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Exhibit (10)(bb)
Agency Agreement
between
Expert Xxxx.Xxx,
The One Group Services Company
and
One Group Mutual Fund
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AGENCY AGREEMENT
This Agreement is made as of the 28th day of June, 2000 between:
(1) Expert Xxxx.Xxx ("Company") and (2) One Group Mutual Funds (the "Trust");
The One Group Services Company (collectively, "TOGSC").
RECITALS
A. The Trust is (I) an open-end investment company with one or more series of
classes of shares (each such series or class of share a "Fund"); TOGSC is ether
(II) an investment adviser to or administrator for the Funds, (III) the
principal underwriter or distributor for the Funds, or (IV) the transfer agent
for the Funds.
B. The Trust wishes to have Company provide to the Trust or on its behalf
certain administrative services with respect to qualified employee benefit plans
(the "Plans") which own shares of such Funds.
C. Company agrees to provide such services on the terms and conditions set forth
herein.
AGREEMENT
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises set forth herein,
the parties agree as follows:
2. Shareholder Services
A. SHAREHOLDER ACCOUNT SET-UP AND MAINTENANCE - Company shall maintain and
provide adequate facilities and procedures to: (1) establish and
maintain Fund investments on behalf of Plans on the Company transaction
processing and recordkeeping system, and (2) access the Plans current
Fund information including, but not limited to, share balances,
dividend information and transaction history.
B. SHAREHOLDER ASSISTANCE - Company shall make available to the Plans any
information maintained by Company as may be necessary for the Plans to
support and resolve shareholder servicing inquires. Company personnel
will assist the Plans in the investigation of shareholder inquiries
when necessary. Company will support shareholder service inquiries from
the Plans serviced by Company. Company shall not make any statement or
representation concerning a Fund that is not contained in the Trust's
registration statement, annual report or proxy statement or any
advertising or promotional material generated by or on behalf of any
Fund.
C. TRANSACTION PROCESSING, AND SETTLEMENT - The Company transaction
processing system shall enable the Plans to purchase, redeem and
exchange shares of Funds available through Company. Company shall
facilitate settlement with each Fund of Plan transactions in such Fund
insofar as such transactions are transmitted by Company on behalf of
the Plans.
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The Trust agrees that it shall either: (1) make arrangements for all
transactions processed pursuant to this Agreement to be process through
the National Securities Clearing Corporation Fund./SERV system, or (2)
obtain proper authority for Company to transmit to the Fund or its
Agent daily manual trades until 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or such other
times as set forth on Exhibit B, which trades shall remain eligible for
that day's public offering price provided Company received the order by
close of trading that day.
D. SHAREHOLDER ACCOUNT STATEMENT AND DISTRIBUTION - With respect to each
Plan holding Fund investments through Company, Company shall deliver or
cause to be delivered to such Plan periodic statements. Statements will
include transaction detail for the statement period for each Fund in
which shares were purchased, redeemed or exchanged, and a summary of
the number of Fund shares owned and share value thereof as of the
statement date to the extent such value is provided by the Fund.
E. CONFIRMATION PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION - Company shall generate a
written confirmation for each purchase, redemption and exchange
transaction affecting each Shareholder's Fund investments held through
Company to the extend such confirmation is required, and such
confirmation shall be distributed to Shareholders through or on behalf
of Company or Correspondents.
F. PAYMENT OF FUND DISTRIBUTIONS - Company shall distribute to
Shareholders all dividend, capital gain or other payments authorized by
the trust and distributed and received by Company, and such
distributions shall be credited to the Plans in accordance with the
instructions provided by each Plan, including but not limited to
dividend reinvestment into a Fund, or cash payments of distributions.
G. PROSPECTUS FULFILLMENT - Company will provide a prospectus to
prospective shareholders or their agent upon request, provided the
Trust or its agent has provided adequate copies thereof to Company or
its designee.
The Trust acknowledges and agrees that Company is not responsible for
(1) the compliance of any prospectus or supplement thereto, annual
report, proxy statement or item of advertising or marketing material of
or relating to any Fund, which is prepared by the Trust or its agent,
with any applicable laws, rules or regulations, (ii) the registration
or qualification of any shares of any Fund under any federal or
applicable state laws or (iii) the compliance by any Fund or the Trust
or any "affiliated person" (as that term is defined in the rules under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended), with any applicable
federal or state law, rule or regulation or the rules and regulations
of any self regulatory organization with jurisdiction over such Fund,
the Trust or affiliated person.
Company will not make any offer or sale of Fund shares (a) in any state
or jurisdiction in which such shares are not qualified for sale or
exempt from the requirements of the relevant securities laws at any
time after it has been provided with written notice from the Trust that
such Fund is not so qualified or exempt in such state or jurisdiction,
(b) in any state or jurisdiction in which it is not properly licensed
or authorized to make offers or
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sales, or (c) at any time after it has been provided with written
notice from the Trust that such Fund is not then currently offering
shares to the public.
H. ACCOUNT LEVEL TAX REPORTING - Company shall provide to Shareholders
through Company or Correspondent such reports and information as may be
required by the then-prevailing laws and regulations under the Internal
Revenue Code.
II. Representations and Warranties
A. The Trust and TOGSC each represent and warrant that:
(1) it has the requisite authority to enter into this agreement on
its own behalf and, in the case of the Trust, on behalf of the
Fund(s), and
(2) the payment to Company of any fees pursuant hereto:
(a) has been duly authorized by the Board of Trustees of the
Trust, or any other persons to the extent such authorization
is required to properly make such payment;
(b) is properly disclosed in the relevant prospectus to the
extent such disclosure may be required, and
(c) is in conformity with all federal, state and industry laws
or regulations to which the Trust or its agents are subject.
B. Company represents and warrants that:
(1) it is a corporation duly organized under the state laws of New
Jersey.
(2) the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
performance of the services contemplated herein have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporation action in its part,
and this Agreement constitutes the valid and binding
obligations of Company; and
(3) it is in material conformity with all federal, state and
industry laws or regulations to which it is subject.
C. Each party hereto represents and warrants that it shall provide to the
others such information or documentation necessary for such party to
fulfill its obligations hereunder, such other information or
documentation - as any party may reasonably request and that it shall
comply with such operating policies and procedures as the parties may
adopt from time to time.
D. Each party is responsible for its compliance with all applicable laws,
rules and regulations governing its performance under this Agreement,
except to the extent its
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failure to comply with any law, rule or regulation is caused by another
party's breach of this Agreement.
III. FEES
A. Asset Based Fee
For the services provided by Company hereunder, the Trust or TOGSC
shall pay to Company a fee with respect to each Fund, which fee shall
be based upon a percentage per annum of the average daily value of the
aggregate number of shares of the Fund held by Company for the accounts
of customers of Company and Correspondents. Such fee shall be
calculated and paid in accordance with Exhibit A hereto.
IV. Indemnification
The Trust and TOGSC shall indemnify and hold harmless Company and each
officer, employee and agent of Company from and against any and all
claims, demands, actions, losses, damages, liabilities, or costs,
charges, reasonable counsel fees, and expenses of any nature ("Losses")
arising out of (1) any inaccuracy or omission in any prospectus or
supplement thereto, registration statement, annual report or proxy
statement of any Fund or the Trust or any advertising or promotional
materials generated by any Fund or the Trust, (ii) any breach by the
Trust or TOGSC of any representation, warranty, covenant, or agreement
contained in this Agreement and (iii) any action taken or omitted to be
taken by Company pursuant to this Agreement, except to the extent such
Losses result from Company's breach of this Agreement, willful
misconduct, or negligence.
Company shall indemnify, defend and hold the Trust and TOGSC (including
their officers, directors, employees and agents and any person who
controls either of them) free and harmless from and against any and all
Losses which such persons may incur under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, or under common law or otherwise, arising out of or based
upon (1) any breach of any representation, warrant, or covenant made by
Company herein, (ii) any failure by Company to perform its obligations
as set forth herein or, (iii) any action taken or omitted by Company to
the extent that any Losses associated therewith are a result of
Company's breach of this Agreement, willful misconduct or negligence.
V. Confidentiality
Each party acknowledges and understands that any and all technical,
trade secret, or business information, including, without limitation,
financial information, business or marketing strategies or plans,
product development or customer information, which is disclosed to the
other or is otherwise obtained by the other, its affiliates, agent or
REPRESENTATIVES during the term of this Agreement (the "Proprietary
Information" - is CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY, CONSTITUTES TRADES
SECRETS OF THE OWNER, AND is of great value and importance to the
success of the owner's business. Each party agrees to use its best
efforts (the same being not less than that employed to protect his own
proprietary
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information) to safeguard the Proprietary Information and to prevent
the unauthorized, negligent or inadvertent use or disclosure thereof
Neither party shall without the prior written approval of any officer
of the other, directly or indirectly, disclose the proprietary
Information to any person or business entity except for a limited
number of employees, attorneys, accountants and other advisors of the
other on a need-to-know basis or as may be required by law or
regulation. Each party shall promptly notify the other in writing of
any unauthorized, negligent or inadvertent use or disclosure of
proprietary Information. Each party shall be liable under this
Agreement to the other for any use or disclosure in violation of this
Agreement by its employees, attorneys, accountants or other advisors or
agents. This Section V shall continue in full force and effect
notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement.
V1. Duration and Termination of Agreement
With respect to any Fund, this Agreement shall become effective upon
the date such Fund is identified on Exhibit B, and this Agreement is
approved by the Trust's Board of Trustees if such approval is
required, and shall continue in force for one year, and shall
thereafter continue automatically for successive annual periods unless
earlier terminated and subject to any periodic approval required by
the Trust's Board of Trustees. This Agreement is terminable as to any
Fund by any party upon 60 days written notice thereof to the other
parities or upon default hereof provided that such default shall not
terminate this Agreement to the extent that the defaulting party has
been notified of such default by the non-defaulting party and the
defaulting party cures such default within 10 business days of notice
of such default.
After the date of termination as to a Fund, no fee will be due with
respect to any shares of such Fund that are first placed or purchased
in Company or Correspondent customer accounts after the date of such
termination. However, notwithstanding any such termination, the Trust
and TOGSC will remain obligated to pay Company the Asset Based Fee as
to each share of such Fund that was considered in the calculation of
such fee as of the date of such termination, for so long as such share
is held in the Company or Correspondent account. This Agreement, or
any provision hereof, shall survive termination to the extent
necessary for each party to perform its obligations with respect to
shares for which the Asset Based Fee continues to be due subsequent to
such termination.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section VI,
this Agreement will terminate automatically with respect to TOGSC in
the event that TOGSC ceases to serve as principal underwriter or
distributor for the Funds pursuant to a termination of its
Distribution Agreement with the Fund; or, with respect to the Trust in
the event that the Fund's plan of distribution, adopted pursuant to
Rule l2b-1 under the 1940 Act, or any other plan for the financing of
shareholder servicing activities (the "Plan") which finances such
payment obligation is terminated for whatever reason by the Trust's
Board of Directors. In that connection the Trust's and TOGSC's payment
obligations with respect to fees will cease as of the effective date
of (I) the termination of TOGSC's Distribution Agreement with the Fund
or (ii) the termination of the plan, as the case may
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be. This paragraph does not relieve the Trust or TOGSC of the
obligation for payment of past fees due under this Agreement. In the
event such payment obligation shall cease in accordance with clause
(i) above, Company may seek to receive such payments from any
successor distributor that is appointed by the Funds. In the event
such payment obligation shall cease in accordance with clause (ii)
above, the Trust and Company agree to negotiate in good faith with
respect to whether and to what extent the Trust will continue to make
such payments either from a related party's resources or in reliance
upon financing that is provided by a successor plan.
VIII. Miscellaneous
A. CUSTODY - The Trust acknowledges that Fund shares maintained by Company
for Shareholders hereunder are held in custody for the exclusive
benefit of customers of Company or its Correspondents and shall be held
free of any right, charge, security interest, lien or claim against
Company in favor of the Trust or its agents acting on behalf of the
Trust.
B. TRANSACTION CHARGES - During the term of this Agreement, Company shall
not assess against or collect from its brokerage customers any
transaction fee upon the purchase or redemption of any Fund's shares
that are considered in calculating the fee due pursuant to Section III
hereof.
C. NONEXCLUSIVELY - The Trust acknowledges that Company may perform
services similar to those to be provided under this Agreement to other
investment companies, investment company sponsors, or service providers
to investment companies.
D. FORCE MAJEURE - No party or its affiliates shall be liable to any other
party for any damage, claim or other loss whatsoever caused by
circumstances or events beyond its reasonable control.
E. NOTICES - All notices and communications required or permitted by this
Agreement shall be in writing and delivered personally or sent by first
class mail unless otherwise agreed. All such notices and other
communications shall be made:
If to the Trust and TOGSC, to:
The One Group Services Company
Attn: Xx. Xxxx X. Xxxxxx
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
If to Company, to:
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F. This Agreement and any Exhibits hereto may be amended only upon the
written agreement of the parties.
G. This Agreement may not be transferred or assigned by either the Trust,
TOGSC or Company and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of
the State of Ohio.
H. The names "One Group Mutual Funds" and "Trustees of the One Group"
refer respectively to the business trust created and the Trustees, as
trustees and not individually or personally, acting from time to time
under a Declaration of Trust amended, restated and dated as of February
11, 1993 to which reference is hereby made and copy of which is on file
at the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and
elsewhere as required by law, and to any and all amendments thereto so
filed or hereafter filed. The obligations of "One Group" entered into
in the name of on behalf thereof by any of the Trustees,
representatives or agents are made not individually, but in such
capacities, and are not binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders
or representatives of the Trust personally, but bind only the assets of
the Trust, and all persons dealing with any Fund must look solely to
the assets of the Trust belonging to such Fund for the enforcement of
any claims against the Trust.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date
first written above.
ONE GROUP MUTUAL FUNDS
By: /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
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Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
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Title: Vice President
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THE ONE GROUP SERVICES COMPANY
By: /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxx
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Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxxx
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Title: President
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Expert Xxxx.Xxx
By: /s/ Xxxxxxxx Xxxx
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Name: Xxxxxxxx Xxxx
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Title: President
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EXHIBIT A
FEE SCHEDULE
1. Asset Based Fee
(a) For the services provided by Company hereunder, the Trust or
TOGSC shall pay to Company a fee with respect to each Fund,
calculated daily and paid monthly in arrears, equal to 25
percent per annum of the daily market value of the total
number of shares of such Fund held in accounts at Company
(determined by multiplying the number of such shares times the
publicly-reported net asset value of each share), excluding
the value of (1) shares held in a brokerage account prior to
the effective date of the Agreements to the Fund issuing such
shares ("Pre-Participating Assets"), and (ii) shares first
placed or purchased in a brokerage account after the
termination of the Agreement as to the trust issuing such
shares. The total number of shares of all Funds with respect
to which a fee will be due to Fidelity hereunder shall be
referred to in this Exhibit A as "Participating Assets".
(b) Subsequent to each month-end, Company shall send to TOGSC a
statement of the market value of shares of the Fund for which
the fee is calculated for the preceding month, together with a
statement of the amount of such fee.
(c) The Trust or TOGSC shall pay to Company such fee within 30
days after their receipt of such statement. Such payment shall
be by wire transfer or other form acceptable to Company and
shall be separate from payments related to redemption proceeds
and distributions.
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EXHIBIT B
FUNDS
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FUND NAME CLASS TYPE CUSIP QUOTRON
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One Group Balanced Fund A 681937470 OGASX
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One Group Large Cap Growth A 681937249 OLGAX
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One Group Large Cap Value A 681937876 OLVAX
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One Group Mid Cap Growth A 681937728 OSGIX
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One Group International Equity Index A 681937561 OEIAX
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One Group Mid Cap Value A 681937751 OGDIX
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One Group Equity Index A 681937827 OGEAX
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One Group Equity Income A 681937785 OIEIX
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One Group Diversified Equity A 681939815 PAVGX
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One Group Small Cap Growth A 681939849 PGSGX
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One Group Small Cap Value A 00000X000 PSOAX
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One Group Diversified Mid Cap A 00000X000 PECAX
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One Group Diversified International A 00000X000 PGIEX
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One Group Market Expansion Index A 00000X000 NIA
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One Group Investor Growth A 681939674 ONGAX
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One Group Investor Growth & Income A 681939617 ONGIX
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One Group Investor Conservative Growth A 681939641 OICAX
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One Group Investor Balanced A 681939575 OGIAX
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One Group Intermediate Bond A 681937264 OGBAX
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One Group Government Bond A 681937330 OGGAX
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One Group Short-Term Bond A 681937629 OGLVX
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One Group Income Bond A 681937652 ONIAX
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One Group Ultra Short-Term Bond A 681937314 ONUAX
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One Group High Yield Bond A 00000X000 OHYAX
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One Group Treasury & Agency A 681939526 OTABX
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One Group Bond Fund A 00000X000 PGBOX
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