COUNTRYWIDE INVESTMENTS, INC.
000 XXXXXX XXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX, XXXX 00000
000-000-0000
000-000-0000
Administration Agreement
This Agreement is made between _______________________________________
("Administrator") and Countrywide Investment Trust, Countrywide Tax-Free Trust
and Countrywide Strategic Trust (collectively the "Trusts" and individually the
"Trust"), the issuer of shares of beneficial interest ("Shares") of the mutual
funds set forth on Schedule A to this Agreement (collectively the "Funds" and
individually the "Fund"). In consideration of the mutual covenants hereinafter
contained, it is hereby agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:
1. The Trusts hereby appoint Administrator to render or cause to be
rendered administrative support services to each Fund and its shareholders,
which services may include, without limitation: aggregating and processing
purchase and redemption requests and placing net purchase and redemption orders
with the Fund's transfer agent; answering client inquiries about the Fund and
referring to the Trusts those inquiries which the Administrator is unable to
answer; assisting clients in changing dividend options, account designations and
addresses; performing sub-accounting; establishing, maintaining and closing
shareholder accounts and records; investing client account cash balances
automatically in Shares of the Fund; providing periodic statements showing a
client's account balance, integrating such statements with those of other
transactions and balances in the client's other accounts serviced by the
Administrator and performing such other recordkeeping as is necessary for the
Fund's transfer agent to comply with all the recordkeeping requirements of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
arranging for bank wires; and providing such other information and services as
the Trusts reasonably may request, to the extent the Administrator is permitted
by applicable statute, rule or regulation to provide these services.
2. Administrator shall provide such office space and equipment,
telephone facilities and personnel (which may be all or any part of the space,
equipment and facilities currently used in Administrator's business, or all or
any personnel employed by Administrator) as is necessary or beneficial for
providing information and services to shareholders of each Fund, and to assist
each Trust in servicing accounts of clients. Administrator shall transmit
promptly to clients all communications sent to it for transmittal to clients by
or on behalf of a Trust, a Fund, or a Trust's investment adviser, custodian or
transfer agent or dividend disbursing agent.
3. For each account in certain Funds for which the Administrator is to
render administrative support services, Administrator will receive a fee, as set
forth on Schedule B, equal to the normal dealer's discount from the public
offering price on the Shares purchased by such accounts. During the term of this
Agreement, each Trust or the Trust's underwriter will also pay to the
Administrator quarterly one-fourth of the annual administration fees set forth
in Schedule B hereto. Administrator shall notify the Trust if Administrator
directly charges a fee to Fund shareholders for its administrative support
services as described in this Agreement.
4. Administrator agrees to comply with the requirements of all laws
applicable to it, including but not limited to, ERISA, federal and state
securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Administrator agrees to provide services to each Trust in compliance with the
then current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the Trust and
the operating procedures and policies established by the Trust, including, but
not limited to, required minimum investment and minimum account size.
5. No person is authorized to make any representations concerning a
Fund or its Shares except those contained in the current Prospectus or Statement
of Additional Information of the applicable Fund and any such information as may
be officially designated as information supplemental to the Prospectus.
Additional copies of any Prospectus and any printed information officially
designated as supplemental to such Prospectus will be supplied by the Trusts to
Administrator in reasonable quantities on request.
6. Administrator agrees that it will provide administrative support
services only to those persons who reside in any jurisdiction in which a Fund's
Shares are registered for sale and in which the Administrator may lawfully
provide such services. Upon request, the Trusts shall provide the Administrator
with a list of the states in which each Fund's Shares are registered for sale
and shall keep such list updated.
7. In no transaction shall Administrator have any authority whatsoever
to act as agent for any Trust, any Fund or any person affiliated with any Trust
or Fund.
8. The Administrator agrees not to solicit or cause to be solicited
directly, or indirectly at any time in the future, any proxies from the
shareholders of a Trust in opposition to proxies solicited by management of the
Trust, unless a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined that the
conduct of a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Trust constitutes willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties.
This paragraph 8 will survive the term of this Agreement.
9. The Administrator shall prepare such quarterly reports for each
Trust as shall reasonably be requested by the Trust. In addition, the
Administrator will furnish the Trust or its designees with such information as
the Trust or they may reasonably request (including, without limitation,
periodic certifications confirming the provision to clients of the services
described herein), and will otherwise cooperate with the Trust and its designees
(including and without limitation, any auditors designated by the Trust), in
connection with the preparation of reports to the Trust's Board of Trustees
concerning this Agreement and the monies paid or payable by the Trust or the
Trust's underwriter pursuant hereto, as well as any other reports or filings
that may be required by law.
10. The Administrator acknowledges that any Trust may enter into
similar agreements with others without the consent of the Administrator.
11. Each Trust reserves the right, at its discretion and without
notice, to suspend the sale of Shares or withdraw the sale of Shares of any
Fund.
12. The Trust's underwriter has adopted compliance standards, attached
hereto as Schedule C, as to when Class A and Class C Shares of the Dual Pricing
Funds may appropriately be sold to particular investors. The Administrator
agrees that all persons associated with it will conform to such standards.
13. With respect to each Fund, this Agreement shall continue in effect
for one year from the date of its execution, and thereafter for successive
periods of one year if the form of this Agreement is approved as to the Fund at
least annually by the Trustees of the applicable Trust, including a majority of
the members of the Board of Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons
("Disinterested Trustees") of the Trust and have no direct or indirect financial
interest in the operations of the Trust's Rule 12b-1 Plan ("Plan") or in any
documents related to the Plan cast in person at a meeting for that purpose. In
the event this Agreement, or any part thereof, is found invalid or is ordered
terminated by any regulatory or judicial authority, or the Administrator shall
fail to perform the shareholder servicing and administrative functions
contemplated hereby, this Agreement is terminable effective upon receipt of
notice thereof by the Administrator.
14. Notwithstanding paragraph 13, this Agreement may be
terminated with respect to any Fund as follows:
(a) at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the
vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees of the applicable
Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities
of the Fund on not more than thirty (30) days written notice to the
parties to this Agreement;
(b) automatically in the event of the Agreement's assignment
as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940; or
(c) by any party to the Agreement without cause by giving the
other parties at least thirty (30) days written notice of its intention
to terminate.
15. Any termination of this Agreement shall not affect the provisions
of paragraph 18, which shall survive the termination of this Agreement and
continue to be enforceable thereafter.
16. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding
upon the parties hereto and their respective successors.
17. This Agreement is not intended to, and shall not, create any rights
against any party hereto by any third person solely on account of this
Agreement.
18. The Administrator shall provide such security as is necessary to
prevent unauthorized use of any computer hardware or software provided to it by
or on behalf of the Trusts, if any. The Administrator agrees to release,
indemnify and hold harmless each Fund, each Trust, each Trust's transfer agent,
custodian and underwriter, and their respective principals, directors, trustees,
officers, employees and agents from any and all direct or indirect liabilities
or losses resulting from requests, directions, actions or inactions of or by the
Administrator, its officers, employees or agents regarding the purchase,
redemption, transfer or registration of Shares for accounts of the
Administrator, its clients and other shareholders. Such indemnity shall also
cover any losses and liabilities incurred by and resulting from the
Administrator's performance of or failure to perform its obligations or its
breach of any representations or warranties under this Agreement. Principals of
the Administrator will be available to consult from time to time with each Trust
concerning the administration and performance of the services contemplated by
this Agreement.
19. This Agreement may be amended only by an agreement in writing
signed by the Administrator and the Trusts.
20. The obligations of each Trust under this Agreement shall not be
binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents or
employees of such Trust, personally, but shall bind only the property of such
Trust, as provided in such Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The
execution and delivery of this Agreement has been authorized by the Trustees and
signed by a duly authorized officer of the Trusts, acting as such, and neither
the authorization by the Trustees nor the execution and delivery by such officer
of the Trusts shall be deemed to have been made by any of them individually or
to impose any liability on any of them personally, but shall bind only the
property of the Trusts as provided in their Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
21. This Agreement does not authorize the Administrator to participate
in any activities relating to the sale or distribution of the Shares, and the
Administrator agrees that it shall not participate in such activities.
22. If any provision of this Agreement, or any covenant, obligation or
agreement contained herein, is determined by a court to be invalid or
unenforceable, the parties agree that (a) such determination shall not affect
any other provision, covenant, obligation or agreement contained herein, each of
which shall be construed and enforced to the full extent permitted by law, and
(b) such invalid or unenforceable portion shall be deemed to be modified to the
extent necessary to permit its enforcement to the maximum extent permitted by
applicable law.
23. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws
of the State of Ohio.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed for the Trusts and
the Administrator by their duly authorized officers, on this _____ day of
_________________, 1998.
ACCEPTED BY ADMINISTRATOR COUNTRYWIDE INVESTMENT TRUST
By: _________________________________ By: ____________________________
Authorized Signature
_____________________________________ COUNTRYWIDE TAX-FREE TRUST
Type or Print Name, Position
_____________________________________ By: ____________________________
Administrator Name
_____________________________________ COUNTRYWIDE STRATEGIC TRUST
Address
_____________________________________ By: ____________________________
Address
_____________________________________ Date: __________________________
Phone
Schedule A
SCHEDULE OF MUTUAL FUNDS
Countrywide Investment Trust
* Short Term Government Income Fund
Adjustable Rate U.S. Government Securities Fund
Intermediate Term Government Income Fund
* Money Market Fund
Intermediate Bond Fund
Countrywide Tax-Free Trust
* Ohio Tax-Free Money Fund
* Tax-Free Money Fund
* California Tax-Free Money Fund
* Florida Tax-Free Money Fund
** Tax-Free Intermediate Term Fund
** Ohio Insured Tax-Free Fund
Kentucky Tax-Free Fund
Countrywide Strategic Trust
** Equity Fund
** Utility Fund
Growth/Value Fund
Aggressive Growth Fund
* No-load Fund
** Dual Pricing Fund
Schedule B
COUNTRYWIDE INVESTMENTS
COMMISSION SCHEDULE
Intermediate Bond Fund
Tax-Free Intermediate Term Fund - Class A
Intermediate Term Government Income Fund
Adjustable Rate U.S. Government Securities Fund
Total
Dollar Amount of Purchase Sales Dealer
(At Offering Price) Charge* Concession
Less than $100,000 2.00% 1.80%
from $100,000 but under $250,000 1.50% 1.35%
from $250,000 but under $500,000 1.00% .90%
from $500,000 but under $1,000,000 .75% .65%
$1,000,000 and over** None None
25 basis points annual trailing commission effective immediately, paid
quarterly.
Equity Fund - Class A
Utility Fund - Class A
Growth/Value Fund
Aggressive Growth Fund
Ohio Insured Tax-Free Fund - Class A
Kentucky Tax-Free Fund
Total
Dollar Amount of Purchase Sales Dealer
(At Offering Price) Charge* Concession
Less than $100,000 4.00% 3.60%
from $100,000 but under $250,000 3.50% 3.30%
from $250,000 but under $500,000 2.50% 2.30%
from $500,000 but under $1,000,000 2.00% 1.80%
$1,000,000 and over** None None
25 basis points annual trailing commission effective immediately, paid
quarterly.
* As a percentage of offering price.
** Broker/Dealers are entitled to a commission of 75 basis points at the time
the investor purchases Class A shares at NAV in amounts totaling $1 million or
more. However, the investor is subject to a contingent deferred sales load of
75 basis points if a redemption occurs within one year of purchase.
See specific Fund prospectus for details.
Equity Fund - Class C
Utility Fund - Class C
Ohio Insured Tax-Free Fund - Class C
Tax-Free Intermediate Term Fund - Class C
The Funds will be offered to clients at net asset value. A commission of 1% of
the purchase amount of Class C shares will be paid to participating brokers at
the time of purchase. Purchases of Class C shares are subject to a contingent
deferred sales load, according to the following schedule:
Year Since Purchase Contingent Deferred
Payment Was Made Sales Load
First Year 1%
Thereafter None
100 basis points annual trailing commission will be paid quarterly beginning in
the thirteenth month.
Brokers may invest for their own account at NAV
No trailing commissions will be paid to a dealer for any calendar quarter in
which the average daily balance of all accounts in Countrywide Investments
funds (including no-load money market funds) is less than $1,000,000.
FOR BROKER/DEALER USE ONLY
Schedule C
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
WITH RESPECT TO SALES
OF DUAL PRICING FUND
As certain Funds within Countrywide Investments (the "Dual Pricing
Funds") offer two classes of Shares subject to different levels of front-end
sales charges, it is important for an investor not only to choose the Fund that
best suits his investment objectives, but also to choose the sales financing
method which best suits his particular situation. To assist investors in these
decisions, we are instituting the following policy:
1. Any purchase order for $1 million or more must be for Class A
Shares.
2. Any purchase order for $100,000 but less than $1 million is
subject to approval by a registered principal of the
Underwriter, who must approve the purchase order for either
Class A Shares or Class C Shares in light of the relevant
facts and circumstances, including:
(a) the specific purchase order dollar amount;
(b) the length of time the investor expects to hold the
Shares; and
(c) any other relevant circumstances, such as the
availability of purchases under a Letter of Intent.
3. Any order to exchange Class A Shares of a Dual Pricing Fund
(or Shares of another Fund having a maximum sales load equal
to or greater than Class A Shares of the Dual Pricing Funds)
for Shares of another Dual Pricing Fund will be for Class A
Shares only. Class C Shares of a Dual Pricing Fund may be
exchanged for either Class A or Class C Shares of another Dual
Pricing Fund, provided that an exchange of Class C Shares for
Class A Shares is subject to approval by a registered
principal of Underwriter, who must approve the exchange in
light of the relevant facts and circumstances.
There are instances when one financing method may be more appropriate
than the other. For example, investors who would qualify for a significant
discount from the maximum sales charge on Class A Shares may determine that
payment of such a reduced front-end sales charge is superior to payment of the
higher ongoing distribution fee applicable to Class C Shares. On the other hand,
an investor whose order would not qualify for such a discount may wish to pay a
lower sales charge and have more of his funds invested in Class C Shares. If
such an investor anticipates that he will redeem his Shares within a short
period of time, the investor may, depending on the amount of his purchase,
choose to bear higher distribution expenses than if he had purchased Class A
Shares.
In addition, investors who intend to hold their Shares for a
significantly long time may wish to purchase Class A Shares in order to avoid
the higher ongoing distribution expenses of Class C Shares.
The appropriate supervisor must ensure that all employees receiving
investor inquiries about the purchase of Shares of Dual Pricing Funds advise the
investor of the available financing methods offered by mutual funds, and the
impact of choosing one method over another. It may be appropriate for the
supervisor to discuss the purchase with the investor.
This policy is effective immediately with respect to any order for the
purchase of Shares of all Dual Pricing Funds. Questions relating to this policy
should be directed to Xxxxxx Xxxx, Vice President of the Underwriter, at
513/629-2000.
