program. |
Further, the
Company agrees to comply with the economic sanctions programs administered by
the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). The
Company certifies that it has an OFAC compliance program in place which includes
(i) procedures for checking customer names and persons with signature
authority over accounts against the OFAC lists of sanctioned governments and
specially-designated nationals, terrorists and drug traffickers; (ii) the
screening of wire transfers and other payments against the OFAC lists;
(iii) a designated compliance officer; (iv) an internal communication
network; (v) training of appropriate personnel; and (vi) an
independent audit function to review the effectiveness of the compliance
program.
The Company will
remain in compliance with the AML Regulations at all times during which
Servicing Agent sells and/or services shares of the Fund. The Company will, upon
Distributor’s reasonable written request, but not more than once each year,
certify that the Company complies with the AML Regulations and OFAC sanctions
programs.
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9. |
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the
Company agrees that any Nonpublic Personal Information, as defined under
Section 248.3(t) of Regulation S-P (“Regulation S-P”), promulgated
under the Xxxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Act (the “Act”), disclosed hereunder is for
the specific purpose of permitting the Company to perform the services set
forth in this Agreement. The Company agrees that, with respect to such
information, the Company will comply with Regulation S-P and the Act and
that the Company will not disclose any Nonpublic Personal Information
received in connection with this Agreement, to any other party, except to
the extent as necessary to carry out the services set forth in this
Agreement or as otherwise permitted by Regulation S-P or the Act.
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B. |
The Trust, on
its own and on behalf of the Funds, makes the following representations
and warranties: |
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1. |
The Fund
represents and warrants that it is duly organized and validly existing
under the laws of the State of Delaware. |
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2. |
The Fund
represents and warrants that it is a registered open-end investment
company under the 1940 Act, as amended and that all Shares will be issued
and sold in compliance in all material respects with all applicable
federal and state laws. |
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3. |
The Trust is
in compliance with the diversification requirements set forth in
Section 817(h) of the Code and Section 1.817-5 of the
regulations under the Code. The Trust will notify the Company immediately
upon having a reasonable basis for believing that a Fund has ceased to so
comply or that a Fund might not so comply in the future. In the event of a
breach of this Section B.3 by the Trust, it will take all steps necessary
to adequately diversity the Fund so as to achieve compliance within the
grace period afforded by Section 1.817-5 of the regulations under the
Code. |
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4. |
Each Fund is
currently qualified as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under
Subchapter M of the code, and represents that it will use every effort to
qualify and to maintain qualification of each Fund as a RIC. The Trust
will notify the Company immediately in writing upon having a reasonable
basis for believing that a Fund has ceased to so qualify or that it might
not so qualify in the future. |
C. |
The
Distributor makes the following representations and warranties:
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1. |
The
Distributor is a registered broker-dealer under the 1934 Act and is a
member in good standing of the NASD, and will remain duly registered under
all applicable federal and state securities laws and the laws of any
applicable self-regulatory organizations.
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2. |
Pursuant to
an Underwriting Agreement entered into between Distributor and the Trust,
the Distributor serves as principal underwriter/distributor of the Fund.
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ARTICLE
IV
Potential
Conflicts
A. |
The Parties
acknowledge that the Trust’s Shares may be made available for investment
to other Participating Insurance Companies. In such event, the Directors
of the Trust will monitor the Funds for the existence of any material
irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the contract owners of
all Participating Insurance Companies and determine what action, if any
should be taken in response to such conflicts. A material irreconcilable
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
interpretive letter, or any similar action by insurance, tax or securities
regulatory
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authorities; (c) an administrative or judicial decision in any
relevant proceeding; (d) the manner in which the investments of the
Funds are being managed; (e) a difference in voting instructions
given by variable annuity contract owners, variable life insurance
contract owners; or (f) a decision by a Participating Insurance
Company to disregard the voting instructions of contract owners.
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B. |
The Company
agrees to promptly report any potential or existing conflicts to the
Directors of the Trust. The Company will assist the Directors in carrying
out the Directors’ responsibilities under the Shared Fund Exemptive Order
by providing the Directors with all information reasonably necessary for
the Directors to consider any issues raised, including, but not limited
to, information as to a decision by the Company to disregard Contract
owner voting instructions. |
C. |
If it is
determined by a majority of the Directors of the Trust, or a majority of
the Trust’s Directors who are not affiliated with the Adviser or the
Distributor (the “Disinterested Directors”), that a material
irreconcilable conflict exists that affects the interests of Contract
owners, then the Company shall, in cooperation with other Participating
Insurance Companies whose Contract owners are also affected, at its
expense and to the extent reasonably practicable (as determined by the
Disinterested Directors), take whatever steps are necessary to remedy or
eliminate the material irreconcilable conflict, which steps include, but
are not limited to: (a) Withdrawing the assets allocable to some or
all of their Accounts from the Trust or any Fund and reinvesting such
assets in a different investment vehicle including, but not limited to,
another Fund of the Trust, or submitting the question as to 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., variable annuity contract owners or variable life insurance
policy 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 (b) establishing a new
registered management investment company or managed separate account.
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D. |
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 Trust’s election, to withdraw the affected Account’s
investment in the Fund and terminate this agreement with respect to such
Account; 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 Directors. Any
such withdrawal and termination must take place within six (6) months
after the Trust gives written notice that this provision is being
implemented, subject to applicable law but in any event consistent with
the terms of the Shared Fund Exemptive Order. Until the end of such six
(6) month period, the Trust shall continue to accept and implement
orders by the Company for the purchase and redemption of Shares of the
Fund. |
E. |
If a material
irreconcilable conflict arises because a particular state insurance
regulator’s decision applicable to the Company conflicts with the majority
of other state regulators,
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then the Company will withdraw the affected Account’s investment in
the Fund and terminate this Agreement with respect to such Account within
six (6) months after the Trust informs the Company in writing that it
has determined that such decision has created an irreconcilable material
conflict; 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 Directors. Until
the end of such six (6) month period, the Trust shall continue to
accept and implement orders by the Company for the purchase and redemption
of Shares of the Fund.
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F. |
For purposes
of sections C through F of Article IV of this Agreement, a majority of the
Disinterested Directors shall determine whether any proposed action
adequately remedies any irreconcilable material conflict, but in no event
will the Company be required to establish a new funding medium for the
Contracts if an offer to do so has been declined by a vote of the majority
Contract owners materially adversely affected by the irreconcilable
material conflict. In the event that the Directors determine that any
proposed action does not adequately remedy any irreconcilable material
conflict, then the Company will withdraw the Account’s investment in the
Fund and terminate this Agreement within six (6) months after the
Directors inform the Company in writing of the foregoing determination;
provided, however, that such withdrawal and termination shall be limited
to the extent required by any such material irreconcilable conflict as
determined by a majority of the Disinterested Directors.
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G. |
Upon request,
the Company shall submit to the Directors such reports, materials or data
s the Directors may reasonably request so that the Directors may fully
carry out the duties imposed upon them by the Shared Fund Exemptive Order,
and said reports, materials and data shall be submitted more frequently if
deemed appropriate by the Directors. |
H. |
If and to the
extent that (a) Rule 6e-2 and Rule 6e-3(T) under the 1940 Act are
amended, or Rule 6e-3 under the 1940 Act is adopted, to provide exemptive
relief from any provision of the 1940 Act, or the rules promulgated
thereunder, with respect to mixed or shared funding (as defined in the
Notice of Application for the Shared Fund Exemptive Order), on terms and
conditions materially different from any exemptions granted in the Shared
Fund Exemptive Order, or (b) the Shared Fund Exemptive Order is
amended to incorporate terms and conditions that differ from those set
forth in this Article IV, then (a) the Trust will provide written
notice of such differences to the Company, and (b) the Trust and/or
the Company, as appropriate, shall take such steps as may be necessary
(1) to comply with Rules 6e-2 or 6e-3(T), as amended, and Rule 6e-3,
as adopted, to the extent such rules are applicable, or (2) to
conform this Article IV to the terms and conditions contained in the
Shared Fund Exemptive Order. |
14
ARTICLE
V
Standard
of Care/Limitations of Liability
A. |
Neither the
Company, Distributor nor the Trust shall be under a duty to take any
action hereunder on behalf of the other parties except as specifically set
forth herein or as may be specifically agreed to by the parties in a
written amendment hereto. Neither party shall be liable under the
indemnification provision of Section G of this Article V, for damages
except to the extent the losses were caused by the party’s own willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its
duties under this Agreement (“Standard
of Care”). |
B. |
Neither party
shall be liable for damages (including without limitation damages caused
by delays, failure, errors, interruption or loss of data) occurring
directly or indirectly by reason of circumstances beyond its reasonable
control, including without limitation acts of God; action or inaction of
civil or military authority; national emergencies; public enemy; war;
terrorism; riot; fire; flood; catastrophe; sabotage; epidemics; labor
disputes; civil commotion; interruption, loss or malfunction of utilities,
transportation, computer or communications capabilities; insurrection;
elements of nature; non-performance by a third party; failure of the
mails; or functions or malfunctions of the internet, firewalls, encryption
systems or security devices caused by any of the above.
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C. |
Neither party
shall be under any duty or obligation to inquire into and shall not be
liable for the validity or invalidity, authority or lack thereof, or
truthfulness or accuracy or lack thereof, of any instruction, direction,
notice, instrument or other information which the party reasonably
believes to be genuine. Neither party shall be liable for any damages that
are caused by actions or omissions taken by the party in accordance with
Written Instructions or advice of counsel.
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D. |
Neither party
nor their affiliates shall be liable for any consequential, incidental,
exemplary, punitive, special or indirect damages, whether or not the
likelihood of such damages was known by the party or its affiliates.
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E. |
No party may
assert a cause of action against another party or any of its affiliates
that allegedly occurred more than 12 months immediately prior to the
filing of the suit (or, if applicable, commencement of arbitration
proceedings) alleging such cause of action.
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F. |
Each party
shall have a duty to mitigate damages for which the other party may become
responsible. |
G. |
Absent a
party’s failure to meet its Standard of Care (defined in Section A above),
each party agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the other parties
and each of their affiliates and their respective directors, trustees,
officers, agents and employees from all claims, suits, actions, damages,
losses, liabilities, obligations, costs and reasonable expenses (including
attorneys’ fees and court costs, travel costs and other reasonable
out-of-pocket costs related to dispute resolution) arising directly or
indirectly from the performance of the party’s duties hereunder.
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H. |
The Sections
of this Article V shall survive termination of this Agreement.
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ARTICLE
VI
Termination
A. |
Company may
terminate this Agreement by notice in writing to the Trust and
Distributor, which termination shall become effective sixty (60) days
after the date of mailing such notice. |
B. |
The Trust or
Distributor may terminate the agreement, at either’s option, upon written
notice to the Company of such termination, which shall be effective on the
date stated in such notice. |
C. |
This
Agreement may be terminated with respect to a Fund thereof at any time,
without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Disinterested
Directors, or by vote of a majority of the class of Shares of such Fund
for which services are provided hereunder, on not more than 60 days’
written notice. |
D. |
This
Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as
such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended).
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E. |
Without
limiting the foregoing, either party may terminate this Agreement for
cause on the violation by another party of any of the provisions of this
Agreement, said termination to become effective on the date of mailing
notice to the other parties of such termination.
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F. |
A party’s
failure to terminate for any cause shall not constitute a waiver of the
right to terminate at a later date for any such cause.
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G. |
This
Agreement may be terminated at the option of the Distributor or the Trust
upon institution of formal proceedings against the Company by the NASD,
the SEC, the insurance commission of any state or any regulatory body
regarding the Company’s duties under this agreement or related to the sale
of the Contracts, the operation of the Account, the administration of the
Contracts or the purchase of the Shares, or an expected or anticipated
ruling, judgment or outcome which would, in the Trust or the Distributor’s
respective reasonable judgment, materially impair the Company’s ability to
meet and perform the Company’s obligations and duties hereunder.
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H. |
This
Agreement may be terminated at the option of the Trust or the Distributor
if the Internal Revenue Service determines that the Contracts cease to
qualify as annuity contracts or life insurance policies, as applicable,
under the Code, or if the Trust or the Distributor reasonably believes
that the Contracts may fail so to qualify.
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I. |
This
Agreement may be terminated at the option of the Company upon institution
of formal proceedings against the Trust or the Distributor by the NASD,
the SEC, or any other regulatory body regarding the party’s duties under
this Agreement or related to the sale or purchase of Fund Shares or the
operation of the Trust, or an expected or anticipated ruling, judgment or
outcome which would, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, materially
impair the Trust or Distributor’s ability to meet and perform its
respective obligations and duties hereunder.
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J. |
This
Agreement may be terminated at the option of the Company if the Internal
Revenue Service determines that any Fund fails to qualify as a “Regulated
Investment Company” under the Code or fails to comply with the
diversification requirements of Section 817(h) of the Code.
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ARTICLE
VII
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 Trust:
If to the
Distributor:
Xx. Xxxxx
XxXxxxxxx
PFPC Distributors,
Inc.
000 Xxxxx Xxxx
Xxxx xx Xxxxxxx, XX
00000
If to the Company:
ARTICLE
VIII
Miscellaneous
A. |
This
Agreement is not, and shall not be deemed, an exclusive arrangement
between the parties and shall not prohibit, restrict, condition, or
otherwise prevent either party from entering into the same or similar
arrangements with either party’s affiliates or with third parties.
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B. |
Neither this
Agreement nor the performance of the services herein shall be considered
to create, and all parties expressly disclaim, any agency, joint venture,
partnership, or association between the parties.
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C. |
This
Agreement will be construed by and governed in accordance with the laws of
the State of Delaware, without reference to conflicts of law principles,
and shall, to the extent applicable, be subject to the provisions of the
1934 and 1940 Acts, and the rules, regulations and rulings thereunder,
including such exemptions from those statues, rules and regulations as the
SEC may grant and the terms hereof shall be interpreted and construed in
accordance therewith. |
D. |
If any
provision of this Agreement is deemed to be in violation of law or is
unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement with such provision omitted
will remain in full force and effect. |
E. |
This
Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties with respect to
the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements relating to
the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be modified, and any
provision of this Agreement may be waived, only in writing signed by the
parties. No failure of either party to insist upon strict performance of
any provision of this Agreement shall constitute a waiver.
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F. |
Any amendment
to this Agreement will be valid only if in writing and signed by the
parties. The parties agree that Funds may be deleted from and additional
Funds may be added to Schedule A of this Agreement (and become funds for
purposes of this Agreement), upon the parties execution of an amended
Schedule A detailing such change. |
G. |
Each party
shall cooperate with each other party and all appropriate governmental
authorities (including, but not limited to, the SEC, the NASD 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 hereunder.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties have caused their duly authorized officers to execute this Fund
Participation Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
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PFPC
DISTRIBUTORS, INC. |
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By: |
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Name: |
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Title: |
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Date: |
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GREAT
AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY |
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By: |
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Name: |
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Title: |
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Date: |
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