TRANSFER AGENT SERVICING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of this 5th day of January,
2001, by and between IPS Advisory, Inc., an Ohio corporation (the "Advisor"), as
investment advisor for the IPS Funds, (the "Trust"), and Firstar Mutual Fund
Services, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State
of Wisconsin ("FMFS").
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end management investment company which is
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940
Act");
WHEREAS, the Trust is authorized to create separate series, each with
its own separate investment portfolio;
WHEREAS, FMFS is a limited liability company and, among other things, is
in the business of administering transfer and dividend disbursing agent
functions for the benefit of its customers; and
WHEREAS, the Advisor desires to retain FMFS to provide transfer and
dividend disbursing agent services to each series of the Trust listed on Exhibit
A attached hereto, as may be amended from time to time (each a "Fund" and
collectively the "Funds").
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein made,
the Advisor and FMFS agree as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT OF TRANSFER AGENT
The Advisor, on behalf of the Trust, hereby appoints FMFS as Transfer
Agent of the Trust on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, and
FMFS hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the services and
duties set forth in this Agreement in consideration of the compensation provided
for herein.
2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FMFS
FMFS shall perform all of the customary services of a transfer agent and
dividend disbursing agent, and as relevant, agent in connection with
accumulation, open account or similar plans (including without limitation any
periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including but not
limited to:
A. Receive orders for the purchase of shares;
B. Process purchase orders with prompt delivery, where appropriate,
of payment and supporting documentation to the Trust's
custodian, and issue the appropriate number of uncertificated
shares with such uncertificated shares being held in the
appropriate shareholder account;
C. Arrange for issuance of shares obtained through transfers of
funds from shareholders' accounts at financial institutions and
arrange for the exchange of shares for shares of other eligible
investment companies, when permitted by Prospectus.
D. Process redemption requests received in good order and, where
relevant, deliver appropriate documentation to the Trust's
custodian;
E. Pay monies upon receipt from the Trust's custodian, where
relevant, in accordance with the instructions of redeeming
shareholders;
F. Process transfers of shares in accordance with the shareholder's
instructions;
G. Process exchanges between funds and/or classes of shares of
funds both within the same family of funds and with the Firstar
Money Market Fund, if applicable;
H. Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions
declared by the Trust with respect to the Funds, after deducting
any amount required to be withheld by any applicable laws, rules
and regulations and in accordance with shareholder instructions;
I. Make changes to shareholder records, including, but not limited
to, address changes in plans (i.e., systematic withdrawal,
automatic investment, dividend reinvestment, etc.);
J. Record the issuance of shares of the Funds and maintain,
pursuant to Rule 17ad-10(e) promulgated under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), a record
of the total number of shares of the Funds which are authorized,
issued and outstanding;
K. Prepare shareholder meeting lists and, if applicable, mail,
receive and tabulate proxies;
L. Mail shareholder reports and prospectuses to current
shareholders;
M. Prepare and file U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other
appropriate information returns required with respect to
dividends and distributions for all shareholders;
N. Provide shareholder account information upon request and prepare
and mail confirmations and statements of account to shareholders
for all purchases, redemptions and other confirmable
transactions as agreed upon with the Trust;
O. Mail requests for shareholders' certifications under penalties
of perjury and pay on a timely basis to the appropriate Federal
authorities any taxes to be withheld on dividends and
distributions paid by the Trust, all as required by applicable
Federal tax laws and regulations;
P. Provide a Blue Sky System which will enable the Trust to monitor
the total number of shares of the Funds sold in each state. In
addition, the Trust or its agent, including FMFS, shall identify
to FMFS in writing those transactions and assets to be treated
as exempt from the Blue Sky reporting for each state. The
responsibility of FMFS for the Company's Blue Sky state
registration status is solely limited to the initial compliance
by the Trust and the reporting of such transactions to the Trust
or its agent;
Q. Answer correspondence from shareholders, securities brokers and
others relating to FMFS's duties hereunder and such other
correspondence as may from time to time be mutually agreed upon
between FMFS and the Trust.
3. COMPENSATION
The Advisor agrees to pay FMFS for the performance of the duties listed
in this agreement as set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto; the fees and
out-of-pocket expenses include, but are not limited to the following: printing,
postage, forms, stationery, record retention (if requested by the Trust),
mailing, insertion, programming (if requested by the Trust), labels, shareholder
lists and proxy expenses.
These fees and reimbursable expenses may be changed from time to time
subject to mutual written agreement between the Advisor and FMFS.
The Advisor agrees to pay all fees and reimbursable expenses within ten
(10) business days following the receipt of the billing notice.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, amounts owed by the Advisor to
FMFS shall only be paid out of assets and property of the particular Fund
involved.
4. REPRESENTATIONS OF FMFS
FMFS represents and warrants to Advisor and the Trust that:
A. It is a limited liability corporation duly organized, existing
and in good standing under the laws of Wisconsin;
B. It is a registered transfer agent under the Exchange Act.
C. It is duly qualified to carry on its business in the State of
Wisconsin;
D. It is empowered under applicable laws and by its charter and
bylaws to enter into and perform this Agreement;
E. All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize
it to enter and perform this Agreement;
F. It has and will continue to have access to the necessary
facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and
obligations under this Agreement; and
G. It will comply with all applicable requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, the
1940 Act, and any laws, rules, and regulations of governmental
authorities having jurisdiction.
5. REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ADVISOR
The Advisor represents and warrants to FMFS that:
A. The Trust is an open-ended non diversified investment company
under the 1940 Act;
B. The Trust is a business trust organized, existing, and in good
standing under the laws of Ohio;
C. The Trust is empowered under applicable laws and by its
Declaration of Trust and Bylaws to enter into and perform this
Agreement;
D. All necessary proceedings required by the Declaration of Trust
have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this
Agreement;
E. The Trust will comply with all applicable requirements of the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the 1940 Act, and any laws,
rules and regulations of governmental authorities having
jurisdiction; and
F. A registration statement under the Securities Act will be made
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 Trust being offered for
sale.
6. COVENANTS OF THE ADVISOR, THE TRUST AND FMFS
The Trust and/or the Advisor shall furnish FMFS a certified copy of the
resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Fund authorizing the appointment of
FMFS and the execution of this Agreement. The Trust and/or the Advisor shall
provide to FMFS a copy of its Declaration of Trust and Bylaws, and all
amendments thereto.
FMFS shall keep records relating to the services to be performed
hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To the extent
required by Section 31 of the 1940 Act, and the rules thereunder, FMFS agrees
that all such records prepared or maintained by FMFS relating to the services to
be performed by FMFS hereunder are the property of the Trust and will be
preserved, maintained and made available in accordance with such section and
rules and will be surrendered to the Trust on and in accordance with its
request.
7. PERFORMANCE OF SERVICE; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
FMFS shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties
under this Agreement. FMFS shall not be liable for any error of judgment or
mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with matters
to which this Agreement relates, including losses resulting from mechanical
breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies beyond FMFS's
control, except a loss arising out of or relating to the Agent's refusal or
failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from bad faith,
negligence, or willful misconduct on its part in the performance of its duties
under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if
FMFS has exercised reasonable care in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement, the Advisor shall indemnify and hold harmless FMFS from and against
any and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities (whether with or
without basis in fact or law) of any and every nature (including reasonable
attorneys' fees) which FMFS may sustain or incur or which may be asserted
against FMFS by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be
taken by it in performing the services hereunder, except for any and all claims,
demands, losses expenses, and liabilities arising out of or relating to FMFS's
refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement or from bad faith,
negligence or from willful misconduct on its part in performance of its duties
under this Agreement, (i) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (ii) in
reliance upon any written or oral instruction provided to FMFS by any duly
authorized officer of the Trust, such duly authorized officer to be included in
a list of authorized officers furnished to FMFS and as amended from time to time
in writing by resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Trust.
FMFS shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any
and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities (whether with or
without basis in fact or law) of any and every nature (including reasonable
attorneys' fees) which the Trust may sustain or incur or which may be asserted
against the Trust by any person arising out of any action taken or omitted to be
taken by FMFS as a result of FMFS's refusal or failure to comply with the terms
of this Agreement, its bad faith, negligence, or willful misconduct.
In the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or
power supplies beyond its control, FMFS shall take all reasonable steps to
minimize service interruptions for any period that such interruption continues
beyond FMFS's control. FMFS will make every reasonable effort to restore any
lost or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a breakdown at
the expense of FMFS. FMFS agrees that it shall, at all times, have reasonable
contingency plans with appropriate parties, making reasonable provision for
emergency use of electrical data processing equipment to the extent appropriate
equipment is available. Representatives of the Advisor shall be entitled to
inspect FMFS's premises and operating capabilities at any time during regular
business hours of FMFS, upon reasonable notice to FMFS.
Regardless of the above, FMFS reserves the right to reprocess and
correct administrative errors at its own expense.
In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this section
shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the indemnitor may be asked to
indemnify or hold the indemnitee harmless, the indemnitor shall be fully and
promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question,
and it is further understood that the indemnitee will use all reasonable care to
notify the indemnitor promptly concerning any situation which presents or
appears likely to present the probability of a claim for indemnification. The
indemnitor shall have the option to defend the indemnitee against any claim
which may be the subject of this indemnification. In the event that the
indemnitor so elects, it will so notify the indemnitee and thereupon the
indemnitor shall take over complete defense of the claim, and the indemnitee
shall in such situation initiate no further legal or other expenses for which it
shall seek indemnification under this section. The indemnitee shall in no case
confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the indemnitor
will be asked to indemnify the indemnitee except with the indemnitor's prior
written consent.
FMFS is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder
liability as set forth in the Trust Instrument of the Trust and agrees that
obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in
all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or
more series, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets
of such series. FMFS further agrees that it shall not seek satisfaction of any
such obligation from the shareholder or any individual shareholder of a series
of the Trust, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
8. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
FMFS agrees on behalf of itself and its directors, officers, and
employees to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust
all records and other information relative to the Trust and prior, present, or
potential shareholders (and clients of said shareholders) and not to use such
records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its
responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and
approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld and may not be withheld where FMFS may be exposed to civil or criminal
contempt proceedings for failure to comply after being requested to divulge such
information by duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Trust.
9. TERM OF AGREEMENT
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date hereof and will
continue in effect for a period of three years. During the initial three-year
term of this Agreement, if the Advisor terminates any services with FMFS, the
Advisor agrees to compensate Firstar an amount equal to the fees remaining under
the initial three year Agreement. Subsequent to the initial three-year term,
this Agreement may be terminated by either party upon giving ninety (90) days
prior written notice to the other party or such shorter period as is mutually
agreed upon by the parties. However, this Agreement may be amended by mutual
written consent of the parties.
10. NOTICES
Notices of any kind to be given by either party to the other party
shall be in writing and shall be duly given if mailed or delivered as follows:
Notice to FMFS shall be sent to:
Firstar Mutual Fund Services, LLC
000 Xxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
and notice to the Trust shall be sent to:
IPS Advisory, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx X-000
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
11. DUTIES IN THE EVENT OF TERMINATION
In the event that, in connection with termination, a successor to any
of FMFS's duties or responsibilities hereunder is designated by the Advisor by
written notice to FMFS, FMFS will promptly, upon such termination and at the
expense of the Advisor, transfer to such successor all relevant books, records,
correspondence, and other data established or maintained by FMFS under this
Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to the Advisor (if such form differs
from the form in which FMFS has maintained, the Advisor shall pay any expenses
associated with transferring the data to such form), and will cooperate in the
transfer of such duties and responsibilities, including provision for assistance
from FMFS's personnel in the establishment of books, records, and other data by
such successor.
12. GOVERNING LAW
This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted
under and in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin. However,
nothing herein shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the 1940 Act or
any rule or regulation promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission
thereunder.
13. STOCK CERTIFICATES
If at any time the Trust issues stock certificates, the following
provisions will apply:
(i) In the case of the loss or destruction of any certificate
representing Shares, no new certificate shall be issued in lieu
thereof, unless there shall first have been furnished an
appropriate bond of indemnity issued by the surety company
approved by FMFS.
(ii) Upon receipt of signed stock certificates, which shall be in
proper form for transfer, and upon cancellation or destruction
thereof, FMFS shall countersign, register and issue new
certificates for the same number of Shares and shall deliver them
pursuant to instructions received from the transferor, the rules
and regulations of the SEC, and the laws of the state of relating
to the transfer of shares of beneficial interest.
(iii) Upon receipt of the stock certificates, which shall be in proper
form for transfer, together with the shareholder's instructions
to hold such stock certificates for safekeeping, FMFS shall
reduce such Shares to uncertificated status, while retaining the
appropriate registration in the name of the shareholder upon the
transfer books.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
by a duly authorized officer or one or more counterparts as of the day and year
first written above.
IPS ADVISORY, INC. FIRSTAR MUTUAL FUND SERVICES, LLC
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X'Xxxxx By: /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
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Attest: /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Attest: /s/ Xxxx XxXxx
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