TRANSFER AGENCY INTERACTIVE CLIENT SERVICES AGREEMENT
Exhibit
(h.8)
TRANSFER
AGENCY
INTERACTIVE
CLIENT SERVICES AGREEMENT
This
Transfer Agency Interactive Client Services Agreement (“Agreement”) is made as
of August 13, 2008, between Heartland Group, Inc., a corporation established
under the laws of the State of Maryland (the “Fund”), and ALPS Fund Services,
Inc., a Colorado corporation (“ALPS”).
WHEREAS,
the Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(“1940 Act”), as an open-end registered investment company, presently consisting
of the Portfolios (as defined below) listed in Appendix
A;
WHEREAS,
the Fund and ALPS have entered into a Transfer Agency and Services
Agreement;
WHEREAS,
ALPS provides certain transfer agency services to investment companies,
utilizing proprietary and licensed computer software programs to allow
shareholders to access their account information and real-time transaction
processing; and
WHEREAS,
the Fund desires to utilize ALPS’ Interactive Client Services (the “ICS”) to
provide the Fund’s shareholders with access to shareholder account information
and real-time transaction processing capabilities in accordance with the terms
of this Agreement.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants hereinafter
contained, the parties hereto agree as follows.
1. Definitions. The
following definitions shall apply to this Agreement. Additional terms
may be defined in the Agreement and in the appendices, which describe the ICS to
be provided by ALPS for the Fund.
(a) “Affiliate”
shall mean, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly
controlling, controlled by or under common control with such
Person.
(b) “Portfolio(s)”
shall mean the various series of the Fund (mutual funds) which the Fund has
designated to participate in ICS, and as listed in Appendix A
hereto.
(c) “Investment
Company Web Site” shall mean the collection of electronic documents or pages
residing on the computer system of an Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) hired by
the Fund connected to the Internet and accessible by hypertext link through the
World Wide Web, where Persons may view information about the Portfolio and
access the various Transaction screens provided by the Fund.
(d) “Person”
shall mean an individual, corporation, partnership, association, trust or other
entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an
agency or instrumentality thereof.
(e) “Security
Procedures” shall mean the procedures, including the use of encryption
technology, implemented for purposes of protecting the integrity,
confidentiality or secrecy of, and the unauthorized interception, corruption,
use of, or access to, any data or information transmitted via the
ICS.
(f) “Transactions”
shall mean account inquiries, purchases, redemptions through Automated Clearing
House, fed wire, or check to the address of record for the Portfolio account,
exchanges and other transactions offered through the ICS.
(g) “User(s)”
shall mean record owners or authorized agents of record owners of shares of a
Portfolio, including brokers, investment advisors and other financial
intermediaries.
2. ALPS Appointment and
Duties.
(a) The
Fund hereby appoints ALPS to provide the services set forth in Appendix B, Appendix C and Appendix F hereto, as
amended from time to time, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set
forth. ALPS hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish
such specified services. ALPS shall for all purposes be deemed to be
an independent contractor and shall, except as otherwise expressly authorized in
this Agreement, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or
otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund.
(b) ALPS
may employ or associate itself with a person or persons or organizations as ALPS
believes to be desirable in the performance of its duties hereunder; provided
that, in such event, the compensation of such person or persons or organizations
shall be paid by and be the sole responsibility of ALPS, and the Fund shall bear
no cost or obligation with respect thereto; and provided further that ALPS shall
not be relieved of any of its obligations under this Agreement in such event and
shall be responsible for all acts of any such person or persons or organizations
taken in furtherance of this Agreement to the same extent it would be for its
own acts.
3. ALPS Compensation;
Expenses. In consideration for the services to be performed
hereunder by ALPS, the Fund shall pay ALPS the fees and reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses and advances listed in Appendix D
hereto. In addition, any other expenses incurred by ALPS at the
request or with the consent of the Fund will be reimbursed by the
Fund. Such fees and out-of-pocket expenses and advances identified in
Appendix D
below may be changed from time to time by ALPS on thirty (30) days written
notice to the Fund. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Agreement, fees billed for the services to be performed by ALPS under this
Agreement are based on information provided by the Fund and such fees are
subject to renegotiation between the parties to the extent such information is
determined to be materially different from what the Fund originally provided to
ALPS.
4. Right to Receive
Advice.
(a) Advice of the Fund and
Service Providers. If ALPS is in doubt as to any action it
should or should not take, ALPS may request directions, advice, or instructions
from the Fund or the Fund’s investment adviser or, as applicable and when
authorized by the Fund, the Fund’s custodian, or other service
providers.
2
(b) Advice of
Counsel. If ALPS is in doubt as to any question of law
pertaining to any action it should or should not take, ALPS may request advice
from counsel of its own choosing (who may be counsel for the Fund, the Fund’s
investment adviser, or ALPS, at the option of ALPS).
(c) Conflicting
Advice. In the event of a conflict between directions, advice
or instructions ALPS receives from the Fund or any authorized service provider
on behalf of the Fund and the advice ALPS receives from counsel, the Fund and
ALPS shall mutually agree upon the directions, advice or instructions to
follow. Upon request, ALPS will provide the Fund with a copy of such
advice of counsel received pursuant to Section 4(b).
5. Activities of
ALPS. The services of ALPS under this Agreement are not to be
deemed exclusive, and ALPS shall be free to render similar services to
others. The Fund recognizes that from time to time directors,
officers and employees of ALPS may serve as directors, officers and employees of
other corporations or businesses (including other investment companies) and that
such other corporations and businesses may include ALPS as part of their name
and that ALPS or its affiliates may enter into administrative, bookkeeping,
pricing agreements or other agreements with such other corporations and
businesses.
6. Standard of Care; Limitation
of Liability; Indemnification.
(a) ALPS
shall be obligated to act in good faith and to exercise commercially reasonable
care and diligence in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement.
(b) In
the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence, or reckless disregard
by ALPS in the performance of its duties, obligations, or responsibilities set
forth in this Agreement, ALPS and its affiliates, including their respective
officers, directors, agents, and employees, shall not be liable for, and the
Fund agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless such persons from, all taxes,
charges, expenses, disbursements, assessments, claims, losses, damages,
penalties, actions, suits, judgments, and liabilities (including, without
limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements and liabilities arising under
applicable federal and state laws) arising directly or indirectly from the
following:
(i)
the inaccuracy of factual information furnished to ALPS by the Fund,
the Fund’s investment adviser or custodian or any authorized third party on
behalf of the Fund;
(ii) any
reasonable error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the
Fund in connection with the matters to which this Agreement
relates;
(iii) ALPS’
reliance on any instruction, direction, notice, instrument or other information
provided by the Fund, the Fund’s investment adviser or custodian or any
authorized third party on behalf of the Fund that ALPS reasonably believes to be
genuine; or
(iv) any
other action or omission to act which ALPS properly takes in connection with the
provision of services to the Funds pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) ALPS
shall indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, the Fund’s investment adviser and
their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees from and against any
and all taxes, charges, expenses, disbursements, assessments, claims, losses,
damages, penalties, actions, suits, judgments, and liabilities (including,
without limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements and liabilities arising
under applicable federal and state laws) arising directly or indirectly from
ALPS’ willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence, or reckless disregard in the
performance of its duties, obligations, or responsibilities set forth in this
Agreement.
3
(d) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither party shall be liable under
this Agreement to the other party hereto for any punitive, consequential,
special or indirect losses or damages. Any indemnification payable by
a party to this Agreement shall be net of insurance maintained by the
indemnified party as of the time the claim giving rise to indemnity hereunder is
alleged to have arisen to the extent it covers such claim.
(e) In
any case in which either party (the “Indemnifying Party”) may be asked to
indemnify or hold the other party (the “Indemnified Party”) harmless, the
Indemnified Party will notify the Indemnifying Party promptly after identifying
any situation which it believes presents or appears likely to present a claim
for indemnification against the Indemnifying Party although the failure to do so
shall not prevent recovery by the Indemnified Party and shall keep the
Indemnifying Party advised with respect to all developments concerning such
situation. The Indemnifying Party shall have the option to defend the
Indemnified Party against any claim which may be the subject of this
indemnification, and, in the event that the Indemnifying Party so
elects, such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the Indemnifying
Party and reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party, and thereupon the
Indemnifying Party shall take over complete defense of the claim and the
Indemnified Party shall sustain no further legal or other expenses in respect of
such claim. The Indemnified Party will not confess any claim or make
any compromise in any case in which the Indemnifying Party will be asked to
provide indemnification, except with the Indemnifying Party’s prior written
consent.
7. Force Majeure. No
party shall be liable for losses, delays, failures, errors, interruptions or
losses of data in its performance of its obligations under this Agreement if and
to the extent it is caused, directly or indirectly, by reason of circumstances
beyond their reasonable control, including without limitation, acts of God,
action or inaction of civil or military authority, war, terrorism, riot, fire,
flood, sabotage, labor disputes, elements of nature or non-performance by a
third party. In any such event, the non-performing party shall be excused from
any further performance and observance of obligations so affected only for so
long as such circumstances prevail and such party continues to use commercially
reasonable efforts to recommence performance or observance as soon as
practicable.
8. Security
Procedures. ALPS may, but shall not be required to, modify the
Security Procedures set forth in Appendix E from time
to time to the extent it believes, in good faith, that such modifications will
enhance the security of the ICS. All data and information
transmissions via the ICS are for informational purposes only, and are not
intended to satisfy regulatory requirements or comply with any laws, rules,
requirements or standards of any federal, state or local governmental authority,
agency or industry regulatory body, including the securities industry, which
compliance is the sole responsibility of the Fund.
4
9. Proprietary
Rights.
(a) ALPS’
Property. The Fund acknowledges and agrees that it obtains no
rights in or to any of the software, hardware, processes, trade secrets,
proprietary information or distribution and communication networks of
ALPS. Any software ALPS provides to the Fund pursuant to this
Agreement shall be used by the Fund only during the term of this Agreement and
only in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement to provide connectivity
to and through ALPS, and shall not be used by the Fund to provide connectivity
to or through any other system or Person. Any interfaces and software
developed by ALPS shall not be used to connect the Fund to any transfer agency
system or any other Person without ALPS’ prior written
approval. Except with ALPS’ consent or in conformity with federal
copyright laws, the Fund shall not copy, decompile or reverse engineer any
software provided to the Fund by ALPS. The Fund also agrees not to
take any action which would mask, delete or otherwise alter any of ALPS’
on-screen disclaimers and copyright, trademark and service xxxx notifications
provided by ALPS, in writing, from time to time, or any “point and click”
features relating to user acknowledgment and acceptance of such disclaimers and
notifications.
(b) Investment Company Web
Site. The web pages that make up the Investment Company Web
Site contain intellectual property, including, but not limited to, copyrighted
works, trademarks, and trade dress, that is the property of the
Fund. The Fund retains all rights in the intellectual property that
resides on the Investment Company Web Site, not including any intellectual
property provided by or otherwise obtained from ALPS. To the extent
that the intellectual property of the Fund is duplicated within the ALPS Web
Site to replicate the “look and feel,” trade dress or other aspect of the
appearance or functionality of the Investment Company Web Site, the Fund grants
to ALPS a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to such intellectual property
for the duration of this Agreement. This license is limited to the
intellectual property of the Fund needed to replicate the appearance of the
Investment Company Web Site and does not extend to any other intellectual
property owned by the Fund.
(c) IP
Warranty. Except with respect to the design and graphical
elements and Web pages provided to ALPS by the Fund, ALPS warrants to the Fund
that ALPS owns or has sufficient license or other legal rights in all software
and intellectual property used by ALPS at its facilities to provide the ICS, and
such use by ALPS does not infringe or otherwise violate the U.S. copyrights of
any other party. In the event one or more ICS are not useable by the
Fund as a result of a breach of the foregoing warranty, then ALPS will use
reasonable commercial efforts to: (a) procure for the Fund the right to continue
using the ICS or infringing portion thereof, or (b) modify the ICS so that it
becomes non-infringing but has substantially the same capabilities, or (c)
replace the ICS or infringing part thereof by other systems of similar
capability within a reasonable period of time under the
circumstances. If ALPS is not able to satisfy the foregoing
requirements, then, as the sole remedy, the Fund will be entitled to terminate
this Agreement immediately.
10. Confidentiality.
5
(a) Confidential
Information. Each of the parties hereby acknowledges that in
the course of performing its obligations hereunder, the other may disclose to it
certain information and know-how of a technical, financial, operational or other
sort that is nonpublic and otherwise confidential or proprietary to the
disclosing party. This Agreement, and in particular, all ALPS’
Security Procedures and fee schedules, shall be considered confidential and
proprietary. Each party acknowledges that any such proprietary or
confidential information disclosed to it is of considerable commercial value and
that the disclosing party would likely be economically or otherwise
disadvantaged or harmed by the direct or indirect use or disclosure thereof,
except as specifically authorized by the disclosing party. Each party
therefore agrees to keep in strict confidence all such information that may from
time to time be disclosed to it, and agrees not to use such information except
as expressly permitted hereby or to disclose such information to any third party
for any purpose without the prior consent of the other. The
provisions of this Section 10(a) shall not apply to any information if and to
the extent it was (i) independently developed by the receiving party as
evidenced by documentation in such party’s possession, (ii) lawfully received by
it free of restrictions from another source having the right to furnish the
same, (iii) generally known or available to the public without breach of this
Agreement by the receiving party or (iv) known to the receiving party free of
restriction at the time of such disclosure. The parties agree that
immediately upon termination of this Agreement, without regard to the reason for
such termination, the parties shall forthwith return to one another all written
materials and computer software that are the property of the other
party.
In accordance with Regulation S-P and
other relevant rules and regulations, ALPS agrees that it will, on behalf of
itself and its officers and employees, treat all transactions contemplated by
this Agreement, and all records and information relative to the Fund and its
current and former shareholders and other information germane thereto, as
confidential and as proprietary information of the Fund and not to use, sell,
transfer, or divulge such information or records to any person for any purpose
other than performance of its duties hereunder, except after prior notification
to and approval in writing from the Fund, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld. Approval may not be withheld where ALPS may be
exposed to civil, regulatory, or criminal proceedings for failure to comply,
when requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities, or
when requested by the Fund. When requested to divulge such
information by duly constituted authorities, ALPS shall use reasonable
commercial efforts to request confidential treatment of such
information. ALPS shall have in place and maintain physical,
electronic, and procedural safeguards reasonably designed to protect the
security, confidentiality, and integrity of, and to prevent unauthorized access
to or use of records and information relating to the Fund and its current and
former shareholders.
(b) Specific
Performance. Each of the parties agrees that the non-breaching
party would not have an adequate remedy at law in the event of the other party’s
breach or threatened breach of its obligations under Section 10(a), and that the
non-breaching party would suffer irreparable injury and damage as a result of
any such breach. Accordingly, in the event either party breaches or
threatens to breach the obligations set forth in Section 10(a), in addition to
and not in lieu of any legal or other remedies such party may pursue hereunder
or under applicable law, each party hereby consents to the granting of equitable
relief (including the issuance of a temporary restraining order, preliminary
injunction or permanent injunction) against it by a court of competent
jurisdiction, without the necessity of proving actual damages or posting any
bond or other security therefore, prohibiting any such breach or threatened
breach. In any proceeding upon a motion for such equitable relief, a
party’s ability to answer in damages shall not be interposed as a defense to the
granting of such equitable relief.
6
11. Representations and
Warranties of ALPS. ALPS represents and warrants to the Fund
that:
(a) It
is duly organized and existing as a corporation and in good standing under the
laws of the State of Colorado.
(b) It
is empowered under applicable laws and by its Articles of Incorporation and
By-laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
(c) All
requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into
and perform this Agreement.
(d) It
has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities, equipment and
personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement in
accordance with industry standards.
(e) It
is and will continue to be registered as a transfer agent under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”).
12. Representations and
Warranties of the Fund. The Fund represents and warrants to
ALPS that:
(a) It
is a corporation duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws
of the state of Maryland and is registered with the SEC as an open-end
registered investment company.
(b) It
is empowered under applicable laws and by its Articles of Incorporation and
By-laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
(c) The
Board of Directors of the Fund has duly authorized it to enter into and perform
this Agreement.
(d) A
registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the
1940 Act is currently, or will be upon commencement of operations, 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 Fund being
offered for sale.
(e) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Fund agrees not to make any
modifications to its registration statement or adopt any policies which would
affect materially the obligations or responsibilities of ALPS hereunder without
the prior written approval or ALPS, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed.
13. Accounts and
Records. The accounts and records maintained by ALPS shall be
the property of the Fund. ALPS shall prepare, maintain and preserve
such accounts and records as required by the 1940 Act and other applicable
securities laws, rules and regulations. ALPS shall surrender such
accounts and records to the Fund, in the form in which such accounts and records
have been maintained or preserved, promptly upon receipt of instructions from
the Fund. The Fund shall have access to such accounts and records at
all times during ALPS’ normal business hours. Upon the reasonable
request of the Fund, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by
ALPS to the Fund at the Fund’s expense. ALPS shall assist the Fund,
the Fund’s independent auditors, or, upon approval of the Fund, any regulatory
body, in any requested review of the Fund’s accounts and records, and reports by
ALPS or its independent accountants concerning its accounting system and
internal auditing controls will be open to such entities for audit or inspection
upon reasonable request. In the event ALPS receives a request or demand for the
inspection of records relating specifically to the Fund, ALPS will promptly
notify the Fund of such request in writing and obtain instructions from the Fund
as to the handling of such request.
7
14. Compliance with Rules and
Regulations. ALPS shall comply (and to the extent ALPS takes
or is required to take action on behalf of the Fund hereunder shall cause the
Fund to comply) with all applicable requirements of the 1940 Act, the Securities
Act of 1933,as amended, the 1934 Act, and other applicable laws, rules,
regulations, orders and code of ethics, as well as all investment restrictions,
policies and procedures adopted by the Fund of which ALPS has knowledge (it
being understood that ALPS is deemed to have knowledge of all investment
restrictions, policies or procedures set out in the Fund’s public filings or
otherwise provided to ALPS). Except as set out in this Agreement,
ALPS assumes no responsibility for such compliance by the Fund. ALPS
shall maintain at all times a program reasonably designed to prevent violations
of the federal securities laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 0000 Xxx)
with respect to the services provided, and shall provide to the Fund a
certification to such effect no less than annually or as otherwise reasonably
requested by the Fund. ALPS shall make available its compliance
personnel and shall provide at its own expense summaries and other relevant
materials relating to such program as reasonably requested by the
Fund.
15. Responsibilities of
ALPS. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, ALPS shall,
at its expense (unless otherwise provided for herein): (i) provide, or hire
other Persons to provide, all computers, telecommunications equipment and other
equipment and software reasonably necessary to develop and maintain the ICS; and
(ii) deliver a monthly billing report to the Fund.
16. Responsibilities of the
Fund. During the Term, as defined below, and subject to the
provisions of this Agreement, the Fund shall at its expense (unless otherwise
provided for herein) fulfill the Fund’s obligations, if any, set forth in this
Agreement. The Fund acknowledges and agrees that its shareholders are
responsible for verifying the accuracy and receipt of all data or information
transmitted via the ICS. The Fund is responsible for advising its
shareholders of their responsibility for promptly notifying the Fund’s transfer
agent of any errors or inaccuracies relating to shareholder data or information
transmitted via the ICS.
17. Change in Designated
Portfolios. Upon thirty (30) days prior notice to ALPS, the
Fund may change the Portfolios designated to participate in the ICS by
delivering to ALPS a written revised list of participating
Portfolios.
18. Duration and Termination of
this Agreement. This Agreement will have the same term and
duration as the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement entered into by the
parties (the “Term”). Throughout the Term, either party shall have
the right to terminate this Agreement on written notice to the other party of
the other party’s material breach of this Agreement and such party’s failure to
cure such breach within thirty (30) days. This Agreement shall
automatically terminate upon the termination of the Transfer Agency and Services
Agreement between the Fund and ALPS. In the event of a termination,
the parties will have no continuing obligations to one another other than the
obligation to return to one another the confidential or proprietary materials of
the other in their possession.
8
19. Documents. The
Fund has furnished or will furnish, upon request, ALPS with copies of the Fund’s
Articles of Incorporation, advisory agreement, custodian agreement, transfer
agency agreement, administration agreement, current prospectus, statement of
additional information, periodic Fund reports, and all forms relating to any
plan, program or service offered by the Fund. The Fund shall furnish,
within a reasonable time period, to ALPS a copy of any amendment or supplement
to any of the above-mentioned documents. Upon request, the Fund shall
furnish promptly to ALPS any additional documents necessary or advisable to
perform its functions hereunder. As used in this Agreement the terms
“registration statement,” “prospectus” and “statement of additional information”
shall mean any registration statement, prospectus and statement of additional
information filed by the Fund with the SEC and any amendments and supplements
thereto that are filed with the SEC.
20. Business Interruption
Plan. ALPS shall maintain in effect a business interruption
plan, and enter into any agreements necessary with appropriate parties making
reasonable provisions for emergency use of electronic data processing equipment
customary in the industry. In the event of equipment failures, ALPS
shall, at no additional expense to the Fund, take commercially reasonable steps
to minimize service interruptions.
21. Assignment. This
Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto and their
respective successors and permitted assigns; provided, however, that this
Agreement shall not be assignable by the Fund without the prior written consent
of ALPS, or by ALPS without the prior written consent of the Fund.
22. Governing
Law. The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and
interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado and the 1940
Act and the rules thereunder. To the extent that the laws of the
State of Colorado conflict with the 1940 Act or such rules, the latter shall
control.
23. Names. The
obligations of the Fund entered into in the name or on behalf thereof by any
director, shareholder, representative, or agent thereof are made not
individually, but in such capacities, and are not binding upon any of the
directors, shareholders, representatives or agents of the Fund personally, but
bind only the property of the Fund, and all persons dealing with the Fund must
look solely to the property of the Fund for the enforcement of any claims
against the Fund.
24. Amendments to this
Agreement. This Agreement may only be amended by the parties
in writing.
25. Notices. All
notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall be deemed
to have been given when received or when sent by telex or facsimile, and shall
be given to the following addresses (or such other addresses as to which notice
is given):
To
ALPS:
ALP Fund
Services, Inc.
0000
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
0
Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attn:
General Counsel
Fax:
(000) 000-0000
To the
Fund:
Heartland
Group, Inc.
000 Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxx 00000
Attn:
Secretary
Fax:
26. 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.
27. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement embodies the entire agreement and
understanding among the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and
understandings relating to the subject matter hereof; provided, however, that
ALPS may embody in one or more separate documents its agreement, if any, with
respect to delegated duties and oral instructions.
28. 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.
[signature
page follows)
10
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day
and year first above written.
HEARTLAND
GROUP, INC.
|
|||
By:
|
/s/
Xxxx X. Xxxxx
|
||
Name:
|
Xxxx
X. Xxxxx
|
||
Title:
|
Vice
President and Secretary
|
||
ALPS
FUND SERVICES, INC.
|
|||
By:
|
/s/
Xxxxxx X. May
|
||
Name:
|
Xxxxxx
X. May
|
||
Title:
|
Managing
Director
|
11
APPENDIX
A
LIST OF
PORTFOLIOS
Heartland
Value Fund
Heartland
Value Plus Fund
Heartland
Select Value Fund
APPENDIX
B
TRANSFER AGENT WEB SERVICES
INCLUDING E-DELIVERY AND ON-LINE
ACCOUNT
APPLICATIONS
1. Transfer Agent Web
Services. The Fund has requested, and ALPS will provide,
Transfer Agent Web Services (“TA Web”) as one of the ICS provided pursuant to
the terms of the Agreement between the Fund and ALPS. Through TA Web,
Shareholders, as defined below, may submit Transaction requests directly to the
Fund’s transfer agent via the Internet as described further in this
Appendix.
2. Transfer Agent e-Delivery
Program. The Fund has requested, and ALPS will provide, a
Transfer Agent e-Delivery Program (“e-Delivery”) as one of the ICS provided
pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. Through e-Delivery,
Shareholders will have the option to discontinue printed and mailed shareholder
statements and shareholder tax forms in favor of electronic ones.
3. Transfer Agent Web-Documents
Program. The Fund has requested, and ALPS will provide, a
Transfer Agent Web-Documents Program (“TA Web-D”) as one of the ICS provided
pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. Through TA Web-D,
Shareholders will have the option to discontinue printed and mailed Regulatory
Documents, as defined below, in favor of electronic ones.
4. Transfer Agent On-Line
Account Application Program. The Fund has requested, and ALPS
will provide, a Transfer Agent On-Line Account Application Program (“On-Line
Account Application(s)”) as one of the ICS provided pursuant to the terms of the
Agreement. Through On-Line Account Applications, prospective
Shareholders will have the option to establish an account with the Fund
electronically in lieu of a mailed application.
5. Definitions. For
purposes of this Appendix, the following additional definitions shall apply (in
addition to all other defined terms in the Agreement):
“Shareholder” shall mean the record
owner or authorized agent of the owner of shares of a Fund.
“Regulatory Documents” shall mean the
prospectus, annual report, semi-annual report and any other document required
under applicable federal securities law to be delivered by the Fund to
Shareholders.
6. ALPS
Responsibilities. In connection with its performance of TA Web
and e-Delivery, ALPS shall:
(a) receive
Transaction and new account requests electronically transmitted to the ALPS Web
Site via the Internet following execution of a link from the Investment Company
Web Site to the ALPS Web Site and route Transaction requests to the ALPS
transfer agency system;
(b) for
each Transaction request received, route Transaction and new account information
from the ALPS transfer agency system to ALPS’ Web Site to be viewed by
Users;
(c) modify
TA Web Shareholder site to accommodate e-Delivery, On-Line Account Applications
and TA Web-D services;
(d) provide
technical support for the e-Delivery, On-Line Account Applications and TA Web-D
services, including: testing, quality control review, generation, and storage of
e-Delivery, On-Line Account Applications and TA Web-D.
(e) periodically
review the e-mail list for completeness and accuracy.
(f)
perform all other ALPS obligations as set forth in the
Agreement.
7. Fund
Responsibilities. In connection with its use of TA Web and
e-Delivery, the Fund, through its service providers, shall:
(a) provide
all computers, telecommunications equipment and other equipment and software
reasonably necessary to develop and maintain the Investment Company Web
Site;
(b) design
and develop the Investment Company Web Site functionality necessary to
facilitate and maintain the hypertext links to the ALPS Web Site and the various
Transaction Web pages and otherwise make the Investment Company Web Site
available to Shareholders;
(c) review,
approve and provide ALPS with reasonable notification of modifications to any
shareholder statements, Regulatory Documents and any other documents, agreements
or disclosures that the Fund transmits to its clients via
e-Delivery;
(d) provide
ALPS with a contact for receipt of enhancement and maintenance
notices;
(e) provide
ALPS with a completed TA Web questionnaire, which includes a list of site
functionality options and trading rules.
(f)
provide ALPS with such other written instructions as it may
request from time to time relating to the performance of ALPS’ obligations
hereunder; and
(g) perform
all other Fund obligations as set forth in the Agreement.
8. Options
Selection. TA Web is offered in a Basic Package and a Basic
Plus (includes e Delivery and On-Line Account Applications). The Fund
is selecting the Basic Plus.
9. Fees. The
current fees payable to ALPS by the Fund for the selected services are set forth
on the Fee Schedule. ALPS reserves the right to change billable rates
as it deems necessary upon 30 days’ written notice to the Fund.
APPENDIX C
TRANSFER AGENT IVR
SERVICES
1. Transfer Agent Interactive
Voice Response (“IVR”) Services. The Fund has requested, and
ALPS will provide Transfer Agent IVR Services (“TA IVR”) as one of the ICS
provided pursuant to the terms of the Agreement between the Fund and
ALPS. Through TA IVR, Shareholders may retrieve account information
and submit Transaction requests directly to the Fund’s transfer agent via the
telephone, as described further in this Appendix C.
2. Definitions. For
purposes of this Appendix, the following additional definitions shall apply (in
addition to all other defined terms in the Agreement):
“IVR
Server” shall mean a computer or computers that allows a user to interactively
request information and submit commands using standard telephone
service.
“Shareholder”
shall mean the record owner or authorized agent of the owner of Fund
shares.
3. ALPS
Responsibilities. In connection with its performance of TA
IVR, ALPS shall:
(a) receive
Transaction requests submitted via telephone to the ALPS IVR processing server
and route Transaction requests to the ALPS transfer agency system;
(b) for
each Transaction request received, route Transaction information from the ALPS
transfer agency system to the IVR server to be heard by Users;
(c) perform
all other ALPS obligations as set forth in this Agreement.
4. Fund
Responsibilities. In connection with its use of TA IVR, the
Fund shall:
(a) complete
a configuration form clearly designating which features and controls should be
used in the Fund’s implementation;
(b) provide
ALPS with such other written instructions as its may request from time to time
relating to the performance of ALPS’ obligations hereunder;
(c) perform
all other Fund obligations as set forth in the Agreement; and
(d) provide
ALPS with a contact for receipt of enhancement and maintenance notices and a
completed IVR questionnaire that includes a list of site functionality options
and trading rules.
5. Version
Selection. TA IVR is offered in an Inquiry Only Package and a
Standard Package. The Fund is selecting the Standard
Package.
The
Inquiry Only Package limits the user to features that do not allow a user to
perform any action that updates their account, including, but not limited to,
transactions.
The
Standard package includes everything included in the Inquiry Only package, plus
the ability to place purchases, redemptions and exchanges.
6. Fees. The
current fees payable to ALPS by the Fund for TA IVR are set forth on the Fee
Schedule. ALPS reserves the right to change billable rates as it
deems necessary upon 30 days’ written notice to the Fund.
APPENDIX D
TA WEB AND TA IVR FEE
SCHEDULE
TA
Web
Initial
Fees
|
Setup
(Basic Plus)1
|
Fees
included in Transfer Agency and Services Agreement
|
Monthly
Fees
|
Basic
Basic
Plus2
|
N/A
Fees
included in
Transfer
Agency and
Services
Agreement
|
Customization
Fees3
|
Functional
|
Current
Hourly Rate
|
Graphical
|
Current
Hourly Rate
|
|
TA
IVR
Initial
Fees
|
Setup
(for Inquiry Only or Transaction Capability)
|
|
Monthly
Fees
|
Inquiry
Only
Transaction
Capability
|
N/A
Fees
included in Transfer Agency and
Services
Agreement
|
Customization
Fees4
|
Call
Flow Changes
|
Current
Hourly
Rate
|
1
|
Basic
and Basic Plus packages include simple user interface with the fund group
logo at the top of each page. Authorized shareholders are able
to place purchases, redemptions and exchanges via the
website. They are also entitled to view account balances,
transaction history and historical fund
prices.
|
2
|
Basic
Plus includes the e-Delivery and New Account Setup
functionality.
|
3
|
Any
graphical or functional modifications beyond what is offered in the basic
package and after the initial customization of the Investment Company’s
Web Site will be billed at an hourly rate based on the specifications
given by the Fund.
|
4
|
Any
modification that involves adding or modifying standard call flow features
will be defined and built separately based on the then current hourly
rate.
|
In
addition to the fees set forth above, the Fund shall pay ALPS reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses and advances associated with providing the services
pursuant to the Agreement.
APPENDIX
E
SECURITY PROCEDURES -
TRANSFER AGENT WEB SERVICES (“TA WEB”)
1. Password
Requirements
Initial
Authentication of a Shareholder in TA Web is accomplished through entry of the
account number, email address, custom question with answer, and social security
number (“SSN”). The Shareholder then creates a User ID and Password
to access TA Web. The User ID cannot be the same as the SSN, must not
contain prohibited characters and must be of a minimum length. The
User ID and password minimum and maximum lengths can be set at the fund group
level. A minimum of 8 characters in length and a requirement of at
least one non-alpha character are recommended for the password.
User ID
will lock out after three failures. A lockout needs to he reset by an
authorized representative in shareholder services. Prior to lockout,
a Shareholder may change a forgotten password by answering the custom question
provided at initial authentication. If the Shareholder chooses not to
create a custom question and answer, he or she will need to call and have an
authorized representative reset his or her password.
2. Encryption
The ALPS
Web server runs Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”). The purpose of using
SSL is to encrypt data transmissions through the ALPS Web Site and block
communications through the ALPS Web Site from Internet browsers that do not
support SSL data encryption. The standard level of encryption
supported by the ALPS Web Site is 128-bit. Further, ALPS uses a
certificate from a major provider of server authentication
services.
Sensitive
Fund data that is exchanged within TA Web user sessions is stored with a minimum
of 128-bit encryption. This includes any data passed via URL within
the application. Character validation methods are also employed to
ensure that only appropriate data is passed to related databases.
3. Network Access
Control
A
computer referred to as a “firewall router” is located between the Internet
backbone connection and the ALPS Web server. The purpose of the
router is to control the connectivity to the ALPS Web server at the port
level. This equipment is located at ALPS’ Denver data
center. Changes to the configuration of this computer are
administered by authorized IT staff. This equipment will not
interrogate data, and its only function is to limit the type of traffic
accessing the ALPS Web server to the suite of Hyper-Text Transfer Protocols
(“HTTP”) transmissions. Ports on the router are configured to be
consistent with ports on the ALPS Web server. All other ports on the
router other than those configured for the ALPS Web server are not accessible
from the Internet.
The ALPS
Web server utilizes adequate and appropriate software and
hardware. All services and functions within the ALPS Web server
operating system are deactivated with the exception of services and functions
which support TA Web. The general purpose of this feature is to
prevent external users from entering commands or running processes on the ALPS
Web server. All ports on the ALPS Web server, except those required
by TA Web, are disabled. Directory structures are “hidden” from the
user. Services that provide directory information are also
deactivated.
ALPS
administrators gain access to the ALPS Web server through the physical console
connected to the ALPS Web server, or through the internal network via ALPS
Secure ID.
TA Web is
programmed to terminate the session/Transaction between the Shareholder and TA
Web if data authentication fails. All successful and unsuccessful
sessions are logged.
4. Limitation of
Users
Access by
ALPS personnel to the ALPS Web server is restricted within ALPS to a limited
number of users based upon ALPS system administration requirements, as
determined by appropriate ALPS systems managers from time to time.
5. Independence of the Fund’s
Location on the Web Server
Independence
of the Fund’s presence on the ALPS Web server is accomplished by establishing
client-specific session variables that logically separate client
data. Access to web forms, style-sheets, and data is governed by this
structure. The base transaction code required by ICS is, however,
shared by all data set partitions.
Each Fund
URL on the ALPS Web server will identify a separate Fund
presence. Access to the Fund presence on the ALPS Web server must be
through the Investment Company Web Site.
Book
marking of HTML pages within the Fund’s site on the ALPS Web server is not
allowed.
6. Independent Security
Review
Monthly
network penetration tests are conducted by a reputable security consulting
firm.
Application
security assessments are performed on a periodic basis to ensure that code
generated by ALPS meets industry standards and best practices.
7. Right to
Audit
The Fund
is allowed to audit, at its expense, the collection of electronic documents or
pages residing on ALPS’ computer system relating to the Fund’s implementation of
the TA Web service, if any, linked to the Internet and accessible by hypertext
link through the World Wide Web, where the Transaction data fields and related
screens provided by ALPS may be viewed by Users who access the ALPS Web Site
once in each 12 month period and any associated systems or networks within TA
Web relating to the Fund’s implementation, after providing an audit plan to ALPS
and upon ALPS’ consent thereto. The audit may include review of
configurations, audit trails, and maintenance of systems and software within TA
Web associated with the Fund’s TA Web site on the ALPS Web
server. Tools that may be used for the audit may include network
security tools; provided that ALPS may specify the time at which any tool is
used if ALPS reasonably believes that such tool may affect system
performance. The audit will be coordinated through ALPS and ALPS will
be entitled to observe all audit activity. Additionally, ALPS shall
be entitled to all results of an audit. The Fund will not perform any
action that may interfere with the uptime or stability of ALPS’ systems or
networks. The Fund and its review team will be considered authorized
users and ALPS will not seek prosecution under any computer crime or other
applicable statutes for such activity, as long as the Fund has provided ALPS a
written audit plan, ALPS has approved the written audit plan, and the audit was
executed in accordance with the written audit plan.
SECURITY
PROCEDURES - TRANSFER AGENT IVR SERVICES
1. Password
Requirements
Authentication
of a Shareholder in TA IVR is based on account number, password, and optionally
social security number.
An
account number is required and is used as the identification (ID) of the
Shareholder. A Password is required and is used as the access to the
entered account. This is the Shareholder’s personal identification
number (PIN).
A Social
Security Number is an optional entry requirement controlled by the Fund to add
another level of authentication to access the entered account
number.
To
utilize the TA IVR, a Shareholder must call the fund’s shareholder services line
and request: a) that the service be enabled for their account and b) a user id
and password. The above authentication information will need to be
provided in order to successfully complete the request.
2. Encryption
The IVR
Processing server communicates with the Transfer Agency System via a 128-bit
encrypted connection.
3. Network Access
Control
A
computer referred to as a “firewall router” is located between the Internet
backbone connection and the ALPS IVR Processing server. The purpose
of the router is to control the connectivity to the server at the port
level. This equipment is located at ALPS’ Denver data
center. Changes to the configuration of this computer are
administered by authorized IT staff. Ports on the router are
configured to be consistent with ports on the ALPS IVR Processing
server. Access to the IVR Processing server is blocked from all areas
outside the ALPS network.
The ALPS
IVR server utilizes a standard operating system. All services and
functions within the operating system are deactivated with the exception of
services and functions that support TA IVR. The general purpose of
this feature is to prevent external users from entering commands or running
processes on the ALPS IVR server. All ports on the ALPS IVR server,
except those required by TA IVR, are disabled. Directory structures
are “hidden” from the user. Services that provide directory
information are also deactivated.
ALPS
administrators gain access to the ALPS IVR server through the physical console
connected to the ALPS 1VR server.
4. Independent Security
Review
Monthly
network penetration tests are conducted by a reputable security consulting
firm.
Application
security assessments are performed on a periodic basis to ensure that code
generated by ALPS meets industry security standards best practices.
5. Limitation of
Users
Access by
ALPS personnel to the ALPS IVR server is restricted within ALPS to a limited
number of users based on ALPS system administration requirements, as determined
by appropriate ALPS systems managers from time to time.
Heartland
Group, Inc. Shareholder Agreement for Use of Online
Services
NOTE:
ACCESSING OR REQUESTING ACCOUNT INFORMATION THROUGH THIS SITE CONSTITUTES AND
SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE AN ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND
CONDITIONS:
1. Online
Services. This Agreement (“Agreement”) between me and
Heartland Group, Inc. (“Heartland”), sets forth the terms on which I
am permitted to use the Online Services. The words “I”, “my” and “me”
in this Agreement mean each person who has an interest in a Heartland account
which is accessible through the Online Services and any person authorized to
have such access. Online Services, for purposes of this Agreement,
includes the Online Services currently offered and which may be offered in the
future by Heartland for mutual fund transactions and account inquiry, and any
other Online system made available to Heartland shareholders by Heartland or its
agents or service providers. The Online Services include, if made
available by Heartland, service which permits me to transmit electronically
requests to purchase, exchange and redeem shares of Heartland mutual funds
(“Shares”). These services are available for use with compatible
personal, home, or small business computers with modems which can connect to the
Internet.
2. Agreement
Governs. I will use the Online Services only on the terms set
forth in this Agreement.
3. Sole
User. I will be the only authorized user of the Online
Services under this Agreement and I will not make the Online Services available
to anyone else. I will keep my security code(s) and other security
information (all such codes and information, “security information”)
confidential. Heartland is not responsible for any breach of security
caused by my failure to maintain the confidentiality of my security
information. I will be solely responsible for all requests for
transactions and information (and the use of the information) transmitted
through the Online Services using my security information. Heartland
is not obligated to inquire as to the authority or accuracy of my instructions
transmitted through the Online Services and will be entitled to act upon my
instructions; and Heartland will not be liable for any loss, expense or other
liability arising out of my instructions transmitted through the Online
Services. My use of the Online Services may be recorded
electronically and telephone calls to Heartland may be recorded, and I consent
to that recording.
4. Duty to Monitor
Account. I understand that requests for transactions, rather
than orders, are transmitted through the Online Services. Heartland
will not be deemed to have received any transaction request I transmit through
the Online Services until Heartland has provided me a written
confirmation. All transaction requests will be deemed to have been
made in the form received by Heartland. I am responsible for
verifying the accuracy and receipt of all information transmitted via the Online
Services and for immediately notifying Heartland’s transfer agent of any errors
or inaccuracies relating to information transmitted via the Online
Services. I am responsible for monitoring my account. I
will immediately notify Heartland if:
(a) a
request for a transaction has been placed through the Online Services and I have
not received a reference number reflecting the request;
(b) a
request for a transaction has been placed through the Online Services and I have
not received an accurate written confirmation of the transaction within seven
(7) business days;
(c) I
have received confirmation of a transaction which I did not request or any other
report conflicting with information about my account;
(d) there
is unauthorized use, loss or theft of any of my security information or if I
believe the confidentiality of my security information has been compromised in
any way; or
(e) there
is a discrepancy between any transaction I requested and the information
reflected in a confirmation or account statement.
If I do
not notify Heartland when any of the foregoing conditions occur, neither
Heartland nor any entity involved in providing the Online Services, or any of
their respective employees, agents or affiliates, will be liable to me for the
handling or loss of any transaction request. Any liability for acts
or omissions in providing the Online Services to me will be limited to an amount
equal to the benefit which would have resulted from the execution of the proper
transaction for the period from the time the transaction was executed until the
time I notified Heartland, but for no longer than a period of seven (7) business
days.
5. Information from Outside
Sources. Heartland will not be responsible for the accuracy or
completeness of any information provided by outside sources through the Online
Services. My transmissions through the Online Services are at my sole
risk. Nothing in this Agreement may be interpreted as a solicitation
or recommendation to buy or sell securities.
6. Outside
Services. My Internet service provider may charge me for time
spent on line. I will be responsible for all expenses which I incur
in connection with using the Online Services. I agree that Heartland
is not responsible for notifying me of any upgrades or enhancements to “browser”
software.
7. Events Outside Heartland’s
Control. Neither Heartland nor any third party providing the
Online Services will be responsible for damages caused by failure of,
interference with or unauthorized access to communications lines or computer
systems, operator error or other occurrences beyond its
control. Heartland will not be liable for interception of information
transmitted via the Internet nor responsible for access to, or the speed or
availability of, the Internet or network services.
8. No
Warranty. I expressly agree that the use and storage of any
information through use of the Online Services is at my sole risk and
responsibility. NEITHER HEARTLAND NOR ANY THIRD PARTY MAKES ANY
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION
ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
WITH RESPECT TO THE ONLINE SERVICES OR ANY INFORMATION PROGRAMS OR PRODUCTS
OBTAINED FROM, THROUGH, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE ONLINE SERVICES. IN
NO EVENT WILL HEARTLAND OR ANY ENTITY INVOLVED IN PROVIDING THE ONLINE SERVICES
BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING
FROM ANY DEFECT IN OR USE OF THE ONLINE SERVICES EVEN IF HEARTLAND HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT
ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, OR
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS
MAY NOT APPLY. NO ORAL ADVICE OR WRITTEN INFORMATION GIVEN BY
HEARTLAND OR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS WILL CREATE A WARRANTY, AND I WILL
NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH INFORMATION OR ADVICE. HEARTLAND DOES NOT
WARRANT THAT THE ONLINE SERVICES ARE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE OR THAT THE
WEBSITE OR SERVER MAKING IT AVAILABLE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL
COMPONENTS. I UNDERSTAND THAT AN UNDETECTED OR UNREPAIRED VIRUS MAY
CORRUPT AND DESTROY MY PROGRAMS, FILES AND HARDWARE, AND THAT THE VIRUS MAY BE
UNINTENTIONALLY TRANSMITTED TO OTHER COMPUTERS. HEARTLAND’S TOTAL
LIABILITY FOR MY USE OF THIS WEB SITE WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY,
FOR ACCESSING THIS WEB SITE. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY LAW,
HEARTLAND WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR LOSSES CAUSED BY THE NEGLIGENCE, ACTIONS OR
FAILURE TO ACT OF ANY THIRD PARTY INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER.
9. Account Application and
Prospectus. The terms of my Heartland account application and
the applicable prospectus govern my account. Those terms are deemed
to be part of this Agreement.
10. Rights to Web Site;
Confidentiality. The Online Services are the proprietary
property of Heartland and/or third parties. I will keep confidential
and not re-disseminate the information or services provided through the Online
Services.
11. Indemnification. I
indemnify and hold harmless Heartland from any and all claims, losses,
liability, costs and expenses (including but not limited to attorneys’ fees)
arising from any violation of this Agreement or any third party’s rights
including but not limited to copyright, proprietary and privacy rights, except
for circumstances in which Heartland is found to have engaged in gross
negligence or willful misconduct.
12. Personal Financial
Information. Use of the Online Services may involve the
transmission from or to me of personal financial information (such as the amount
and price of securities that I buy or sell). I consent to the
transmission of that information through the Online Services at all times that I
use the Online Services and I understand that I bear the risk of breaches of the
confidentiality of such transmission.
13. Severability. If
any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by any court,
regulatory agency or body, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only
to that provision. The validity of the remaining provisions will not
be affected.
14. Discontinuance of Online
Services. Heartland may discontinue or modify the terms of the
Online Services in whole or in part at any time and from time to
time.
15. Termination; Amendment; No
Waiver. Heartland may terminate this Agreement or amend it in
whole or in part by notice to me. This Agreement may not be amended
in any other manner. Notice to me will be deemed to include notice
via mail, telegram, messenger, fax and electronic data communication (such as
posting on this Website a subsequent version of this Agreement.) All
communications sent to me by these or similar means shall be deemed given to me
personally, whether or not actually received by me. The failure or
delay of Heartland to enforce any provision of this Agreement will not be
construed as a waiver of such provision.
16. Assignment. I
may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the
consent of Heartland. Heartland may assign this Agreement or any of
its rights or obligations under this Agreement without notice to
me.
17. Notices. All
notices to Heartland under this Agreement will be directed to:
Heartland
Group, Inc.
000 Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention:
Investor Service Representatives
18. Governing Law;
Miscellaneous. This Agreement is governed by the laws of the
State of Maryland except for conflict of law provisions. The statute
of limitation applicable to any claim shall be that which would be applied by
the courts of the state in which I reside. This Section will remain
in force for any dispute that arises over prior activities on this site,
regardless of termination of this Agreement. Captions in this
Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and do not affect the
construction or effect of the provisions of this Agreement.
eDelivery
Utilization Terms and Conditions
By
enrolling in the eDelivery Program, you consent to receive your shareholder
statements, confirmation statements and/or regulatory documents (prospectuses,
annual reports) via electronic distribution rather than hard copy distribution
via postal mail. The electronic version of your documents
(eDocuments) can be viewed online via the Internet as PDF files. To
view PDF files you will need the latest version of Adobe Reader which can be
downloaded for free from xxx.xxxxx.xxx.
This
enrollment is effective for all holdings within accounts related to the
enrolling Social Security number and/or Tax Identification Number with Heartland
Group, Inc. (the “Fund”).
When you
enroll in and activate this service, you will receive email notification of your
eDocuments availability and that the Fund has made the material available via a
URL to access via the Internet. If, during an electronic
communication, there is an error in your email address or in sending you an
electronic communication via email, your enrollment in this service will be
canceled. You will receive a hard copy distribution equivalent of
that eDocument along with notification of the cancellation of this
service. The hard copy will be sent within 5 business days of the
cancellation. Links to your eDocuments will also be provided in the
hard copy notification and will direct you to the eDelivery Program for
re-enrollment with the correct information.
If, after
you enroll with electronic investor notification, you want to receive a hard
copy of your eDocuments for a particular security, in addition to the email or
if you are experiencing problems, you can contact a the Fund Investor Service
Representative via phone at 0(000) 000-0000. Investor Service
Representatives can be reached Monday through Friday from 8:00
A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Central Time.
Transaction
confirmations on your account are generally available online two business days
following the trading activity. Only transaction confirmations posted
after you have signed up for eDelivery will be available
online. Confirmations will archive once your monthly or quarterly
statement becomes available.
Account
statements are available online approximately 5 days after the end of each
statement period. Only account statements posted after you have
signed up for eDelivery will be available online. Statements will
archive once your year end statement becomes available. Shareholders
will always have access to the previous year statement as these do not archive
until year end of the current year. If you require a hard copy of an
archived document, you can call an Investor Service Representative via phone at
0(000) 000-0000 as listed above.
Regulatory
documents will remain available until the next version of the document becomes
available.
This
service has no expiration date; it remains in force until further notice unless
it is canceled for one or more of the following reasons:
You
decide to cancel and execute the correlating transaction in electronic investor
notification;
Your
email address in your original enrollment contains errors or proves to be
invalid;
Your
enrollment has been confirmed and subsequently your email address proves to be
invalid.
The Fund
reserves the right to cancel this service at any time.
NOTE: You
are notified that you are responsible for any costs associated with maintenance
of your email account and World Wide Web access, such as Internet Service
Provider fees, and that you may be subject to risks such as system
failures. See also our Website “Terms and Conditions of Use” for the
Fund website.
Heartland
Group, Inc. Funds are distributed by ALPS Distributors,
Inc.
APPENDIX
F
ALPS VIRTUAL
ACCESS
1.
|
ALPS Virtual
Access. The Fund has requested, and ALPS will provide,
access to ALPS Virtual Access (“AVA”), an ALPS proprietary platform that
provides web-based access to information and data maintained on behalf of
the Fund and maintains a complete audit trail of all activity on the
site. Through AVA, the Fund may have, based on the third-party
services offered under separate contract: (1) shareholder data access,
which interfaces with the transfer agency system and allows data retrieval
and updates; (2) portfolio data access, which provides daily portfolio and
securities detail and permits the Fund to create and save its own
customized reports; (3) access to AdLit, which permits the Fund to
submit sales/marketing pieces for review by ALPS compliance and tracks the
progress of the review; and (4) links to PolicyIQ, which provides the Fund
with access to ALPS’ policies and procedures and also provides the Fund
with regulatory updates.
|
2.
|
Definitions.
For purposes of this Appendix, the following additional definitions shall
apply (in addition to all other defined terms in the
Agreement):
|
“Shareholder”
shall mean the record owner or authorized agent of the owner of shares of a
Fund.
“Broker/Dealer”
shall mean a registered firm that has an active selling agreement with the
Funds.
3.
|
ALPS
Responsibilities. In connection with its performance of AVA and AVA
e-Delivery, ALPS shall:
|
(a)
|
provide
technical support for AVA services, including: testing, quality control
review, generation, and storage
information.
|
(b)
|
establish,
based on the Fund’s direction, user accounts with access to Fund’s data
and information.
|
(c)
|
periodically
review the list of users with access to Fund’s information and make the
list available to the Fund for
review.
|
(d)
|
perform
all other ALPS obligations as set forth in the
Agreement.
|
4.
|
Fund
Responsibilities. In connection with its use of AVA and AVA
e-Delivery, the Fund, through its service providers,
shall:
|
|
(a)
|
provide
all computers, telecommunications equipment and other equipment and
software reasonably necessary to access the AVA
site.
|
|
(b)
|
review,
approve and provide users for access to the AVA site. This shall include
any limitations to access based on
function.
|
|
(c)
|
periodically
review users list and make any necessary modifications, including the
removal of users that should no longer have access to the Fund’s
information.
|
|
(d)
|
provide
ALPS with a contact for receipt of enhancement and maintenance
notices.
|
|
(e)
|
provide
ALPS with a completed AVA questionnaire, which includes a list of site
functionality options and trading
rules.
|
|
(f)
|
provide
ALPS with such other written instructions as it may request from time to
time relating to the performance of ALPS’ obligations hereunder,
and
|
|
(g)
|
perform
all other Fund obligations as set forth in the
Agreement.
|
7.
|
Options
Selection. AVA options are dependent of the services agreements in
place with ALPS. Access will be granted to any service area
that is both available to and selected by the
Fund.
|
8.
|
Fees. The fees
for AVA are included as part of a transfer agency and services, fund
accounting or distribution agreement with ALPS. This does not
include reasonable out-of-pocket fees or fees for funded development. ALPS
reserves the right to change billable rates as it deems necessary upon 30
days’ written notice to the Fund.
|