AGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT made as of the 16th day of November, 2007 by and between
FocusShares Trust, a Delaware business trust and a registered investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, with offices at 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000
(the “Trust”) and JPMorganChase Bank, N.A., a national banking association with a place of business
at 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000 (“Bank”).
PREMISE
Bank, in its capacity as custodian of the Trust has been engaged to provide U.S. domestic
custody services to the Trust and its various portfolios pursuant to the terms of a Domestic
Custody Agreement dated as June 18, 2007 (the “Custody Agreement”). The Trust intends to issue in
respect of its portfolios listed on Exhibit A hereto (each an “ETF Series”) an exchange-traded
class of shares known as “ETF1 Shares” for each Fund (each a “ETF Series”). The ETF
Shares shall be issued in bundles called “Creation Units” (hereinafter defined). The Trust, on
behalf of the ETF Series, shall issue and redeem ETF Shares of each ETF Series only in Creation
Units principally in kind for portfolio securities of the particular ETF Series (“Deposit
Securities”), as more fully described in the current prospectus and statement of additional
information of the Trust, included in its registration statement on Form N-1A; and as authorized
under the Order of Exemption of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Only brokers or dealers
that are “Authorized Participants” (hereinafter defined) and that have entered into an Authorized
Participant Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto with the Distributor
(hereinafter defined), acting on behalf of the Trust, shall be authorized to purchase and redeem
ETF Shares in Creation Units from the Trust. The Trust wishes to engage Bank to perform certain
services on behalf of the Trust with respect to the purchase and redemption of ETF Shares, as the
Trust’s agent, namely: to provide transfer agent services for ETF Shares of each ETF Series; to act
as Index Receipt Agent (as such term is defined in the rules of the National Securities Clearing
Corporation) with respect to the settlement of trade orders with Authorized Participants; and to
provide custody services under the terms of the Custody Agreement, as supplemented hereby, for the
settlement of purchases of Creation Units against Deposit Securities that shall be delivered by
Authorized Participants in exchange for ETF Shares and the redemption of ETF Shares in Creation
Unit size against the delivery of Redemption Securities (hereinafter defined) of each ETF Series.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premise and other good and valuable consideration the
receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the Trust and Bank agree as follows:
1 | “ETF” is being shown in this document until the Trust has identified a tradename for its exchange traded fund product. |
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1. DEFINITIONS. The following terms as used in this Agreement shall have the meanings as set
forth below:
Agreement: means this Agency Services Agreement.
Authorized Participant: a broker or dealer that is a DTC member and that has executed an
Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor for the purchase and redemption of Creation
Units.
Authorized Participant Agreement: the agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit B
hereto, between the Distributor, on behalf of the Trust, and a broker or dealer that is a DTC
member governing the purchase and redemption of Creation Units.
Authorized Person: means any person who has been designated by written notice from the Trust
(or by any agent designated by the Trust, including, without limitation, an investment manager), to
act on behalf of Trust hereunder. Such persons will continue to be Authorized Persons until such
time as Bank receives Instructions from the Trust (or its agent) that any such person is no longer
an Authorized Person.
Bank: as the context requires means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. in its capacity as Transfer
Agent, Index Receipt Agent or Custodian for the Trust.
Balancing Amount: means an amount of cash equal to the difference between the net asset value
of a Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities (in the case of a purchase) or
the market value of the Redemption Securities (in the case of a redemption). For purchases of
Creation Units, if the Balancing Amount is a positive number, then it will be an amount that is
payable to the ETF Series by the Authorized Participant and if the Balancing Amount is a negative
number, then it will be an amount that is payable by the ETF Series to the Authorized Participant.
For redemptions of Creation Units, if the Balancing Amount is a positive number, then it will be an
amount that is payable by the ETF Series to the Authorized Participant and if the Balancing Amount
is a negative number, then it will be an amount that is payable to the ETF Series by the Authorized
Participant.
Cash Component: means an amount of cash consisting of the Balancing Amount and a Transaction
Fee.
Clearing Process: means CNS, the NSCC clearing and settlement process for the purchase and
redemption of Creation Units for securities in kind.
CNS: means the Continuous Net Settlement System of NSCC.
Creation Unit: means a large block of a specified number of ETF Shares, as specified in the
ETF Series’ prospectus. A Creation Unit is the minimum number of ETF Shares that may be created or
redeemed at any one time.
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Creation Deposit: means the consideration for the purchase of a Creation Unit consisting of
Deposit Securities and the Balancing Amount.
Custody Agreement: means the custody agreement entitled “Domestic Custody Agreement” between
the FocusShares LLC and Bank and dated June 18, 2007 as it may be amended.
Custodian: means Bank acting in the capacity as securities custodian for the Trust.
Deposit Securities: means the designated basket of securities that must be tendered to a ETF
Series by an Authorized Participant to purchase one or more Creation Units of that Fund’s ETF
Shares.
Distributor: means the party identified as distributor in the Trust prospectus, that signs
the Authorized Participant Agreement on behalf of the Trust.
DTC: means The Depository Trust Company, a limited purpose trust company organized under the
law of the State of New York.
DTC Participant: means a “participant” as such term is defined in the rules of DTC.
DTC Participant Account: means an “account” as such term is defined in the rules of DTC.
ETF Series: means the series of the Trust that are listed on Exhibit A hereto, as amended
from time to time.
ETF Shares: means the shares of each ETF Series.
Index Receipt Agent: means Bank acting in the capacity as “index receipt agent,” as such term
is defined in the rules of NSCC, for the Trust.
Instructions: means instructions which: (i) contain all necessary information required by Bank
to enable Bank to carry out the Instructions; (ii) are received by Bank in writing or via Bank’s
electronic instruction system, SWIFT, telephone, tested telex, facsimile or such other methods as
are for the time being agreed by the Trust (or an Authorized Person) and Bank; and (iii) Bank
believes in good faith have been given by an Authorized Person or are transmitted with proper
testing or authentication pursuant to terms and conditions which Bank may specify.
Liabilities: means any liabilities, losses, claims, costs, damages, penalties, fines,
obligations, or expenses of any kind whatsoever (including, without limitation, reasonable
attorneys’, accountants’, consultants’ or experts’ fees and disbursements).
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NSCC: National Securities Clearing Corporation, a clearing agency that is registered with the
SEC.
Outside the Clearing Process: means processing purchase and redemption orders concerning
Creation Units and Deposit Securities and Redemption Securities for settlement exclusively through
DTC or, when the settlement is not DTC eligible, as a window delivery to the offices of the
Custodian.
Redemption Securities: means the designated basket of securities provided by the Trust to an
Authorized Participant redeeming a Creation Unit. On any given day, the Redemption Securities may
or may not be identical to the Deposit Securities.
SEC: means the Securities and Exchange Commission
Shareholder: means DTC or its nominee. A single global certificate for each ETF Series will
be issued in the name of DTC or its nominee. DTC or its nominee shall be the sole registered
holder of ETF Shares of each ETF Series.
Transaction Fee: means a transaction fee imposed by the Trust and payable by the Authorized
Participant in connection with the issuance or redemption of Creation Units.
Transfer Agent: means Bank acting in the capacity as transfer agent for the ETF Shares of
each ETF Series of the Trust.
Trust: means FocusShares Trust, a Delaware business trust and a registered investment company
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
2. APPOINTMENT. The Trust hereby appoints Bank to provide services for the
Trust, as described hereinafter, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of the Trust
(the “Board”), on the terms set forth in this Agreement. Bank accepts such appointment and agrees
to furnish the services herein set forth in return for the compensation as provided in Section 6 of
this Agreement.
3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.
(a) Bank represents and warrants to the Trust that:
(i) Bank is a corporation, duly organized and existing as a banking corporation under
the laws of the State of New York;
(ii) Bank is duly qualified to carry on its business in the State of New York;
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(iii) Bank is empowered under applicable laws and by its charter and by-laws to enter
into and perform the services described in this Agreement;
(iv) all requisite corporate action has been taken to authorize Bank to enter into and
perform this Agreement;
(v) Bank has, and shall continue to have, access to the facilities, personnel and
equipment required to fully perform its duties and obligations hereunder;
(vi) no legal or administrative proceedings have been instituted or threatened against
Bank which would impair Bank’s ability to perform its duties and obligations under this
Agreement; and
(vii) Bank’s entrance into this Agreement shall not cause a material breach or be in
material conflict with any other agreement or obligation of Bank or any law or regulation
applicable to Bank;
(b) The Trust represents and warrants to Bank that:
(i) the Trust is duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of
the State of Delaware;
(ii) the Trust is empowered under applicable laws and by its charter document and
by-laws to enter into and perform this Agreement;
(iii) all requisite proceedings have been taken to authorize the Trust to enter into
and perform this Agreement;
(iv) the Trust is an open-end management investment company properly registered under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”);
(v) a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”)
and the 1940 Act on Form N-1A has been filed and shall be effective and shall remain
effective during the term of this Agreement, and all necessary filings under the laws of
the states shall have been made and shall be current during the term of this Agreement;
(vi) no legal or administrative proceedings have been instituted or threatened which
would impair the Trust’s ability to perform its duties and obligations under this
Agreement, other than as described in the Trust’s registration statement;
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(vii) the Trust’s registration statement complies in all material respects with the
1933 Act and the 1940 Act (including the rules and regulations thereunder) and none of the
Trust’s prospectuses and/or statements of additional information contain any untrue
statement of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and
(viii) the Trust’s entrance into this Agreement shall not cause a material breach or
be in material conflict with any other agreement or obligation of the Trust or any law or
regulation applicable to it.
4. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS.
The Trust shall promptly furnish to Bank such copies, properly certified or authenticated, of
contracts, documents and other related information that Bank may request or require to properly
discharge its duties. Such documents may include but are not limited to the following:
(i) Resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizing the appointment of
Bank to provide certain services to the Trust;
(ii) the Trust’s charter documents;
(iii) the Trust’s by-laws;
(iv) the Trust’s Notification of Registration on Form N-8A under the 1940 Act as filed
with the SEC;
(v) the Trust’s registration
statement including exhibits, as amended, on Form N-1A (the “Registration Statement”) under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act, as filed with the SEC;
(vi) the Trust’s application for an Order of Exemption with respect to the ETF Series
and ETF Shares, and the Order of Exemption of the SEC granting the relief requested in the
application.
(vii) opinions of counsel regarding the Trust’s securities issuances and auditors’
reports;
(viii) the Trust’s prospectuses and statement of additional information relating to
all funds, series, portfolios and classes, as applicable, and all amendments and
supplements thereto (such Prospectuses and Statement of Additional Information and
supplements thereto, as presently in effect and as from time to time hereafter amended and
supplemented (herein called the “Prospectuses”);
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(ix) the Trust’s current and ongoing annual and semi-annual reports; and
(x) such other agreements as the Trust may enter into from time to time including
securities lending agreements, futures and commodities account agreements, brokerage
agreements and options agreements.
5. SERVICES PROVIDED.
Bank shall provide the following services subject to the control, direction and supervision of
the Trust’s board and its designated agents and in compliance with the objectives, policies and
limitations set forth in the Trust’s Registration Statement, charter document and by-laws;
applicable laws and regulations; and all resolutions and policies implemented by the Board:
(i) Transfer Agency Services described in Schedule A to this Agreement;
(ii) Index Receipt Agent Services described in Schedule B to this Agreement, and
(iii) such other services in connection with ETF Shares as the parties may mutually
agree in writing.
6. FEES AND EXPENSES.
(a) As compensation for the services rendered to the Trust pursuant to this Agreement the
Trust shall pay Bank the fees as may be agreed upon in writing from time to time, together with
Bank’s reasonable out-of-pocket or incidental expenses, including, but not limited to, legal fees.
All fees and expenses are to be billed monthly (unless another period is agreed upon) and shall
be due and payable upon receipt of the invoice. Upon any termination of the provision of services
under this Agreement before the end of any month, the fee for the part of the month before such
termination shall be prorated according to the proportion which such part bears to the full
monthly period and shall be payable upon the date of such termination.
(b) Bank shall render, after the close of each month in which services have been furnished, a
statement reflecting all of the fees and expenses for such month (or other agreed upon billing
period). Fees and expenses remaining unpaid after thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of the
statement shall bear interest, from the date of the statement to the date of repayment to Bank by
the Trust, at the Federal Funds Rate + ___ basis points and all costs and expenses of effecting
collection of any such sums, including reasonable attorney’s fees, shall be paid by the Trust to
Bank.
(c) In the event that the Trust is more than sixty (60) days delinquent in payments of monthly
xxxxxxxx in connection with this Agreement (with the exception of
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specific amounts which may be contested in good faith by the Trust), this Agreement may be
terminated by Bank upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Trust. The Trust must notify Bank
in writing of any disputed amounts within thirty (30) days of its receipt of the billing for such
amounts. Amounts disputed in good faith are not due and payable while they are being investigated.
7. INSTRUCTIONS.
(a) The Trust authorizes Bank to accept and act upon any Instructions received by it without
inquiry. The Trust will indemnify Bank Indemnitees against, and hold each of them harmless from,
any Liabilities that may be imposed on, incurred by, or asserted against Bank Indemnitees as a
result of any action or omission taken in accordance with any Instructions or other directions
upon which Bank is authorized to rely under the terms of this Agreement.
(b) Unless otherwise expressly provided, all Instructions shall continue in full force and
effect until canceled or suspended.
(c) Bank may (in its sole discretion and without affecting any part of this Section 7) seek
clarification or confirmation of an Instruction from an Authorized Person and may decline to act
upon the Instruction if it does not receive clarification or confirmation satisfactory to it. Bank
shall not be liable for any loss arising from any delay while it seeks such clarification or
confirmation.
8. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) Bank shall use reasonable care in performing its duties under this Agreement. Bank shall
not be in violation of this Agreement with respect to any matter as to which it has satisfied its
duty of reasonable care.
(b) Bank shall be liable to the Trust for its direct damages, excluding attorneys fees, to the
extent they result from Bank’s negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct in performing its duties
as set out in this Agreement. Nevertheless, under no circumstances shall Bank be liable for any
indirect, special or consequential damages (including, without limitation, lost profits) of any
form, whether or not foreseeable and regardless of the type of action in which such a claim may be
brought.
(c) Without limiting subsections (a) and (b) above, Bank shall not be responsible for, and the
Trust shall indemnify and hold Bank, its officers, employees and agents harmless from and against,
any and all Liabilities, incurred by Bank, any of its officers, employees or agents, or the Trust’s
agents in the performance of its/their duties hereunder, including but not limited to those arising
out of or attributable to:
(i) any and all actions of Bank or its officers, employees or agents required to be
taken pursuant to this Agreement;
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(ii) the reasonable reliance on or use by Bank or its officers, employees or agents of
information, records, or documents which are received by Bank or its officers, employees or
agents and furnished to it or them by or on behalf of the Trust, and which have been
prepared or maintained by the Trust or any third party on behalf of the Trust;
(iii) the Trust’s refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or the
Trust’s lack of good faith, or its actions, or lack thereof, involving negligence or
willful misconduct;
(iv) the breach of any representation or warranty of the Trust hereunder;
(v) the taping or other form of recording of telephone conversations or other forms of
electronic communications with the Trust, its agents or any investor or reliance by Bank on
telephone or other electronic Instructions of any person acting on behalf of the Trust or
an investor for which telephone or other electronic services have been authorized;
(vi) the reliance by Bank, its officers, employees or agents on any share certificates
which are reasonably believed to bear the proper manual or facsimile signature of an
officer or agent of the Trust;
(vii) any delays, inaccuracies, errors in or omissions from information or data
provided to Bank by data, corporate action or pricing services, depositories or clearing
systems, or securities brokers or dealers;
(viii) the offer or sale of shares by the Trust in violation of any requirement under
the Federal securities laws or regulations or the securities laws or regulations of any
state, or in violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any Federal
agency or any state agency with respect to the offer or sale of such shares in such state
(1) resulting from activities, actions, or omissions by the Trust or its other service
providers and agents, or (2) existing or arising out of activities, actions or omissions by
or on behalf of the Trust prior to the effective date of this Agreement;
(ix) any failure of the Trust’s registration statement to comply with the 1933 Act and
the 1940 Act (including the rules and regulations thereunder) and any other applicable
laws, or any untrue statement of a material fact or omission of a material fact necessary
to make any statement therein not misleading in the Trust’s Prospectuses;
(x) the actions taken by the Trust, the Distributor or by the Trust’s investment
advisers in compliance with applicable securities, tax, commodities and other laws, rules
and regulations, or the failure to so comply; and
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(xi) all actions, omissions, or errors caused by third parties to whom Bank or the
Trust have assigned any rights and/or delegated any duties under this Agreement at the
request of or as required by the Trust or the Distributor, or by the Trust’s investment
advisers, administrator or sponsor.
Notwithstanding subsections (a) above, Bank shall have no duty or obligation of reasonable
care with respect to any of the activities described in clauses (viii), (ix) (x) or (xi) of this
subsection (c).
(d) The Trust shall defend Bank or, at Trust’s option, settle any claim, demand or cause of
action, whether groundless or otherwise, that Shares or any of the services provided herein for the
Trust infringes on, violates or misappropriates any patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret or
any other proprietary right, and shall indemnify and hold harmless Bank, its officers, employees
and agents against all Liabilities, including court and settlement costs incurred by Bank or any of
them as a result of or relating to such claim, demand or cause of action (“Third Party Claim”).
Bank shall notify the Trust in writing of any such Third Party Claim, and give the Trust all
reasonably necessary information and assistance to defend or settle such Third Party Claim. Bank
may participate in the defense or settlement of the Third Party Claim.
(e) This Section 8 shall survive the termination of this Agreement, regardless of the party
that terminated the Agreement or the reason therefor.
9. TERM. This Agreement shall become effective on the date first herein-above written. The
Agreement may be modified or amended from time to time by mutual agreement between the parties
hereto. This Agreement shall continue in effect until terminated by either party on at least 120
days prior written notice to the other party. The terminating party in its notice to the other
party shall specify the date of termination. Upon termination of this Agreement, the Trust shall
pay to Bank such compensation and any reasonable out-of-pocket or other reimbursable expenses which
may become due or payable under the terms of this Agreement as of the date of termination or after
the date that the provision of services ceases, whichever is later.
10. NOTICES. Any notice required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and shall be
deemed effective on the date of personal delivery (by private messenger, courier service or
otherwise) or upon confirmed receipt of telex or facsimile, whichever occurs first, or upon receipt
if by mail to the parties at the following address (or such other address as a party may specify by
notice to the other):
If to the Trust:
|
FocusShares Trust | |
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx X00 | ||
Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000 | ||
Attention: Xx. Xxxx Xxxx | ||
Telephone: 000-000-0000 | ||
Fax: 000-000-0000 |
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If
to Bank in its capacity as Transfer Agent to:
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
1 JPMorgan Intl Plaza/11
00000 Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 00
Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attention: Xx. Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
1 JPMorgan Intl Plaza/11
00000 Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 00
Xxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attention: Xx. Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Fax: 000-000-0000
If to Bank in its capacity as Index Receipt Agent to:
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
0 XxxxxXxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxx Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: Xx. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
0 XxxxxXxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxx Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: Xx. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Fax: 000-000-0000
If to Bank in its capacity as Custodian, as provided for in the Custody Agreement.
11. WAIVER. The failure of a party to insist upon strict adherence to any
term of this Agreement on any occasion shall not be considered a waiver nor shall it deprive such
party of the right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any term of this
Agreement. Any waiver must be in writing signed by the waiving party.
12. FORCE MAJEURE. Bank shall maintain and update from time to time
business continuation and disaster recovery procedures with respect to its Transfer Agent, Index
Receipt Agent and domestic custody business that it determines from time to time meet reasonable
commercial standards. Bank shall have no liability, however, for any damage, loss or expense of
any nature that the Trust may suffer or incur, caused by an act of God, fire, flood, civil or
labor disturbance, war, act of any governmental authority or other act or threat of any authority
(de jure or de facto), legal constraint, fraud or forgery (except to the extent that such fraud or
forgery is attributed to Bank or to Bank’s employees), malfunction of equipment or software
(except to the extent such malfunction is primarily attributable to Bank’s negligence in
maintaining the equipment or software), failure of or the effect of rules or operations of any
external funds transfer system, inability to obtain or interruption of external communications
facilities, or any cause beyond the reasonable control of Bank (including without limitation, the
non-availability of appropriate foreign exchange).
13. AMENDMENTS. This Agreement may be modified or amended from time to time
by mutual written agreement between the parties. No provision of this Agreement may be changed,
discharged, or terminated orally, but only by an instrument
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in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, discharge or termination is
sought.
14. ASSIGNMENT. Bank may not assign and delegate this Agreement and its
rights and obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other party, except that
any corporation or banking association into which Bank may be merged or with which Bank may be
consolidated, or any corporation or banking association resulting from any merger or consolidation
to which Bank shall be a party, or any corporation or banking association succeeding to Bank’s
corporate custody business, shall succeed to all Bank’s rights, obligations and immunities
hereunder without the execution or filing of any paper or further act on the part of any of the
parties hereto, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding..
15. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement is invalid or
unenforceable, the balance of the Agreement shall remain in effect, and if any provision is
inapplicable to any person or circumstance it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other
persons and circumstances.
16. GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION. This Agreement shall be construed, regulated, and
administered under the laws of the United States or State of New York, as applicable, without
regard to New York’s principles regarding conflict of laws. The United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction over any lawsuit
or other judicial proceeding relating to or arising from this Agreement. If that court lacks
federal subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County
shall have sole and exclusive jurisdiction. Either of these courts shall have proper venue for any
such lawsuit or judicial proceeding, and the parties waive any objection to venue or their
convenience as a forum. The parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of either of the courts
specified and to accept service of process to vest personal jurisdiction over them in such courts.
The parties further hereby knowingly, voluntarily and intentionally waive, to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, any right to a trial by jury with respect to any such lawsuit or
judicial proceeding arising or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
17. USE OF BANK NAME. The Trust shall not use Bank’s name in any offering material,
shareholder report, advertisement or other material relating to the Trust, other than for the
purpose of merely identifying and describing the functions of Bank hereunder, in a manner not
approved by Bank in writing prior to such use; provided, however, that Bank shall consent to all
uses of its name required by the SEC, any state securities commission, or any federal or state
regulatory authority; and provided, further, that in no case shall such approval be unreasonably
withheld.
18 COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts each of which shall be an
original and together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
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19. HEADINGS. Headings are for convenience only and are not intended to affect
interpretation. References to sections are to sections of this Agreement and references to
sub-sections and paragraphs are to sub-sections of the sections and paragraphs of the sub-sections
in which they appear.
20. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement, including the Schedules and Exhibits, and also
including the Custody Agreement to the extent custody services are provided in conjunction with
Index Receipt Agent services for ETF Shares, sets out the entire Agreement between the parties in
connection with the subject matter, and this Agreement supersedes any other agreement, statement,
or representation relating to the services provided herein for ETF Shares, whether oral or written.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their
officers designated below as of the date first written above.
FocusShares, LLC |
||||
By | /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx | |||
Title: | President | |||
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxx Xxxxx | |||
Title: | Vice President | |||
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SCHEDULE A
TRANSFER AGENCY SERVICES
FOR ETF SERIES
FOR ETF SERIES
Following are the transfer agent services that shall be provided by Bank for the Trust in its
capacity as Transfer Agent for each ETF Series.
A. | Issuance and Redemption of ETF Shares of each ETF Series. |
1. Pursuant to such purchase orders that Index Receipt Agent shall receive from the Trust
or its agent, Transfer Agent shall register the appropriate number of book entry only ETF
Shares in the name of DTC or its nominee as the sole shareholder (the “Shareholder”) for
each ETF Series and deliver the shares of the applicable ETF Series in Creation Units on
the business day next following the trade date (T+1) to the DTC Participant Account of the
Custodian for settlement. It is understood and agreed that Bank, in its capacity as
Transfer Agent, Index Receipt Agent or Custodian, shall not be responsible for determining
whether any order, if accepted, shall result in the depositor of the Creation Deposit
owning or appearing to own eighty percent (80%) or more of the outstanding ETF Shares of
such ETF Series.
2. Pursuant to such redemption orders that Index Receipt Agent shall receive from the
Distributor on behalf of the Trust or other designated agent of the Trust, Transfer Agent
shall redeem the appropriate number of ETF Shares of the applicable ETF Series in Creation
Units that are delivered to the designated DTC Participant Account of Custodian for
redemption and debit such shares from the account of the Shareholder on the register of the
applicable ETF Series.
3. Transfer Agent shall issue ETF Shares of the applicable ETF Series in Creation Units for
settlement with purchasers through DTC as the purchaser is authorized to receive.
Beneficial ownership of ETF Shares shall be shown on the records of DTC and DTC
Participants and not on any records maintained by the Transfer Agent. In issuing ETF
Shares of the applicable ETF Series through DTC to a purchaser, Transfer Agent shall be
entitled to rely upon the latest Instructions that are received from the Trust or its agent
by the Index Receipt Agent (as set forth in Schedule B, Section A. Subsection 3(b) of this
Agreement) concerning the issuance and delivery of such shares for settlement.
4.
Transfer Agent shall not issue any ETF Shares for a particular ETF Series where it has
received an Instruction from the Trust or written notification from
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any federal or state authority that the sale of the ETF Shares of such ETF Series has been
suspended or discontinued, and Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely upon such
Instructions or written notification.
5. Upon the issuance of ETF Shares of any ETF Series as provided herein, Transfer Agent
shall not be responsible for the payment of any original issue or other taxes, if any,
required to be paid by the Trust in connection with such issuance.
6. ETF Shares of any ETF Series may be redeemed in accordance with the procedures set forth
in the Prospectus of the Trust and in the Authorized Participant Agreement and Bank shall
duly process all redemption requests.
B. | Payment of Dividends and Distributions on ETF Shares of each ETF Series. |
1. Bank shall prepare and make payments for dividends and distributions declared by the
Trust on behalf of the ETF Series.
2. The Trust or its designated agent shall promptly notify both the Custodian and the
Transfer Agent of the declaration of any dividend or distribution in respect of each ETF
Series. The Trust shall furnish to Bank a statement signed by an Authorized Person: (i)
indicating that dividends have been declared on a specific periodic basis and Instructions
specifying the date of the declaration of such dividend or distribution, the date of
payment thereof, the record date as of which the Shareholder shall be entitled to payment,
the total amount payable to the Shareholder and the total amount payable to Bank as
Transfer Agent on the payment date; or (ii) setting forth the date of the declaration of
any dividend or distribution by ETF Series, the date of payment thereof, the record date as
of which the Shareholder is entitled to payment, and the amount payable per share to the
Shareholder as of that date and the total amount payable to Transfer Agent on the payment
date. The Trust’s Board of Trustees shall approve the Authorized Persons to provide such
information to Bank.
3. Upon its receipt from the Trust of the information set forth in Subsection 2 immediately
above, the Transfer Agent, based upon the amount of ETF Shares outstanding on its books and
records, shall calculate the total dollar amount of the dividend or distribution on each
ETF Series and notify the Trust of this amount. The Trust shall verify this total dollar
amount as calculated by the Transfer Agent. Provided the Trust is in agreement with the
Transfer Agent, the Trust shall instruct the Custodian to place in a dividend disbursing
account maintained by the Transfer Agent funds equal to the total cash amount of the
dividend or distribution to be paid out in respect of each ETF Series. Should Custodian
determine that it does not have sufficient cash in the Custody Account to pay the total
amount of the dividend or distribution to the Transfer Agent, Custodian shall advise the
Trust and the Trust shall either adjust the rate of the dividend or distribution or provide
additional cash to Custodian for credit to the dividend
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disbursing account maintained by Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent shall credit such
dividend or distribution to the account of the Shareholder.
4. Should Transfer Agent not receive from Custodian sufficient cash to make payment as
provided in the immediately preceding Subsection, Transfer Agent or Custodian shall notify
the Trust, and Transfer Agent shall withhold payment to the Shareholder until sufficient
cash is provided to Bank and Bank shall not be liable for any claim arising out of such
withholding.
C. | Recordkeeping. |
1. Bank shall create and maintain such records in accordance with laws, rules and
regulations applicable to Bank as a registered transfer agent. All records shall be
available for inspection and use by the Trust. Bank shall maintain such records for at
least six years or for such other period as Bank and the Trust may mutually agree.
2. Upon reasonable notice by the Trust, Bank shall make available during regular business
hours all records and other data created and maintained by Bank as Transfer Agent for
reasonable audit and inspection by the Trust, or any person retained by the Trust.
3. Bank shall record the issuance of ETF Shares of each ETF Series and maintain, pursuant
to Rule 17Ad-10(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, a record of the
total number of ETF Shares of each ETF Series that are authorized, based upon data provided
to Bank by the Trust or the ETF Series, issued and outstanding. Also, Bank shall provide
the Trust on a regular basis with the total number of ETF Shares authorized, issued and
outstanding in respect of each ETF Series but shall not be responsible for, when recording
the issuance of ETF Shares, monitoring the issuance of such shares or compliance with any
laws relating to the validity of the issuance or the legality of the sale of such shares.
D. | Establish Procedures. |
Procedures applicable to the transfer agent services to be performed hereunder may be
established from time to time by agreement between the Trust and Bank. Bank shall have the
right to utilize any shareholder accounting and record-keeping systems that, in its
opinion, enables it to perform any services to be performed hereunder.
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SCHEDULE B
INDEX RECEIPT AGENT SERVICES
AND RELATED CUSTODY SERVICES FOR ETF SERIES
AND RELATED CUSTODY SERVICES FOR ETF SERIES
Following are the Index Receipt Agent services that shall be provided by Bank for the Trust in
respect of each Fund and their respective ETF Series. Bank shall perform these services as Index
Receipt Agent in conjunction with the custody services that are currently provided by Bank, as
Custodian, to each Fund under the terms of the Custody Agreement. Bank shall be entitled to all
the protective provisions in the Custody Agreement in respect of its duties and its performance as
Index Receipt Agent and Custodian for the settlement of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units
of each ETF Series. If there are any inconsistencies between the terms of the Custody Agreement
and the terms herein with respect to processing, clearance and the settlement of purchase and
redemption orders for ETF Shares of each ETF Series the terms herein shall govern.
A. | Index Receipt Agent Services. |
1. Bank, with the assistance of the Trust, shall make application to NSCC to be the Index
Receipt Agent on behalf of the Trust and each ETF Series for the processing, clearance and
the settlement of purchase and redemption orders for ETF Shares of each ETF Series and
Creation Deposits through the facilities of NSCC and DTC.
2. The Distributor, on behalf of the Trust, shall enter into an Authorized Participant
Agreement in the form of Exhibit B hereto with each Authorized Participant, which Bank, in
its capacity as Index Receipt Agent, shall acknowledge.
3. In connection with the procedures that may be established from time to time between Bank
and the Trust on behalf of each ETF Series for the processing, clearance and settlement of
the purchase and redemption of Creation Units through the Clearing Process, Bank shall:
(a) receive from the Distributor daily, a computer generated file that is in form and
substance acceptable to NSCC containing a list of the Deposit Securities for each ETF
Series, the Balancing Amount and the Transaction Fee, and transmit the file as received
from the Distributor to NSCC;
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(b) receive from the Distributor on each trade date a computer generated file that is
in form and substance acceptable to NSCC and that contains purchase orders from Authorized
Participants that have been received and accepted by the Distributor on behalf of the Trust
and each ETF Series, for the purchase of Creation Units against delivery of Deposit
Securities and a Cash Component; transmit the file of purchase orders as received from the
Distributor to NSCC; receive back from NSCC the file of purchase orders enhanced with NSCC
generated prices for the Deposit Securities contained in the file and deliver the enhanced
file to Custodian for settlement; and, pursuant to such purchase orders, instruct the
Transfer Agent to issue the appropriate number of ETF Shares of the applicable ETF Series
for deposit to the Custodian’s DTC Participant Account;
(c) receive from the Distributor on each trade date a computer generated file that is
in form and substance acceptable to NSCC and that contains redemption orders from
Authorized Participants that have been received and accepted by the Distributor on behalf
of the Trust for each Fund; transmit the file of redemption orders as received from the
Distributor to NSCC; receive back from NSCC the file of redemption orders enhanced with
NSCC generated prices for the Redemption Securities that are in the file and deliver the
enhanced file to Custodian for settlement; and, pursuant to such redemption orders,
instruct the Transfer Agent to redeem the appropriate number of ETF Shares of the
applicable ETF Series in Creation Units and reduce the account of the Shareholder
accordingly; and
(d) at the appropriate times, cause to be paid over to Authorized Participants
Balancing Amounts on the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as instructed by the
Distributor or the Trust on behalf of each ETF Series.
4. At such time as NSCC is prepared to accept customized baskets of Deposit Securities or
Redemption Securities, receive from the Distributor, from time to time, a computer
generated file similar in form and content to the file described in Subsection 3(a) above
but containing a customized basket of Deposit Securities or Redemption Securities in
respect of one or more of the ETF Series, and transmit the file as received from the
Distributor to NSCC.
5. The Trust understands and agrees that all risk associated with the processing, clearance
and settlement of the purchase and redemption of ETF Shares, Deposit Securities and
Redemption Securities and cash through the Clearing Process shall be that of the Trust and
each ETF Series irrespective of whether in effecting such purchases and redemptions for the
Trust on behalf of each ETF Series through the Clearing Process, Bank, as a member of NSCC,
is acting as principal or as agent; and, in respect hereof, the Trust and each ETF Series,
shall be bound by all the rules and procedures of NSCC and DTC as though it were the member
or participant of such clearing and settlement systems.
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B. | Outside the Clearing Process. |
1. The following transactions shall be handled Outside the Clearing Process:
(i) | any purchase or redemption of Creation Units that the Trust, its Distributor or another authorized agent shall instruct Bank to settle Outside the Clearing Process; and |
(ii) | any security issue that is part of a Creation Deposit or redemption of Creation Units and that according to NSCC rules is deemed to be ineligible for the Clearing Process, including securities that are not eligible to be settled through DTC. |
2. All such transactions shall be effected by Bank on a delivery versus payment and receive
versus payment basis through DTC and according to DTC’s rules, and the Trust or the ETF
Series shall provide to Bank the information and terms that are necessary to settle each
transaction, including the cash value of each security settlement, unless the Trust or the
ETF Series Instruction is that delivery is to be made free of payment; provided, however,
that any security that is not DTC eligible shall be settled as a window delivery pursuant
to street practice. All such transactions shall be effected by Bank as Custodian and
subject to the terms of the Custody Agreement.
C. | Settlement of Cash Component. |
Any Cash Component to a particular transaction shall be handled over the funds transfer
wire (Fedwire) or as part of Bank’s overall daily net cash settlement at DTC.
D. | Creation Deposits through the Clearing Process: Allocation of Fails; Posting of Accounts. |
1. The Trust recognizes that fails to receive (including partial fails) may
occur from time to time with respect to one or more of the security issues in a basket
of Deposit Securities settled through the Clearing Process. The Trust acknowledges
and agrees that, whenever a fail to receive shall occur on a settlement date, Bank
shall book to a single control account maintained for all funds for which Bank
provides Index Receipt Agent services (the “Control Account”), the quantity of the
security that it failed to receive (each such fail a “short receive position”) and the
cash value of that short position that it receives from NSCC (and that NSCC, pursuant
to its rules, marks to market daily) pending settlement. Bank shall not post to any
ETF Series account any cash that it receives from NSCC on a short receive position
pending settlement.
2 Bank shall make available to the Trust a daily listing of all short receive positions
that are in the Control Account and that relate to any ETF Series. Bank
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will allocate daily, on a pro-rata or other basis deemed by it to be fair and equitable,
short receive positions in the same security that is common to the securities accounts of
such ETF Series and to the securities accounts of such other funds for whom Bank is acting
as Index Receipt Agent. The Trust agrees that any such allocation shall be conclusive on
the Trust and the affected ETF Series. When the Deposit Securities that are subject of the
short receive positions are received by Bank, they will be credited by Bank on a FIFO basis
to the custody accounts of the applicable funds. Bank shall not process a securities
transaction in a security having a short receive position in the Control Account to the
extent the Trust does not have a sufficient quantity of that security in its ETF Series
accounts with Bank to settle the transaction. Custodian shall post Deposit Securities to
the applicable ETF Series custody accounts on a contractual settlement basis pursuant to
the terms of the Custody Agreement.
3 Should a short receive position in a security remain in the Control Account for two (2)
or more NSCC business days, Bank may elect to exercise NSCC’s buy-in rules with respect to
that short position. If an ETF Series needs to sell a short security in its account, the
Trust may request that Bank exercise a buy-in of the short security under applicable NSCC
rules.
E. | Redemptions through the Clearing Process: Delivery Fails; Posting of Cash. |
1. The Trust recognizes that on the redemption of Creation Units of an ETF Series through
the Clearing Process Bank, on behalf of the applicable ETF Series, is obligated to deliver
to NSCC on the settlement date the required type and amount of Redemption Securities to
redeem the Creation Units of the applicable ETF Series. It shall be the responsibility of
the Trust and each ETF Series to maintain in the custody account the required type and
amount of Redemption Securities for the redemption of Creation Units of each ETF Series.
Should the custody account of an ETF Series for any reason (for example, through
the Trust’s participation in a securities lending program on behalf of the ETF Series) have
a short position in respect of any of the securities issues comprising the basket of
Redemption Securities (a “short delivery position”) with the result that, on settlement
date, Bank is unable to deliver a sufficient quantity of the Redemption Securities to NSCC,
the Trust acknowledges that Bank shall be obligated under NSCC’s rules to fund the short
delivery position with cash pending delivery of the quantity of securities needed to cover
the short delivery position. Bank shall be entitled to charge to the account of the
applicable ETF Series the amount of cash needed to cover the short delivery position. In
the event that Bank advances its own funds to cover an ETF Series short delivery position,
Bank, in its discretion, may charge the applicable EFT Series interest on the amount of the
advance at the rate that Bank charges for advances of a similar nature to similar customers
of Bank, unless Bank and the Trust have mutually agreed in writing upon another rate.
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2. In the event that Bank shall have advanced its own funds to cover a short delivery
position at NSCC for an ETF Series, Bank shall have, to the extent of the amount of the
advance, a security interest in the securities that remain in the ETF Series custody
account and Bank shall have all the rights and remedies of a secured party under the New
York Uniform Commercial Code. Nothing herein or in the Custody Agreement shall be
construed to mandate that Bank, acting as Index Receipt Agent for the Trust and each ETF
Series, effect redemptions of Creation Units where Bank, acting in good faith, believes
that it may not be repaid an advance by the Trust or the ETF Series or otherwise not
receive from the ETF Series delivery of the Redemption Securities that are the subject of a
short delivery position.
F | Establish Procedures. |
The Trust and Bank, from time to time, may establish written
procedures for the processing and settlement and related activities
effected for ETF Shares of each ETF Series through the Clearing
Process and Outside the Clearing Process.
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EXHIBIT A
LIST OF ETF SERIES
1. | FocusShares ISE Homebuilders Index Fund | |
2. | FocusShares ISE SINdex Fund | |
3. | FocusShares ISE — CCM HOMELAND SECURITY Index Fund | |
4 | FocusShares ISE – REVERE Wal-Mart Suppliers Index Fund |
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