DEALER AGREEMENT
Effective: March 1, 1998
Dear Securities Dealer:
Franklin/Xxxxxxxxx Distributors, Inc. ("we" or "us") invites you to participate
in the distribution of shares of the Franklin Xxxxxxxxx investment companies
(the "Funds") for which we now or in the future serve as principal underwriter,
subject to the terms of this Agreement. We will notify you from time to time of
the Funds which are eligible for distribution and the terms of compensation
under this Agreement. This Agreement supersedes any prior dealer agreements
between us, as stated in Section 18, below.
1. LICENSING.
(a) You represent that you are (i) a member in good
standing of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD") and
are presently licensed to the extent necessary by the appropriate regulatory
agency of each jurisdiction in which you will offer and sell shares of the
Funds, or (ii) a broker, dealer or other company licensed, registered or
otherwise qualified to effect transactions in securities in a country (a
"foreign country") other than the United States of America (the "U.S.") where
you will offer or sell shares of the Funds. You agree that termination or
suspension of such membership with the NASD, or of your license to do business
by any regulatory agency having jurisdiction, at any time shall terminate or
suspend this Agreement forthwith and shall require you to notify us in writing
of such action. If you are not a member of the NASD but are a broker, dealer or
other company subject to the laws of a foreign country, you agree to conform to
the Conduct Rules of the NASD. This Agreement is in all respects subject to the
Conduct Rules of the NASD, particularly Conduct Rule 2830 of the NASD, which
shall control any provision to the contrary in this Agreement.
(b) You agree to notify us immediately in writing if at
any time you are not a member in good standing of the Securities Investor
Protection Corporation ("SIPC").
2. SALES OF FUND SHARES. You may offer and sell shares of each
Fund and class of each Fund only at the public offering price which shall be
applicable to, and in effect at the time of, each transaction. The procedures
relating to all orders and the handling of them shall be subject to the terms of
the applicable then current prospectus and statement of additional information
(hereafter, the "prospectus") and new account application, including amendments,
for each such Fund and each class of such Fund, and our written instructions
from time to time. This Agreement is not exclusive, and either party may enter
into similar agreements with third parties.
3. DUTIES OF DEALER: You agree:
(a) To act as principal, or as agent on behalf of your
customers, in all transactions in shares of the Funds except as provided in
Section 4 hereof. You shall not have any authority to act as agent for the
issuer (the Funds), for the Principal Underwriter, or for any other dealer in
any respect, nor will you represent to any third party that you have such
authority or are acting in such capacity.
(b) To purchase shares only from us or from your
customers.
(c) To enter orders for the purchase of shares of the
Funds only from us and only for the purpose of covering purchase orders you have
already received from your customers or for your own bona fide investment.
(d) To maintain records of all sales, redemptions and
repurchases of shares made through you and to furnish us with copies of such
records on request.
(e) To distribute prospectuses and reports to your
customers in compliance with applicable legal requirements, except to the extent
that we expressly undertake to do so on your behalf.
PAGE
(f) That you will not withhold placing customers'
orders for shares so as to profit yourself as a result of such withholding or
place orders for shares in amounts just below the point at which sales charges
are reduced so as to benefit from a higher sales charge applicable to an amount
below the breakpoint.
(g) That if any shares confirmed to you hereunder are
repurchased or redeemed by any of the Funds within seven business days after
such confirmation of your original order, you shall forthwith refund to us the
full concession, allowed to you on such orders, including any payments we made
to you from our own resources as provided in Section 6(b) hereof with respect to
such orders. We shall forthwith pay to the appropriate Fund the share, if any,
of the sales charge we retained on such order and shall also pay to such Fund
the refund of the concession we receive from you as herein provided (other than
the portion of such concession we paid to you from our own resources as provided
in Section 6(b) hereof). We shall notify you of such repurchase or redemption
within a reasonable time after settlement. Termination or suspension of this
Agreement shall not relieve you or us from the requirements of this subsection.
(h) That if payment for the shares purchased is not
received within the time customary or the time required by law for such payment,
the sale may be canceled without notice or demand and without any responsibility
or liability on our part or on the part of the Funds, or at our option, we may
sell the shares which you ordered back to the Funds, in which latter case we may
hold you responsible for any loss to the Funds or loss of profit suffered by us
resulting from your failure to make payment as aforesaid. We shall have no
liability for any check or other item returned unpaid to you after you have paid
us on behalf of a purchaser. We may refuse to liquidate the investment unless we
receive the purchaser's signed authorization for the liquidation.
(i) That you shall assume responsibility for any loss
to the Funds caused by a correction made subsequent to trade date, provided such
correction was not based on any error, omission or negligence on our part, and
that you will immediately pay such loss to the Funds upon notification.
(j) That if on a redemption which you have ordered,
instructions in proper form, including outstanding certificates, are not
received within the time customary or the time required by law, the redemption
may be canceled forthwith without any responsibility or liability on our part or
on the part of any Fund, or at our option, we may buy the shares redeemed on
behalf of the Fund, in which latter case we may hold you responsible for any
loss to the Fund or loss of profit suffered by us resulting from your failure to
settle the redemption.
(k) To obtain from your customers all consents required
by applicable privacy laws to permit us, any of our affiliates or the Funds to
provide you either directly or through a service established for that purpose
with confirmations, account statements and other information about your
customers' investments in the Funds.
4. DUTIES OF DEALER: RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS. In connection with
orders for the purchase of shares on behalf of an Individual Retirement Account,
Self-Employed Retirement Plan or other retirement accounts, by mail, telephone,
or wire, you shall act as agent for the custodian or trustee of such plans
(solely with respect to the time of receipt of the application and payments),
and you shall not place such an order until you have received from your customer
payment for such purchase and, if such purchase represents the first
contribution to such a plan, the completed documents necessary to establish the
plan and enrollment in the plan. You agree to indemnify us and Franklin
Xxxxxxxxx Trust Company and/or Xxxxxxxxx Funds Trust Company as applicable for
any claim, loss, or liability resulting from incorrect investment instructions
received from you which cause a tax liability or other tax penalty.
5. CONDITIONAL ORDERS; CERTIFICATES. We will not accept from
you any conditional orders for shares of any of the Funds. Delivery of
certificates or confirmations for shares purchased shall be made by the Funds
only against constructive receipt of the purchase price, subject to deduction
for your concession and our portion of the sales charge, if any, on such sale.
No certificates for shares of the Funds will be issued unless specifically
requested.
PAGE
6. DEALER COMPENSATION.
(a) On each purchase of shares by you from us, the
total sales charges and your dealer concessions shall be as stated in each
Fund's then current prospectus, subject to NASD rules and applicable laws. Such
sales charges and dealer concessions are subject to reductions under a variety
of circumstances as described in the Funds' prospectuses. For an investor to
obtain these reductions, we must be notified at the time of the sale that the
sale qualifies for the reduced charge. If you fail to notify us of the
applicability of a reduction in the sales charge at the time the trade is
placed, neither we nor any of the Funds will be liable for amounts necessary to
reimburse any investor for the reduction which should have been effected.
(b) In accordance with the Funds' prospectuses, we or
our affiliates may, but are not obligated to, make payments to you from our own
resources as compensation for certain sales which are made at net asset value
("Qualifying Sales"). If you notify us of a Qualifying Sale, we may make a
contingent advance payment up to the maximum amount available for payment on the
sale. If any of the shares purchased in a Qualifying Sale are repurchased or
redeemed within twelve months of the month of purchase, we shall be entitled to
recover any advance payment attributable to the repurchased or redeemed shares
by reducing any account payable or other monetary obligation we may owe to you
or by making demand upon you for repayment in cash. We reserve the right to
withhold advances to you, if for any reason we believe that we may not be able
to recover unearned advances from you. Termination or suspension of this
Agreement shall not relieve you or us from the requirements of this subsection.
7. REDEMPTIONS OR REPURCHASES. Redemptions or repurchases of
shares of the Funds will be made at the net asset value of such shares, less any
applicable deferred sales or redemption charges, in accordance with the
applicable prospectuses. Except as permitted by applicable law, you agree not to
purchase any shares from your customers at a price lower than the net asset
value of such shares next computed by the Funds after the purchase (the
"Redemption/Repurchase Price"). You shall, however, be permitted to sell shares
of the Funds for the account of the record owner to the Funds at the
Redemption/Repurchase Price for such shares.
8. EXCHANGES. Telephone exchange orders will be effective only
for uncertificated shares or for which share certificates have been previously
deposited and may be subject to any fees or other restrictions set forth in the
applicable prospectuses. Exchanges from a Fund sold with no sales charge to a
Fund which carries a sales charge, and exchanges from a Fund sold with a sales
charge to a Fund which carries a higher sales charge may be subject to a sales
charge in accordance with the terms of the applicable Fund's prospectus. You
will be obligated to comply with any additional exchange policies described in
the applicable Fund's prospectus, including without limitation any policy
restricting or prohibiting "Timing Accounts" as therein defined.
9. TRANSACTION PROCESSING. All orders are subject to acceptance
by us and by the Fund or its transfer agent, and become effective only upon
confirmation by us. If required by law, each transaction shall be confirmed in
writing on a fully disclosed basis and if confirmed by us, a copy of each
confirmation shall be sent simultaneously to you if you so request. All sales
are made subject to receipt of shares by us from the Funds. We reserve the right
in our discretion, without notice, to suspend the sale of shares of the Funds or
withdraw the offering of shares of the Funds entirely. Orders will be effected
at the price(s) next computed on the day they are received if, as set forth in
the applicable Fund's current prospectus, the orders are received by us, an
agent appointed by us or the Funds prior to the time the price of the Fund's
shares is calculated. Orders received after that time will be effected at the
price(s) computed on the next business day. All orders must be accompanied by
payment in U.S. Dollars. Orders payable by check must be drawn payable in U.S.
Dollars on a U.S. bank, for the full amount of the investment.
10. MULTIPLE CLASSES. We may from time to time provide to you
written compliance guidelines or standards relating to the sale or distribution
of Funds offering multiple classes of shares (each, a "Class") with different
sales charges and distribution related operating expenses. In addition, you xxxx
XXXX
be bound by any applicable rules or regulations of government agencies or
self-regulatory organizations generally affecting the sale or distribution of
shares of investment companies offering multiple classes of shares.
11. RULE 12B-1 PLANS. You are invited to participate in all
distribution plans (each, a "Plan") adopted for a Class of a Fund or for a Fund
that has only a single Class (each, a "Plan Class") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").
To the extent you provide administrative and other services,
including, but not limited to, furnishing personal and other services and
assistance to your customers who own shares of a Plan Class, answering routine
inquiries regarding a Fund or Class, assisting in changing account designations
and addresses, maintaining such accounts or such other services as a Fund may
require, to the extent permitted by applicable statutes, rules, or regulations,
we shall pay you a Rule 12b-1 servicing fee. To the extent that you participate
in the distribution of Fund shares that are eligible for a Rule 12b-1
distribution fee, we shall also pay you a Rule 12b-1 distribution fee. All Rule
12b-1 servicing and distribution fees shall be based on the value of shares
attributable to customers of your firm and eligible for such payment, and shall
be calculated on the basis and at the rates set forth in the compensation
schedule then in effect for the applicable Plan (the "Schedule"). Without prior
approval by a majority of the outstanding shares of a particular Class of a Fund
which has a Plan, the aggregate annual fees paid to you pursuant to such Plan
shall not exceed the amounts stated as the "annual maximums" in such Plan Class'
prospectus, which amount shall be a specified percent of the value of such Plan
Class' net assets held in your customers' accounts which are eligible for
payment pursuant to this Agreement (determined in the same manner as such Plan
Class uses to compute its net assets as set forth in its effective prospectus).
You shall furnish us and each Fund that has a Plan Class
(each, a "Plan Fund") with such information as shall reasonably be requested by
the Board of Directors, Trustees or Managing General Partners (hereinafter
referred to as "Directors") of such Plan Fund with respect to the fees paid to
you pursuant to the Schedule of such Plan Fund. We shall furnish to the Boards
of Directors of the Plan Funds, for their review on a quarterly basis, a written
report of the amounts expended under the Plans and the purposes for which such
expenditures were made.
Each Plan and the provisions of any agreement relating to such
Plan must be approved annually by a vote of the Directors of the Fund that has
such Plan, including such persons who are not interested persons of such Plan
Fund and who have no financial interest in such Plan or any related agreement
("Rule 12b-1 Directors"). Each Plan or the provisions of this Agreement relating
to such Plan may be terminated at any time by the vote of a majority of the Rule
12b-1 Directors, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the
Class that has such Plan, on sixty (60) days' written notice, without payment of
any penalty. A Plan or the provisions of this Agreement may also be terminated
by any act that terminates the Underwriting Agreement between us and the Fund
that has such Plan, and/or the management or administration agreement between
Franklin Advisers, Inc. or Xxxxxxxxx Investment Counsel, Inc. or their
affiliates and such Plan Fund. In the event of the termination of a Plan for any
reason, the provisions of this Agreement relating to such Plan will also
terminate.
Continuation of a Plan and provisions of this Agreement
relating to such Plan are conditioned on Rule 12b-1 Directors being ultimately
responsible for selecting and nominating any new Rule 12b-1 Directors. Under
Rule 12b-1, Directors of any of the Plan Funds have a duty to request and
evaluate, and persons who are party to any agreement related to a Plan have a
duty to furnish, such information as may reasonably be necessary to an informed
determination of whether the Plan or any agreement should be implemented or
continued. Under Rule 12b-1, a Plan Fund is permitted to implement or continue a
Plan or the provisions of this Agreement relating to such Plan from year-to-year
only if, based on certain legal considerations, the Board of Directors of such
Plan Fund is able to conclude that such Plan will benefit the Plan Class. Absent
such yearly determination, such Plan and the provisions of this Agreement
relating to such Plan must be terminated as set forth above. In addition, any
obligation assumed by a Fund pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all
cases to the assets of such Fund and no person shall seek satisfaction thereof
from shareholders of a Fund. You agree to waive payment of any amounts payable
PAGE
to you by us under a Fund's Plan until such time as we are in receipt of such
fee from the Fund.
The provisions of the Plans between the Plan Funds and us
shall control over the provisions of this Agreement in the event of any
inconsistency.
12. REGISTRATION OF SHARES. Upon request, we shall notify you of
the states or other jurisdictions in which each Fund's shares are currently
noticed, registered or qualified for offer or sale to the public. We shall have
no obligation to make notice filings of, register or qualify, or to maintain
notice filings of, registration of or qualification of, Fund shares in any state
or other jurisdiction. We shall have no responsibility, under the laws
regulating the sale of securities in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction, for the
registration, qualification or licensed status of persons offering or selling
Fund shares or for the manner of offering or sale of Fund shares. If it is
necessary to file notice of, register or qualify Fund shares in any foreign
jurisdictions in which you intend to offer the shares of any Funds, it will be
your responsibility to arrange for and to pay the costs of such notice filing,
registration or qualification; prior to any such notice filing, registration or
qualification, you will notify us of your intent and of any limitations that
might be imposed on the Funds, and you agree not to proceed with such notice
filing, registration or qualification without the written consent of the
applicable Funds and of ourselves. Except as stated in this section, we shall
not, in any event, be liable or responsible for the issue, form, validity,
enforceability and value of such shares or for any matter in connection
therewith, and no obligation not expressly assumed by us in this Agreement shall
be implied. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to be a condition,
stipulation or provision binding any person acquiring any security to waive
compliance with any provision of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"1933 Act"), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"),
the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, or any applicable laws or regulations of any government or
authorized agency in the U.S. or any other country having jurisdiction over the
offer or sale of shares of the Funds, or to relieve the parties hereto from any
liability arising under such laws, rules and regulations.
13. CONTINUOUSLY OFFERED CLOSED-END FUNDS. This Section 13
relates solely to shares of Funds that represent a beneficial interest in the
Franklin Floating Rate Trust and shares issued by any other continuously offered
closed-end investment company registered under the 1940 Act for which we or an
affiliate of ours serve as principal underwriter and that periodically
repurchases its shares (each, a "Trust"). Shares of a Trust that are offered to
the public will be registered under the 1933 Act, and are expected to be offered
during an offering period that may continue indefinitely ("Continuous Offering
Period"). There is no guarantee that such a continuous offering will be
maintained by a Trust. The Continuous Offering Period, shares of a Trust and
certain of the terms on which such shares are offered shall be as described in
the prospectus of the Trust.
As set forth in a Trust's then current prospectus, we may, but
are not obligated to, provide you with appropriate compensation for selling
shares of the Trust. In addition, you may be entitled to a fee for servicing
your clients who are shareholders in a Trust, subject to applicable law and NASD
Conduct Rules. You agree that any repurchases of shares of a Trust that were
originally purchased as Qualifying Sales shall be subject to Subsection 6(b)
hereof.
You expressly acknowledge and understand that, notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement:
(a) No Trust has a Rule 12b-1 Plan and in no event will
a Trust pay, or have any obligation to pay, any compensation directly or
indirectly to you.
(b) Shares of a Trust will not be repurchased by either
the Trust (other than through repurchase offers by the Trust from time to time,
if any) or by us and no secondary market for such shares exists currently, or is
expected to develop. Any representation as to a repurchase or tender offer by a
Trust, other than that set forth in the Trust's then current prospectus,
notification letters, reports or other related material provided by the Trust,
is expressly prohibited.
PAGE
(c) An early withdrawal charge payable by shareholders
of a Trust to us may be imposed on shares accepted for repurchase by the Trust
that have been held for less than a stated period, as set forth in the Trust's
then current Prospectus.
(d) In the event your customer cancels his or her order for
shares of a Trust after confirmation, such shares will not be repurchased,
remarketed or otherwise disposed of by or though us.
14. FUND INFORMATION. No person is authorized to give any
information or make any representations concerning shares of any Fund except
those contained in the Fund's then current prospectus or in materials issued by
us as information supplemental to such prospectus. We will supply reasonable
quantities of prospectuses, supplemental sales literature, sales bulletins, and
additional information as issued by the Fund or us. You agree not to use other
advertising or sales material relating to the Funds except that which (a)
conforms to the requirements of any applicable laws or regulations of any
government or authorized agency in the U.S. or any other country having
jurisdiction over the offering or sale of shares of the Funds, and (b) is
approved in writing by us in advance of such use. Such approval may be withdrawn
by us in whole or in part upon notice to you, and you shall, upon receipt of
such notice, immediately discontinue the use of such sales literature, sales
material and advertising. You are not authorized to modify or translate any such
materials without our prior written consent.
15. INDEMNIFICATION. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold
harmless us, the Funds, and the respective officers, directors and employees of
the Funds and us from any and all losses, claims, liabilities and expenses
arising out of (1) any alleged violation of any statute or regulation (including
without limitation the securities laws and regulations of the U.S. or any state
or foreign country) or any alleged tort or breach of contract, in or related to
the offer or sale by you of shares of the Funds pursuant to this Agreement
(except to the extent that our negligence or failure to follow correct
instructions received from you is the cause of such loss, claim, liability or
expense), (2) any redemption or exchange pursuant to telephone instructions
received from you or your agents or employees, or (3) the breach by you of any
of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. This Section 15 shall survive the
termination of this Agreement.
16. TERMINATION; SUCCESSION; ASSIGNMENT; AMENDMENT. Each party
to this Agreement may terminate its participation in this Agreement by giving
written notice to the other parties. Such notice shall be deemed to have been
given and to be effective on the date on which it was either delivered
personally to the other parties or any officer or member thereof, or was mailed
postpaid or delivered by electronic transmission to the other parties' chief
legal officers at the addresses shown herein or in the most recent NASD Manual.
This Agreement shall terminate immediately upon the appointment of a Trustee
under the Securities Investor Protection Act or any other act of insolvency by
you. The termination of this Agreement by any of the foregoing means shall have
no effect upon transactions entered into prior to the effective date of
termination. A trade placed by you subsequent to your voluntary termination of
this Agreement will not serve to reinstate the Agreement. Reinstatement, except
in the case of a temporary suspension of a dealer, will be effective only upon
written notification by us to you. This Agreement will terminate automatically
in the event of its assignment by us. For purposes of the preceding sentence,
the word "assignment" shall have the meaning given to it in the 1940 Act. This
Agreement may not be assigned by you without our prior written consent. This
Agreement may be amended by us at any time by written notice to you and your
placing of an order or acceptance of payments of any kind after the effective
date and receipt of notice of any such Amendment shall constitute your
acceptance of such Amendment.
17. SETOFF; DISPUTE RESOLUTION. Should any of your concession
accounts with us have a debit balance, we may offset and recover the amount owed
to us or the Funds from any other account you have with us, without notice or
demand to you. In the event of a dispute concerning any provision of this
Agreement, either party may require the dispute to be submitted to binding
arbitration under the commercial arbitration rules of the NASD or the American
Arbitration Association. Judgment upon any arbitration award may be entered by
any court having jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance
PAGE
with the laws of the State of California, not including any provision that would
require the general application of the law of another jurisdiction.
18. ACCEPTANCE; CUMULATIVE EFFECT. This Agreement is cumulative
and supersedes any agreement previously in effect. It shall be binding upon the
parties hereto when signed by us and accepted by you. If you have a current
dealer agreement with us, your first trade or acceptance of payments from us
after your receipt of this Agreement, as it may be amended pursuant to Section
16, above, shall constitute your acceptance of its terms. Otherwise, your
signature below shall constitute your acceptance of its terms.
FRANKLIN/XXXXXXXXX DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
By /s/ XXXX XXXXXXX
Xxxx Xxxxxxx, President
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Attention: Chief Legal Officer (for legal notices only)
415/312-2000
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-3628
813/823-8712
Dealer: If you have NOT previously signed a Dealer Agreement with us, please
complete and sign this section and return the original to us.
DEALER NAME:
By _________________
(Signature)
Name:
Title:
Address:
Telephone:
NASD CRD #
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Dealer #
(Internal Use Only)
