Exhibit 23(h)(15)
EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT
NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
EXPENSE LIMITATION AGREEMENT, effective as of September 1, 2000 by and
between VILLANOVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT TRUST (the "Investment Adviser") and
NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS (the "Trust"), an Ohio business trust, on behalf of each
of the funds listed on Exhibit A (each, a "Fund").
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as amended (the "1940 Act"), as an open end-diversified management company of
the series type, and each Fund is a series of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Trust and the Investment Adviser have entered into an
Investment Advisory Agreement (the "Advisory Agreement"), pursuant to which the
Investment Adviser will render investment advisory services to the Fund for
compensation based on the value of the average daily net assets of the Fund; and
WHEREAS, the Trust and the Investment Adviser have determined that it is
appropriate and in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to
maintain the expenses of the Fund at a level below the level to which the Fund
would normally be subject during its start-up period.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Expense Limitation.
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1.1. Applicable Expense Limit. To the extent that the aggregate expenses
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of every character incurred by a Fund in any fiscal year, including but not
limited to investment advisory fees of the Investment Adviser (but excluding
interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, Rule 12b-1 fees, fees paid pursuant to
an Administrative Services Plan and other expenditures which are capitalized in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and other extraordinary
expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business) ("Fund
Operating Expenses"), exceed the Operating Expense Limit, as defined in Section
1.2 below, such excess amount (the "Excess Amount") shall be the liability of
the Investment Adviser.
1.2. Operating Expense Limit. The Operating Expense Limit in any year
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shall be a percentage of the average daily net assets of each class of the Fund
as described in Exhibit A, or such other rate as may be agreed to in writing by
the parties. The parties hereby agree that Operating Expense Limit described in
Exhibit A will not be increased before October 31, 2001.
1.3. Method of Computation. To determine the Investment Adviser's
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liability with respect to the Excess Amount, each month the Fund Operating
Expenses shall be annualized as
of the last day of the month for each class of a Fund. If the annualized Fund
Operating Expenses for any month exceed the Operating Expense Limit of a Fund
class, the Investment Adviser shall first waive or reduce its advisory fee for
such month by an amount sufficient to reduce the annualized Fund Operating
Expenses to an amount which does not exceed the Operating Expense Limit. If the
amount of the waived or reduced advisory fee for any such month is insufficient
to satisfy the Excess Amount, the Investment Adviser may also remit to a Fund an
amount that, together with the waived or reduced advisory fee, is sufficient to
satisfy such Excess Amount.
1.4. Year-End Adjustment. If necessary, on or before the last day of the
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first month of each fiscal year, an adjustment payment shall be made by the
appropriate party in order that the amount of the advisory fees waived or
reduced and other payments remitted by the Investment Adviser to a Fund with
respect to the previous fiscal year shall equal the Excess Amount.
2. Reimbursement of Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements.
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2.1. Reimbursement. If in any fiscal year during which total Fund assets
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are greater than $100 million and in which the Investment Advisory Agreement is
still in effect, the estimated aggregate Fund Operating Expenses for the fiscal
year are less than the Operating Expense Limit for that year, subject to
quarterly approval by the Trust's Board of Trustees as provided in Section 2.2
below, the Investment Adviser shall be entitled to reimbursement by a Fund, in
whole or in part as provided below, of the advisory fees waived or reduced and
other payments remitted by the Investment Adviser to the Fund pursuant to
Section 1 hereof. The total amount of reimbursement to which the Investment
Adviser may be entitled (the "Reimbursement Amount") shall equal, at any time,
the sum of all advisory fees previously waived or reduced by the Investment
Adviser and all other payments remitted by the Investment Adviser to a Fund,
pursuant to Section 1 hereof, during any of the previous five (5) fiscal years
after a Fund commences operations less any reimbursement previously paid by such
Fund to the Investment Adviser, pursuant to Sections 2.2 or 2.3 hereof, with
respect to such waivers, reductions, and payments. The Reimbursement Amount
shall not include any additional charges or fees whatsoever, including, e.g.,
interest accruable on the Reimbursement Amount.
2.2. Board Approval. No portion of the Reimbursement Amount shall be paid
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to the Investment Adviser pursuant to this provision in any fiscal year, unless
the Trust's Board of Trustees has determined that the payment of such
reimbursement is appropriate in light of the terms of this Agreement. The
Trust's Board of Trustees shall determine quarterly in advance whether any
portion of the Reimbursement Amount may be paid to the Investment Adviser in
such quarter.
2.3. Method of Computation. To determine a Fund's payments, if any, to
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reimburse the Investment Adviser for all or any portion of the Reimbursement
Amount, each month the Fund Operating Expenses for each Fund class shall be
annualized as of the last day of the month. If the annualized Fund Operating
Expenses of a Fund class for any month are less than the Operating Expense Limit
for that class, a Fund may submit for Board approval (See Section 2.2), a
proposal to pay to the Investment Adviser an amount which is equal to the amount
by which the Operating Expense Limit exceeds the annualized Fund Operating
Expenses.
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2.4. Year-End Adjustment. If necessary, on or before the last day of the
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first month of each fiscal year, an adjustment payment shall be made by the
appropriate party in order that the actual Fund Operating Expenses for the prior
fiscal year (including any reimbursement payments hereunder with respect to such
fiscal year) do not exceed the Operating Expense Limit.
3. Term and Termination of Agreement.
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This Agreement shall continue in effect for a period of one year from the
date of its execution and from year to year thereafter provided such continuance
is specifically approved by a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who (i) are
not "interested persons" of the Trust or any other party to this Agreement, as
defined in the 1940 Act, and (ii) have no direct or indirect financial interest
in the operation of this Agreement ("Non-Interested Trustees"), provided
however, that the reimbursements described in Section 2 will not continue to
accrue for more than five years after a Fund's commencement of operations.
Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, the parties hereby agree that the
initial Operating Expense Limits describe herein shall remain in place until at
least October 31, 2001.
4. Miscellaneous.
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4.1. Captions. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience
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of reference only and in no other way define or delineate any of the provisions
hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.
4.2. Interpretation. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require
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the Trust or a Fund to take any action contrary to the Trust's Agreement and
Declaration of Trust or By-Laws, or any applicable statutory or regulatory
requirement to which it is subject or by which it is bound, or to relieve or
deprive the Trust's Board of Trustees of its responsibility for and control of
the conduct of the affairs of the Trust or the Fund.
4.3. Definitions. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision
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of this Agreement, including but not limited to the investment advisory fee, the
computations of net asset values, and the allocation of expenses, having a
counterpart in or otherwise derived from the terms and provisions of the
Advisory Agreement or the 1940 Act, shall have the same
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meaning as and be resolved by reference to such Advisory Agreement or the 1940
Act.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be signed by
their respective officers thereunto duly authorized and their respective
corporate seals to be hereunto affixed, as of the day and year first above
written.
NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
By: /s/ XXXXXXXXX X. XXXXX
XXXXXXXXX GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT
TRUST
By: /s/ XXXXX XXXXXXXX
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EXHIBIT A
to the Expense Limitation Agreement between
NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
and
VILLANOVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT TRUST
As of September 1, 2000
Name of Fund/Class Expense Limitation for Fund/Class
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Gartmore Emerging Markets Fund
Class A 2.15%
Class B 2.75%
Institutional Service Class 1.82%
Gartmore International Growth Fund
Class A 1.85%
Class B 2.45%
Institutional Service Class 1.52%
Gartmore Global Leaders Fund
Class A 1.75%
Class B 2.35%
Institutional Service Class 1.42%
Gartmore European Growth Fund
Class A 1.80%
Class B 2.40%
Institutional Service Class 1.47%
Gartmore Global Small Companies Fund
Class A 2.15%
Class B 2.75%
Institutional Service Class 1.82%
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