Exhbit 1(3)(b)
ALLMERICA ALLMERICA 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx GENERAL AGENT'S
FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS, INC. Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000 AGREEMENT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allmerica Investments, Inc. ("Company") hereby appoints
__________________________________________________
("General Agent") as local supervisor for the purpose of training and
supervising all associated persons and registered representatives of Company
assigned to _________________________________________________________
("Agency") engaged in the solicitation, sale or service of variable life
insurance and variable annuity contracts offered by Allmerica Financial Life
Insurance and Annuity Company and/or First Allmerica Financial Life Insurance
Company, mutual funds, limited partnerships and general securities (collectively
"Investment Products and Services") offered and/or distributed by Company. This
appointment is effective as of the date accepted by General Agent and
acknowledged by Company.
1. SUPERVISION: General Agent agrees to supervise all registered
representatives assigned to Agency, both those operating from Agency and
those operating from detached locations, consistent with the standards of
conduct outlined in Company's Business Conduct Guide, Company's Statement
of Compliance for the Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction and Branch
Offices, the Program for Allmerica Financial Life/Allmerica Investments
Office Examinations, and the procedures and requirements outlined in other
Company manuals, memoranda and other publications, as may be amended from
time to time.
General Agent agrees to be responsible for Investment Products and Services
activity conducted through Agency by monitoring Investment Products and
Services activity in order to ensure that the business is processed in
accordance with regulatory and Company standards and to notify Company of
any irregularities and/or deficiencies.
General Agent agrees to be responsible for the maintenance and periodic
review of the books and records of Agency, as required by Company.
On at least an annual basis, General Agent agrees to conduct and/or
participate, in coordination with Company's compliance personnel, an agency
compliance meeting which all registered representatives assigned to Agency
shall attend. If for any reason a registered representative does not
attend agency compliance meeting, General Agent will schedule a personal
interview, on at least an annual basis, for the purpose of reviewing
activity of registered representative with respect to Investment Products
and Services and to discuss the compliance topics reviewed at agency
compliance meeting.
General Agent agrees to acquire and/or comply with all of the applicable
laws, rules and regulations (General Securities Principal Registration) of
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD) and all other federal and state laws and
regulations.
General Agent agrees to maintain all NASD registrations required to
supervise the solicitation and sale of Investment Products and Services
offered through Agency. General Agent will maintain all state securities
licenses and state insurance licenses as may be required to offer and
solicit Investment Products and Services.
2. LIMITATIONS OF AUTHORITY: General Agent has no authority to accept any
risk on Company's behalf, to issue, make, alter or discharge any contract,
to extend the time of payments, to waive or extend any contract obligation
or condition, or to alter or amend any communication sent by Company
without express authority in writing from an officer of Company.
3. ASSIGNABILITY: No assignment, sale or transfer of this Agreement or any
of the rights, claims or interests under it may be made by General Agent
without the prior written consent of Company. An assignment, sale or
transfer by General Agent without written consent of Company will
immediately make this Agreement void and shall be a release in full to
Company of any and all of its obligations under this Agreement.
4. AGENCY STAFFING: General Agent agrees to recruit, train and supervise
registered representatives to solicit Investment Products and Services
offered through Company. General Agent agrees to develop a sales force of
sufficient size and quality to adequately penetrate the market with
Investment Products and Services of Company.
5. BUSINESS AUTHORIZED: General Agent agrees to act for Company in the
solicitation of orders only for those Investment Products and Services for
which Company has executed sales agreements. General Agent shall monitor
his/her registered representatives on a continuing basis to prevent the
offering or the selling of Investment Products and Services not offered by
Company and to prevent registered representatives of Company from
exercising discretionary authority on behalf of any of their clients.
6. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS/ACCOUNTING FOR FUNDS COLLECTED: General Agent
agrees to establish and maintain at Agency procedures, as outlined in
Company manuals, concerning the collection, recording and transmittal of
all applications and/or payments collected on behalf of Company, any
issuer, or any sponsor.
General Agent agrees to be responsible to Company for monies collected by
registered representatives and for any securities, certificates, payments,
receipts and other Company papers in the possession of registered
representatives and employees of Agency.
Purchase checks for Investment Products and Services are to be client
personal checks, cashier's checks or money orders made payable to either
the Company, appropriate issuer, sponsor or other designated agent.
Purchase checks may not be made payable to registered representative,
General Agent or any personal or Agency Accounts.
7. REVIEW OF INVESTMENT PRODUCT BUSINESS: General Agent agrees, in accordance
with Company procedures, to conduct periodic reviews of Investment Product
and Services business of each registered representative. Such review of
Investment Product and Services business shall include, but not be limited
to, reviews for adequate NASD registrations and state securities and/or
insurance licensing of registered representative, prompt transmittal of
applications, checks and other pertinent items to Agency and subsequently
to Home Office, the correct use of applications and proper mode of payment
and the suitability of Investment Products and Service based on client's
financial profile and objectives.
8. BOOKS AND RECORDS: General Agent agrees to maintain a regular and
accurate record of all Investment Products and Services transactions of
Agency, including any journal, account books, records, papers, customer
account files or any other material, as required by Company. General Agent
agrees, at such times that Company may request, to make detailed report to
Company, on forms furnished for that purpose, showing an accurate
accounting of all monies and other items received for, or on behalf of
Company.
General Agent agrees that all records, files and papers are, and remain,
property of Company and will at all times be freely exhibited for the
purpose of examinations and inspection by duly authorized personnel of
Company.
Upon termination, all records revert to Company and should be turned over
to a Company representative.
9. DISTRIBUTION AND USE OF ADVERTISING MATERIAL, CORRESPONDENCE: General
Agent agrees not to directly or indirectly recommend or distribute any
advertising and/or sales literature to registered representatives
(including but not limited to prospectuses, illustrations, circulars, form
letters or postal cards, business cards, stationary, booklets, schedules,
broadcasting and other sales material of any kind) concerning Company
and/or the offering of Investment Products and Services until the material
has been approved in writing by a registered principal in the Company's
Compliance Department.
General Agent also agrees to obtain from his/her registered
representatives, at the time of development, copies of all correspondence
pertaining to the solicitations and/or sale of any Investment Products and
Services or to any other aspect of their Investment Products and Services
business, and to forward the correspondence to Home Office to allow for the
review and endorsement of correspondence in writing, on an official record
of Company, by a registered principal in the Company's Compliance
Department. General Agent shall periodically inspect Registered
Representatives' materials, sales literature and correspondence to ensure
compliance with Company requirements.
10. COMPENSATION: General Agent, subject to the provisions of this Agreement,
will be allowed expense reimbursement or allowances and overriding
commissions on payments collected on all Investment Product sales solicited
by Registered Representatives assigned to General Agent and effected
through Agency at rates established and published by Company, as may be
amended from time to time.
11. COMMISSIONS: Company will pay commissions to General Agent, after
concession payments are made to Company by an issuer or sponsor, in
connection with sales of Investment Products and Services effected through
General Agent's personal solicitation. Such commissions will be paid on
the same basis and terms as specified in Company's Registered
Representative Agreement, which is incorporated herein by reference and as
may be amended from time to time.
12. TERMINATION WITHOUT CAUSE: General Agent and Company may terminate this
Agreement at any time without cause.
13. RELATIONSHIP OF PARTIES: Nothing contained in this Agreement is to be
construed to create the relationship of employer and employee between
Company and General Agent. General Agent, however, is to always comply
with all of the applicable laws, rules and regulations of the SEC, NASD,
federal and state authorities as well as Company's rules, regulations and
procedures concerning methods of conducting Investment Products and
Services business, as may be amended from time to time.
14. EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTRACT: This Agreement between General Agent and
Company is not binding until Agreement has been duly executed by both
parties. This Agreement supersedes all previous agreements, whether oral
or written. This Agreement shall not cancel or affect any right, claim or
interest General Agent may have concerning commissions now due or hereafter
to become due under preceding agreements between General Agent and Company.
Neither shall Agreement cancel, terminate or affect in any way any lien,
right or interest which Company may have, or may hereafter acquire, with
respect to commissions or equities to General Agent under any other
agreement with Company, any provision of any such agreement which, by its
terms or by implications, continues beyond termination of such agreement.
IN WITNESS THEREOF, this Agreement has been executed by the undersigned on the
dates indicated below.
Allmerica Investments, Inc.
By: By:
---------------------------------- ----------------------------------
General Agent Signature Home Office Principal
Date: Date:
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
