EXHIBIT (h)(3)
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
FRONTIER FUNDS, INC.
AND
AMERICAN DATA SERVICES, INC.
INDEX
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1. DUTIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.......................................... 3
2. COMPENSATION OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.................................... 4
3. RESPONSIBILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION................................... 4
4. REPORTS.............................................................. 5
5. ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR...................................... 5
6. RECORDS.............................................................. 5
7. CONFIDENTIALITY...................................................... 5
8. DURATION AND TERMINATION OF THE AGREEMENT............................ 5
9. ASSIGNMENT........................................................... 5
10. NEW YORK LAWS TO APPLY.............................................. 6
11. AMENDMENTS TO THIS AGREEMENT........................................ 6
12. MERGER OF AGREEMENT ................................................ 6
13. NOTICES............................................................. 6
SCHEDULE A.............................................................. 7
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(A) ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE FEE: ........................................ 7
FEE INCREASES.......................................................... 7
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(B) EXPENSES............................................................ 7
(c) STATE REGISTRATION (BLUE SKY) SURCHARGE ............................ 8
(D) SPECIAL REPORTS..................................................... 8
(E) SERVICE DEPOSIT .................................................... 8
SCHEDULE B.............................................................. 9
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ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
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AGREEMENT made the 17th day of March 1999, by and between Frontier Funds,
Inc. (the "Fund"), and American Data Services, Inc., a New York corporation
having its principal office and place of business at the Hauppauge Corporate
Center, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (the
"Administrator").
BACKGROUND
WHEREAS, the Fund is a diversified open-end management investment company
registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the " 1940 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Administrator is a corporation experienced in providing
administrative services to mutual funds and possesses facilities sufficient to
provide such services; and
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to avail itself of the experience, assistance and
facilities of the Administrator and to have the Administrator perform for the
Fund certain services appropriate to the operations of the Fund and the
Administrator is willing to furnish such services in accordance with the terms
hereinafter set forth.
TERMS
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants
hereinafter contained, the Fund and the Administrator hereby agree to the
following:
1. DUTIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.
The Administrator will provide the Fund with the necessary office space,
communication facilities and personnel to perform the following services for the
Fund:
(a) Monitor all regulatory (1940 Act and IRS) and prospectus restrictions
for compliance;
(b) Prepare and coordinate the printing of semi-annual and annual financial
statements;
(c) Prepare selected management reports for performance and compliance
analyses as agreed upon by the Fund and Administrator from time to
time;
(d) Prepare selected financial data required for directors' meetings as
agreed upon by the Fund and the Administrator from time to time and
coordinate directors meeting agendas with outside legal counsel to the
Fund;
(e) Determine income and capital gains available for distribution and
calculate distributions required to meet regulatory, income, and
excise tax requirements, to be reviewed by the Fund's independent
public accountants;
(f) Prepare the Fund's federal, state, and local tax returns to be reviewed
by the Fund's independent public accountants;
(g) Prepare and maintain the Fund's operating expense budget to determine
proper expense accruals to be charged to the Fund in order to
calculate it's daily net asset value;
(h) 1940 Act filings -
In conjunction with the Fund's outside legal counsel the Administrator
will:
(i) Prepare the Fund's Form N-SAR reports;
(ii) Update all financial sections of the Fund's Statement of
Additional Information and coordinate its completion;
(iii) Update all financial sections of the Fund's prospectus and
coordinate its completion;
(iv) Update all financial sections of the Fund's proxy statement and
coordinate its completion;
(v) Prepare an annual update to Fund's 24f-2 filing (if
applicable);
(i) Monitor services provided by the Fund's custodian bank as well as any
other service providers to the Fund;
(j) Provide appropriate financial schedules (as requested by the Fund's
independent public accountants or SEC examiners), coordinate the
Fund's annual or SEC audit, and provide office facilities as may be
required;
(k) Attend management and board of directors meetings as requested;
(l) The preparation and filing (filing fee to be paid by the Fund) of
applications and reports as necessary to register or maintain the
Funds registration under the securities or "blue sky" laws of the
various states selected by the Fund or its Distributor.
The Administrator shall, for all purposes herein, be deemed to be an
independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or
authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or
otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund.
2. COMPENSATION OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.
In consideration of the services to be performed by the Administrator as
set forth herein for each portfolio listed on Schedule B, the Administrator
shall be entitled to receive compensation and reimbursement for all reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses. The Fund agrees to pay the Administrator the fees and
reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses as set forth in the fee schedule
attached hereto as Schedule A.
3. RESPONSIBILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) The Administrator shall be held to the exercise of reasonable care in
carrying out the provisions of the Agreement, but shall be without liability to
the Fund for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith without gross
negligence, bad faith, willful misconduct or reckless disregard of its duties
hereunder. It shall be entitled to rely upon and may act upon the accounting
records and reports generated by the Fund, advice of the Fund, or of counsel for
the Fund and upon statements of the Fund's independent accountants, and shall be
without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to such
records and reports or advice, provided that such action is not, to the
knowledge of the Administrator, in violation of applicable federal or state laws
or regulations, and provided further that such action is taken without gross
negligence, bad faith, willful misconduct or reckless disregard of its duties.
(b) The Administrator shall not be liable to the Fund for any error of
judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any act or omission by
the Administrator in the performance of its duties hereunder except as
hereinafter set forth. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to protect
the Administrator against any liability to the Fund or its security holders to
which the Administrator shall otherwise be subject by reason of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence in the performance of its duties on
behalf of the Fund, reckless disregard of the Administrator's obligations and
duties under this Agreement or the willful violation of any applicable law.
(c) Except as may otherwise be provided by applicable law, neither the
Administrator nor its stockholders, officers, directors, employees or agents
shall be subject to, and the Fund shall indemnify and hold such persons harmless
from and against, any liability for and any damages, expenses or losses incurred
by reason of the inaccuracy of information furnished to the Administrator by the
Fund or its authorized agents or in connection with any error in judgment or
mistake of law or any act or omission in the course of, connected with or
arising out of any services to be rendered hereunder, except by reason of
willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its
duties, by reason of reckless disregard of the Administrator's obligations and
duties under this Agreement or the willful violation of any applicable law.
REPORTS.
(a) The Fund shall provide to the Administrator on a quarterly basis a
report of a duly authorized officer of the Fund representing that all
information furnished to the Administrator during the preceding quarter was
true, complete and correct to the best of its knowledge. The Administrator shall
not be responsible for the accuracy of any information furnished to it by the
Fund, and the Fund shall hold the Administrator harmless in regard to any
liability incurred by reason of the inaccuracy of such information.
(b) The Administrator shall provide to the Board of Directors of the Fund,
on a quarterly basis, a report, in such a form as the Administrator and the Fund
shall from time to time agree, representing that, to its knowledge, the Fund was
in compliance with all requirements of applicable federal and state law,
including without limitation, the rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service, or specifying any
instances in which the Fund was not so in compliance. Whenever, in the course of
performing its duties under this Agreement, the Administrator determines, on the
basis of information supplied to the Administrator by the Fund, that a violation
of applicable law has occurred, or that, to its knowledge, a possible violation
of applicable law may have occurred or, with the passage of time, could occur,
the Administrator shall promptly notify the Fund and its counsel of such
violation.
5. ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.
The Administrator shall be free to render similar services to others so
long as its services hereinunder are not impaired thereby.
6. RECORDS.
The records maintained by the Administrator shall be the property of the
Fund, and shall be surrendered to the Fund, at the expense of the Fund, promptly
upon request by the Fund, provided that all service fees and expenses charged by
the Administrator in the performance of its duties hereunder have been fully
paid to the satisfaction of the Administrator, in the form in which such
accounts and records have been maintained or preserved. The Administrator agrees
to maintain a back-up set of accounts and records of the Fund (which back-up set
shall be updated on at least a weekly basis) at a location other than that where
the original accounts and records are stored. The Administrator shall assist the
Fund's independent auditors, or, upon approval of the Fund, any regulatory body,
in any requested review of the Fund's accounts and records. The Administrator
shall preserve the accounts and records as they are required to be maintained
and preserved by Rule 3 la-l under the 1940 Act.
7. CONFIDENTIALITY.
The Administrator agrees that it will, on behalf of itself and its officers
and employees, treat all transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and all
other information germane thereto, as confidential and such information shall
not be disclosed to any person except as may be authorized by the Fund.
8. DURATION AND TERMINATION OF THE AGREEMENT.
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date hereof and shall
remain in force for a period of three (3) years, provided however, that both
parties to this Agreement have the option to terminate the Agreement, upon
ninety (90) days' prior written notice. Should the Fund exercise its right to
terminate, all out-of-pocket expenses associated with the movement of records
and material will be borne by the Fund. Additionally, the Administrator reserves
the right to charge for any other reasonable expenses associated with such
termination.
9. ASSIGNMENT.
This Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto
and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this
Agreement shall not be assignable by the Fund without the prior written consent
of the Administrator, or by the Administrator without the prior written consent
of the Fund.
10. NEW YORK LAWS TO APPLY
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 1940 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 1940 Act, the latter shall control.
11. AMENDMENTS TO THIS AGREEMENT.
This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto only if such amendment
is in writing and signed by both parties.
12. MERGER OF AGREEMENT
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto
and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof
whether oral or written.
13. NOTICES.
All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall
be deemed to have been given when delivered in person or by certified mail,
return receipt requested, and shall be given to the following addresses (or such
other addresses as to which notice is given):
To the Fund: To the Administrator:
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
President President
Frontier Funds, Inc American Data Services, Inc.
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of
the day and year first above written.
FRONTIER FUNDS, INC. AMERICAN DATA SERVICES, INC.
/s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇ /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
By:------------------------------- By:-------------------------------
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇, President ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, President
SCHEDULE A
(a) ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE FEE:
For the services rendered by the Administrator in its capacity as
administrator and fund accounting agent, as specified in Paragraph 1. DUTIES OF
THE ADMINISTRATOR., and Paragraph 1. DUTIES OF ADS of the Fund Accounting
Services Agreement executed herewith, the Fund shall pay the Administrator
within ten (10) days after receipt of an invoice from the Administrator at the
beginning of each month, a fee equal to the greater of:
NOTE: The following fees are per portfolio serviced.
MINIMUM FEE:
CALCULATED FEE WILL BE BASED UPON PRIOR MONTH AVERAGE NET ASSETS:
(No prorating partial months)
Each Portfolio
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Under $5 million ..............................$2,268
From $5 million to $10 million.................2,750
From $10 million to $20 million................3,500
From $20 million on............................5,000
OR,
NET ASSET CHARGE:
1/12th of 0.0145% ( 14.5 basis points) of average net assets of portfolio for
month.
FEE INCREASES
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On each annual anniversary date of this Agreement, the fees enumerated
above will be increased by the change in the Consumer Price Index for the
Northeast region (CPI) for the twelve-month period ending with the month
preceding such annual anniversary date.
(b) EXPENSES.
The Fund shall reimburse the Administrator for any out-of-pocket expenses,
exclusive of salaries, advanced by the Administrator in connection with but not
limited to the printing or filing of documents for the Fund, travel, telephone,
quotation services, facsimile transmissions, stationery and supplies, record
storage, postage, telex, and courier charges, incurred in connection with the
performance of its duties hereunder. The Administrator shall provide the Fund
with a monthly invoice of such expenses and the Fund shall reimburse the
Administrator within fifteen (15) days after receipt thereof.
(c) STATE REGISTRATION (BLUE SKY) SURCHARGE:
The fees enumerated in paragraph (a) above include the initial state
registration, renewal and maintenance of registrations (as detailed in Paragraph
1(1) DUTIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR) for three (3) states. Each additional state
registration requested will be subject to the following fees:
Initial registration .................$295.00
Registration renewal .................$150.00
Sales reports (if required) ..........$ 25.00
(d) SPECIAL REPORTS.
All reports and /or analyses requested by the Fund, its auditors, legal
counsel, portfolio manager, or any regulatory agency having jurisdiction over
the Fund, that are not in the normal course of fund administrative activities as
specified in Section 1 of this Agreement shall be subject to an additional
charge, agreed upon in advance, based upon the following rates:
Labor: Senior staff - $150.00 hr.
Junior staff - $ 75.00 hr.
Computer time - $45.00/hr.
(e) SERVICE DEPOSIT.
The Fund will remit to the Administrator upon execution of this Agreement a
security deposit equal to one (l) month's minimum fee under this Agreement,
computed in accordance with the number of portfolios listed in Schedule B of
this Agreement. The Fund will have the option to have the security deposit
applied to the last month's service fee, or applied to any new contract between
the Fund and the Administrator.
However, if the Fund elects or is forced to terminate this Agreement for
any reason whatsoever (including, but not limited to, the voluntary or
involuntary termination of the Fund, liquidation of the Fund's assets, the sale
or merger of the Fund or it's assets to any successor entity) prior to the
termination date of this Agreement as specified in Paragraph 8 of this
Agreement, the Fund will forfeit the Security Deposit paid to the Administrator
upon execution of this Agreement
SCHEDULE B
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PORTFOLIOS TO BE SERVICED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT:
Equity Portfolio
