FORM OF TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN EACH OF THE AARP ENTITIES LISTED ON SCHEDULE A HERETO AND STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
Exhibit (h)(2)
FORM OF
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
EACH OF THE AARP ENTITIES
LISTED ON SCHEDULE A HERETO
AND
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||||
1. |
Terms of Appointment and Duties |
1 | ||
2. |
Third Party Administrators for Defined Contribution Plans |
4 | ||
3. |
Fees and Expenses |
5 | ||
4. |
Representations and Warranties of the Transfer Agent |
6 | ||
5. |
Representations and Warranties of the Funds |
7 | ||
6. |
Wire Transfer Operating Guidelines |
7 | ||
7. |
Data Access and Proprietary Information |
8 | ||
8. |
Indemnification |
10 | ||
9. |
Standard of Care |
11 | ||
10. |
Confidentiality |
12 | ||
11. |
Covenants of the Funds and the Transfer Agent |
12 | ||
12. |
Termination of Agreement |
13 | ||
13. |
Assignment and Third Party Beneficiaries |
15 | ||
14. |
Subcontractors |
15 | ||
15. |
Miscellaneous |
15 | ||
16. |
Additional Funds |
17 |
FORM OF TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of this ____ day of _______, 2005 , by and between each of the AARP entities listed on Schedule A hereto and each being an entity of the type set for on Schedule A and organized under the laws of the state of ________, each with a principal place of business at ____________________ and each of which is acting on its own behalf and on behalf of each of the portfolios, if any, listed under its name in Schedule A, (each such entity shall be referred to hereinafter as the “Fund” or collectively as the “Funds”), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company having its principal office and place of business at 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (the “Transfer Agent”).
WHEREAS, each Fund is authorized to issue shares in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, the series of each Fund shall be named in the attached Schedule A which may be amended by the parties from time to time (each such series, together with all other series subsequently established by a Fund and made subject to this Agreement in accordance with Section 16, being herein referred to as a “Portfolio”, and collectively as the “Portfolios”); and
WHEREAS, each Fund, on behalf of its Portfolios, desires to appoint the Transfer Agent as its transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in connection with certain other activities, and the Transfer Agent desires to accept such appointment.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | Terms of Appointment and Duties |
1.1 | Transfer Agency Services. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, each Fund, on behalf of the Portfolios, hereby employs and appoints the Transfer Agent to act as, and the Transfer Agent agrees to act as its transfer agent for such Fund’s authorized and issued shares of its common stock (“Shares”), dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in connection with any accumulation, open-account or similar plan provided to the shareholders of each of the respective Portfolios of such Fund (“Shareholders”) and set out in the currently effective prospectus and statement of additional information (“prospectus”) of each Fund on behalf of the applicable Portfolio, including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program. In accordance with procedures established from time to time by agreement between the Funds on behalf of their Portfolios, as applicable, and the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent agrees that it will perform the following services: |
(a) Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of Shares, and promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation thereof to the custodian of the Funds authorized pursuant to the organizational documents of the Funds (the “Custodian”);
(b) Pursuant to purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of Shares and hold such Shares in the appropriate Shareholder account;
(c) Receive for acceptance redemption requests and redemption directions and deliver the appropriate documentation thereof to the Custodian;
(d) In respect to the transactions in items (a), (b) and (c) above, the Transfer Agent shall execute transactions directly with broker-dealers authorized by the Funds;
(e) At the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid to it by the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay over or cause to be paid over in the appropriate manner such monies as instructed by the redeeming Shareholders;
(f) Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of appropriate instructions;
(g) Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions declared by the Funds on behalf of the applicable Portfolio;
(h) If applicable, issue replacement certificates for those certificates alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon receipt by the Transfer Agent of indemnification satisfactory to the Transfer Agent and protecting the Transfer Agent and the applicable Fund, and the Transfer Agent at its option, may issue replacement certificates in place of mutilated stock certificates upon presentation thereof and without such indemnity;
(i) Issue replacement checks and place stop orders on original checks based on Shareholder’s representation that a check was not received or was lost. Such stop orders and replacements will be deemed to have been made at the request of the applicable Fund, and such Fund shall be responsible for all losses or claims resulting from such replacement;
(j) Maintain records of account for and advise the Funds and their respective Shareholders as to the foregoing; and
(k) Record the issuance of Shares of the Funds and maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of the total number of Shares of each Fund which are authorized, based upon data provided to it by such Fund, and issued and outstanding. The Transfer Agent shall also provide each Fund on a regular basis with the total number of Shares which are authorized and issued and outstanding and shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares or to take cognizance of any laws relating to the issue or sale of such Shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Funds.
(l) Accept any information, records, documents, data, certificates, transaction requests by machine readable input, facsimile, CRT data entry, electronic instructions, including email communications, which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Funds or any other person or firm on behalf of the Funds or from broker-dealers of record or third-party administrators on behalf of individual Shareholders. With respect to transaction requests, the Transfer Agent may rely on the Funds to ensure that the original source documentation is in good order, which includes compliance with Rule 22c-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Funds will require the broker-dealers or TPAs to retain such
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documentation. E-mail exchanges on routine matters may be made directly with the Funds’ contact at the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent will not act on any e-mail communications coming to it directly from Shareholders requesting transactions, including, but not limited to, monetary transactions, change of ownership, or beneficiary changes;
1.2 | Additional Services. In addition to, and neither in lieu nor in contravention of, the services set forth in the above Section 1.1, the Transfer Agent shall perform the following services: |
(a) Other Customary Services. Perform the customary services of a transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and, as relevant, agent in connection with accumulation, open-account or similar plan (including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing Shareholder proxies, Shareholder reports and prospectuses to current Shareholders, withholding taxes on U.S. resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with respect to dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information;
(b) Control Book (also known as “Super Sheet”). Maintain a daily record and produce a daily report for each Fund of all transactions and receipts and disbursements of money and securities and deliver a copy of such report for each Fund for each business day to such Fund no later than 9:00 AM Eastern Time, or such earlier time as such Fund may reasonably require, on the next business day;
(c) “Blue Sky” Reporting. The Funds shall (i) identify to the Transfer Agent in writing those transactions and assets to be treated as exempt from blue sky reporting for each State; and (ii) verify the establishment of transactions for each State on the system prior to activation and thereafter monitor the daily activity for each State. The responsibility of the Transfer Agent for each Fund’s blue sky State registration status is solely limited to the initial establishment of transactions subject to blue sky compliance by the Funds and providing a system which will enable the Funds to monitor the total number of Shares sold in each State;
(d) National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”). (i) accept and effectuate the registration and maintenance of accounts through Networking and the purchase, redemption, transfer and exchange of shares in such accounts through Fund/SERV (Networking and Fund/SERV being programs operated by the NSCC on behalf of NSCC’s participants, including the Fund), in accordance with, instructions transmitted to and received by the Transfer Agent by transmission from NSCC on behalf of broker-dealers and banks which have been established by, or in accordance with the instructions of authorized persons, as hereinafter defined on the dealer file maintained by the Transfer Agent; (ii) issue instructions to the Funds’ banks for the settlement of transactions between a Fund and NSCC (acting on behalf of its broker-dealer and bank participants); (iii) provide account and transaction information from the affected Fund’s records on DST Systems, Inc.’s computer system TA2000 (“TA2000 System”) in accordance with NSCC’s
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Networking and Fund/SERV rules for those broker-dealers; and (iv) maintain Shareholder accounts on TA2000 System through Networking;
(e) New Procedures. New procedures as to who shall provide certain of these services in Section 1 may be established in writing from time to time by agreement between the Funds and the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent may at times perform only a portion of these services and a Fund or its agent may perform these services on such Fund’s behalf; and
Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) Delegation. If a Fund elects to delegate to the Transfer Agent certain AML duties under this Agreement, the parties will agree to such duties and terms as stated in the attached schedule (“Schedule 1.2(g) entitled “AML Delegation”) which may be changed from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the parties. In consideration of the performance of the duties by the Transfer Agent pursuant to this Section 1.2(g), each Fund agrees to pay the Transfer Agent for the reasonable administrative expense that may be associated with such additional duties in the amount as the parties may from time to time agree in writing in accordance with Section 3 (Fees and Expenses) below.
1.3 | Fiduciary Accounts. With respect to certain retirement plans or accounts (such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), SIMPLE IRAs, SEP IRAs, Xxxx IRAs, Education IRAs, and 403(b) Plans (such accounts, “Fiduciary Accounts”), the Transfer Agent, at the request of the Funds, shall arrange for the provision of appropriate prototype plans as well as provide or arrange for the provision of various services to such plans and/or accounts, which services may include custodial services, account set-up maintenance, and disbursements as well as such other services as the parties hereto shall mutually agree upon. |
2. | Third Party Administrators for Defined Contribution Plans |
2.1 | The Funds may decide to make available to certain of their customers, a qualified plan program (the “Program”) pursuant to which the customers (“Employers”) may adopt certain plans of deferred compensation (“Plan or Plans”) for the benefit of the individual Plan participant (the “Plan Participant”), such Plan(s) being qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) and administered by third party administrators which may be plan administrators as defined in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (the “TPA(s)”). |
2.2 | In accordance with the procedures established in the initial Schedule 2.1 entitled “Third Party Administrator Procedures”, as may be amended by the Transfer Agent and the Funds from time to time (“Schedule 2.1”), the Transfer Agent shall: |
(a) Treat Shareholder accounts established by the Plans in the name of the Trustees, Plans or TPA’s as the case may be as omnibus accounts;
(b) Maintain omnibus accounts on its records in the name of the TPA or its designee as the Trustee for the benefit of the Plan; and
(c) Perform all services under Section 1 as transfer agent of the Funds and not as a record-keeper for the Plans.
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2.3 | Transactions identified under Section 2 of this Agreement shall be deemed exception services (“Exception Services”) when such transactions: |
(a) Require the Transfer Agent to use methods and procedures other than those usually employed by the Transfer Agent to perform services under Section 1 of this Agreement;
(b) Involve the provision of information to the Transfer Agent after the commencement of the nightly processing cycle of the TA2000 System; or
(c) Require more manual intervention by the Transfer Agent, either in the entry of data or in the modification or amendment of reports generated by the TA2000 System than is usually required by non-retirement plan and pre-nightly transactions.
3. | Fees and Expenses |
3.1 | Fee Schedule. For the performance by the Transfer Agent pursuant to this Agreement, the Funds agrees to pay the Transfer Agent the fees set forth in the attached fee schedule (“Schedule 3.1”). Such fees and out-of-pocket expenses as discussed in Section 3.2 below may be changed from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the Funds and the Transfer Agent. |
3.2 | Out-of-Pocket Expenses. In addition to the fee paid under Section 3.1 above, each Fund agrees to reimburse the Transfer Agent for out-of-pocket expenses, including but not limited to confirmation statements, AML/CIP, regulatory compliance, escheatment, NSCC, freight, internal postage, quarterly statements, postage, long distance telephone calls, records retention, customized programming/enhancements, federal wire fees, transcripts, microfilm, microfiche, disaster recovery, hardware at the Fund’s facility, and telecommunications/network configuration. In addition, any other expenses incurred by the Transfer Agent at the request or with the consent of a Fund, will be reimbursed by that Fund. |
3.3 | Fulfillment Calls. The parties have agreed that the Transfer Agent shall handle literature fulfillment calls from individuals responding to Fund mailings. The parties anticipate that the Transfer Agent will receive calls from five percent (5%) or less of the recipients of any Fund mailing. For the first year of this Agreement, the fee for such service is included in the annual fee set forth on Schedule 3.1. After the first year of this Agreement, if the number of literature fulfillment calls being received by the Transfer Agent exceeds five percent (5%) of the recipients of any Fund mailing and the Funds’ assets do not exceed $2 billion, then a fee for fulfillment calls shall be charged by the Transfer Agent on a per call basis for remainder of the Term. |
3.4 | Postage. Postage for mailing of dividends, proxies, Fund reports and other mailings to all shareholder accounts shall be advanced to the Transfer Agent by the applicable Fund at least seven (7) days prior to the mailing date of such materials. |
3.5 | Invoices. The Funds agree to pay all fees and reimbursable expenses within thirty (30) days following the receipt of the respective invoice, except for any fees or expenses that are |
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subject to good faith dispute. In the event of such a dispute, the Funds may only withhold that portion of the fee or expense subject to the good faith dispute. The Funds shall notify the Transfer Agent in writing within twenty-one (21) calendar days following the receipt of each invoice if the Funds are disputing any amounts in good faith. If the Funds do not provide such notice of dispute within the required time, the invoice will be deemed accepted by the Funds. The Funds shall pay such disputed amounts within five (5) days of the day on which the parties agree on the amount to be paid. If no agreement is reached, then such disputed amounts shall be settled as may be required by law or legal process. |
3.6 | Cost of Living Adjustment. After the first year of the Initial Term, the total fee for all services for each succeeding year shall equal the fee that would be charged for the same services based on a fee rate (as reflected in a fee rate schedule) increased by the percentage increase for the twelve-month period of such previous calendar year of the CPI-W (defined below), or, in the event that publication of such Index is terminated, any successor or substitute index, appropriately adjusted, acceptable to both parties. As used herein, “CPI-W” shall mean the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT, (Base Period: 1982-84 = 100), as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
3.7 | Late Payments. If any undisputed amount in an invoice of the Transfer Agent (for fees or reimbursable expenses) is not paid when due, the Funds shall pay the Transfer Agent interest thereon (from the due date to the date of payment) at a per annum rate equal to one percent (1.0%) plus the Prime Rate (that is, the base rate on corporate loans posted by large domestic banks) published by The Wall Street Journal (or, in the event such rate is not so published, a reasonably equivalent published rate selected by the Transfer Agent) on the first day of publication during the month when such amount was due. Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, such interest rate shall be no greater than permitted under applicable provisions of Massachusetts law. |
4. | Representations and Warranties of the Transfer Agent |
The Transfer Agent represents and warrants to the Funds that:
4.1 | It is a trust company duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
4.2 | It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
4.3 | It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Charter and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement. |
4.4 | It is a transfer agent fully registered as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). |
4.5 | All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement. |
4.6 | It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement. |
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5. | Representations and Warranties of the Funds |
Each Fund represents and warrants to the Transfer Agent that:
5.1 | It is a corporation duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of _______________________. |
5.2 | It is empowered under applicable laws and by its organizational documents to enter into and perform this Agreement. |
5.3 | All corporate proceedings required by said organizational documents have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement. |
5.4 | It is an open-end and diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. |
5.5 | A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended is currently effective and will remain effective, and appropriate state securities law filings have been made and will continue to be made, with respect to all Shares of the Funds being offered for sale. |
6. | Wire Transfer Operating Guidelines/Articles 4A of the Uniform Commercial Code |
6.1 | Obligation of Sender. The Transfer Agent is authorized to promptly debit the appropriate Fund account(s) upon the receipt of a payment order in compliance with the selected security procedure (the “Security Procedure”) chosen for funds transfer and in the amount of money that the Transfer Agent has been instructed to transfer. The Transfer Agent shall execute payment orders in compliance with the Security Procedure and with the Funds’ instructions on the execution date provided that such payment order is received by the customary deadline for processing such a request, unless the payment order specifies a later time. All payment orders and communications received after the customary deadline will be deemed to have been received the next business day. |
6.2 | Security Procedure. The Funds acknowledge that the Security Procedure it has designated on the Fund Selection Form was selected by the Funds from security procedures offered by the Transfer Agent. The Funds shall restrict access to confidential information relating to the Security Procedure to authorized persons as communicated to the Transfer Agent in writing. The Funds must notify the Transfer Agent immediately if they have reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information or of any change in a Fund’s authorized personnel. The Transfer Agent shall verify the authenticity of all Fund instructions according to the Security Procedure. |
6.3 | Account Numbers. The Transfer Agent shall process all payment orders on the basis of the account number contained in the payment order. In the event of a discrepancy between any name indicated on the payment order and the account number, the account number shall take precedence and govern. |
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6.4 | Rejection. The Transfer Agent reserves the right to decline to process or delay the processing of a payment order which (a) is in excess of the collected balance in the account to be charged at the time of the Transfer Agent’s receipt of such payment order; (b) if initiating such payment order would cause the Transfer Agent, in the Transfer Agent’s sole judgement, to exceed any volume, aggregate dollar, network, time, credit or similar limits which are applicable to the Transfer Agent; or (c) if the Transfer Agent, in good faith, is unable to satisfy itself that the transaction has been properly authorized. |
6.5 | Cancellation Amendment. The Transfer Agent shall use reasonable efforts to act on all authorized requests to cancel or amend payment orders received in compliance with the Security Procedure provided that such requests are received in a timely manner affording the Transfer Agent reasonable opportunity to act. However, the Transfer Agent assumes no liability if the request for amendment or cancellation cannot be satisfied. |
6.6 | Errors. The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for failure to detect any erroneous payment order provided that the Transfer Agent complies with the payment order instructions as received and the Transfer Agent complies with the Security Procedure. The Security Procedure is established for the purpose of authenticating payment orders only and not for the detection of errors in payment orders. |
6.7 | Interest. The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for lost interest with respect to the refundable amount of any unauthorized payment order, unless the Transfer Agent is notified of the unauthorized payment order within thirty (30) days of notification by the Transfer Agent of the acceptance of such payment order. |
6.8 | ACH Credit Entries/Provisional Payments. When the Funds initiate or receive Automated Clearing House credit and debit entries pursuant to these guidelines and the rules of the National Automated Clearing House Association and the New England Clearing House Association, the Transfer Agent will act as an Originating Depository Financial Institution and/or Receiving Depository Financial Institution, as the case may be, with respect to such entries. Credits given by the Transfer Agent with respect to an ACH credit entry are provisional until the Transfer Agent receives final settlement for such entry from the Federal Reserve Bank. If the Transfer Agent does not receive such final settlement, the Funds agree that the Transfer Agent shall receive a refund of the amount credited to the Funds in connection with such entry, and the party making payment to the Funds via such entry shall not be deemed to have paid the amount of the entry. |
6.9 | Confirmation. Confirmation of Transfer Agent’s execution of payment orders shall ordinarily be provided within twenty four (24) hours notice of which may be delivered through the Transfer Agent’s proprietary information systems, or by facsimile or call-back. Funds must report any objections to the execution of an order within thirty (30) days. |
7. | Data Access and Proprietary Information |
7.1 | The Funds acknowledge that the databases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and documentation manuals furnished to the Funds by the Transfer Agent as part of each Fund’s ability to access certain Fund-related data (“Customer Data”) maintained by the Transfer Agent on databases under the control and |
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ownership of the Transfer Agent or other third party (“Data Access Services”) constitute copyrighted, trade secret, or other proprietary information (collectively, “Proprietary Information”) of substantial value to the Transfer Agent or other third party. In no event shall Proprietary Information be deemed Customer Data. The Funds agree to treat all Proprietary Information as proprietary to the Transfer Agent and further agree that they shall not divulge any Proprietary Information to any person or organization except as may be provided hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing, the Funds agree for themselves and their employees and agents to: |
(a) Use such programs and databases (i) solely on the Funds’ computers, or (ii) solely from equipment at the location agreed to between the Funds and the Transfer Agent; and (iii) solely in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s applicable user documentation;
(b) Refrain from copying or duplicating in any way (other than in the normal course of performing processing on the Funds’ computer(s)), the Proprietary Information;
(c) Refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion of the Proprietary Information, and if such access is inadvertently obtained, to inform in a timely manner of such fact and dispose of such information in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s instructions;
(d) Refrain from causing or allowing information transmitted from the Transfer Agent’s computer to the Funds’ computer to be retransmitted to any other computer or other device except as expressly permitted by the Transfer Agent (such permission not to be unreasonably withheld);
(e) Access only to those authorized transactions as agreed to between the Funds and the Transfer Agent; and
(f) Honor all reasonable written requests made by the Transfer Agent to protect at the Transfer Agent’s expense the rights of the Transfer Agent in Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright law and under other federal or state law.
7.2 | Proprietary Information shall not include all or any portion of any of the foregoing items that: (i) are or become publicly available without breach of this Agreement; (ii) are released for general disclosure by a written release by the Transfer Agent; or (iii) are already in the possession of the receiving party at the time of receipt without obligation of confidentiality or breach of this Agreement. |
7.3 | The Funds acknowledge that its obligation to protect the Transfer Agent’s Proprietary Information is essential to the business interest of the Transfer Agent and that the disclosure of such Proprietary Information in breach of this Agreement would cause the Transfer Agent immediate, substantial and irreparable harm, the value of which would be extremely difficult to determine. Accordingly, the parties agree that, in addition to any other remedies that may be available in law, equity, or otherwise for the disclosure or use of the Proprietary Information in breach of this Agreement, the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to seek and obtain a temporary restraining order, injunctive relief, or other equitable relief against the continuance of such breach. |
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7.4 | If the Funds notify the Transfer Agent that any of the Data Access Services do not operate in material compliance with the most recently issued user documentation for such services, the Transfer Agent shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to correct such failure. Organizations from which the Transfer Agent may obtain certain data included in the Data Access Services are solely responsible for the contents of such data and the Funds agrees to make no claim against the Transfer Agent arising out of the contents of such third-party data, including, but not limited to, the accuracy thereof. DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS IS, AS AVAILABLE BASIS. THE TRANSFER AGENT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXCEPT THOSE EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. |
7.5 | If the transactions available to the Funds include the ability to originate electronic instructions to the Transfer Agent in order to: (i) effect the transfer or movement of cash or Shares; or (ii) transmit Shareholder information or other information, then in such event the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely on the validity and authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any further inquiry as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with security procedures established by the Transfer Agent from time to time. |
7.6 | Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of their obligations pursuant to this Section 7. The obligations of this Section shall survive any earlier termination of this Agreement. |
8. | Indemnification |
8.1 | The Transfer Agent shall not be responsible for, and the Funds shall indemnify and hold the Transfer Agent harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees, payments, expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to: |
(a) All actions of the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement (including the defense of any law suit in which the Transfer Agent or affiliate is a named party), provided that such actions are taken in good faith and without negligence or willful misconduct;
(b) The Funds’ lack of good faith, negligence or willful misconduct;
(c) The reliance upon, and any subsequent use of or action taken or omitted, by the Transfer Agent, or its agents or subcontractors on: (i) any information, records, documents, data, stock certificates or services, which are received by the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, facsimile, CRT data entry, electronic instructions, or other similar means authorized by the Funds, and which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Funds or any other person or firm on behalf of a Fund including but not limited to any broker-dealer, TPA or previous transfer agent; (ii) any instructions or requests of a Fund or any of its officers; (iii) any instructions or
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opinions of legal counsel with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement which are provided to the Transfer Agent after consultation with such legal counsel; or (iv) any paper or document, reasonably believed to be genuine, authentic, or signed by the proper person or persons;
(d) The acceptance of e-mail and facsimile transaction requests on behalf of individual Shareholders received from broker-dealers, TPAs or a Fund, and the reliance by the Transfer Agent on the broker-dealer, TPA or the Funds to ensure that the original source documentation is in good order and properly retained;
(e) The offer or sale of Shares in violation of federal or state securities laws or regulations requiring that such Shares be registered or in violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any federal or any state agency with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares;
(f) The negotiation and processing of any checks, wires and ACH payments including without limitation for deposit into a Fund’s demand deposit account maintained by the Transfer Agent; or
(g) Upon the Fund’s request entering into any agreements required by the NSCC for the transmission of Fund or Shareholder data through the NSCC clearing systems.
8.2 | In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Section 8 shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which a Fund may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall promptly notify the Fund of such assertion, and shall keep the Fund advised with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The Fund shall have the option to participate with the Transfer Agent in the defense of such claim or to defend against said claim in its own name or in the name of the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the Fund may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent except with the Fund’s prior written consent. |
9. | Standard of Care |
The Transfer Agent shall at all times act in good faith and agrees to use its best efforts within reasonable limits to ensure the accuracy of all services performed under this Agreement, but assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors, including encoding and payment processing errors, unless said errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of its employees or agents. The parties agree that any encoding or payment processing errors shall be governed by this standard of care and Section 4-209 of the Uniform Commercial Code is superseded by Section 9 of this Agreement. This standard of care also shall apply to Exception Services, as defined in Section 2.3 herein, but such application shall take into consideration the manual processing involved in, and time sensitive nature of, Exception Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Transfer Agent’s aggregate liability during any term of this Agreement with respect to, arising from or arising in connection with this Agreement, or from all services provided or omitted to be provided by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement, whether in contract, or in tort, or otherwise, is limited to, and shall not exceed,
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the aggregate of the amounts actually received hereunder by the Transfer Agent as fees and charges, but not including reimbursable expenses, during the six calendar months immediately preceding the event for which recovery from the Transfer Agent is being sought.
10. | Confidentiality |
10.1 | The Transfer Agent and the Funds agree that they will not, at any time during the term of this Agreement or after its termination, reveal, divulge, or make known to any person, firm, corporation or other business organization, any customers’ lists, trade secrets, cost figures and projections, profit figures and projections, or any other secret or confidential information whatsoever, whether of the Transfer Agent or of the Funds, used or gained by the Transfer Agent or the Funds during performance under this Agreement. The Funds and the Transfer Agent further covenant and agree to retain all such knowledge and information acquired during and after the term of this Agreement respecting such lists, trade secrets, or any secret or confidential information whatsoever in trust for the sole benefit of the Transfer Agent or the Funds and their successors and assigns. In the event of breach of the foregoing by either party, the remedies provided by Section 7.3 shall be available to the party whose confidential information is disclosed. The above prohibition of disclosure shall not apply to the extent that the Transfer Agent must disclose such data to its sub-contractor or a Fund agent for purposes of providing services under this Agreement. |
10.2 | In the event that any requests or demands are made for the inspection of the Shareholder records of the Funds other than request for records of Shareholders pursuant to standard subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (i.e., divorce and criminal actions), the Transfer Agent will endeavor to notify the Funds and to secure instructions from an authorized officer of the Funds as to such inspection. The Transfer Agent expressly reserves the right, however, to exhibit the Shareholder records to any person whenever it is advised by counsel that it may be held liable for the failure to exhibit the Shareholder records to such person or if required by law or court order. |
11. | Covenants of the Funds and the Transfer Agent |
11.1 | The Funds shall promptly furnish to the Transfer Agent the following: |
(a) A certified copy of the resolution of the Board of Directors of the Funds authorizing the appointment of the Transfer Agent and the execution and delivery of this Agreement; and
(b) A copy of the organizational documents of the Funds and all material amendments thereto.
11.2 | The Transfer Agent hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities and procedures reasonably acceptable to the Funds for safekeeping of stock certificates, if any, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting devices, if any; and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account of, such certificates, forms and devices. |
11.3 | The Transfer Agent shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To the extent required by Section 31 of |
12
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Rules thereunder, the Transfer Agent agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by the Transfer Agent relating to the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent hereunder are the property of each Fund and will be preserved, maintained and made available in accordance with such Section and Rules, and will be surrendered promptly to the applicable Fund on and in accordance with its request. |
12. | Termination of Agreement |
12.1 | Term. The initial term of this Agreement (the “Initial Term”) shall be five (5) years from the date first stated above unless terminated pursuant to the provisions of this Section 12. Unless a party gives written notice to the other party one hundred and twenty (120) days before the expiration of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term, this Agreement will renew automatically from year to year (each such year-to-year renewal term a “Renewal Term”). One hundred and twenty (120) days before the expiration of the Initial Term or a Renewal Term the parties to this Agreement will agree upon a Fee Schedule for the upcoming Renewal Term. Otherwise, the fees shall be increased pursuant to Section 3.5 of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the termination or non-renewal of this Agreement, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall continue to apply until the completion of deconversion. |
12.2 | Deconversion. In the event that this Agreement is terminated or not renewed for any reason, the Transfer Agent agrees that, in order to provide for uninterrupted service to the Funds, the Transfer Agent, at the Funds’ request, shall offer reasonable assistance to the Funds’ in converting the Funds’ records from the Transfer Agent’s systems to whatever services or systems are designated by the Funds (the “Deconversion”), subject to the recompense of the Transfer Agent for such assistance at its standard rates and fees in effect at the time. As used herein “reasonable assistance” shall not include requiring the Transfer Agent (i) to assist any new service or system provider to modify, to alter, to enhance, or to improve such provider’s system, or to provide any new functionality to such provider’s system, (ii) to disclose any protected information of the Transfer Agent, or (iii) to develop Deconversion software, to modify any of the Transfer Agent’s software, or to otherwise alter the format of the data as maintained on any provider’s systems. |
12.3 | Termination or Non Renewal. |
A. | Outstanding Fees and Charges. In the event of termination or non-renewal of this Agreement, the Funds will promptly pay the Transfer Agent all fees and charges for the services provided under this Agreement which (i) have been accrued and remain unpaid as of the date of such notice of termination or non-renewal and (ii) which thereafter accrue for the period through and including the date of the Funds’ Deconversion. |
B. | Deconversion Costs and Post-Deconversion Support Fees. In the event of termination or non-renewal of this Agreement, the Funds shall pay the Transfer Agent the Deconversion costs as noted in Section 12.2 and all reasonable fees and expenses for providing any support services that the Funds request the Transfer Agent to provide post Deconversion, including but not limited to tax reporting and open issue resolution. |
C. | Early Termination. In addition to the foregoing, in the event that the services provided by the Transfer Agent hereunder are to be converted by the Funds to a successor service |
13
provider, or insourced by the Funds, or if the Funds are liquidated or their assets merged or purchased or the like with or by another entity which does not utilize the services of the Transfer Agent, the Funds shall pay the Transfer Agent an amount calculated as if the services had been performed by the Transfer Agent until the expiration of the then current Initial or Renewal Term and calculated based on the fee schedule as of the date notice of termination was given to the Transfer Agent, and the payment of all fees to the Transfer Agent as set forth herein shall be accelerated to the business day immediately prior to the conversion or termination of services; provided, however, the Funds shall not be obligated to pay the foregoing amount in the event that the Funds terminate or do not renew this Agreement (i) for cause, pursuant to Section 12.7, or (ii) due to the Transfer Agent’s bankruptcy, pursuant to Section 12.6. |
12.4 | Confidential Information. Upon termination of this Agreement, each Party shall return to the other Party all copies of confidential or proprietary materials or information received from such other Party hereunder, other than materials or information required to be retained by such Party under applicable laws or regulations. |
12.5 | Unpaid Invoices. The Transfer Agent may terminate this Agreement immediately upon an unpaid invoice payable by the Funds to the Transfer Agent being outstanding for more than ninety (90) days, except with respect to any amount subject to a good faith dispute within the meaning of Section 3.5 of this Agreement; provided, however, the Transfer Agent shall provide thirty (30) days written notice hereunder before termination under this Section 12.5. |
12.6 | Bankruptcy. Either Party hereto may terminate this Agreement by notice to the other Party, effective at any time specified therein, in the event that (a) the other Party ceases to carry on its business or (b) an action is commenced by or against the other Party under Title 11 of the United States Code or a receiver, conservator or similar officer is appointed for the other Party and such suit, conservatorship or receivership is not discharged within thirty (30) days. |
12.7 | Cause. If either of the parties hereto (i) breaches any material provision of this Agreement, or (ii) becomes in default in the performance of its duties or obligations hereunder and such default has a material adverse effect on the other Party, then in each case the non-defaulting Party may give notice to the defaulting Party specifying the nature of the default in sufficient detail to permit the defaulting Party to identify and cure such default. If the defaulting Party fails to cure such default within sixty (60) days of receipt of such notice or within such other period of time as the parties may agree is necessary for such cure, then the non-defaulting Party may terminate this Agreement upon notice of not less than five (5) days to the defaulting Party. |
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13. | Assignment and Third Party Beneficiaries |
13.1 | Except as provided in Section 14.1 below, neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party without the written consent of the other party. Any attempt to do so in violation of this Section shall be void. Unless specifically stated to the contrary in any written consent to an assignment, no assignment will release or discharge the assignor from any duty or responsibility under this Agreement. |
13.2 | Except as explicitly stated elsewhere in this Agreement, nothing under this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in this Agreement to anyone other than the Transfer Agent and the Funds, and the duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Transfer Agent and the Funds. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns. |
13.3 | This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for a partnership or joint venture between the Transfer Agent and the Funds. Other than as provided in Section 14.1, neither party shall make any commitments with third parties that are binding on the other party without the other party’s prior written consent. |
14. | Subcontractors |
14.1 | The Transfer Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Funds, subcontract for the performance hereof with (i) Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (“Boston Financial”) which is duly registered as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or (ii) a Boston Financial subsidiary or affiliate duly registered as a transfer agent; provided, however, that the Transfer Agent shall be fully responsible to the Fund for the acts and omissions of Boston Financial or its subsidiary or affiliate as it is for its own acts and omissions. |
14.2 | Nothing herein shall impose any duty upon the Transfer Agent in connection with or make the Transfer Agent liable for the actions or omissions to act of unaffiliated third parties such as by way of example and not limitation, Airborne Services, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, the U.S. Mails, the NSCC and telecommunication companies, provided, if the Transfer Agent selected such company, the Transfer Agent shall have exercised due care in selecting the same. |
15. | Miscellaneous |
15.1 | Amendment. This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written agreement executed by both parties and authorized or approved by a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Funds. |
15.2 | Massachusetts Law to Apply. This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
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15.3 | Force Majeure. In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, equipment or transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or other causes reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting from such failure to perform or otherwise from such causes. |
15.4 | Consequential Damages. Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for special, indirect or consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement or for any special, indirect or consequential damages arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder. |
15.5 | Survival. All provisions regarding indemnification, warranty, liability, and limits thereon, and confidentiality and/or protections of proprietary rights and trade secrets shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
15.6 | Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired. |
15.7 | Priorities Clause. In the event of any conflict, discrepancy or ambiguity between the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and any Schedules or attachments hereto, the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement shall take precedence. |
15.8 | Waiver. No waiver by either party or any breach or default of any of the covenants or conditions herein contained and performed by the other party shall be construed as a waiver of any succeeding breach of the same or of any other covenant or condition. |
15.9 | Merger of Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written. |
15.10 | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. |
15.11 | Reproduction of Documents. This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits, attachments and amendments hereto may be reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic or other similar process. The parties hereto each agree that any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not the original is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by a party in the regular course of business, and that any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence. |
15.12 | Notices. All notices and other communications as required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed as follows or to such other address or addresses of which the respective party shall have notified the other. |
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(a) | If to the Transfer Agent to: |
State Street Bank and Trust Company
c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.
0 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Legal Department
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
(b) | If to the Funds, to: |
Attention:
Facsimile
16. | Additional Funds |
In the event that a Fund establishes one or more series of Shares, in addition to those listed on the attached Schedule A, with respect to which it desires to have the Transfer Agent render services as transfer agent under the terms hereof, it shall so notify the Transfer Agent in writing, and if the Transfer Agent agrees in writing to provide such services, such series of Shares shall become a Portfolio hereunder.
17
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized officers, as of the day and year first above written.
Each of the AARP Entities on Schedule A | ||||||||
BY: |
||||||||
A duly authorized officer of each such Entity | ||||||||
ATTEST: |
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STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||||||||
By: |
||||||||
Name: |
||||||||
Title: |
||||||||
ATTEST: |
||||||||
By: |
18
SCHEDULE A
[Fund List]
Each of the AARP Entities on Schedule A |
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | |||||||
BY: |
By: |
|||||||
A duly authorized officer of each such Entity |
Name: |
|||||||
Name: |
Title: |
|||||||
Title: |
SCHEDULE 1.2(g)
AML DELEGATION
1. | Delegation. In connection with the enactment of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 and the regulations promulgated thereunder, (collectively, the “USA PATRIOT Act”), the Fund has developed and implemented a written anti-money laundering program (the “AML Program”), which is designed to satisfy the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act. Under the USA PATRIOT Act, a mutual fund can elect to delegate certain duties with respect to the implementation and operation of its AML Program to a service provider, including its transfer agent. The Fund is desirous of having the Transfer Agent perform certain delegated duties pursuant to the AML Program and the Transfer Agent desires to accept such delegation. |
2. | Limitation on Delegation. The Fund acknowledges and agrees that in accepting the delegation hereunder, the Transfer Agent is agreeing to perform only those duties that have been expressly delegated on this Schedule 1.26 (the “Delegated Duties”), as may be amended from time to time, and is not undertaking and shall not be responsible for any other aspect of the AML Program or for the overall compliance by the Fund with the USA PATRIOT Act or for any other matters that have not been delegated hereunder. Additionally, the parties acknowledge and agree that the Transfer Agent shall only be responsible for performing the Delegated Duties with respect to the ownership of, and transactions in, shares in the Fund for which the Transfer Agent maintains the applicable shareholder information. |
3. | Consent to Examination. In connection with the performance by the Transfer Agent of the Delegated Duties, the Transfer Agent understands and acknowledges that the Fund remains responsible for assuring compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act and that the records the Transfer Agent maintains for the Fund relating to the AML Program may be subject, from time to time, to examination and/or inspection by federal regulators in order that the regulators may evaluate such compliance. The Transfer Agent hereby consents to such examination and/or inspection and agrees to cooperate with such federal examiners in connection with their review. For purposes of such examination and/or inspection, the Transfer Agent will use its best efforts to make available, during normal business hours and on reasonable notice all required records and information for review by such examiners. |
4. | Delegated Duties. |
4.1 | Consistent with the services provided by the Transfer Agent and with respect to the ownership of shares in the Fund for which the Transfer Agent maintains the applicable shareholder information, the Transfer Agent shall: |
(a) Submit all financial and non-financial transactions through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) database and such other lists or databases as may be required from time to time by applicable regulatory authorities;
(b) Review special payee checks through OFAC database;
(c) Review redemption transactions that occur within thirty (30) days of account establishment or maintenance;
SCHEDULE 1.2(g)
AML DELEGATION
(continued)
(d) Review wires sent pursuant to banking instructions other than those on file with the Transfer Agent;
(e) Review accounts with small balances followed by large purchases;
(f) Review accounts with frequent activity within a specified date range followed by a large redemption;
(g) On a daily basis, review purchase and redemption activity per tax identification number (“TIN”) within the Funds to determine if activity for that TIN exceeded the $100,000 threshold on any given day;
(h) Monitor and track cash equivalents under $10,000 for a rolling twelve-month period and file IRS Form 8300 and issue the Shareholder notices required by the IRS;
(i) Determine when a suspicious activity report (“SAR”) should be filed as required by regulations applicable to mutual funds; prepare and file the SAR. Provide the Fund with a copy of the SAR within a reasonable time after filing; notify Fund if any further communication is received from U.S. Department of the Treasury or other law enforcement agencies regarding the SAR;
(j) Compare account information to any FinCEN request received by the Fund and provided to the Transfer Agent pursuant to USA PATRIOT Act Sec. 314(a). Provide the Fund with documents/information necessary to respond to requests under USA PATRIOT Act Sec. 314(a) within required time frames; and
(k) In accordance with procedures agreed upon by the parties (which may be amended from time to time by mutual agreement of the parties) (i) verify the identity of any person seeking to open an account with the Fund, (ii) maintain records of the information used to verify the person’s identity and (iii) determine whether the person appears on any lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorists organizations provided to the Fund by any government agency.
4.2 | In the event that the Transfer Agent detects activity as a result of the foregoing procedures, which necessitates the filing by the Transfer Agent of a SAR, a Form 8300 or other similar report or notice to OFAC, then the Transfer Agent shall also immediately notify the Fund, unless prohibited by applicable law. |
Each of the AARP Entities on Schedule A | STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | |||||||
BY: | By: | |||||||
A duly authorized officer of each such Entity | Name: | |||||||
Name: | Title: | |||||||
Title: |
2
SCHEDULE 2.1
THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR(S) PROCEDURES
Dated
1. | On each day on which both the New York Stock Exchange and the Fund are open for business (a “Business Day”), the TPA(s) shall receive, on behalf of and as agent of the Fund, Instructions (as hereinafter defined) from the Plan. Instructions shall mean as to each Fund (i) orders by the Plan for the purchases of Shares, and (ii) requests by the Plan for the redemption of Shares; in each case based on the Plan’s receipt of purchase orders and redemption requests by Participants in proper form by the time required by the terms of the Plan, but not later than the time of day at which the net asset value of a Fund is calculated, as described from time to time in that Fund’s prospectus. Each Business Day on which the TPA receives Instructions shall be a “Trade Date”. |
2. | The TPA(s) shall communicate the TPA(s)’s acceptance of such Instructions, to the applicable Plan. |
3. | On the next succeeding Business Day following the Trade Date on which it accepted Instructions for the purchase and redemption of Shares, (TD+1), the TPA(s) shall notify the Transfer Agent of the net amount of such purchases or redemptions, as the case may be, for each of the Plans. In the case of net purchases by any Plan, the TPA(s) shall instruct the Trustees of such Plan to transmit the aggregate purchase price for Shares by wire transfer to the Transfer Agent on (TD+1). In the case of net redemptions by any Plan, the TPA(s) shall instruct the Fund’s custodian to transmit the aggregate redemption proceeds for Shares by wire transfer to the Trustees of such Plan on (TD+1). The times at which such notification and transmission shall occur on (TD+1) shall be as mutually agreed upon by each Fund, the TPA(s), and the Transfer Agent. |
4. | The TPA(s) shall maintain separate records for each Plan, which record shall reflect Shares purchased and redeemed, including the date and price for all transactions, and Share balances. The TPA(s) shall maintain on behalf of each of the Plans a single master account with the Transfer Agent and such account shall be in the name of that Plan, the TPA(s), or the nominee of either thereof as the record owner of Shares owned by such Plan. |
5. | The TPA(s) shall maintain records of all proceeds of redemptions of Shares and all other distributions not reinvested in Shares. |
6. | The TPA(s) shall prepare, and transmit to each of the Plans, periodic account statements showing the total number of Shares owned by that Plan as of the statement closing date, purchases and redemptions of Shares by the Plan during the period covered by the statement, and the dividends and other distributions paid to the Plan on Shares during the statement period (whether paid in cash or reinvested in Shares). |
7. | The TPA(s) shall, at the request and expense of each Fund, transmit to the Plans prospectuses, proxy materials, reports, and other information provided by each Fund for delivery to its shareholders. |
3
SCHEDULE 2.1
THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR(S) PROCEDURES
Dated
(continued)
8. | The TPA(s) shall, at the request of each Fund, prepare and transmit to each Fund or any agent designated by it such periodic reports covering Shares of each Plan as each Fund shall reasonably conclude are necessary to enable the Fund to comply with state Blue Sky requirements. |
9. | The TPA(s) shall transmit to the Plans confirmation of purchase orders and redemption requests placed by the Plans; and |
10. | The TPA(s) shall, with respect to Shares, maintain account balance information for the Plan(s) and daily and monthly purchase summaries expressed in Shares and dollar amounts. |
11. | Plan sponsors may request, or the law may require, that prospectuses, proxy materials, periodic reports and other materials relating to each Fund be furnished to Participants in which event the Transfer Agent or each Fund shall mail or cause to be mailed such materials to Participants. With respect to any such mailing, the TPA(s) shall, at the request of the Transfer Agent or each Fund, provide at the TPA(s)’s expense a complete and accurate set of mailing labels with the name and address of each Participant having an interest through the Plans in Shares. |
Each of the AARP Entities on Schedule A | STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | |||||||
BY: | By: | |||||||
A duly authorized officer of each such Entity | Name: | |||||||
Name: | Title: | |||||||
Title: |
4
SCHEDULE 3.1
FEES
Dated Effective , 2005 – to 2010
Fees are billable on a monthly basis at the rate of 1/12 of the annual fee.
Annual Service Fees
Annual Asset Fee*
0 - $5 Billion | .00135 Basis Points | |
$5 Billion - $7.5 Xxxxxxx | .00000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx | |
$7.5 Xxxxxxx | .00000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx | |
Cusip/Fund Fee (after 10th cusip) |
$12,500.00/Year | |
Closed Account Fee** |
$2.40/account |
* | The Transfer Agent will introduce additional fees if the average account size drops below $18,000. |
** | The closed account fee is waived provided they do not exceed more than 20% of open accounts. |
Retirement Fee (Paid by shareholder) |
||
XXX Custodial Fee |
$10.00/Account | |
Implementation |
||
• Fund Implementation |
Waived | |
• Training |
TA2000 Voice Features1
Audio Response – Touch Tone |
||
TA2000 Voice |
$.20/Call | |
Audio Response – Speech Recognition |
||
TA2000 Voice With Speech Recognition |
Additional $.05/Call |
1. | In addition to the above fees, there are out-of-pocket expenses that would include AT&T long distance charges and Winchester Data Center infrastructure charges. These are currently billed at $.085 per minute. AT&T courtesy transfer is also billed out-of-pocket. This feature is billed at either $.25 per transfer or $.04 per call. CUSIP minimums will apply. |
[Fees for certain optional services that require separate agreement are not reflected above.]
Each of the AARP Entities on Schedule A | STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | |||||||
BY: | By: | |||||||
A duly authorized officer of each such Entity | Name: | |||||||
Name: | Title: | |||||||
Title: |