DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
NATIONS FUNDS TRUST
Xxxxxxxx Inc.
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Gentlemen:
This is to confirm that, in consideration of the agreements hereinafter
contained, the undersigned, Nations Funds Trust (the "Trust"), a Delaware
business trust, has agreed that Xxxxxxxx Inc. (the "Distributor") shall be, for
the period of this Agreement, the exclusive distributor of the units of
beneficial interest in all classes of shares ("Shares") of the investment
portfolios of the Trust listed on Schedule I (individually, a "Fund" and
collectively the "Funds"). Absent written notification to the contrary by either
the Trust or the Distributor, each new investment portfolio established in the
future shall automatically become a "Fund" for all purposes hereunder and shares
of each new class established in the future shall automatically become "Shares"
for all purposes hereunder as if set forth on Schedule I.
1. Services as Distributor.
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1.1. The Distributor will act as agent for the distribution of
Shares in accordance with the instructions of the Trust's Board of Trustees and
the Trust's registration statement and prospectus then in effect under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and will transmit promptly
any orders received by it for the purchase or redemption of Shares to the Trust
or its transfer agent.
1.2. The Distributor agrees to use appropriate efforts to
solicit orders for the sale of Shares and will undertake such advertising and
promotion as it believes appropriate in connection with such solicitation. The
Trust understands that the Distributor is and may in the future be the
distributor of shares of other investment company portfolios including
portfolios having investment objectives similar to those of the Funds. The Trust
further understands that existing and future investors in the Funds may invest
in shares of such other portfolios. The Trust agrees that the Distributor's
duties to such portfolios shall not be deemed in conflict with its duties to the
Trust under this paragraph 1.2.
1.3. The Distributor shall, at its own expense, finance such
activities as it deems reasonable and which are primarily intended to result in
the sale of Shares, including, but not limited to, advertising, compensation of
underwriters, dealers and sales personnel, the printing and mailing of
prospectuses to other than current shareholders, and the printing and mailing of
sales literature. The Distributor shall be responsible for reviewing and
providing advice and counsel on all sales literature (e.g., advertisements,
brochures and shareholder communications) with respect to each of the Funds. In
addition, the Distributor will provide one or more persons, during normal
business hours, to respond to telephone questions with respect to the Funds.
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1.4. All activities by the Distributor and its agents and
employees as distributor of Shares shall comply with all applicable laws, rules
and regulations, including, without limitation, all rules and regulations made
or adopted pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940
Act") by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") or any securities
association registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
1.5. Whenever in their judgment such action is warranted by
unusual market, economic or political conditions, or by other circumstances of
any kind, the Trust's officers may decline to accept any orders for, or make any
sales of Shares until such time as those officers deem it advisable to accept
such orders and to make such sales.
1.6. The Trust agrees at its own expense to execute any and
all documents and to furnish any and all information and otherwise to take all
actions that may be reasonably necessary in connection with the registration or
qualification of Shares for sale in such states as the Distributor may designate
to the Trust and the Trust may approve, and the Trust shall pay all fees and
other expenses incurred in connection with such registration or qualification.
1.7. The Trust shall furnish from time to time, for use in
connection with the sale of Shares, such information with respect to the Funds
and Shares as the Distributor may reasonably request; and the Trust warrants
that the statements contained in any such information shall fairly show or
represent what they purport to show or represent. The Trust shall also furnish
the Distributor upon request with: (a) audited annual and unaudited semi-annual
statements of the Trust's books and accounts with respect to each Fund, and (b)
from time to time such additional information regarding the Funds' financial
condition as the Distributor may reasonably request.
1.8. The Distributor may be reimbursed for all or a portion of
the expenses described above to the extent permitted by a distribution plan
adopted by the Trust on behalf of a Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940
Act. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to prohibit any payments by
a Fund to the Distributor or by a Fund or the Distributor to investment dealers,
banks or other financial institutions through whom shares of the Fund are sold
where such payments are made under a distribution plan adopted by the Trust on
behalf of such Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In addition, the
Distributor shall be entitled to retain any front-end sales charge imposed upon
the sale of the Shares (and reallow a portion thereof) as specified in the
Trust's registration statement and the Trust shall pay to the Distributor the
proceeds from any contingent deferred sales charge imposed on the redemption of
the shares as specified in the Trust's registration statement.
1.9. The Distributor will execute and deliver agreements with
broker/dealers, financial institutions and other industry professionals based on
the forms attached hereto or based on the additional forms of agreement approved
from time to time by the Trust's Board of Trustees with respect to the various
classes of shares of the Funds, including but not limited to forms of sales
support agreements and shareholder servicing agreements approved in connection
with a distribution plan and/or shareholder servicing plan approved in
accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
2. Representations; Indemnification.
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2.1. The Trust represents to the Distributor that all
registration statements and prospectuses filed by the Trust with the SEC under
the 1933 Act, with respect to Shares have been prepared in conformity with the
requirements of the 1933 Act and rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. As
used in this Agreement, the terms "registration statement" and "prospectus"
shall mean any registration statement and then current prospectus (together with
any related then current statement of additional information) filed with the SEC
with respect to Shares, and any amendments and supplements thereto which at any
time shall have been filed therewith. The Trust represents and warrants to the
Distributor that any registration statement and prospectus, when such
registration statement becomes effective, will contain all statements required
to be stated therein in conformity with the 1933 Act and the rules and
regulations of the SEC; that all statements of fact contained in any such
registration statement and prospectus will be true and correct when such
registration statement and prospectus become effective; and that neither any
registration statement nor any prospectus when any registration statement
becomes effective will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading to a purchaser of Shares. The Trust may, but
shall not be obligated to, propose from time to time such amendment or
amendments to any registration statement and such supplement or supplements to
any prospectus which in light of future developments, may, in the opinion of the
Trust's counsel, be necessary or advisable. The Trust shall promptly notify the
Distributor of any advice given to it by the Trust's counsel regarding the
necessity or advisability so to amend or supplement such registration statement
or prospectus. If the Trust shall not propose such amendment or amendments
and/or supplement or supplements within fifteen days after receipt by the Trust
of a written request from the Distributor to do so, the Distributor may, at its
option, terminate this Agreement. The Trust shall not file any amendment to any
registration statement or supplement to any prospectus without giving the
Distributor reasonable notice thereof in advance; provided, however, that
nothing contained in this Agreement shall in any way limit the Trust's right to
file at any time such amendments to any registration statement and/or
supplements to any prospectus, of whatever character, as the Trust may deem
advisable, such right being in all respects absolute and unconditional.
2.2. The Trust authorizes the Distributor and dealers to use
any prospectus in the form furnished from time to time in connection with the
sale of Shares and represented by the Trust as being the then current form of
prospectus. The Trust agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the Distributor, its
several officers and directors, and any person who controls the Distributor
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act free and harmless from and
against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and expenses (including the
cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands or liabilities and any
counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) which the Distributor, its
officers and directors, or any such controlling person, may incur under the 1933
Act or under common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon any untrue
statement, or alleged untrue statement, of a material fact contained in any
registration statement or any prospectus or arising out of or based upon any
omission, or alleged omission, to state a material fact required to be stated in
any registration statement or prospectus or necessary to make any statement in
such documents not misleading; provided, however, that the Trust's agreement to
indemnify the Distributor, its officers or directors, and any such controlling
person shall not be deemed to cover any claims, demands, liabilities or expenses
arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission made in any registration statement or prospectus or in any
financial or other statements in reliance upon and
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in conformity with any information furnished to the Trust by the Distributor or
any affiliate thereof and used in the preparation thereof; and further provided
that the Trust's agreement to indemnify the Distributor and the Trust's
representations and warranties herein set forth shall not be deemed to cover any
liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which the Distributor would
otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of the Distributor's
reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement. The
Trust's agreement to indemnify the Distributor, its officers and directors, and
any such controlling person, as aforesaid, is expressly conditioned upon the
Trust's being notified of any action brought against the Distributor, its
officers or directors, or any such controlling person, such notification to be
given by letter or by telegram or transmitted by similar telecommunications
device, addressed to the Trust at its principal office and sent to the Trust by
the person against whom such action is brought, within a reasonable period of
time after the summons or other first legal process shall have been served. The
failure to so notify the Trust of any such action shall not relieve the Trust
from any liability which the Trust may have to the person against whom such
action is brought by reason of any such untrue, or allegedly untrue, statement
or omission, or alleged omission, otherwise than on account of the Trust's
indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph 2.2. The Trust will be entitled
to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any such claim, demand or
liability, but, in such case, such defense shall be conducted by counsel of good
standing chosen by the Trust and approved by the Distributor, which approval
shall not unreasonably be withheld. In the event the Trust elects to assume the
defense of any such suit and retain counsel of good standing approved by the
Distributor, the defendant or defendants in such suit shall bear the fees and
expenses of any additional counsel retained by any of them; but in case the
Trust does not elect to assume the defense of any such suit, or in case the
Distributor reasonably does not approve of counsel chosen by the Trust, the
Trust will reimburse the Distributor, its officers and directors, or the
controlling person or persons named as defendant or defendants in such suit, for
the fees and expenses of any counsel retained by the Distributor or them. The
Trust's indemnification agreement contained in this paragraph 2.2 and the
Trust's representations and warranties in this Agreement shall remain operative
and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on
behalf of the Distributor, its officers and directors, or any controlling
person, and shall survive the delivery of any Shares. This agreement of
indemnity will inure exclusively to the Distributor's benefit, to the benefit of
its several officers and directors, and their respective estates, and to the
benefit of the controlling persons and their successors. The Trust agrees
promptly to notify the Distributor of the commencement of any litigation or
proceedings against the Trust or any of its officers or Trustees in connection
with the issue and sale of any Shares.
2.3. The Distributor agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the
Trust, its several officers and Trustees, and any person who controls the Trust
within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act free and harmless from and
against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and expenses (including the
costs of investigation or defending such claims, demands or liabilities and any
counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) which the Trust, its officers or
Trustees or any such controlling person, may incur under the 1933 Act or under
common law or otherwise, but only to the extent that such liability or expense
incurred by the Trust, its officers or Trustees, or such controlling person
resulting from such claims or demands, shall arise out of or be based upon any
untrue, or alleged untrue, statement of a material fact contained in information
furnished by the Distributor or any affiliate thereof to the Trust or its
counsel and used in the Trust's registration statement or corresponding
statements made in the prospectus, or shall arise
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out of or be based upon any omission, or alleged omission, to state a material
fact in connection with such information furnished by the Distributor or any
affiliate thereof to the Trust or its counsel required to be stated in such
answers or necessary to make such information not misleading. The Distributor's
agreement to indemnify the Trust, its officers and Trustees, and any such
controlling person, as aforesaid, is expressly conditioned upon the
Distributor's being notified of any action brought against the Trust, its
officers or Trustees, or any such controlling person, such notification to be
given by letter or telegram addressed to the Distributor at its principal office
in Little Rock, Arkansas and sent to the Distributor by the person against whom
such action is brought, within a reasonable period of time after the summons or
other first legal process shall have been served. The Distributor shall have the
right to control the defense of such action, with counsel of its own choosing,
satisfactory to the Trust, if such action is based solely upon such alleged
misstatement or omission on the Distributor's part or any affiliate thereof, and
in any other event the Trust, its officers or Trustees or such controlling
person shall each have the right to participate in the defense or preparation of
the defense of any such action. The failure so to notify the Distributor of any
such action shall not relieve the Distributor or any affiliate thereof from any
liability which the Distributor or any affiliate thereof may have to the Trust,
its officers or Trustees, or to such controlling person by reason of any such
untrue or alleged untrue statement, or omission or alleged omission, otherwise
than on account of the Distributor's indemnity agreement contained in this
paragraph 2.3.
2.4. No Shares shall be offered by either the Distributor or
the Trust under any of the provisions of this Agreement and no orders for the
purchase or sale of Shares hereunder shall be accepted by the Trust if and so
long as the effectiveness of the registration statement then in effect or any
necessary amendments thereto shall be suspended under any of the provisions of
the 1933 Act, or if and so long as a current prospectus, as required by Section
10(b) of the 1933 Act is not on file with the SEC; provided, however, that
nothing contained in this paragraph 2.4 shall in any way restrict or have any
application to or bearing upon the Trust's obligation to repurchase Shares from
any shareholder in accordance with the provisions of the Trust's prospectus or
Declaration of Trust.
2.5. The Trust agrees to advise the Distributor as soon as
reasonably practicable:
(a) of any request by the SEC for amendments to the
registration statement or prospectus then in effect;
(b) of the issuance by the SEC of any stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the registration statement or prospectus then in
effect or of the initiation of any proceeding for that purpose;
(c) of the happening of any event that makes untrue
any statement of a material fact made in the registration statement or
prospectus then in effect or which requires the making of a change in such
registration statement or prospectus in order to make the statements therein not
misleading;
(d) of all actions of the SEC with respect to any
amendment to any registration statement or prospectus which may from time to
time be filed with the SEC; and
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(e) if a current prospectus is not on file with the
SEC.
For purposes of this section, informal requests by or acts of the staff
of the SEC shall not be deemed actions of or requests by the SEC.
3. Confidentiality.
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The Distributor agrees on behalf of itself and its employees
to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Trust all records
and other information relative to the Funds and/or the Trust and its prior,
present or potential shareholders, and not to use such records and information
for any purpose other than 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 the Distributor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt proceedings
for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by duly
constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Trust.
4. Limitations of Liability.
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Except as provided in paragraph 2.3, the Distributor shall not
be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered
by the Trust or any Fund in connection with matters to which this agreement
relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties under this agreement.
5. Term.
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This agreement shall become effective on the date of its
execution and, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue in
effect for a period of two years from the date written below. This Agreement
shall thereafter continue from year to year, provided such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by (i) the Trust's Board of Trustees, or
(ii) by a vote of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the outstanding
voting securities of the Fund, provided that in either event the continuance is
also approved by the majority of the Trust's Trustees who are not parties to
this agreement or interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such
party, by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such approval. This agreement is not assignable and is terminable with respect
to a Fund, without penalty, on not less than sixty (60) days' notice, by the
Trust's Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority (as defined in the 1940 Act) of
the outstanding voting securities of such Fund, or by the Distributor. This
agreement will also terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as
defined in the 1940 Act).
6. Miscellaneous.
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6.1. No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived,
discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by
the party against which an enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or
termination is sought.
6.2. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State
of Arkansas.
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7. Counterparts.
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7.1. This Agreement may be executed in any manner of
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.
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Please confirm that the foregoing is in accordance with your
understanding by indicating your acceptance hereof at the place indicated below,
whereupon it shall become a binding agreement between us.
Yours very truly,
NATIONS FUNDS TRUST
By: /s/ X. Xxx Xxxxxx
------------------
X. Xxx Xxxxxx
President and Chairman of the
Board of Trustees
Accepted:
XXXXXXXX INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Xx.
-------------------------
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Xx.
Senior Vice President
Dated as of February 14, 2000
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SCHEDULE I
1. Nations High Yield Bond Fund
2. Nations Kansas Municipal Income Fund
3. Nations Xxxxxxx 21st Century Fund
4. Nations Xxxxxxx International Opportunities Fund
5. Nations MidCap Index Fund
6. Nations Financial Services Fund
7. Nations Classic Value Fund
8. Nations Global Value Fund
Approved: December 9, 1999
Last Amended: April 9, 2001
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