DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
FORM
OF
THIS
AGREEMENT is made as of February ___, 2008, between Conestoga Funds the
Institutional Advisors LargeCap Fund (“Fund”) and Xxxxxxxx Capital Markets, LLC,
(“RCM”), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New
York.
WHEREAS
the Fund is registered under the Investment Act of 1940, as amended (“1940
Act”), as an
open-end management investment company, and has registered one or more distinct
series of shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) for sale to the public under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”), and has qualified its
shares for sale to the public under various state securities laws;
and
WHEREAS
the Fund desires to retain RCM as principal underwriter in connection with the
offering
and sale of the Shares of each series listed on Schedule A ( as amended from
time to time) to this
Agreement; and
WHEREAS
this Agreement has been approved by a vote of the Fund’s board of trustees or
directors
(“Board”) and its disinterested trustees/directors in conformity with Section
15(c) under the 1940 Act;
and
WHEREAS RCM
is willing to act as principal underwriter for the Fund on the terms and
conditions
hereinafter set forth;
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein
contained, it is
agreed between the parties hereto as follows;
1.
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Appointment.The Fund
hereby appoints RCM as its agent to be the principal underwriter so as to
hold itself out as available to receive and accept orders for the purchase
and redemption of the Shares and redemption of Shares on behalf of the
Fund, subject to the terms and for the
period set forth in this Agreement. RCM hereby accepts such appointment
and agrees to act hereunder.
The Fund understands that any solicitation activities conducted on behalf
of the Fund will be
conducted primarily, if not exclusively, by employees of the Fund’s
sponsor who shall become registered
representatives of RCM.
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2.
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Services
and Duties of RCM.
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(1) RCM
agrees to sell Shares on a best efforts basis from time to time during the term
of this
Agreement as agent for the Fund and upon the terms described in the Registration
Statement. As used
in this Agreement, the term “Registration Statement” shall mean the currently
effective registration
statement of the Fund, and any supplements thereto, under the 1933 Act and the
0000 Xxx.
(2)
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RCM
will hold itself available to receive purchase and redemption orders
satisfactory to RCM for Shares and will accept such orders on behalf of
the Fund. Such purchase orders shall be deemed effective at the time and
in the manner set forth in the Registration
Statement.
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(3)
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RCM,
with the operational assistance of the Fund’s transfer agent, shall make
Shares available through the National Securities Clearing Corporation’s
Fund/SERV System.
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(4)
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RCM
shall provide to investors and potential investors only such information
regarding
the Fund as the Fund shall provide or approve. RCM shall review and file
all proposed
advertisements
and sales literature with appropriate regulators and consult with the Fund
regarding any
comments
provided by regulators with respect to such
materials.
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(5)
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The
offering price of the Shares shall be the price determined in accordance
with, and in the manner set forth in, the most-current Prospectus. The
Fund shall make available to RCM a statement of each computation of net
asset value and the details of entering into such
computation.
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(6)
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RCM
at its sole discretion may repurchase Shares offered for sale by
the shareholders.
Repurchase of Shares by RCM shall be at the price determined in accordance
with, and in
the manner set forth in, the most-current Prospectus. At the end of each
business day, RCM shall notify,
by any appropriate means, the Fund and its transfer agent of the orders
for repurchase of Shares received
by RCM since the last report, the amount to be paid for such Shares, and
the identity of the shareholders
offering Shares for repurchase. The Fund reserves the right to suspend
such repurchase right
upon written notice to RCM. RCM further agrees to act as agent for the
Fund to receive and transmit promptly to the Fund’s transfer agent
shareholder requests for redemption of
Shares.
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(7)
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RCM
shall not be obligated to sell any certain number of
Shares.
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(8) RCM
shall prepare reports for the Board regarding its activities under this
Agreement
as from time to time shall be reasonably requested by the Board.
3.
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Duties
of the Fund.
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(1)
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The
Fund shall keep RCM fully informed of its affairs and shall provide to RCM
from
time to time copies of all information, financial statements, and other
papers that RCM may reasonably
request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares, including,
without limitation, certified
copies of any financial statements prepared for the Fund by its
independent public accountant and
such reasonable number of copies of the most current Prospectus, Statement
of Additional Information
(“SAI”), and annual and interim reports as RCM may request, and the Fund
shall fully cooperate
in the efforts of RCM to sell and arrange for the sale of
Shares.
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(2)
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The
Fund shall maintain a currently effective Registration Statement on Form
N-1A
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), maintain
qualification with applicable
states and file such reports and other documents as may be required under
applicable federal
and state laws. The Fund shall notify RCM in writing of the states in
which the Shares may be sold
and shall notify RCM in writing of any changes to such information. The
Fund shall bear all expenses related to preparing and typesetting such
Prospectuses, SAI and other materials required by law
and such other expenses, including printing and mailing expenses, related
to the Fund’s communication with persons who are
shareholders.
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(3)
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The
Fund shall not use any advertisements or other sales materials that have
not been (i) submitted to RCM for its review and approval, and (ii) filed
with the appropriate regulators.
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(4)
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The
Fund represents and warrants that its Registration Statement and
any advertisements
and sales literature (excluding statements relating to RCM and the
services it provides that
are based upon written information furnished by RCM expressly for
inclusion therein) of the Fund shall
not contain any untrue statement of material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, and that all statements or information
furnished to RCM, pursuant to Section 3(a) hereof, shall be true and
correct in all material
respects.
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4.
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Other Broker-Dealers.RCM
in its discretion may enter into agreements to sell Shares
to such registered and qualified retail dealers, as reasonably requested
by the Fund. In making agreements
with such dealers, RCM shall not act only as principal and not as agent
for the Fund. The form
of any such dealer agreement shall be mutually agreed upon and approved by
the Fund and RCM.
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5.
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Withdrawal of
Offering.The Fund reserves the right at any time to withdraw
all offerings
of any or all Shares by written notice to RCM at its principal office. No
Shares shall be offered by either RCM or the Fund under any provisions of
this Agreement and no orders for the purchase or Sale of Shares hereunder
shall be accepted by the Fund if and so long as effectiveness of
the
Registration Statement then in effect or any necessary amendments thereto
shall be suspended under any of the provisions of the 1933 Act, or if and
so long as a current prospectus as required by Section
5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act is not on file with the
SEC.
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6.
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Services Not
Exclusive.The services furnished by RCM hereunder are not to
be deemed
exclusive and RCM shall be free to furnish similar services to others so
long as its services under
this Agreement are not impaired
thereby.
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7.
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Expenses of the Fund.The
Fund shall bear all costs and expenses of registering the
Shares with the SEC and state and other regulatory bodies, and shall
assume expenses related to
communications
with shareholders of the Fund including, but not limited to, (i) fees and
disbursements of
its counsel and independent public accountant; (ii) the preparation,
filing, and printing of Registration Statements and/or Prospectuses or
SAIs; (iii) the preparation and mailing of annual and interim
reports, Prospectuses, SAIs, and proxy materials to shareholders; (iv)
such other expenses related
to the communications with persons who are shareholders of the Fund; and
(v)the qualifications of
Shares for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as shall
be selected by the Fund pursuant to Paragraph 3(b) hereof, and the costs
and expenses payable to each such jurisdiction for continuing
qualification therein. In addition, the Fund shall bear all costs of
preparing, printing, mailing and filing any advertisements and sales
literature. RCM does not assume responsibility for any expenses
not assumed hereunder.
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8.
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Xxxxxxxxxxxx.Xx
compensation for the services performed and the expenses assumed
by RCM under this Agreement including, but not limited to, any commissions
paid for sales of
Shares, the Fund shall pay RCM, as promptly as possible after receipt of a
quarterly invoice, a fee for
services as set forth in Schedule B to this
Agreement.
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9.
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Share Certificates.The
Fund shall not issue certificates representing Shares unless requested
to do so by a shareholder. If such request is transmitted through RCM, the
Fund will cause certificates evidencing the Shares owned to be issued in
such names and denominations as RCM shall from
time to time direct.
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10.
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Status of RCM.RCM is an
independent contractor and shall be agent of the Fund only
with respect to the sale and redemption of
Shares.
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11.
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Indemnification.
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(a) The
Fund agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold RCM, its officers and directors,
and any
person who controls RCM within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, free
and harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and
expenses (including the cost of investigating
or defending such claims, demands, or liabilities and any counsel fees incurred
in connection
therewith) that RCM, its officers, directors, or any such controlling person may
incur under the 1933
Act, or under common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon any (i)
alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus, SAI or
sales literature, (ii)
alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated in the either
thereof or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, or (iii) failure by the Fund to comply with
the terms of the Agreement;
provided, that in no event shall anything contained herein be so construed as to
protect RCM against any liability to the Fund or its shareholders to which RCM
would otherwise be subject by reason of
willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its
duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations under this
Agreement.
(b) The
Fund shall not be liable to RCM under this Agreement with respect to any claim
made against RCM on any person indemnified unless RCM or other such person shall
have notified
the Fund in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or
other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim
shall have been served upon RCM or such
other person (or after RCM or the person shall have received notice of service
on any designated agent).
However, failure to notify the Fund of any claim shall not relieve the Fund from
any liability that it may have to RCM or any other person against whom such
action is brought otherwise than on account
of this Agreement.
(c) The
Fund shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense or, if
it so elects,
to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any claims subject to this
Agreement. If the Fund
elects to assume the defense of any such claim, the defense shall be conducted
by counsel chosen by the
Fund and satisfactory to indemnified defendants in the suit whose approval shall
not be unreasonably
withheld. In the event that the Fund elects to assume the defense of any suit
and retain counsel,
the indemnified defendants shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional
counsel retained by them.
If the Fund does not elect to assume the defense of a suit, it will reimburse
the indemnified defendants
for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by the indemnified
defendants. The Fund
agrees to promptly notify RCM of the commencement of any litigation or
proceedings
against
it or any of its officers or directors in connection with the issuance or sale
of any of its Shares.
(d) RCM
agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold the Fund, its officers and directors, and
any
person who controls the Fund within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act,
free and harmless from and
against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, and expenses (including the
cost of investigating or defending against such claims, demands, or liabilities
and any counsel fees incurred in connection
therewith) that the Fund, its directors or officers, or any such controlling
person may incur under the
1933 Act, or under common law or otherwise, resulting from RCM’s willful
misfeasance, bad faith
or gross negligence in the performance of its obligations and duties under this
Agreement, or arising
out of or based upon any alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained
in information furnished
in writing by RCM to the Fund for use in the Registration Statement, Prospectus
or SAI arising
out of or based upon any alleged omission to state a material fact in connection
with such information required to be stated in either thereof or necessary to
make such information not misleading.
(e) RCM
shall be entitled to participate, at its own expense, in the defense or, if it
so elects,
to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce the claim, but if RCM
elects to assume the defense,
the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by RCM and satisfactory to the
indemnified defendants
whose approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event that RCM elects
to assume the
defense of any suit and retain counsel, the defendants in the suit shall bear
the fees and expenses of any
additional counsel retained by them. If RCM does not elect to assume the defense
of any suit, it will
reimburse the indemnified defendants in the suit for the reasonable fees and
expenses of any counsel retained by them.
12.
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Duration
and Termination.
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(a) This
Agreement shall become effective on the date first written above or such later
date as
indicated in Schedule A and, unless sooner terminated by as provided herein,
will continue in effect for two years from the above written date. Thereafter,
if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue
in effect for successive annual periods, provided that such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually (i) by a vote of a majority of the
Fund’s Board who are neither interested persons
(as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Fund (“Independent trustees/directors”) or
RCM, cast in person at
a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) by the
Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund.
(b) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated in its entirety at any time,
without the payment of any penalty, by vote of the Board, by vote of a majority
of the Independent
trustees/directors, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Fund on sixty
days’ written notice to RCM or by RCM at any time, without the payment of any
penalty, on sixty
days’ written notice to the Fund. This Agreement will automatically terminate in
the event of its assignment.
13.
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Amendment
of this Agreement. No provision of this Agreement may be
changed, waived,
discharged, or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing
signed by the party against
which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge, or termination is
sought. This Agreement may
be amended with the approval of the Board or of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the
Fund; provided, that in either case, such amendment also shall be approved
by a majority of the Independent
trustees/directors.
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14.
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Limitation
of Liability. The Board and shareholders of the Fund
shall not be personally
liable for obligations of the Fund in connection with this Agreement. If
the Fund is a Massachusetts Business Trust, this Agreement is not binding
upon any trustees, officer or shareholder of
the Fund individually, and no such person shall be individually liable
with respect to any action or inaction resulting from this
Agreement.
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15.
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Notice. Any
notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other
shall be deemed sufficient upon receipt in writing at the other party’s
principal offices.
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16.
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Miscellaneous. The
captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference
only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or
otherwise affect their construction
or effect. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made
invalid by a court decision,
statute, rule, or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be
affected thereby. This
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors.
As used in this Agreement, the terms “majority of the outstanding voting
securities”, “interested
person”, and “assignment” shall have the same meaning as such terms have
in the 1940 Act.
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17.
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Governing
Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with
the laws of the
State of New York and the 1940 Act. To the extent that the applicable laws
of the State of New York
conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall
control.
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to
be
executed
by their officers designated as of the day and year first above
written.
ATTEST:
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INSTITUTIONAL
ADVISORS LARGECAP FUND
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________________________________
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By:_____________________________________
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Title:___________________________________
ATTEST:
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XXXXXXXX
CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
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________________________________
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By:_____________________________________
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Title:___________________________________
SCHEDULE A
to the
between
INSTITUTIONAL
ADVISORS LARGECAP FUND
and
XXXXXXXX CAPITAL MARKETS,
LLC
Pursuant
to Section 1 of the Distribution Agreement among the Institutional Advisors
LargeCap Fund (“Fund”) and Xxxxxxxx Capital Markets, LLC (“RCM”), the Fund
hereby appoints RCM as its agent to be the principal underwriter of the
Fund.
Dated:
February __, 2009