PERRITT MICROCAP OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. FUND ADMINISTRATION SERVICING AGREEMENT
XXXXXXX
MICROCAP OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC.
THIS
AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of the 1st day
of February, 2009, by and between XXXXXXX MICROCAP OPPORTUNITIES FUND,
INC., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”) and U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES,
LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company (“USBFS”).
WHEREAS,
the Company is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company, and is
authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest in separate series, with each
such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and
other assets;
WHEREAS,
USBFS is, among other things, in the business of providing fund administration
services for the benefit of its customers; and
WHEREAS,
the Company desires to retain USBFS to provide fund administration services to
the Company’s series, the Xxxxxxx Microcap Opportunities Fund (the
“Fund”).
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein
contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is
hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do
hereby agree as follows:
1.
|
Appointment
of USBFS as Administrator
|
The
Company hereby appoints USBFS as administrator of the Company on the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement, and USBFS hereby accepts such
appointment and agrees to perform the services and duties set forth in this
Agreement. The services and duties of USBFS shall be confined to
those matters expressly set forth herein, and no implied duties are assumed by
or may be asserted against USBFS hereunder.
2.
|
Services
and Duties of USBFS
|
USBFS
shall provide the following administration services to the Fund:
A.
|
General
Fund Management:
|
(1)
|
Act
as liaison among all Fund service
providers.
|
(2)
|
Coordinate
the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or the
“Directors”) communications, such
as:
|
a.
|
Prepare
Board of Directors meeting
minutes.
|
b.
|
Prepare
Board of Directors meeting
materials
|
1
(3)
|
Pay
Fund expenses as required pursuant to the performance of the duties of
USBFS pursuant to this Agreement, subject to that certain Custody
Agreement of the Company.
|
B.
|
Compliance:
|
(1)
|
Regulatory
Compliance:
|
a.
|
Maintain
and manage a regulatory compliance
calendar.
|
b.
|
Maintain
awareness of applicable regulatory and operational service issues and
recommend dispositions.
|
(2)
|
Blue
Sky Compliance:
|
a.
|
Prepare
and file with the appropriate state securities authorities any and all
required compliance filings relating to the qualification of the
securities of the Company, the Fund, or class of shares of the Fund, as
applicable, so as to enable the Company to make a continuous offering of
its shares in all states.
|
b.
|
Monitor
status and maintain registrations in each
state.
|
c.
|
Provide
information regarding material developments in state securities
regulation.
|
(3)
|
SEC
Registration and Reporting:
|
a.
|
Assist
Fund counsel in updating the Prospectus and SAI and in preparation of
proxy statements and Rule 24f-2
notices.
|
b.
|
Prepare
and file annual and semiannual reports on Forms N-CSR and N-SAR
filings and such other periodic reports as may be required by applicable
federal securities laws and
regulations.
|
C.
|
Financial
Reporting:
|
(1)
|
Provide
financial data required by the Fund’s Prospectus and
SAI.
|
(2)
|
Prepare
financial reports for officers, shareholders, tax authorities, performance
reporting companies, the Board of Directors, the SEC, and independent
auditors.
|
(3)
|
Supervise
the Company’s custodian and fund accountants in the maintenance of the
Company’s general ledger and in the preparation of the Fund’s financial
statements, including oversight of expense accruals and payments, the
determination of net asset value of the Company’s net assets and of the
Company’s shares, and the declaration and payment of dividends and other
distributions to shareholders.
|
(4)
|
Compute
the yield, total return and expense ratio of each class of the Fund, and
the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate.
|
(5)
|
Monitor
the expense accruals and notify the Company’s management of any proposed
adjustments.
|
2
(6)
|
Prepare
monthly financial statements, which include, without limitation, the
following items:
|
a.
|
Schedule
of Investments.
|
b.
|
Statement
of Assets and Liabilities.
|
c.
|
Statement
of Operations.
|
d.
|
Statement
of Changes in Net Assets.
|
e.
|
Cash
Statement.
|
f.
|
Schedule
of Capital Gains and Losses.
|
(7)
|
Prepare
quarterly broker security transaction
summaries.
|
D.
|
Tax
Reporting:
|
(1)
|
Prepare
and file on a timely basis appropriate federal and state tax returns
including, without limitation, Forms 1120/8613, with any necessary
schedules.
|
(2)
|
Prepare
state income breakdowns where
relevant.
|
(3)
|
File
Form 1099 for payments to disinterested Directors and other service
providers.
|
(4)
|
Monitor
wash sale losses.
|
(5)
|
Calculate
eligible dividend income for corporate
shareholders.
|
3.
|
Compensation
|
USBFS
shall be compensated for providing the services set forth in this Agreement in
accordance with the fee schedule set forth on Exhibit A hereto (as
amended from time to time). USBFS shall also be compensated for such
out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., telecommunication charges, postage and delivery
charges, and reproduction charges) as are reasonably incurred by USBFS in
performing its duties hereunder. The Company shall pay all such fees
and reimbursable expenses within 30 calendar days following receipt of the
billing notice, except for any fee or expense subject to a good faith
dispute. The Company shall notify USBFS in writing within 30 calendar
days following receipt of each invoice if the Company is disputing any amounts
in good faith. The Company shall pay such disputed amounts within 10 calendar
days of the day on which the parties agree to the amount to be
paid. With the exception of any fee or expense the Company is
disputing in good faith as set forth above, unpaid invoices shall accrue a
finance charge of 1½% per month after the due date. Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary, amounts owed by the Company to USBFS shall only be paid out of the
assets and property of the particular Fund involved.
4.
|
Representations
and Warranties
|
A.
|
The
Company hereby represents and warrants to USBFS, which representations and
warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this
Agreement, that:
|
3
|
(1)
|
It
is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted,
to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations
hereunder;
|
|
(2)
|
This
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company
in accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and
legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with
its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium
and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of
creditors and secured parties; and
|
|
(3)
|
It
is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all
applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained
all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now
conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment
binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract
binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or
performance of this Agreement.
|
B.
|
USBFS
hereby represents and warrants to the Company, which representations and
warranties shall be deemed to be continuing throughout the term of this
Agreement, that:
|
|
(1)
|
It
is duly organized and existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
organization, with full power to carry on its business as now conducted,
to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations
hereunder;
|
|
(2)
|
This
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by USBFS in
accordance with all requisite action and constitutes a valid and legally
binding obligation of USBFS, enforceable in accordance with its terms,
subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other
laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors
and secured parties; and
|
|
(3)
|
It
is conducting its business in compliance in all material respects with all
applicable laws and regulations, both state and federal, and has obtained
all regulatory approvals necessary to carry on its business as now
conducted; there is no statute, rule, regulation, order or judgment
binding on it and no provision of its charter, bylaws or any contract
binding it or affecting its property which would prohibit its execution or
performance of this Agreement.
|
5.
|
Standard
of Care; Indemnification; Limitation of
Liability
|
A.
|
USBFS
shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement. USBFS shall not be liable for any error of judgment
or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Company in connection
with its duties under this Agreement, including losses resulting from
mechanical breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies
beyond USBFS’s control, except a loss arising out of or relating to
USBFS’s refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or
from its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct in the performance
of its duties under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Agreement, if USBFS has exercised reasonable care in the
performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Company shall
indemnify and hold harmless USBFS from and against any and all claims,
demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature
(including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that USBFS may sustain or incur or
that may be asserted against USBFS by any person arising out of any action
taken or omitted to be taken by it in performing the services hereunder
(i) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (ii) in reliance upon
any written or oral instruction provided to USBFS by any duly authorized
officer of the Company, as approved by the Board of Directors of the
Company, except for any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and
liabilities arising out of or relating to USBFS’s refusal or failure to
comply with the terms of this Agreement or from its bad faith, negligence
or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of
the Company, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination
of this Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “USBFS”
shall include USBFS’s directors, officers and
employees.
|
4
USBFS
shall indemnify and hold the Company harmless from and against any and all
claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities of any and every nature
(including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that the Company may sustain or incur or
that may be asserted against the Company by any person arising out of any action
taken or omitted to be taken by USBFS as a result of USBFS’s refusal or failure
to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or from its bad faith, negligence,
or willful misconduct in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement. This indemnity shall be a continuing obligation of USBFS,
its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of this
Agreement. As used in this paragraph, the term “Company” shall
include the Company’s directors, officers and employees.
Neither
party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for consequential,
special or punitive damages under any provision of this Agreement.
In the
event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or power supplies
beyond its control, USBFS shall take all reasonable steps to minimize service
interruptions for any period that such interruption continues. USBFS
will make every reasonable effort to restore any lost or damaged data and
correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown at the expense of
USBFS. USBFS agrees that it shall, at all times, have reasonable
contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable provision for
emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to the extent appropriate
equipment is available. Representatives of the Company shall be
entitled to inspect USBFS’s premises and operating capabilities at any time
during regular business hours of USBFS, upon reasonable notice to
USBFS. Moreover, USBFS shall provide the Company, at such times as
the Company may reasonably require, copies of reports rendered by independent
accountants on the internal controls and procedures of USBFS relating to the
services provided by USBFS under this Agreement.
5
Notwithstanding
the above, USBFS reserves the right to reprocess and correct administrative
errors at its own expense.
B.
|
In
order that the indemnification provisions contained in this section shall
apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to
indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully
and promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in
question, and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all
reasonable care to notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation
that presents or appears likely to present the probability of a claim for
indemnification. The indemnitor shall have the option to defend the
indemnitee against any claim that may be the subject of this
indemnification. In the event that the indemnitor so elects, it
will so notify the indemnitee and thereupon the indemnitor shall take over
complete defense of the claim, and the indemnitee shall in such situation
initiate no further legal or other expenses for which it shall seek
indemnification under this section. The indemnitee shall in no
case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the
indemnitor will be asked to indemnify the indemnitee except with the
indemnitor’s prior written consent.
|
C.
|
The
indemnity and defense provisions set forth in this Section 5 shall
indefinitely survive the termination and/or assignment of this
Agreement.
|
D.
|
If
USBFS is acting in another capacity for the Company pursuant to a separate
agreement, nothing herein shall be deemed to relieve USBFS of any of its
obligations in such other capacity.
|
6.
|
Data
Necessary to Perform Services
|
The
Company or its agent shall furnish to USBFS the data necessary to perform the
services described herein at such times and in such form as mutually agreed
upon.
7.
|
Proprietary
and Confidential Information
|
USBFS
agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and employees to treat
confidentially and as proprietary information of the Company, all records and
other information relative to the Company and prior, present, or potential
shareholders of the Company (and clients of said shareholders), and not to use
such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its
responsibilities and duties hereunder, except (i) after prior notification to
and approval in writing by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld and may not be withheld where USBFS may be exposed to civil or criminal
contempt proceedings for failure to comply, (ii) when requested to divulge such
information by duly constituted authorities, or (iii) when so requested by the
Company. Records and other information which have become known to the
public through no wrongful act of USBFS or any of its employees, agents or
representatives, and information that was already in the possession of USBFS
prior to receipt thereof from the Company or its agent, shall not be subject to
this paragraph.
6
Further,
USBFS will adhere to the privacy policies adopted by the Company pursuant to
Title V of the Xxxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Act, as may be modified from time to
time. In this regard, USBFS shall have in place and maintain
physical, electronic and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect
the security, confidentiality and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized
access to or use of, records and information relating to the Company and its
shareholders.
8.
|
Records
|
USBFS
shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder in the
form and manner, and for such period, as it may deem advisable and is agreeable
to the Company, but not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of
appropriate government authorities, in particular, Section 31 of the 1940 Act
and the rules thereunder. USBFS agrees that all such records prepared
or maintained by USBFS relating to the services to be performed by USBFS
hereunder are the property of the Company and will be preserved, maintained, and
made available in accordance with such applicable sections and rules of the 1940
Act and will be promptly surrendered to the Company or its designee on and in
accordance with its request.
7
9.
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
The
Company has and retains primary responsibility for all compliance matters
relating to the Fund, including but not limited to compliance with the 1940 Act,
the Code, the SOX Act, the USA Patriot Act of 2002 and the policies and
limitations of the Fund relating to its portfolio investments as set forth in
its Prospectus and SAI. USBFS’s services hereunder shall not relieve
the Company of its responsibilities for assuring such compliance or the Board of
Directors’ oversight responsibility with respect thereto.
10.
|
Term
of Agreement; Amendment
|
This
Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above and will
continue in effect for a period of three (3) years. This Agreement may be
terminated by either party upon giving 90 days prior written notice to the other
party or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by any party
upon the breach of the other party of any material term of this Agreement if
such breach is not cured within 15 days of notice of such breach to the
breaching party. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any
manner except by written agreement executed by USBFS and the Company, and
authorized or approved by the Board of Directors.
11.
|
Duties
in the Event of Termination
|
In the
event that, in connection with termination, a successor to any of USBFS’s duties
or responsibilities hereunder is designated by the Company by written notice to
USBFS, USBFS will promptly, upon such termination and at the expense of the
Company, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records, correspondence,
and other data established or maintained by USBFS under this Agreement in a form
reasonably acceptable to the Company (if such form differs from the form in
which USBFS has maintained the same, the Company shall pay any expenses
associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the
transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance
from USBFS’s personnel in the establishment of books, records, and other data by
such successor. If no such successor is designated, then such books,
records and other data shall be returned to the Company.
12. Early
Termination
In the
absence of any material breach of this Agreement, should the Company elect to
terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the three year term, the Company
agrees to pay the following fees:
a.
|
all
monthly fees through the life of the contract, including the rebate of any
negotiated discounts;
|
b.
|
all
fees associated with converting services to successor service
provider;
|
c.
|
all
fees associated with any record retention and/or tax reporting obligations
that may not be eliminated due to the conversion to a successor service
provider;
|
d.
|
all
out-of-pocket costs associated with a-c
above.
|
8
13.
Assignment
This
Agreement shall extend to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their
respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall
not be assignable by the Company without the written consent of USBFS, or by
USBFS without the written consent of the Company accompanied by the
authorization or approval of the Company’s Board of Directors.
14. Governing
Law
This
Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
Wisconsin, without regard to conflicts of law principles. To the
extent that the applicable laws of the State of Wisconsin, or any of the
provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the
latter shall control, and nothing herein shall be construed in a manner
inconsistent with the 1940 Act or any rule or order of the SEC
thereunder.
15. No
Agency Relationship
Nothing
herein contained shall be deemed to authorize or empower either party to act as
agent for the other party to this Agreement, or to conduct business in the name,
or for the account, of the other party to this Agreement.
16. Services
Not Exclusive
Nothing
in this Agreement shall limit or restrict USBFS from providing services to other
parties that are similar or identical to some or all of the services provided
hereunder.
17. Invalidity
Any
provision of this Agreement which may be determined by competent authority to be
prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction,
be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without
invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or
unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render
unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. In such case,
the parties shall in good faith modify or substitute such provision consistent
with the original intent of the parties.
9
18. Legal-Related
Services
Nothing
in this Agreement shall be deemed to appoint USBFS and its officers, directors
and employees as the Fund attorneys, form attorney-client relationships or
require the provision of legal advice. The Fund acknowledges that
in-house USBFS attorneys exclusively represent USBFS and rely on outside counsel
retained by the Fund to review all services provided by in-house USBFS attorneys
and to provide independent judgment on the Fund’s behalf. Because no
attorney-client relationship exists between in-house USBFS attorneys and the
Fund, any information provided to USBFS attorneys may not be privileged and may
be subject to compulsory disclosure under certain
circumstances. USBFS represents that it will maintain the
confidentiality of information disclosed to its in-house attorneys on a best
efforts basis.
19. Notices
Any
notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other shall be
in writing and shall be deemed to have been given on the date delivered
personally or by courier service, or three days after sent by registered or
certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or on the date sent
and confirmed received by facsimile transmission to the other party’s address
set forth below:
Notice to
USBFS shall be sent to:
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
000 Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
and
notice to the Company shall be sent to:
Xxxxxxx Capital Management,
Inc.
Attention: President
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx
0000
Xxxxxxx, Xxx 00000
10
20. Multiple
Originals
This
Agreement may be executed on two or more counterparts, each of which when so
executed shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall together
constitute but one and the same instrument.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by
a duly authorized officer on one or more counterparts as of the date first above
written.
XXXXXXX MICROCAP OPPORTUNITIES FUND, INC. | U.S. BANCORP FUND SERVICES, LLC |
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. XxXxx |
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | Name: Xxxxxxx X. XxXxx |
Title: President | Title: Executive Vice President |
11
Exhibit
A
to
the
Fund
Administration Servicing Agreement – Xxxxxxx Microcap Opportunities Fund,
Inc.
FUND
ADMINISTRATION PARTIAL SERVICE
ANNUAL
FEE SCHEDULE at February 1, 2009
|
Services (one fund, one
class, domestic securities):
· Maintain
and manage a regulatory compliance calendar
· Blue
Sky compliance services
· Prepare
semi-annual and annual financial statements
· Prepare
and file Form N-CSR
· Calculate
and distribute all standard pre-tax performance information
(monthly)
· Calculate
and distribute after-tax performance information (monthly)
· Prepare
annual Fund expense budget and monthly accruals
· Monitor
and adjust as necessary all Fund expense accruals
· Validate
and approve all Fund expense payments
· Process
all Fund expense payments
· Includes
post-effective amendments to the registration
· Prepare
Fund Board materials
Annual fee based upon assets
per fund:
Base
fee: $[ ]
plus:
[ ]
basis points on the first $[ ]
million
[ ]
basis points on the balance
Extraordinary
services
· Additional
classes –[ ]
% additional per class
· Additional
services quoted separately
Plus
out-of-pocket expenses, including but not limited to:
Postage,
Stationery
Programming,
Special Reports
Proxies,
Insurance
XXXXX
filing
Retention
of records
Federal
and state regulatory filing fees
Certain
insurance premiums
Expenses
from board of directors meetings
Auditing
and legal expenses
Blue
Sky conversion expenses (if necessary)
All
other out-of-pocket expenses
Fees
are billed monthly.
CPI
Increase – annual increase based upon the Milwaukee MSA.
|
A-1