FUND PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
This
Agreement dated as of the 13th day of August, 2010 is made
by and among Nationwide Financial Services, Inc. on behalf of its subsidiary
life insurance companies listed on Exhibit A (collectively, “Nationwide”) and
the current and any future Nationwide separate accounts as applicable (“Variable
Accounts”) and Unified Financial Securities, Inc. (the “Company") which serves
as distributor to the mutual funds (the “Funds”) listed on Exhibit B and
Huntington Asset Advisors, Inc. (“HAA”), which serves as adviser to the Funds
listed at Exhibit B.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Nationwide is engaged
in developing and offering variable annuity and variable life insurance products
(collectively “Variable Products ”) through its Variable Accounts;
and
WHEREAS, Nationwide also
provides administrative and/or recordkeeping services for the Variable Products
and in all other respects provides operational support in connection with the
offering and maintenance of the Variable Products; and
WHEREAS, Nationwide, the
Company and HAA mutually desire the inclusion of the Funds as investment options
in the Variable Products; and
WHEREAS, the Variable Products
allow for the allocation of net amounts received by Nationwide and the Variable
Accounts to the Company for investment in shares of the Funds; and
WHEREAS, selection of
investment options is made by contract owners of the Variable Products and such
contract owners may reallocate their investments among the investment options in
accordance with the terms of the Variable Products; and
NOW THEREFORE, Nationwide, the
Company and HAA, in consideration of the undertaking described herein, agree
that the Funds will be available as investment options in the Variable Products
offered by Nationwide, subject to the following:
REPRESENTATIONS
REPRESENTATIONS
BY NATIONWIDE
Nationwide
Financial Services, Inc. represents that it is a holding company duly organized
and in good standing under applicable state law. Nationwide
represents that its life insurance companies have been duly organized and are in
good standing under applicable state law.
Nationwide
represents that its life insurance company subsidiaries have validly established
all separate accounts under applicable state law. Each Variable Account is or
will be registered as a unit investment trust in accordance with the provisions
of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”), unless excluded from
registration based on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7)of the 1940 Act, or any other
applicable exemption.
Nationwide
represents that it will amend the registration statements under the Securities
Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”) and the 1940 Act for the Variable Products from
time to time as required to effect the continuous offering of the Variable
Products, unless otherwise exempt or excluded. Nationwide will also
seek to have the Variable Products approved by state insurance authorities in
jurisdictions where those annuity contract or life insurance policies will be
offered.
Nationwide
represents that the annuity contracts and/or life insurance policies are
designed to be treated as annuity contracts and/or life insurance policies under
the appropriate provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”). Nationwide shall make every effort to maintain such
treatment, and will promptly notify the Company upon having a reasonable basis
for believing that such annuity contracts or life insurance policies have ceased
to be so treated or that they might not be so treated in the
future.
Nationwide
represents that it has policies and procedures in effect with respect to the
processing and transmission of orders to purchase and redeem Fund Shares
reasonably designed to monitor and prevent orders received after the close of
trading, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on the New York Stock Exchange
(“Close of Trading”), on any Business Day from being aggregated and communicated
to the Funds with orders received before Close of Trading (consistent with
Section 22(c) of the 1940 Act and Rule 22c-1 thereunder).
Nationwide
has policies and procedures in effect to detect and deter short-term or
disruptive trading practices. Nationwide’s policies and procedures
include, but are not limited to: monitoring participant trading activity,
imposing trade restrictions and enforcing redemption fees imposed by the Funds
(if applicable). Company acknowledges that Nationwide shall apply its
own trade monitoring and restriction policies and procedures to trading of Fund
shares hereunder which may differ from the criteria set forth in the Fund’s
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Nationwide
represents that it will conduct its activities hereunder in material conformity
with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.
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REPRESENTATIONS
BY THE COMPANY
The Funds
are not party to this Agreement; therefore, the Company makes the
representations below regarding the Funds.
Each Fund
is duly organized and validly existing under applicable state
law. Each Fund’s shares are duly authorized for issuance in
accordance with applicable law and each Fund is a series of an open-end
management investment company registered under the 1940 Act, and the investment
company will maintain its registration as an investment company under the 1940
Act.
Each Fund
shall take all such actions as are necessary to permit the sale of its shares to
the Variable Accounts, including registering its shares sold to the Variable
Accounts under the 1933 Act. Each Fund will amend the registration
statement for its shares under the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act from time to time
as required in order to effect the continuous offering of its
shares. Each Fund will register and qualify its shares for sale in
all states and will promptly notify Nationwide if any shares are not qualified
in a particular state.
Each Fund
is currently qualified as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of
the Code, and shall make every effort to maintain such
qualification. Each Fund shall promptly notify Nationwide upon having
a reasonable basis for believing that it has ceased to so qualify, or that it
may not qualify as such in the future.
The Funds
have policies and procedures in effect designed to deter frequent purchases and
redemptions. These polices are disclosed in the Funds’ prospectuses and such
policies, as disclosed, will be uniformly and consistently applied to all
shareholders, unless otherwise disclosed in the Fund’s prospectus.
Any
insurance Funds utilized in the Variable Products currently comply with the
diversification requirements pursuant to Section 817(h) of the Code and Section
1.817-5(b) of the Federal Tax Regulations, if required, and that each such Fund
will make every effort to maintain the Fund’s compliance with such
diversification requirements, unless the Fund is otherwise exempt from Section
817(h) and/or except as otherwise disclosed in each Fund’s
prospectus. The Funds will notify Nationwide promptly upon having a
reasonable basis for believing any Fund has ceased to comply. The
Funds shall make every effort to remedy any failure to comply with Section
817(h) within the time frame set forth by Section 817(h).
The
Company, as the distributor of the Funds, represents that it (i) is registered
as a broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“1934 Act”) and will remain duly registered under all applicable federal and
state securities laws, (ii) is a member in good standing of the Financial
Industry Regulation Authority (“FINRA”), (iii) serves as principal
underwriter/distributor of the Funds, and (iv) will perform its obligations for
each Fund in accordance with any applicable state and federal securities
laws.
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REPRESENTATIONS
BY HAA
HAA, the
Funds’ adviser, represents that it is duly registered as an investment adviser
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and will remain duly
registered under all applicable federal and state securities laws and that it
will perform its obligations for each Fund in accordance with any applicable
state and federal securities laws.
TRADING
Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Nationwide shall be appointed to,
and agrees to act, as a limited agent of the Company for the sole purpose of
receiving instructions from duly authorized parties for the purchase and
redemption of Fund shares prior to the close of regular trading each Business
Day. A "Business Day” shall mean any day on which the New York Stock
Exchange is open for trading and on which the Fund calculates its net asset
value as set forth in the Fund’s most recent prospectus and Statement of
Additional Information. Except as particularly stated in this
paragraph, Nationwide shall have no authority to act on behalf of the Company or
to incur any cost or liability on its behalf. Both parties agree to
follow any written guidelines or standards relating to the sale or distribution
of the shares as may be provided in the provisions outlined in Exhibit C, as
well as to follow any applicable federal and/or state securities laws, rules or
regulations.
VOTING
For so
long as and to the extent that the Securities and Exchange Commission continues
to interpret the 1940 Act to require pass-through voting privileges for Variable
Products, Nationwide shall distribute all proxy material furnished by the
Company (provided that such material is received by Nationwide or its designated
agent at least 10 Business Days prior to the date scheduled for mailing to
contract owners) and shall vote Fund shares in accordance with instructions
received from the contract owners who have interests in such Fund
shares. Nationwide shall vote the Fund shares for which no
instructions have been received in the same proportion as Fund shares for which
said instructions have been received from the contract owners, provided that
such proportional voting is not prohibited by a contract owner’s qualified
retirement plan document, if applicable. Nationwide and its agents
will in no way recommend an action in connection with or oppose or interfere
with the solicitation of proxies in the Fund shares.
The
Company shall cause any third party vendor providing services on behalf of the
Company, with regard to proxy material, to sign a confidentiality agreement that
includes reasonable nondisclosure provisions.
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DOCUMENTS
AND OTHER MATERIALS
DOCUMENTS
PROVIDED BY NATIONWIDE
Nationwide
agrees to provide the Company, upon written request, any reports indicating the
number of contract or policy owners having interests in the Variable Products
corresponding to a Variable Account's acquisition of Fund shares and such other
information (including books and records) that the Company may reasonably
request or as may be necessary or advisable to enable it to comply with any law,
regulation or order.
DOCUMENTS
PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY
Within
five (5) Business Days after the end of each calendar month, the Company shall
provide Nationwide, or its designee, electronic access to shareholder account
information, which shall include all transactions made during that particular
month and the outstanding share balance. In the event electronic
access cannot be provided, the Company shall provide Nationwide or its designees
with a hard copy monthly statement of account confirming all transactions made
during that month along with the outstanding share balance.
The
Company shall promptly provide Nationwide with a reasonable quantity (in light
of the number of existing contract or policy owners) of the Funds’ prospectuses,
Statements of Additional Information and any supplements thereto, and
semi-annual and annual reports.
EXPENSES
All
expenses incident to the performance by Nationwide under this Agreement shall be
paid by Nationwide. Likewise, all expenses incident to the performance by the
Funds under this Agreement shall be paid by the Company and/or the
Funds.
Nationwide
is responsible for the expenses of the cost of registration of the Variable
Products, unless otherwise exempt and the costs of having the Variable Products
approved by state insurance authorities in the applicable
jurisdictions.
The
Company and/or the Funds are responsible for the expenses of the cost of
registration of the Funds’ shares, or preparation of the Funds’ prospectuses,
statements of additional information, proxy materials, reports and the
preparation of other related statements and notices required by law (“Fund
Materials”) for distribution in reasonable quantities to contract owners except
as otherwise mutually agreed upon by the parties to the Agreement.
Nationwide
is responsible for distributing Fund prospectuses and semi-annual and annual
reports to its existing contract owners. For Nationwide’s annual
mailing to contract owners of Variable Product prospectuses and Fund
prospectuses and its mailing of semi-annual and annual reports, the Company will
provide updated Fund prospectuses and
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semi-annual
and annual reports for mailing to contract owners, or if a combined printing is
done by Nationwide, the Company will pay the lesser of:
(a)
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The
cost to print individual fund prospectuses and semi-annual and annual
reports; or
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(b)
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The
Company's portion (i.e., the number of pages dedicated to the Funds if
Nationwide prints a document containing funds that are not covered under
this Agreement) of the total printing costs if Nationwide does not use
individual prospectuses and semi-annual and annual reports, but reprints
such documents in another format;
or
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(c)
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The
Company’s portion (i.e., the number of pages dedicated to the Funds if
Nationwide prints a document containing funds that are not covered under
this Agreement) of the total reproduction costs if Nationwide does not use
individual printed prospectuses and semi-annual and annual reports, but
reproduces such documents in another allowable and appropriate medium
(i.e. CD Rom or computer diskette) which is mutually agreed upon by both
Nationwide and the Company and subject to reasonable
costs.
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FUND
SUBSTITUTION
If a
party desires to remove a Fund from a Variable Product, whomever initiates the
removal will pay reasonable expenses incurred by the other party as a result of
removing such Fund as an available investment option. The parties
agree to provide reasonable advance notice of their election to remove a
Fund. The Company acknowledges that Nationwide may need to seek the
approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") under Section 26 (c)
of the 1940 Act for any fund substitution.
MIXED
AND SHARED FUNDING
The
Company represents that the Funds have a mixed and shared funding order issued
by the SEC under Section 6(c) of the 1940 Act. Nationwide agrees to
report any potential or existing conflicts promptly to the Board of Trustees of
the Fund (the “Board”), and in particular whenever voting instructions of
contract owners are disregarded, and recognizes that it will be responsible for
assisting the Board in carrying out its responsibilities under such
application. Nationwide agrees to carry out such responsibilities
with a view to the interests of existing contract owners.
If a
majority of the Board, or a majority of Disinterested Board Members, determines
that a material irreconcilable conflict exists with regard to contract owner
investments in the Fund, the Board shall give prompt notice to all Insurance
Companies participating in the Fund (“Participating Companies”). If
the Board determines that Nationwide is responsible for causing or creating said
conflict, Nationwide shall at its sole cost and expense, and to the extent
reasonably practicable (as determined by a majority of the Disinterested Board
Members), take such action as is necessary to remedy or eliminate the
irreconcilable material conflict. Such necessary action may include,
but shall not be limited to:
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(a) Withdrawing
the assets allocable to the Variable Account from the Fund and reinvesting such
assets in a different investment medium, or submitting the question of whether
such segregation should be implemented to a vote of all affected contract
owners; and/or
(b) Establishing
a new separate account.
If a
material irreconcilable conflict arises as a result of a decision by Nationwide
to disregard contract owner voting instructions and said decision represents a
minority position or would preclude a majority vote by all contract owners
having an interest in the Fund, Nationwide may be required, at the Board's
election, to withdraw the Variable Account's investment in the
Fund.
For the
purpose of this Section, a majority of the Disinterested Board Members shall
determine whether or not any proposed action adequately remedies any
irreconcilable material conflict, but in no event will the Fund be required to
bear the expense of establishing a new funding medium for any Variable Product.
Nationwide shall not be required by this Section to establish a new funding
medium for any Variable Product if an offer to do so has been declined by vote
of a majority of the contract owners materially adversely affected by the
irreconcilable material conflict.
PRIVACY
AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality Obligation.
Each party shall hold the Confidential Information of the other party in
strict confidence. Each of the parties warrants to the other that it
shall not disclose to any person any Confidential Information which it may
acquire in the performance of this Agreement; nor shall it use such Confidential
Information for any purposes other than to fulfill its contractual obligations
under this Agreement and it will maintain the other party’s Customer and
Confidential Information with reasonable care, which shall not be less than the
degree of care it would use for its own such information.
Confidential
Information. For purposes of this Section and the next,
“Confidential Information” means any data or information regarding proprietary
information, information identified as Confidential, or information that a
reasonable business person would understand to be confidential. This
includes, but is not limited to, the customer information of each
party.
Customer
Information. For purposes of this Section, “Customer
Information” means non-public personally identifiable information as defined in
the Xxxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder,
and each party agrees not to use, disclose or distribute to others any such
information except as necessary to perform the terms of this Agreement and each
party agrees to comply with all applicable provisions of the Xxxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx
Act and all other applicable federal and state laws protecting personally
identifiable information, including those pertaining to identity theft
protection and the protection and disposition of Social Security Numbers,
financial account numbers, and the like. In the event Confidential
Information includes Customer Information, the Customer Information clause
controls.
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Confidential
Information does not include information that: (a) was in the public
domain prior to the date of this Agreement or subsequently came into the public
domain through no fault of the Receiving Party or by no violation of this
Agreement; (b) was lawfully received by the Receiving Party from a third party
free of any obligation of confidence of such third party; (c) was already in the
possession of the Receiving Party prior to receipt thereof directly or
indirectly from the Disclosing Party; (d) is subsequently and independently
developed by employees, consultants or agents of the Receiving Party without
reference to or use of the Confidential Information disclosed under this
Agreement; (e) is required to be disclosed pursuant to applicable laws,
regulatory or legal process, subpoena or court order; provided that the
receiving party shall notify the disclosing party of such receipt and tender to
it the defense of such demand; after such notice is provided, receiving party
shall be entitled to comply with such subpoena or other process to the extent
required by law; or, (f) any fees payable to Nationwide for performing certain
administrative services.
Unauthorized
Disclosure. Receiving Party shall promptly notify the
Disclosing Party, and provide the details, of any unauthorized possession or use
of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information. With regard to Customer
Information, the Receiving Party shall fully cooperate with the Disclosing Party
to comply with any applicable federal or state breach notification
laws. The parties understand and agree, Receiving Party shall be
liable, and there shall be no cap on liability, for damages arising out of
breaches of confidentiality involving breaches of data that lead to the release
or misuse of data pertaining to Disclosing Party (“Identified
Breaches”).
Data
Disposition. Upon Disclosing Party’s written request,
Receiving Party shall promptly return all documents and other media containing
Confidential Information. Any information that cannot feasibly be
returned shall be purged, deleted or destroyed and the Receiving Party shall
comply with all applicable federal and state laws requiring the deletion and
destruction of Customer Information, including Social Security Numbers,
financial account numbers, and the like. The Receiving Party shall
have an obligation to safeguard all other information.
SECURITY
Each
party will maintain and enforce safety and physical security procedures with
respect to its access and maintenance of Confidential Information (in electronic
and paper format) that are in accordance with reasonable policies in these
regards, and provide reasonably appropriate safeguards against accidental or
unlawful destruction, loss, alteration or unauthorized disclosure or access of
Confidential Information under this Agreement. Customer Information
shall be maintained in accordance with applicable federal and state data
protection laws.
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ANTI-MONEY
LAUNDERING
Nationwide
agrees that companies listed in Exhibit A will comply with the USA PATRIOT Act
as applicable and effective. Further, the Company agrees that it will
comply with the USA PATRIOT Act as applicable and effective.
DISCLOSURE
Each
party may disclose that it has entered into this arrangement.
INDEMNIFICATION
Nationwide
agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and Funds, and its officers,
directors, employees, agents, affiliated persons, subsidiaries and
each person, if any, who controls the Company and/or Funds within the meaning of
the Investment Company Act of 1940 (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties” for
purposes of this Section) against any losses, claims, expenses, damages,
liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement thereof) and/or litigation
expenses (including reasonable legal and other
expenses) (collectively the “Losses”), to which the Indemnified
Parties may become subject to when such Losses result from a breach by
Nationwide of a material provision of this Agreement or from Identified Breaches
as defined in the Privacy and Confidentiality section of this
Agreement. Nationwide will reimburse any reasonable legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with
investigating or defending any such Losses. Nationwide shall not be liable for
indemnification hereunder if such Losses are attributable to the bad faith,
negligence, willful misfeasance or misconduct of the Company or Fund in
performing its obligations under this Agreement. Nationwide further
agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Indemnified Parties related to the
Variable Products (issued by Nationwide) that arise out of or are based upon any
untrue or alleged untrue statement or misrepresentation of any material fact
contained in the registration statement, prospectus, or supplement for the
Variable Products. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this agreement to
indemnify the Indemnified Parties shall not apply if such statement is based on
information furnished to Nationwide by or on behalf of the Company or the
Funds.
The
Company and Funds agree to indemnify and hold harmless Nationwide and its
officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliated persons, subsidiaries and
each person, if any, who controls Nationwide within the meaning of the 1940 Act
(collectively, the “Indemnified Parties” for purposes of Section) against any
Losses, to which the Indemnified Parties may become subject to when such Losses
result from a breach by the Company and/or Funds of a material provision of this
Agreement. The Company and/or Funds will reimburse any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with
investigating or defending any such Losses. The Company and Funds
shall not be liable for indemnification hereunder if such Losses are
attributable to the bad faith, negligence, willful misfeasance or misconduct of
Nationwide in performing its obligations under this Agreement. The
Company and Funds further agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Indemnified
Parties related to the acquisition of the Funds’ shares that arise out of or are
based upon any untrue or alleged untrue statement or misrepresentation of any
material fact
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contained
in the registration statement, prospectus, or supplement for the
Funds. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this agreement to indemnify the
Indemnified Parties shall not apply if such statement is based on information
furnished to the Company or the Funds by or on behalf of
Nationwide.
Promptly
after receipt by an indemnified party hereunder of notice of the commencement of
action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made
against the indemnifying party hereunder, notify the indemnifying party, in
writing, of the commencement thereof; but the failure to notify the indemnifying
party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any
indemnified party otherwise than under this Section. In the event
that such an action is brought against any indemnified party, the indemnifying
party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may
wish to, assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such
indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to such
indemnified party of its election to assume the defense thereof, the
indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this
Section for any
legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in
connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of
investigation.
If the
indemnifying party assumes the defense of any such action, the indemnifying
party shall not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties in
such action, settle or compromise the liability of the indemnified parties in
such action, or permit a default or consent to the entry of any judgment in
respect thereof, unless in connection with such settlement, compromise or
consent, each indemnified party receives from such claimant an unconditional
release from all liability in respect of such claim.
APPLICABLE
LAW
This
Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
Ohio.
This
Agreement shall be subject to the provisions of the 1933, 1934 and 1940 Acts and
the rules and regulations thereunder, including such exemptions from those
statutes, rules and regulations as the SEC may grant.
TERMINATION
This
Agreement shall terminate with regard to the availability of shares of a Fund
(if specified) or all of the Funds as underlying investment
options:
(a)
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at
the option of Nationwide or the Company upon at least 60 days advance
written notice to the other;
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(b)
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at
any time upon the Company's election, if the Company determines that
liquidation of the Funds is in the best interest of the Funds or their
beneficial owners. Reasonable advance notice of election to
liquidate shall be provided to Nationwide in order to permit the
substitution of Fund shares, if necessary,
with
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10
shares of
another investment company pursuant to the 1940 Act and other applicable
securities regulations;
(c)
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at
any time upon Nationwide’s election, in accordance with the 1940 Act and
applicable regulations, to substitute such Fund shares with the shares of
another investment company for the Variable Products for which the Fund
shares have been selected to serve as the underlying investment
options. Nationwide shall give reasonable notice to the Company
of any proposal to substitute Fund
shares;
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(d)
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at
the option of Nationwide or the Company with 30 days advance written
notice to the other, upon the institution of relevant formal proceedings
against either Nationwide or the Company or the Funds by FINRA,
the IRS, the Department of Labor, the SEC, state insurance departments or
any other regulatory body;
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(e)
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at
the option of either party for cause immediately upon written notice to
the other party upon a material breach of this Agreement if the breaching
party does not cure the material breach within 30 days after receiving
written notice of the material breach from the non-breaching
party.
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Notwithstanding
any of the foregoing provisions of this section ("Termination"), this Agreement
and all related agreements shall remain in force and in effect for so long as
allocations to any or all of the Variable Accounts remain invested in Fund
shares.
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NOTICE
Each
notice or other communication required or permitted to be made or given by a
party pursuant to this Agreement shall be given in writing and delivered by U.S.
first class mail or overnight courier, in each case prepaid and addressed,
to:
Nationwide
Financial
Xxx
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0-00-00
Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxx 00000
Attention: Associate Vice
President, NIA Operations and Third Party Relations
Unified
Financial Securities, Inc.
0000
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
XX000
Xxxxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention:
Vice President Legal, Compliance & Risk
Huntington
Asset Advisors, Inc.
00 Xxxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention:
Legal and Compliance
Any party
may change its address by notifying the other party(ies) in
writing. Notices will be deemed given upon dispatch.
ENTIRE
AGREEMENT
This
Agreement, together with all contemporaneous exhibits, sets forth the entire
understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this
Agreement and supercedes any and all prior discussions, representations, and
understandings, whether written or oral, between the parties related to the
subject of this Agreement.
ASSIGNMENT
This
Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties
and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that neither
this Agreement nor any rights, privileges, duties or obligations of the parties
may be assigned by any party without the written consent of the other parties
except that upon notice to the other party either party may assign this
Agreement to the surviving entity in a merger or consolidation in which it
participates or to a purchaser of all or substantially all of its
assets.
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WAIVER
OF AGREEMENT
No term
or provision of this Agreement may be waived or modified unless done so in
writing and signed by the party against whom such waiver or modification is
sought to be enforced. Either party’s failure to insist at any time
on strict compliance with this Agreement or with any of the terms under this
Agreement or any continued course of such conduct on its part will in no event
constitute or be considered a waiver by such party of any of its rights or
privileges.
ENFORCEABILITY
If any
portion of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision,
statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of the Agreement shall not be affected
thereby.
REMEDIES
NOT EXCLUSIVE
The
rights, remedies and obligations contained in this Agreement are cumulative and
are in addition to any and all rights, remedies and obligations, at law or in
equity, which the parties to this Agreement are entitled to under state and
federal laws.
TRADEMARKS
Except to
the extent required by applicable law, no party shall use any other party's
names, logos, trademarks or service marks, whether registered or unregistered,
without the prior consent of such party. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Nationwide may identify the Funds in a listing of funds available as
underlying investment options.
SURVIVABILITY
Sections
“Representations,”
“Privacy/Confidentiality,” “Indemnification,” and
“Trademarks”
hereof shall survive termination of this Agreement. In addition, all
provisions of this Agreement shall survive termination of this Agreement in the
event that any Variable Accounts are invested in a Fund at the time the
termination becomes effective and shall survive for so long as such Variable
Accounts remain so invested.
NON-EXCLUSIVITY
Each of
the parties acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement and the arrangements
described in this Agreement are intended to be non-exclusive and that each of
the parties is free to enter into similar agreements and arrangements with other
entities.
PARTNERSHIPS/JOINT
VENTURES
Nothing
in this Agreement shall be deemed to create a partnership or joint venture by
and among the parties hereto.
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FORCE
MAJEURE
No party
to this Agreement will be responsible for delays resulting from acts beyond the
reasonable control of such party, provided that the nonperforming party uses
commercially reasonable efforts to avoid or remove such causes of nonperformance
and continues performance hereunder as soon as practicable as soon as such
causes are avoided, rectified or removed.
AMENDMENTS
TO THIS AGREEMENT
This
Agreement may not be amended or modified except by a written amendment, which
includes any amendments to the Exhibits, executed by all parties to the
Agreement.
NO
THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES
Except as
expressly set forth herein, no provisions of this Agreement are intended or
shall be construed to provide or create any rights or benefits in any third
party.
EXECUTION
Each
party hereby represents and warrants to the other that the persons executing
this Agreement on its behalf are duly authorized and empowered to execute and
deliver the Agreement and that the Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and
binding obligation, and is enforceable in accordance with its
terms. Except as particularly set forth herein, neither party assumes
any responsibility hereunder and will not be liable to the other for any
damages, loss of data, delay or any other loss whatsoever caused by events
beyond its control.
This
Agreement may be executed by facsimile signature and it may be executed in one
or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of
which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
NATIONWIDE
FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
_________________________________
By: Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
Title: Associate
Vice President, NIA Operations and Third Party Relations
UNIFIED
FINANCIAL SECURITIES, INC.
_________________________________
By: Xxxx
Xxxxxx
Title:
Vice-President, Legal, Compliance & Risk
14
HUNTINGTON
ASSET ADVISORS, INC.
_________________________________
By: Xxx
Xxxx
Title:
Chief Compliance Officer
15
Exhibit
A
Subsidiary Life Insurance
Companies
Nationwide
Life Insurance Company
Nationwide
Life and Annuity Insurance Company
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EXHIBIT
B
FUNDS
All
current and future funds available for sale through the Variable Products,
including but not limited to any funds listed below.
Huntington
VA Situs Fund
Huntington
VA International Equity Fund
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EXHIBIT
C
FUND/SERV
PROCESSING PROCEDURES
AND
MANUAL
PROCESSING PROCEDURES
The
purchase, redemption and settlement of shares of a Fund (“Shares”) will normally
follow the Fund/SERV-Defined Contribution Clearance and Settlement Service
(“DCCS”) Processing Procedures below and the rules and procedures of the SCC
Division of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) shall govern
the purchase, redemption and settlement of Shares of the Funds through NSCC by
Nationwide. In the event of equipment failure or technical
malfunctions or the parties’ inability to otherwise perform transactions
pursuant to the FUND/SERV Processing Procedures, or the parties’ mutual consent
to use manual processing, the Manual Processing Procedures below will
apply.
It is
understood and agreed that, in the context of Section 22 of the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and the rules and public interpretations
thereunder by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC Staff),
receipt by Nationwide of any Instructions from the contract owner prior to the
Close of Trade on any Business Day shall be deemed to be receipt by the Funds of
such Instructions solely for pricing purposes and shall cause purchases and
sales to be deemed to occur at the Share Price for such Business Day, except as
provided in 4(c) of the Manual Processing Procedures. Each
Instruction shall be deemed to be accompanied by a representation by Nationwide
that it has received proper authorization from each contract owner whose
purchase, redemption, account transfer or exchange transaction is effected as a
result of such Instruction.
Fund/SERV-DCCS
Processing Procedures
1.
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On
each business day that the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is
open for business on which the Funds determine their net asset values
("Business Day"), the Company shall accept, and effect changes in its
records upon receipt of purchase, redemption, exchanges, account transfers
and registration instructions from Nationwide electronically through
Fund/SERV ("Instructions”) without supporting documentation from the
contract owner. On each Business Day, the Company shall accept
for processing any Instructions from Nationwide and shall process such
Instructions in a timely manner.
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2.
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Company
shall perform any and all duties, functions, procedures and
responsibilities assigned to it under this Agreement and as otherwise
established by the NSCC. Company shall conduct each of the
foregoing activities in a competent manner and in compliance with (a) all
applicable laws, rules and regulations, including NSCC Fund/SERV-DCCS
rules and procedures relating to Fund/SERV; (b) the then-current
Prospectus of a Fund; and (c) any provision relating to Fund/SERV in any
other agreement of the Company that would affect its duties and
obligations pursuant to this
Agreement.
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3.
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Confirmed
trades and any other information provided by the Company to Nationwide
through Fund/SERV and pursuant to this Agreement shall be accurate,
complete, and in the format prescribed by the
NSCC.
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4.
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Trade
information provided by Nationwide to the Company through Fund/SERV and
pursuant to this Agreement shall be accurate, complete and, in the format
prescribed by the NSCC. All Instructions by Nationwide
regarding each Fund/SERV Account shall be true and correct and will have
been duly authorized by the registered
holder.
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5.
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For
each Fund/SERV transaction, Nationwide shall provide the Funds and the
Company with all information necessary or appropriate to establish and
maintain each Fund/SERV transaction (and any subsequent changes to such
information), which Nationwide hereby certifies is and shall remain true
and correct. Nationwide shall maintain documents required by
the Funds to effect Fund/SERV transactions. Nationwide
certifies that all Instructions delivered to Company on any Business Day
shall have been received by Nationwide from the contract owner by the
close of trading (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”)) on the Exchange
(the "Close of Trading") on such Business Day and that any Instructions
received by it after the Close of Trading on any given Business Day will
be transmitted to Company on the next Business
Day.
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Manual
Processing Procedures
1.
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On
each Business Day, Nationwide may receive Instructions from the contract
owner for the purchase or redemption of shares of the Funds based solely
upon receipt of such Instructions prior to the Close of Trading on that
Business Day. Instructions in good order received by Nationwide
prior to the close of trading on any given Business Day (generally, 4:00
p.m. ET (the “Trade Date”) and transmitted to the Company by no later than
9:30 a.m. ET the Business Day following the Trade Date (“Trade Date plus
One” or “T+1”), will be executed at the NAV (“Share Price”) of each
applicable Fund, determined as of the Close of Trading on the Trade
Date.
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2.
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As
noted in Paragraph 1 above, by 9:30 a.m. ET on T+1 (“Instruction Cutoff
Time”) and after Nationwide has processed all approved transactions,
Nationwide will transmit to the Company via facsimile, telefax or
electronic transmission or system-to-system, or by a method acceptable to
Nationwide and the Company, a report (the “Instruction Report”) detailing
the Instructions that were received by Nationwide prior to the Funds’
daily determination of Share Price for each Fund (i.e., the Close of
Trading) on Trade Date.
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(a)
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It
is understood by the parties that all Instructions from the contract owner
shall be received and processed by Nationwide in accordance with its
standard transaction processing procedures. Nationwide or its
designees shall maintain records sufficient to identify the date and time
of receipt of all contract owner transactions involving the Funds and
shall make or
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19
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cause
to be made such records available upon reasonable request for examination
by the Funds or its designated representative or, by appropriate
governmental authorities. Under no circumstances shall
Nationwide change, alter or modify any Instructions received by it in good
order.
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(b)
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Following
the completion of the transmission of any Instructions by Nationwide to
the Company by the Instruction Cutoff Time, Nationwide will verify that
the Instruction was received by the
Company.
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(c)
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In
the event that Nationwide transmits an Instruction to the Company on any
Business Day prior to the Instruction Cutoff Time and such Instruction is
not received by the Company due to circumstances caused by the Company
that prohibit the Company’s receipt of such Instruction, such Instruction
shall nonetheless be treated by the Company as if it had been received by
the Instruction Cutoff Time, provided that Nationwide retransmits such
Instruction by facsimile transmission to the
Company.
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(d)
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With
respect to all Instructions, the Company’s financial control
representative will manually adjust a Fund’s records for the Trade Date to
reflect any Instructions sent by
Nationwide.
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3.
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As
set forth below, upon the timely receipt from Nationwide of the
Instructions, the Fund will execute the purchase or redemption
transactions (as the case may be) at the Share Price for each Fund
computed as of the Close of Trading on the Trade
Date.
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(a)
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Except
as otherwise provided herein, all purchase and redemption transactions
will settle on T+1. Settlements will be through net Federal
Wire transfers to an account designated by a Fund. In the case
of Instructions which constitute a net purchase order, settlement shall
occur by Nationwide initiating a wire transfer on T+1 to the custodian for
the Fund for receipt by the Funds’ custodian by no later than the Close of
Business at the New York Federal Reserve Bank on T+1, causing the
remittance of the requisite funds to the Company to cover such net
purchase order.
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In the
case of Instructions which constitute a net redemption order, settlement shall
occur by the Company causing the remittance of the requisite funds to cover such
net redemption order by Federal Funds Wire on T+1, provided that the
Fund reserves the right to (i) delay settlement of redemptions for up to seven
(7) Business Days after receiving a net redemption order in accordance with
Section 22 of the 1940 Act and Rule 22c-1 thereunder, or (ii) suspend
redemptions pursuant to the 1940 Act or as otherwise required by
law. Settlements shall be in U.S. dollars.
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(b)
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Nationwide
(and its Variable Accounts) shall be designated as record owner of each
account (“Record Owner”) and Company shall provide Nationwide with all
written confirmations required under federal and state securities
laws.
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(c)
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On
any Business Day when the Federal Reserve Wire Transfer System is closed,
all communication and processing rules will be suspended for the
settlement of Instructions. Instructions will be settled on the
next Business Day on which the Federal Reserve Wire Transfer System is
open. The original T+1 Settlement Date will not
apply. Rather, for purposes of this Paragraph 3(c) only, the
Settlement Date will be the date on which the Instruction
settles.
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(d)
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Nationwide
shall, upon receipt of any confirmation or statement concerning the
accounts, verify the accuracy of the information contained therein against
the information contained in Nationwide’s internal record-keeping system
and shall promptly, advise the Company in writing of any discrepancies
between such information. The Company and Nationwide shall
cooperate to resolve any such discrepancies as soon as reasonably
practicable.
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Price
Communication Time
By no
later than 6:00 p.m. ET on each Trade Date (“Price Communication Time”), the
Company will communicate to Nationwide via electronic transmission acceptable to
both parties, the Share Price of each applicable Fund, as well as dividend and
capital gain information and, in the case of funds that credit a daily dividend,
the daily accrual or interest rate factor, determined at the Close of Trading on
that Trade Date.
Adjustments
In the
event of any error or delay with respect to both the Fund/SERV Processing
Procedures and the Manual Processing Procedures outlined in Exhibit D
herein: (i) which is caused by the Funds or the Company, the Company
shall make any adjustments on the Funds’ accounting system necessary to correct
such error or delay and the responsible party or parties shall reimburse the
contract owner and Nationwide, as appropriate, for any losses or reasonable
costs incurred directly as a result of the error or delay but specifically
excluding any and all consequential punitive or other indirect damages or (ii)
which is caused by Nationwide, the Company shall make any adjustment on the
Funds’ accounting system necessary to correct such error or delay and the
affected party or parties shall be reimbursed by Nationwide for any losses or
reasonable costs incurred directly as a result of the error or delay, but
specifically excluding any and all consequential punitive or other indirect
damages. In the event of any such adjustments on the Funds’
accounting system, Nationwide shall make the corresponding adjustments on its
internal record-keeping system. In the event that errors or delays
with respect to the Procedures are contributed to by more than one party hereto,
each party shall be responsible for that portion of the loss or reasonable cost
which results from its error or
21
delay. All
parties agree to provide the other parties prompt notice of any errors or delays
of the type referred to herein and to use reasonable efforts to take such action
as may be appropriate to avoid or mitigate any such costs or loss
22