Exhibit 8(a)
PLACEMENT AGENT AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 1st day of October, 2008, between SHORT-TERM BOND
MASTER LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the "Company"), on behalf of
itself and each of its series listed on Exhibit A (each, a "Series") and
BLACKROCK INVESTMENTS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the "Placement Agent").
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, the Company has filed a registration statement (the "Registration
Statement") pursuant to Section 8(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "Investment Company Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Directors of the Company (the "Directors") are authorized to
establish separate series relating to separate portfolios of securities, each of
which may offer beneficial interests in its specific series of the Company; and
WHEREAS, the Directors have established and designated the Series as
series of the Company, and authorized them to offer beneficial interests (the
"Shares") to BlackRock Short-Term Bond (the "Fund"), a series of BlackRock
Short-Term Bond Series, Inc. and a limited number of institutional investors as
described below; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Placement Agent wish to enter into an
agreement with each other with respect to the distribution of Shares (the
"Agreement").
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
Section 1. Appointment of the Placement Agent; Private Offering.
(a) The Company hereby appoints the Placement Agent as placement agent in
connection with the distribution of the Shares.
(b) The Placement Agent understands that: (i) The Shares are not being
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"),
(ii) such Shares are to be issued solely in private placement transactions that
do not involve any "public offering" within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act; (iii) investments in the Company may be made only by the Fund
and a limited number of institutional investors, including investment companies,
common or commingled trust funds, group trusts and certain other "accredited
investors" within the meaning of Regulation D under the Securities Act; (iv) the
Registration Statement is not intended to constitute an offer to sell, or the
solicitation of an offer to buy, the Shares.
(c) In carrying out its duties hereunder, the Placement Agent agrees that
it will act in a manner consistent with the foregoing and, unless otherwise
instructed by the Company in writing, will not take any actions that would cause
the Company to make a "public offering" within the meaning of Section 4(2) of
the Securities Act.
Section 2. Exclusive Nature of Duties. The Placement Agent shall be the
exclusive representative of the Company to act as placement agent in respect of
the distribution of the Shares of the Portfolios, except that:
(a) The Company may, upon written notice to the Placement Agent, from time
to time designate other placement agents with respect to areas other than the
United States as to which the Placement Agent may have expressly waived in
writing its right to act as such. If such designation is deemed exclusive, the
right of the Placement Agent under this Agreement in respect of such areas so
designated shall terminate, but this Agreement shall remain otherwise in full
effect until terminated in accordance with the other provisions hereof.
(b) The exclusive right granted to the Placement Agent hereunder shall not
apply to Shares issued in connection with the merger or consolidation of any
other investment company or personal holding company with the Company or the
acquisition by purchase or otherwise of all (or substantially all) the assets or
the outstanding shares of any such company by the Company.
(c) Such exclusive right also shall not apply to Shares pursuant to
reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions.
(d) Such exclusive right also shall not apply to Shares pursuant to any
conversion, exchange or reinstatement privilege afforded redeeming shareholders
or to any other Shares as shall be agreed between the Company and the Placement
Agent from time to time.
Section 3. Duties of the Company.
(a) The Company shall furnish to the Placement Agent copies of all
information, financial statements and other papers that the Placement Agent may
reasonably request for use in connection with its duties hereunder, and this
shall include, upon request by the Placement Agent, one certified copy of all
financial statements prepared for the Company by independent public accountants.
(b) Consistent with Section 1 hereof, the Company shall use its best
efforts to qualify and maintain the qualification of the Shares for sale under
the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Placement Agent and the Company
may approve. Any such qualification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by
the Company at any time in its discretion. The expense of qualification and
maintenance of qualification shall be borne by the Company. The Placement Agent
shall furnish such information and other material relating to its affairs and
activities as may be required by the Company in connection with such
qualification.
(c) The Company will furnish to the Placement Agent, in reasonable
quantities upon request by the Placement Agent, copies of annual and interim
reports of the Company.
Section 4. Duties of the Placement Agent.
(a) The Placement Agent shall devote reasonable time and effort to its
duties hereunder. The services of the Placement Agent to the Company hereunder
are not to be deemed exclusive and nothing herein contained shall prevent the
Placement Agent from entering into like arrangements with other investment
companies so long as the performance of its obligations hereunder is not
impaired thereby.
(b) In performing its duties hereunder, the Placement Agent shall use its
best efforts in all respects duly to conform with the requirements of all
applicable laws relating to the sale of securities. Neither the Placement Agent
nor any other person is authorized by the Company to
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give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained
in the Company's registration statement or any sales literature specifically
approved by the Company.
Section 5. Payment of Expenses.
(a) The Company shall pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses
incurred in connection with the operation of the Company, including fees and
disbursements of its counsel and auditors, in connection with the preparation
and filing of any required registration statements under the Investment Company
Act, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and preparing and mailing
annual and interim reports and proxy materials to shareholders (including but
not limited to the expense of setting in type any such registration statements,
or interim reports or proxy materials).
(b) The Company shall bear any cost and expenses of qualification of the
Shares for sale pursuant to this Agreement and, if necessary or advisable in
connection therewith, of qualifying the Company as a broker or dealer in such
states of the United States or other jurisdictions as shall be selected by the
Company and the Placement Agent pursuant to Section 3 hereof and the cost and
expenses payable to each such state for continuing qualification therein until
the Company decides to discontinue such qualification pursuant to Section 3
hereof.
Section 6. Indemnification.
(a) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agent and
each person, if any, who controls the Placement Agent against any loss,
liability, claim, damage or expense (including the reasonable cost of
investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damage or expense
and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith), as incurred,
arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares, which may be based upon
the Securities Act, or on any other statute or at common law, on the ground that
any registration statement or other offering materials, as from time to time
amended and supplemented, or any annual or interim report to the shareholders of
the Company, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the
statements therein not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in
reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Company in
connection therewith by or on behalf of the Placement Agent; provided, however,
that in no case (i) is the indemnity of the Company in favor of the Placement
Agent and any such controlling persons to be deemed to protect such Placement
Agent or any such controlling persons thereof against any liability to the
Company or its shareholders to which the Placement Agent or any such controlling
persons would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith
or gross negligence in the performance of their duties or by reason of the
reckless disregard of their obligations and duties under this Agreement; or (ii)
is the Company to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained in this
paragraph with respect to any claim made against the Placement Agent or any such
controlling persons, unless the Placement Agent or such controlling persons, as
the case may be, shall have notified the Company in writing within a reasonable
time after the summons or other first legal process giving information of the
nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Placement Agent or such
controlling persons (or after the Placement Agent or such controlling persons
shall have received notice of such service on any designated agent), but failure
to notify the Company of any such claim shall not relieve it from any liability
that it may have to the person against whom such action is brought otherwise
than on account of its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph. The
Company will be entitled to participate at
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its own expense in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any
suit brought to enforce any such liability, but if the Company elects to assume
the defense, such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and
satisfactory to the Placement Agent or such controlling person or persons,
defendant or defendants in the suit. In the event the Company elects to assume
the defense of any such suit and obtain such counsel, the Placement Agent or
such controlling person or persons, defendant or defendants in the suit shall
bear the fees and expenses, as incurred, of any additional counsel retained by
them, but in case the Company does not elect to assume the defense of any such
suit, the Company will reimburse the Placement Agent or such controlling person
or persons, defendant or defendants in the suit, for the reasonable fees and
expenses, as incurred, of any counsel retained by them. The Company shall
promptly notify the Placement Agent of the commencement of any litigation or
proceedings against it or any of the Company's officers or Directors in
connection with the issuance or sale of any of the Shares.
(b) The Placement Agent shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company and
each of the Directors of the Company and officers and each person, if any, who
controls the Company against any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense, as
incurred, described in the foregoing indemnity contained in subsection (a) of
this Section, but only with respect to statements or omissions made in reliance
upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Company in writing by
or on behalf of the Placement Agent for use in connection with its registration
statement or related prospectus and statement of additional information, as from
time to time amended, or the annual or interim reports to shareholders. In case
any action shall be brought against the Company or any person so indemnified, in
respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Placement Agent, the
Placement Agent shall have the rights and duties given to the Company, and the
Company and each person so indemnified shall have the rights and duties given to
the Placement Agent by the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 6.
Section 7. Duration and Termination of this Agreement. This Agreement
shall become effective as of the date first above written and shall remain in
force for two years thereafter and thereafter, but only for so long as such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the Directors or
by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company
and (ii) by the vote of a majority of those Directors who are not parties to
this Agreement or interested persons of any such party cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any
penalty, by the Directors or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of each Portfolio, or by the Placement Agent, on sixty days' written
notice to the other party. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the
event of its assignment.
The terms "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities,"
"assignment," "affiliated person" and "interested person," when used in this
Agreement, shall have the respective meanings specified in the Investment
Company Act and the Rules and Regulations thereunder, subject, however to such
exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the
Investment Company Act.
Section 8. Amendments of this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended by
the parties only if such amendment is specifically approved by (i) the Directors
or by a vote of a majority of outstanding voting securities of the Company and
(ii) by the vote of a majority of those Directors
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who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party
cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
Section 9. Governing Law. The provisions of this Agreement shall be
construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York
as at the time in effect and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company
Act. To the extent that the applicable law of the State of New York, or any of
the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the Investment
Company Act, the latter shall control.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of
the day and year first above written.
SHORT-TERM BOND MASTER LLC
By: _________________________
Name:
Title:
BLACKROCK INVESTMENTS, INC.
By: _________________________
Name:
Title:
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Exhibit A
Individual Series of Short-Term Bond Master LLC
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Short-Term Bond Master Portfolio
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