FORM OF TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
FORM OF TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the day of , 2013, by and between STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company having its principal office and place of business at Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (“State Street” or the “Transfer Agent”), and Babson Capital Funds Trust, a Massachusetts business trust having its principal office and place of business at c/o Babson Capital Management LLC, 000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx. 0000, Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000 (the “Trust”).
WHEREAS, the Trust is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, the Trust intends to initially offer Shares in one or more series, each as named in the attached Schedule A, which may be amended by the parties from time to time (such series, together with all other series subsequently established by the Trust and made subject to this Agreement in accordance with Section 12 of this Agreement, being herein referred to as a “Fund,” and collectively as the “Funds”);
WHEREAS, the Trust on behalf of the Funds desires to appoint the Transfer Agent as its transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, and agent in connection with certain other activities, and the Transfer Agent desires to accept such appointment;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | TERMS OF APPOINTMENT |
1.1 | Appointment. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Trust on behalf of the Funds hereby employs and appoints the Transfer Agent to act as, and the Transfer Agent agrees to act as, transfer agent for each Fund’s authorized and issued Shares, dividend disbursing agent, and agent in connection with any accumulation or similar plans provided to shareholders (“Shareholders”) of each of the respective Funds of the Trust and set out in the currently effective prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the Trust and each Fund (collectively, the “Prospectus”), including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program. |
1.2 | Transfer Agency Services. In accordance with procedures established from time to time by agreement between the Trust, on behalf of each of the Funds, as applicable, and the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall: |
(i) | Receive and process orders for the purchase of Shares from the Trust, and promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation thereof to the custodian of a Fund as identified by the Trust (the “Custodian”); |
(ii) | Pursuant to such purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of Shares and book such Share issuance to the appropriate Shareholder account; |
(iii) | Receive and process redemption requests and redemption directions from the Trust and deliver the appropriate documentation thereof to the Custodian; |
(iv) | With respect to the transactions in items (i) and (iii) above, the Transfer Agent shall process transactions received directly from broker-dealers or other intermediaries authorized by the Trust who shall thereby be deemed to be acting on behalf of the Trust; |
(v) | At the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid to it by the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay over or cause to be paid over in the appropriate manner such monies as instructed by the redeeming Shareholders; |
(vi) | Process Shareholder account maintenance instructions (excluding instructions to change an account’s registration or wire instructions) received directly from broker-dealers or other intermediaries authorized per procedures established by mutual agreement of the Transfer Agent and the Trust; |
(vii) | Process transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of proper instruction and approval by the Trust; |
(viii) | Process and transmit payments for any dividends and distributions declared by the Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund; and |
(ix) | Record the issuance of Shares of the applicable Fund and maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of the total number of Shares of each Fund which are authorized, based upon data provided to it by the Trust, and issued and outstanding; and provide the Trust on a regular basis with the total number of Shares of each Fund which are issued and outstanding but Transfer Agent shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares to determine if there are authorized Shares available for issuance or to take cognizance of any laws relating to, or corporate actions required for, the issue or sale of such Shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund. |
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1.3 | Additional Services. In addition to, and neither in lieu of nor in contravention of the services set forth in Section 1.2 above, the Transfer Agent shall perform the following services: |
(i) | Other Customary Services. Perform certain customary services of a transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent, including, but not limited to: maintaining Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing Shareholder reports to current Shareholders, maintaining on behalf of the Funds such bank accounts as the Transfer Agent shall deem necessary for the performance of its duties under this Agreement, withholding taxes on U.S. resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with respect to dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information. |
(ii) | State Transaction (“Blue Sky”) Reporting. The Trust shall be solely responsible for its “blue sky” compliance and state registration requirements. |
(iii) | Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”)/National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). If applicable, the Transfer Agent shall: (a) accept and effectuate the registration and maintenance of accounts with DTCC/NSCC, and the purchase, redemption, transfer and exchange of Shares in such accounts, in accordance with instructions transmitted to and received by the Transfer Agent by transmission from DTCC or NSCC (acting on behalf of authorized broker-dealers on the Fund dealer file maintained by the Transfer Agent); and (b) issue instructions to a Fund’s banks for the settlement of transactions between the Fund and DTCC or NSCC (acting on behalf of its members and bank participants). |
(iv) | Performance of Certain Services by the Trust or Affiliates or Agents. New procedures as to who shall provide certain of these services described in this Section 1 may be established in writing from time to time by agreement between the Trust and the Transfer Agent. If agreed to in writing by the Trust and the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent may at times perform only a portion of these services, and the Trust or its agent may perform these services on the Trust’s or a Fund’s behalf. |
(v) | Call Center Services. |
(1) Upon request of the Trust with respect to each Portfolio, the Transfer Agent shall provide call center services from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, each day on which the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open for trading (a “Business Day”). On such Business Days, the Transfer Agent shall answer and respond to inquiries from existing Shareholders of the Portfolios, advisers and broker-dealers on behalf of such Shareholders, in accordance with the telephone scripts
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provided by the Trust to the Transfer Agent. Such inquiries may include requests for information on account set-up and maintenance, general questions regarding the operation of the Portfolios, general account information including dates of purchases, redemptions, exchanges and account balances, requests for account access instructions and literature requests.
(2) On each Business Day, the Transfer Agent shall receive orders for the purchase of Shares and requests for the exchange or redemption of Shares from existing Shareholders of the Portfolios, advisers and broker-dealers on behalf of such Shareholders, who have been authorized by the Trust for telephone transaction privileges as set forth in the Prospectus. Any such orders and requests will be processed in accordance with subsections (i), (ii) and (iii) of Section 1.2 of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it shall be the sole responsibility of the Trust to ensure that each Shareholder, adviser or broker-dealer placing orders or requests by telephone has agreed to hold the Transfer Agent and any of its affiliates, and each of their respective directors, trustees, officers, employees and agents harmless from any losses, expenses, costs or liabilities (including attorney fees) that may be incurred in connection with the exercise of these privileges.
(vi) | E-delivery Services. Upon the request of the Trust, the Transfer Agent shall provide Shareholders with copies of their account statements and transaction confirmations electronically rather than through the U.S. mail (the “e-Delivery Services”). The parties agree to the services and terms as stated in the attached schedule (“Schedule 1.3(vi)” entitled “e-Delivery Services”) that may be changed from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the parties. In consideration of the performance of the services by the Transfer Agent pursuant to this Section 1.3(vi), the Trust agrees to pay the Transfer Agent such fees and expenses associated with such additional services as mutually agreed in writing from time to time. |
1.4 | Authorized Persons. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, hereby agrees and acknowledges that the Transfer Agent may rely on the current list of authorized persons, as provided or agreed to by the Trust and as may be amended from time to time, in receiving instructions to issue or redeem the Shares. The Trust, on behalf each Fund, agrees and covenants for itself and each such authorized person that any order, sale or transfer of, or transaction in the Shares received by it after the close of the market shall be effectuated at the net asset value determined on the next business day or as otherwise required pursuant to the applicable Fund’s then-effective Prospectus, and the Trust or such authorized person shall so instruct the Transfer Agent of the proper effective date of the transaction. |
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1.5 | Anti-Money Laundering and Client Screening. With respect to the Trust’s or any Fund’s offering and sale of Shares at any time, and for all subsequent transfers of such interests, the Trust or its delegate shall, directly or indirectly and to the extent required by law: (i) conduct know your customer/client identity due diligence with respect to potential investors and transferees in the Shares and shall obtain and retain due diligence records for each investor and transferee; (ii) use its best efforts to ensure that each investor’s and any transferee’s funds used to purchase Shares shall not be derived from, nor the product of, any criminal activity; (iii) if requested, provide periodic written verifications that such investors/transferees have been checked against the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control database for any non-compliance or exceptions; and (iv) perform its obligations under this Section in accordance with all applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations. In the event that the Transfer Agent has received advice from counsel that access to underlying due diligence records pertaining to the investors/transferees is necessary to ensure compliance by the Transfer Agent with relevant anti-money laundering (or other applicable) laws or regulations, the Trust shall, upon receipt of written request from the Transfer Agent, provide the Transfer Agent copies of such due diligence records. |
1.6 | Tax Law. The Transfer Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any obligations now or hereafter imposed on the Trust, a Fund, the Shares, a Shareholder or the Transfer Agent in connection with the services provided by the Transfer Agent hereunder by the tax laws of any country or of any state or political subdivision thereof. It shall be the responsibility of the Trust to notify the Transfer Agent of the obligations imposed on the Trust, a Fund, the Shares, a Shareholder or the Transfer Agent in connection with the services provided by the Transfer Agent hereunder by the tax law of countries, states and political subdivisions thereof, including responsibility for withholding and other taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, certifications and governmental reporting. |
1.7 | The Transfer Agent shall provide and maintain such office facilities and personnel as it considers reasonable and appropriate to provide the services contemplated herein. |
2. | FEES AND EXPENSES |
2.1 | Fee Schedule. For the performance by the Transfer Agent of services provided pursuant to this Agreement, the Trust agrees on behalf of each of the Funds to pay the Transfer Agent the fees and expenses set forth in a written fee schedule. Such fees and any out of pocket expenses and advances identified under Section 2.2 below may be changed from time to time, subject to mutual written agreement between the Trust and the Transfer Agent. The parties agree that the fees set forth in the fee schedule shall apply with respect to each Fund set forth on Schedule A hereto as of the date hereof and to any newly created Funds added to this Agreement that have requirements consistent with services then being provided by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement. In the event that a Fund is to become a party to this Agreement as a result of an acquisition or merger, then the parties shall confer diligently and negotiate in good faith, and agree upon fees applicable to such Fund. |
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2.2 | Out of Pocket Expenses. In addition to the fees paid under Section 2.1 above, the Trust agrees on behalf of each of the Funds to reimburse the Transfer Agent for reasonable out of pocket expenses, including but not limited to, confirmation production, postage, forms, telephone, microfilm, microfiche, records storage, or advances incurred by the Transfer Agent for the items set out in the fee schedule attached hereto. In addition, any other expenses incurred by the Transfer Agent at the request or with the consent of the Trust, will be reimbursed by the Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund. |
2.3 | Invoices. The Trust agrees on behalf of each of the Funds to pay all fees and out of pocket expenses due hereunder within thirty (30) days following the receipt of the respective invoice. Postage for mailing of dividends, Fund reports and other mailings to all shareholder accounts shall be advanced to the Transfer Agent by the Fund prior to the mailing date of such materials. |
3. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE TRANSFER AGENT |
The Transfer Agent represents and warrants to the Trust that:
3.1 | It is a trust company duly organized and existing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
3.2 | It is duly registered as a transfer agent under Section 17A(c)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), it will remain so registered for the duration of this Agreement, and it will promptly notify the Trust in the event of any material change in its status as a registered transfer agent. |
3.3 | It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
3.4 | It is empowered under applicable laws and by its organizational documents to enter into and perform the services contemplated in this Agreement. |
3.5 | All requisite organizational proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement. |
4. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE TRUST ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS |
The Trust on behalf of the Funds represents and warrants to the Transfer Agent that:
4.1 | The Trust is a business trust duly organized, existing and in good standing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
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4.2 | The Trust is empowered under applicable laws and by its organizational documents to enter into and perform this Agreement. |
4.3 | All requisite proceedings have been taken to authorize the Trust to enter into, perform and receive services pursuant to this Agreement. |
4.4 | The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. |
4.5 | A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is currently effective and will remain effective, and all 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. |
5. | DATA ACCESS SERVICES |
5.1 | The Trust acknowledges that the databases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and documentation manuals furnished to the Trust by the Transfer Agent as part of the Trust’s ability to access certain Trust-related data maintained by the Transfer Agent or another third party on databases under the control and ownership of the Transfer Agent (“Data Access Services”) constitute copyrighted, trade secret, or other proprietary information (collectively, “Proprietary Information”) of substantial value to the Transfer Agent or another third party. In no event shall Proprietary Information be deemed to be Shareholder information or the confidential information of the Trust. The Trust, on behalf of itself and the Funds, agrees to treat all Proprietary Information as proprietary to the Transfer Agent and further agrees that it shall not divulge any Proprietary Information to any person or organization except as may be provided hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust agrees for itself and its officers and trustees, on behalf of the Funds and their agents, to: |
(i) | use such programs and databases solely on the Trust’s, or such agents’ computers, or solely from equipment at the location(s) agreed to between the Trust and the Transfer Agent, and solely in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s applicable user documentation; |
(ii) | refrain from copying or duplicating in any way the Proprietary Information; |
(iii) | refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion of the Proprietary Information, and if such access is inadvertently obtained, to inform the Transfer Agent in a timely manner of such fact and dispose of such information in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s instructions; |
(iv) | refrain from causing or allowing Proprietary Information transmitted from the Transfer Agent’s computers to the Trust’s, or such agents’ computer to be retransmitted to any other computer facility or other location, except with the prior written consent of the Transfer Agent; |
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(v) | allow the Trust or such agents to have access only to those authorized transactions agreed upon by the Trust and the Transfer Agent; |
(vi) | honor all reasonable written requests made by the Transfer Agent to protect at the Transfer Agent’s expense the rights of the Transfer Agent in Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright law and under other federal or state law. |
5.2 | Proprietary Information shall not include all or any portion of any of the foregoing items that are or become publicly available without breach of this Agreement; that are released for general disclosure by a written release by the Transfer Agent; or that are already in the possession of the receiving party at the time of receipt without obligation of confidentiality or breach of this Agreement. |
5.3 | If the Trust notifies the Transfer Agent that any of the Data Access Services do not operate in material compliance with the most recently issued user documentation for such services, the Transfer Agent shall endeavor in a timely manner to correct such failure. Organizations from which the Transfer Agent may obtain certain data included in the Data Access Services are solely responsible for the contents of such data, and the Trust agrees to make no claim against the Transfer Agent arising out of the contents of such third-party data, including, but not limited to, the accuracy thereof. DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS, AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. THE TRANSFER AGENT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXCEPT THOSE EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. |
5.4 | If the transactions available to the Trust include the ability to originate electronic instructions to the Transfer Agent in order to effect the transfer or movement of cash or Shares, Shareholder information or other information, then in such event the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely on the validity and authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any further inquiry as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with security procedures established by the Transfer Agent from time to time. |
5.5 | Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of their obligations pursuant to this Section. The obligations of this Section shall survive any earlier termination of this Agreement. |
6. | WIRE TRANSFER OPERATING GUIDELINES |
6.1 | Obligation of Sender. The Transfer Agent is authorized to promptly debit the appropriate Fund account(s) upon the receipt of a payment order in compliance with the selected security procedure (the “Security Procedure”) chosen for funds transfer in the Funds Transfer Addendum to the Master Custodian Agreement |
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between State Street and the Trust and in the amount of money that the Transfer Agent has been instructed to transfer. The Transfer Agent shall execute payment orders in compliance with the Security Procedure and with the Trust’s instructions on the execution date, provided that such payment order is received by the customary deadline for processing such a request, unless the payment order specifies a later time. All payment orders and communications received after the customary deadline will be deemed to have been received the next business day. |
6.2 | Security Procedure. The Trust on behalf of the Funds acknowledges that the Security Procedure it has designated on the Funds Transfer Addendum was selected by the Trust from security procedures offered. The Trust shall restrict access to confidential information relating to the Security Procedure to authorized persons as communicated to the Transfer Agent in writing. The Trust must notify the Transfer Agent immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information or of any change in the Trust’s authorized personnel. The Transfer Agent shall verify the authenticity of all instructions received from the Trust according to the Security Procedure. |
6.3 | Account Numbers. The Transfer Agent shall process all payment orders on the basis of the account number contained in the payment order. In the event of a discrepancy between any name indicated on the payment order and the account number, the account number shall take precedence and govern. |
6.4 | Rejection. The Transfer Agent reserves the right to decline to process or delay the processing of a payment order which (i) is in excess of the collected balance in the account to be charged at the time of the Transfer Agent’s receipt of such payment order; (ii) if initiating such payment order would cause the Transfer Agent, in the Transfer Agent’s sole judgment, to exceed any volume, aggregate dollar, network, time, credit or similar limits which are applicable to the Transfer Agent; or (iii) if the Transfer Agent, in good faith is unable to satisfy itself that the transaction has been properly authorized. |
6.5 | Cancellation Amendment. The Transfer Agent shall use reasonable efforts to act on all authorized requests to cancel or amend payment orders received in compliance with the Security Procedure, provided that such requests are received in a timely manner affording the Transfer Agent reasonable opportunity to act. However, the Transfer Agent assumes no liability if the request for amendment or cancellation cannot be satisfied. |
6.6 | Errors. The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for failure to detect any erroneous payment order provided that the Transfer Agent complies with the payment order instructions as received and the Transfer Agent complies with the Security Procedure. The Security Procedure is established for the purpose of authenticating payment orders only and not for the detection of errors in payment orders. |
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6.7 | Interest. The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for lost interest with respect to the refundable amount of any unauthorized payment order, unless the Transfer Agent is notified of the unauthorized payment order within thirty (30) days of notification by the Transfer Agent of the acceptance of such payment order. |
6.8 | ACH Credit Entries/Provisional Payments. When a Fund initiates or receives Automated Clearing House credit and debit entries pursuant to these guidelines and the rules of the National Automated Clearing House Association and the New England Clearing House Association, the Transfer Agent will act as an Originating Depository Financial Institution and/or Receiving Depository Financial Institution, as the case may be, with respect to such entries. Credits given by the Transfer Agent with respect to an ACH credit entry are provisional until the Transfer Agent receives final settlement for such entry from the Federal Reserve Bank. If the Transfer Agent does not receive such final settlement, the Trust agrees that the Transfer Agent shall receive a refund of the amount credited to the applicable Fund in connection with such entry, and the party making payment to the Fund via such entry shall not be deemed to have paid the amount of the entry. |
6.9 | Confirmation. Confirmation of the Transfer Agent’s execution of payment orders shall ordinarily be provided within twenty four (24) hours notice of which may be delivered through the Transfer Agent’s proprietary information systems, or by facsimile or call-back. The Trust must report any objections to the execution of an order within thirty (30) calendar days. |
7. | STANDARD OF CARE / LIMITATION OF LIABILITY |
7.1 | The Transfer Agent shall at all times act in good faith and without negligence in its performance of all services performed under this Agreement, but assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors, including encoding and payment processing errors, unless said errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of its employees or agents. The parties agree that any encoding or payment processing errors shall be governed by this standard of care, and that Section 4-209 of the Uniform Commercial Code is superseded by this Section. |
7.2 | In any event, the Transfer Agent’s cumulative liability for each calendar year (a “Liability Period”) with respect to the Trust under this Agreement regardless of the form of action or legal theory shall be limited to its total annual compensation earned and fees payable hereunder during the preceding Compensation Period, as defined herein, for any liability or loss suffered by the Trust including, but not limited to, any liability relating to qualification of the Trust as a regulated investment company or any liability relating to the Trust’s compliance with any federal or state tax or securities statute, regulation or ruling during such Liability Period. “Compensation Period” shall mean the calendar year ending immediately prior to each Liability Period in which the event(s) giving rise to the Transfer |
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Agent’s liability for that period have occurred. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Compensation Period for purposes of calculating the annual cumulative liability of the Transfer Agent for the Liability Period commencing on the date of this Agreement and terminating on December 31, 2013 shall be the date of this Agreement through December 31, 2013, calculated on an annualized basis, and the Compensation Period for the Liability Period commencing January 1, 2014 and terminating on December 31, 2014 shall be the date of this Agreement through December 31, 2013, calculated on an annualized basis. In no event shall the Transfer Agent be liable for special, incidental, indirect, punitive or consequential damages, regardless of the form of action and even if the same were foreseeable. |
8. | INDEMNIFICATION |
8.1 | The Transfer Agent shall not be responsible for, and the Trust on behalf of itself and each Fund shall indemnify and hold the Transfer Agent harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees (including the defense of any lawsuit in which the Transfer Agent or affiliate is a named party), payments, expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to: |
(i) | all actions of the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that such actions are taken in good faith and without negligence or willful misconduct; |
(ii) | the Trust’s breach of any representation, warranty or covenant of the Trust hereunder; |
(iii) | the Trust’s lack of good faith, negligence or willful misconduct; |
(iv) | reliance upon, and any subsequent reasonable use of or action taken or omitted, by the Transfer Agent, or its agents or subcontractors on: (a) any information, records, documents, data, stock certificates or services, which are received by the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, facsimile, CRT data entry, electronic instructions or other similar means authorized by the Trust, and which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Trust or any other person or firm on behalf of the Trust, including but not limited to any broker-dealer, third party administrator or previous transfer agent; (b) any instructions or requests of the Trust or its officers, or the Trust’s agents or subcontractors or their officers or employees; (c) any instructions or opinions of legal counsel to the Trust or any Fund with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement which are provided to the Transfer Agent after consultation with such legal counsel; or (d) any paper or document, reasonably believed to be genuine, authentic, or signed by the proper person or persons; |
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(v) | the offer or sale of Shares in violation of any requirement under the federal or state securities laws or regulations requiring that such Shares be registered, or in violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any federal or state agency with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares; |
(vi) | the negotiation and processing of any checks, wires and ACH transmissions, including without limitation, for deposit into, or credit to, the Trust’s demand deposit accounts maintained by the Transfer Agent; |
(vii) | all actions relating to the transmission of Trust, Fund or Shareholder data through the NSCC clearing systems, if applicable; and |
(viii) | any tax obligations under the tax laws of any country or of any state or political subdivision thereof, including taxes, withholding and reporting requirements, claims for exemption and refund, additions for late payment, interest, penalties and other expenses (including legal expenses) that may be assessed, imposed or charged against the Transfer Agent as transfer agent hereunder. |
8.2 | At any time, the Transfer Agent may apply to any officer of the Trust or her designee for instructions and may consult with its own legal counsel or outside counsel for the Trust or the independent accountants for the Trust with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement, and the Transfer Agent and its agents or subcontractors shall not be liable and shall be indemnified by the Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund for any action taken or omitted by it in reliance upon such instructions or upon the opinion of such counsel. The Transfer Agent, its agents and subcontractors shall be protected and indemnified in acting upon any paper or document furnished by or on behalf of the Trust or the applicable Fund, reasonably believed by the Transfer Agent to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper person or persons, or upon any instruction, information, data, records or documents provided to the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, electronic data entry or other similar means authorized by the Trust on behalf of the Funds, and shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any person, until receipt of written notice thereof from the Trust. The Transfer Agent, its agents and subcontractors shall also be protected and indemnified in recognizing stock certificates which are reasonably believed to bear the proper manual or facsimile signatures of the officers of the Trust, and the proper countersignature of any former transfer agent or former registrar, or of a co-transfer agent or co-registrar. |
8.3 | In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Section shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which the Trust may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall notify the Trust of such assertion, and shall keep the Trust advised with respect to all material developments concerning such claim. The Trust shall have the option to participate with the |
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Transfer Agent in the defense of such claim or to defend against said claim in its own name. The Transfer Agent shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the Trust may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent except with the Trust’s prior written consent which shall not be unreasonably withheld. |
9. | ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE TRUST AND THE TRANSFER AGENT |
9.1 | Delivery of Documents. The Trust shall promptly furnish to the Transfer Agent the following: |
(i) | A certificate of the Secretary of the Trust certifying the resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizing the appointment of the Transfer Agent and the execution and delivery of this Agreement. |
(ii) | A copy of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust and all amendments thereto. |
9.2 | Certificates, Checks, Facsimile Signature Devices. The Transfer Agent hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities and procedures for safekeeping of any stock certificates, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting devices; and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account of, such certificates, forms and devices. |
9.3 | In performing the services hereunder, the Transfer Agent shall comply with the applicable provision of the Funds’ current prospectus(es) and statement(s) of additional information and effective amendment thereto as provided to the Transfer Agent by the Trust. |
9.4 | Records. The Transfer Agent 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, the Transfer Agent agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by the Transfer Agent relating to the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent hereunder are the property of the Fund and will be preserved, maintained and made available in accordance with such Section and Rules, and will be surrendered promptly to the Trust on and in accordance with its request. |
10. | CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY |
10.1 | The Transfer Agent and the Trust, on behalf of itself and the Funds, agree that each shall treat confidentially all information provided by each party to the other party regarding its business and operations. All confidential information provided by a party hereto shall be used by the other party hereto solely for the purpose of rendering or receiving services pursuant to this Agreement and, except as may be required in carrying out this Agreement, shall not be disclosed to any third party. Neither party will use or disclose confidential information for purposes other than the activities contemplated by this Agreement or except: (i) as required by law, |
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court process or pursuant to the lawful requirement of a governmental agency, or if the party is advised by counsel that it may incur liability for failure to make a disclosure or (ii) at the request or with the written consent of the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each party acknowledges that the other party may provide access to and use of confidential information relating to the other party to the disclosing party’s employees, contractors, sub-contractors, agents, professional advisors, auditors or persons performing similar functions. |
The foregoing shall not be applicable to any information (i) that is publicly available when provided or thereafter becomes publicly available, other than through a breach of this Agreement, (ii) that is independently derived by a party hereto without the use of any information provided by the other party hereto in connection with this Agreement, (iii) that is required in any legal or regulatory proceeding, investigation, audit, examination, subpoena, civil investigative demand or other similar process, or by operation of law or regulation, or (iv) where the party seeking to disclose has received the prior written consent of the party providing the information, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
The undertakings and obligations contained in this Section 10.1 shall survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement for a period of three (3) years.
10.2 | The Transfer Agent affirms that it has, and will continue to have throughout the term of this Agreement, procedures in place that are reasonably designed to protect the privacy of non-public personal consumer/customer financial information to the extent required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. |
11. | EFFECTIVE PERIOD AND TERMINATION |
This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect for an initial term ending __, 2015 (the “Initial Term”). After the expiration of the Initial Term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for successive one-year terms (each, a “Renewal Term”) unless a written notice of non-renewal is delivered by the non-renewing party no later than ninety (90) days prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term, as the case may be. During the Initial Term and thereafter, either party may terminate this Agreement: (i) in the event of the other party’s material breach of a material provision of this Agreement that the other party has either (a) failed to cure or (b) failed to establish a remedial plan to cure that is reasonably acceptable, within 60 days’ written notice of such breach, or (ii) in the event of the appointment of a conservator or receiver for the other party or upon the happening of a like event to the other party at the direction of an appropriate agency or court of competent jurisdiction; in addition, after the Initial Term, either party may terminate this Agreement upon giving ninety (90) days’ prior written notice or such shorter period as is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Upon termination of this Agreement pursuant to this paragraph with respect to the Trust or any Fund, the Trust or applicable Fund shall pay Transfer Agent its compensation due and shall reimburse Transfer Agent for its costs, expenses and disbursements.
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During the Initial Term, in the event of: (i) the Trust’s termination of this Agreement with respect to the Trust or its Fund(s) for any reason other than as set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph or (ii) a transaction not in the ordinary course of business pursuant to which the Transfer Agent is not retained to continue providing services hereunder to the Trust or a Fund (or its respective successor), the Trust or applicable Fund shall pay the Transfer Agent its compensation due through the end of the Initial Term (based upon the average monthly compensation previously earned by Transfer Agent with respect to the Trust or such Fund) and shall reimburse the Transfer Agent for its costs, expenses and disbursements. Upon receipt of such payment and reimbursement, the Transfer Agent will deliver the Trust’s or such Fund’s records as set forth herein. For the avoidance of doubt, no payment will be required pursuant to this paragraph after the Initial Term or in the event of any transaction such as (a) the liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or a Fund and distribution of the Trust’s or such Fund’s assets as a result of the Board’s determination in its reasonable business judgment that the Trust or such Fund is no longer viable, (b) a merger of the Trust or a Fund into, or the consolidation of the Trust or a Fund with, another entity, or (c) the sale by the Trust or a Fund of all, or substantially all, of its assets to another entity, in each of (b) and (c) where the Transfer Agent is retained to continue providing services to the Trust or such Fund (or its respective successor) on substantially the same terms as this Agreement.
Termination of this Agreement with respect to any one particular Fund shall in no way affect the rights and duties under this Agreement with respect to the Trust or any other Fund.
12. | ADDITIONAL FUNDS |
In the event that the Trust establishes one or more series of Shares in addition to the Funds listed on the attached Schedule A, with respect to which the Trust desires to have the Transfer Agent render services as transfer agent under the terms hereof, it shall so notify the Transfer Agent in writing, and if the Transfer Agent agrees in writing to provide such services, such series of Shares shall become a Fund hereunder.
13. | ASSIGNMENT |
13.1 | Except as provided in Section 14 below, neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party without the written consent of the other party. |
13.2 | Except as explicitly stated elsewhere in this Agreement, nothing under this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in this Agreement to anyone other than the Transfer Agent and the Trust on behalf of the Funds, and the duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Transfer Agent and the Trust on behalf of the Funds. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns. |
13.3 | This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for a partnership or joint venture between the Transfer Agent and the Trust. Other than as provided in Section 14, neither party shall make any commitments with third parties that are binding on the other party without the other party’s prior written consent. |
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14. | SUBCONTRACTORS |
The Transfer Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Trust, subcontract for the performance hereof with a transfer agent duly registered pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the 1934 Act including, but not limited to: (i) Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (“BFDS”), (ii) a BFDS subsidiary or affiliate, or (iii) another affiliated or unaffiliated third party duly registered as a transfer agent; provided, however, that the Transfer Agent shall remain liable to the Trust for the acts and omissions of any subcontractor under this Section as it is for its own acts and omissions under this Agreement.
15. | MISCELLANEOUS |
15.1 | Amendment. This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written agreement executed by both parties. |
15.2 | Massachusetts Law to Apply. This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions hereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. |
15.3 | Force Majeure. In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, equipment or transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or other causes reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting from such failure to perform or otherwise from such causes. |
15.4 | Data Protection. State Street will implement and maintain a comprehensive written information security program that contains appropriate security measures to safeguard the personal information of the Trust’s shareholders, employees, directors and/or officers that the Transfer Agent receives, stores, maintains, processes or otherwise accesses in connection with the provision of services hereunder. For these purposes, “personal information” shall mean (i) an individual’s name (first initial and last name or first name and last name), address or telephone number plus (a) social security number, (b) drivers license number, (c) state identification card number, (d) debit or credit card number, (e) financial account number or (f) personal identification number or password that would permit access to a person’s account or (ii) any combination of the foregoing that would allow a person to log onto or access an individual’s account. Notwithstanding the foregoing “personal information” shall not include information that is lawfully obtained from publicly available information, or from federal, state or local government records lawfully made available to the general public. |
15.5 | Survival. All provisions regarding indemnification, warranty, liability, and limits thereon, and confidentiality and/or protections of proprietary rights and trade secrets shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
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15.6 | Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired. |
15.7 | Priorities Clause. In the event of any conflict, discrepancy or ambiguity between the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and any schedules or attachments hereto, the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement shall take precedence. |
15.8 | Waiver. No waiver by either party or any breach or default of any of the covenants or conditions herein contained and performed by the other party shall be construed as a waiver of any succeeding breach of the same or of any other covenant or condition. |
15.9 | Merger of Agreement. This Agreement and any schedules, exhibits, attachments or amendments hereto constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written. |
15.10 | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. |
15.11 | Reproduction of Documents. This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits, attachments and amendments hereto may be reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic or other similar process. The parties hereto all/each agree that any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not the original is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by a party in the regular course of business, and that any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction of such reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence. |
15.12 | The Transfer Agent shall enter into and shall maintain in effect, at all times during the term of this Agreement, with appropriate parties one or more agreements making reasonable provision for (i) periodic back-up of the computer files and data with respect to the Trust; and (ii) emergency use of electronic data processing equipment to provide services under this Agreement. |
15.13 | Notices. All notices and other communications as required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed as follows or to such other address or addresses of which the respective party shall have notified the other. |
(a) | If to Transfer Agent, to: |
State Street Bank and Trust Company
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx XxXxxxxx, Transfer Agent Vice President
Telephone: (000) 000-0000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
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With a copy to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
0 Xxxxxx xx Xxxxxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx (XXX/0)
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: Xxxx Xxxxx Zeven, Esq.
Telephone: (000) 000-0000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
(b) | If to the Trust, to: |
c/o Babson Capital Management LLC
000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx. 0000
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Telephone: 000-000-0000
Facsimile: 000-000-0000
With a copy to:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Email: xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
15.14 | Limitation of Liability of the Directors and Shareholders. This Agreement is executed by the Trust on behalf of the Funds, and the obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the directors, officers or shareholders of any Fund or the Trust. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement to the contrary, each and every obligation, liability or undertaking of a particular Fund under this Agreement shall constitute solely an obligation, liability or undertaking of, and be binding upon, such particular Fund and shall be payable solely from the available assets of such particular Fund and shall not be binding upon or affect any assets of any other Fund. |
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized officers, as of the day and year first above written.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||
By: |
||
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | ||
Title: Executive Vice President | ||
BABSON CAPITAL FUNDS TRUST | ||
By: |
||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Schedule A
LIST OF FUNDS
Babson Global Floating Rate Fund
Babson Global Credit Income Opportunities Fund
Schedule 1.3(vi)
e-Delivery Services
Dated: June , 2013
1. | e-Delivery Services |
1.1 | As directed by the Funds and subject to the terms of this Schedule 1.3(vi), State Street agrees to provide Shareholders with electronic access to such Shareholder’s account balance and transaction history information (the “e-Delivery Services”). |
1.2 | State Street will provide the e-Delivery Services through a third party service provider retained by State Street (“Vendor”). |
(a) | State Street’s Vendor at the inception of this Agreement shall be DST Output East LLC (“DSTO”) pursuant to a “Services Agreement” between State Street and DSTO dated as of July 14, 2004, as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time (“DSTO Agreement”). In the event the DSTO Agreement shall terminate for any reason, State Street agrees to provide prompt notice to the Funds of any such termination and State Street agrees to act reasonably and promptly to retain a replacement Vendor. Until such replacement Vendor has been retained by State Street and is operational, the e-Delivery Services shall be suspended. If a replacement Vendor cannot be identified or retained, the e-Delivery Services and this Schedule shall terminate. |
(b) | The e-Delivery Services terms and conditions of use as published from time to time on the electronic access web site, security and encryption requirements, format, content and specific Shareholder information to be provided will be as agreed to by the Funds and the Shareholders, as applicable, and acceptable to the Vendor. If, in connection with the e-Delivery Services, Shareholder access to or use of such e-Delivery Services requires Shareholder or user to “accept” various terms and conditions, State Street acknowledges that such terms and conditions are “accepted” by Shareholder or user or their designee in order to access or use the e-Delivery Services and shall not be deemed to be “accepted” by the Funds. |
(c) | Each Trust represents and warrants that any Shareholder account, transaction and other information provided by the Funds to State Street and/or the Vendor (either directly or through State Street) (i) will not infringe or violate the rights of any third party, including, but not limited to, patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, (ii) will not be defamatory or obscene and (iii) will not violate any other applicable law. |
(d) | In the event that (A) State Street or the Vendor believes in good faith that a Fund or Shareholder has provided Shareholder information that (i) infringes or violates the rights of any third party, including, but not limited to, patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, (ii) is defamatory or obscene, or (iii) violates any other applicable law; then (B) State Street or the Vendor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to |
1.3(vi)-1
delete or destroy information relating to such breach and State Street and the Vendor may suspend e-Delivery Services with respect to such Shareholder immediately. Upon any event which may cause State Street to suspend e-Delivery Services as described in this Section 1.2(d), if reasonably practicable, State Street will provide notice to the Funds thirty (30) business days prior to such suspension; provided, however, that if such Fund takes such action as may be requested by State Street to eliminate such event, State Street shall not suspend its provision of e-Delivery Services, or, if its provision of e-Delivery Services has been suspended, shall reinstate the provision of e-Delivery Services hereunder. |
1.3 | State Street agrees that any Shareholder information received by State Street in connection with the E-Delivery Services is and shall remain the property of the Fund and if not previously provided to the Funds, will be returned to the Funds by State Street following any termination of the E-Delivery Services by the Trust, subject to record-keeping requirements to which State Street may be subject by law. State Street shall have no responsibility, obligation or liability with respect to any Shareholder information or other information transmitted to the Vendor by any person or entity other than State Street. |
1.4 | Neither State Street nor the Vendor shall be obligated to file any forms or information with any regulator, or enter into any agreement with the Shareholders or other persons, in connection with the E-Delivery Services. |
1.5 | For purposes of the E-Delivery Services, except as otherwise expressly stated in this Schedule, State Street makes no representation or warranty, either express or implied, concerning the Shareholder information or any other information, E-Delivery Services, reports or analysis provided hereunder or by any third party. The provisions of this Section 1.5 shall survive the termination of the Agreement. |
2. | Acknowledgments |
2.1 | Each Fund acknowledges and agrees that: |
(a) | State Street is agreeing to provide the E-Delivery Services, and is not undertaking and shall not be responsible for any aspect of compliance with applicable rules or regulations by the Funds; and |
(b) | State Street’s provision of E-Delivery Services hereunder is dependent upon the receipt by State Street of information, products and E-Delivery Services from third parties, including without limitation, the Vendor. The provisions of this Section 2 shall survive the termination of the Agreement. |
1.3(vi)-2
3. | Cooperation; Reliance on Information |
3.1 | Each Fund acknowledges and understands that State Street’s ability to provide the E-Delivery Services under the terms and conditions set forth in this Schedule is contingent upon ongoing cooperation between the Funds and State Street. The Funds shall act in good faith to cooperate with State Street, to enable or assist State Street in performing any of the E-Delivery Services. State Street shall act in good faith to cooperate with the Funds in performing the E-Delivery Services. |
3.2 | In the course of discharging its duties hereunder and subject to Section 3.3, State Street may act in reasonable reliance on the data and information provided to it by or on behalf of a Fund or by any persons authorized by a Fund including, without limitation, any Shareholder. |
3.3 | Except as expressly stated otherwise in this Schedule 1.3(vi), State Street shall have no responsibility for, or duty to review, verify or otherwise perform any investigation as to the completeness, accuracy or sufficiency of any data or information provided by a Fund, any persons authorized by such Fund including, without limitation, any Shareholder, and shall be without liability for any losses or damages suffered or incurred by any person as a result of State Street having relied upon and reasonably used such information in good faith. |
3.4 | The provisions of this Section 3 shall survive the termination of the Agreement. |
4. | E-Delivery Services - Intellectual Property |
4.1 | Each Fund acknowledges and agrees that all hardware, applications, databases, security, software, systems, interfaces, and technology of all types (“Technology”) used by State Street, the Shareholders, the Vendor and any other third party service provider to comply with or provide E-Delivery Services under this Schedule 1.3(vi) are and shall remain the property of such party. No Fund or Shareholder shall itself, or permit any third party or device to, (i) reproduce, modify or create derivative or other works of the Technology or any part thereof; (ii) license, distribute, disclose, rent, lease, grant a security interest in, or otherwise transfer the Technology to any third party, in whole or in part, standalone or in combination with any other product; (iii) reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of any Technology or use the Technology to develop, enhance or modify products or systems that compete with State Street, the Vendor, any Shareholder or other third party or that are intended for commercial distribution; (iv) knowingly take any action that jeopardizes the proprietary rights of others in the Technology; (v) alter, obscure or delete any copyright notices and trademarks contained in the Technology; or (vi) distribute the Technology on a standalone basis or for standalone use. |
4.2 | State Street represents and warrants to the best of its knowledge as of the date of this Schedule that: (i) its Vendor owns or has a valid license to the E-Delivery Services; (ii) the E-Delivery Services do not infringe on any third party intellectual property rights; and (iii) that its Vendor has the right to license and has licensed the E-Delivery Services to State Street for use by the Funds hereunder. |
1.3(vi)-3
SUPPLEMENT
TO
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
The Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated and effective as of , 2013 (the “Agreement”), by and between State Street Bank and Trust Company (the “Bank”), a Massachusetts trust company, and Babson Capital Funds Trust, on behalf of its series listed on the attached Appendix A (each, a “Fund”), which may be amended from time to time, is hereby supplemented as of , 2013 in the manner set forth below (the “Supplement”):
WHEREAS, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, and the regulations and rules promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “USA PATRIOT Act”), imposes anti-money laundering requirements on financial institutions;
WHEREAS, the Fund has developed and implemented written anti-money laundering policies (the “Fund’s AML Program”) pursuant to the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act;
WHEREAS, the Fund’s AML Program incorporates customer identification procedures (“CIP”) and the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) compliance and is reasonably designed to satisfy the relevant requirements of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act;
WHEREAS, the Fund is permitted under applicable law and regulation to delegate certain aspects of its AML obligations to a suitable third-party service provider;
WHEREAS, the Fund desires to delegate to the Bank the performance of certain AML functions (the “Delegated Functions”) and the Bank desires to accept such delegation, which will be performed by its Transfer Agency department (hereinafter, the “Transfer Agent”).
WHEREAS, in performing the Delegated Functions the Transfer Agent will follow its AML procedures (hereinafter “Transfer Agent’s AML Procedures”) that are compliant with the Bank’s AML program (hereinafter “Bank’s AML Program”).
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter contained, the parties hereby agree to supplement the Agreement pursuant to the terms thereof by adding the following provisions:
1. | Duties: |
1.1. | Duties of the Fund. The Fund shall perform the following functions: |
(a) Notice. The Fund or its agent shall provide notice to such Fund’s prospective investors that information is being requested to verify their identity in order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
(b) Information Collection. The Fund or its agent, which may be the Bank, shall obtain identifying information from such Fund’s investors (with respect to the Fund, each investor in the Fund being a “Fund Investor”), under applicable laws and regulations, which includes, at a minimum: (i) full legal name, (ii) date of birth (if applicable), (iii) physical address and (iv) a taxpayer identification number, an Individual/ International Taxpayer Identification Number or other government-issued identifier for individuals and equivalent information for entities.
1.2. | Functions Delegated to the Bank. For purposes of this Section 1.2, a “Designated Contact” is an officer or agent of the Fund designated by the Fund to be its authorized contract. |
The Bank shall perform the following functions:
(a) OFAC Compliance. The Bank shall screen the name and address information of new and existing Fund Investors against lists of known or suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations made available to the Bank in accordance with the Bank’s AML Program and all U.S. federal government directives related to such lists. These lists include, but are not limited to, those prepared by the OFAC of the U.S. Department of the Treasury which administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign countries, terrorism sponsoring organizations and international narcotics traffickers based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals. Such screening shall occur in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s AML Procedures. In the event that a new or existing Fund Investor matches a name contained on one of the foregoing lists and the Bank cannot resolve such match in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s AML Procedures: (i) the Bank shall not accept such Fund Investor’s subscription and shall freeze such Fund Investor’s subscription funds pending further instructions from the Designated Contact or unless directed otherwise by a U.S. federal government agency; and (ii) the Bank will promptly inform the Designated Contact of the foregoing circumstances who shall (A) determine for the Fund such other action(s) as may be required by applicable law or regulation and (B) instruct the Bank on the action(s) the Designated Contact wishes the Bank to take which may include no action, accepting the Fund Investor’s subscription funds and rating the account as higher risk, not accepting such Fund Investor’s subscription, or freezing or liquidating such Fund Investor’s subscription funds. Notwithstanding such Designated Contact’s instructions, the Bank will take such action as it is required to take under applicable law.
(b) Identity Verification for Fund Investors. The Transfer Agent shall be responsible for verifying the CIP information of any prospective Fund Investor as recorded on the Transfer Agent’s record keeping systems. To the extent the Transfer Agent’s CIP Procedures require documentary identity verification for any Fund Investor, such as government-issued identification cards, passports, utility bills or organizational documents, the Transfer Agent shall ensure that such information or documentation is requested. In the event that insufficient information or documentation is provided by the prospective Fund Investor, the Transfer Agent shall promptly contact the Fund’s Designated Contact to seek further instructions.
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(c) Transaction Monitoring and Suspicious Activity Reporting. The Bank shall maintain internal control procedures to monitor transactions in Fund Investor accounts using a risk-based approach. The Bank shall use the definitions provided in the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act to determine what activity may be suspicious. Any suspicious activity identified shall be reported to the Bank’s AML Compliance Officer who shall take the necessary action under the Bank’s AML Program. The Bank’s AML Compliance Officer will determine whether information related to the activity in question may be shared with the Fund’s Designated Contact. The Bank’s AML Officer will determine whether it is appropriate to file a SAR on behalf of the Bank.
(d) Recordkeeping. The Bank will create and retain the records required by the Bank’s AML Program and the Transfer Agent will document the performance of the Delegated Functions in accordance with, and for the periods required by, applicable U.S. law or regulation.
1.3. | Introducer Letters. |
(a) Each Fund hereby instructs the Bank not to perform the Delegated Functions if a verified member (the “Introducer”) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) introduces an investor to the Bank pursuant to a valid introducer letter.
(b) Each Fund agrees that the Funds, and not the Bank, will be responsible for determining whether an introducer letter is valid. Furthermore, the Funds, and not the Bank, will be responsible for compliance with any requirements under the USA PATRIOT Act with respect to any investor(s) introduced by such Introducer if an introducer letter fails to meet any standards required by law or regulation.
(c) Each Fund has approved the introducer letters for the list of Introducers on Appendix B, attached hereto. In the event that the Funds approve one or more additional Introducers, the Funds shall notify the Bank in writing and shall provide an updated Appendix B to this Supplement. The parties agree that any such notification shall be considered an instruction under the Agreement directing the Bank not to perform the Delegated Functions for investors introduced by such Introducer(s).
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2. | Certifications |
2.1. | The Bank shall certify to the Fund, on an annual basis and in such form as the Bank and such Fund may mutually agree upon, that: |
(a) the Bank’s AML Program is reasonably designed to prevent money laundering or the financing of terrorist activities in accordance with the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act, and other applicable U.S. rules and regulations;
(b) the Bank has designated an individual or individuals responsible for implementing and monitoring the Bank’s AML Program;
(c) the Bank has provided, and will continue to provide, ongoing training for the appropriate personnel with respect to the Bank’s AML Program;
(d) the Bank provides for periodic, but at a minimum annual, independent testing of the Bank’s AML Program;
(e) the Bank has performed the functions it has agreed to perform pursuant to this Agreement.
2.2. | Upon request, which generally will not exceed more than once annually, the Fund shall certify to the Bank in such form as the Bank and such Fund may mutually agree upon, that: |
(a) such Fund understands that the Bank’s AML Program and the Transfer Agent’s AML Procedures were developed and implemented, and will be maintained, in accordance with the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act; and
(b) such Fund and its Directors agree that none of them will knowingly act or fail to act in a manner that violates or is inconsistent with the Bank’s AML Program or the Transfer Agent’s AML Procedures.
3. | Consent to Examination |
3.1. | Upon reasonable request, the Transfer Agent will provide to the fullest extent permitted by U.S. law, the Fund or its authorized agents with reasonable access to information obtained and held with respect to Fund Investors or to satisfy themselves of the suitability of the Transfer Agent to act as their delegate and of the reliability of the Transfer Agent’s systems and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable U.S. anti-money laundering regulations. The Fund will reimburse the Transfer Agent for reasonable expenses incurred in providing such access. |
3.2. | Each party further understands and acknowledges that the records maintained under the Transfer Agent’s AML Procedures may be subject, from time to time, to examination and/or inspection by U.S. federal regulators or the Bank’s auditors as part of the periodic testing of the Fund’s Delegated Functions. |
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3.3. | In addition, each party understands and acknowledges that the records maintained by the Bank with respect to the Delegated Functions may be subject, from time to time, to examination and/or inspection by such Fund’s regulatory authorities. For purposes of such examination and/or inspection, the Bank will use its reasonable efforts to make available, during normal business hours, all required records and information concerning the Delegated Functions that the Bank performs under this agreement for review by such regulatory authorities. The Fund shall provide the Bank with notice of any pending or planned examinations and/or inspections as soon as practicable after the Fund is notified. |
3.4. | The Bank shall (i) provide to the Fund, upon request, a written summary of the Bank’s AML Program, which the Fund may use as written evidence of the Bank’s suitability to perform the relevant functions on behalf of the Fund and (ii) provide information obtained and held with respect to prospective investors in the Fund to the Fund, upon request, so that the Fund may comply with requests from its regulators and other law enforcement authorities in accordance with relevant procedures. |
4. | No Delegation of The Fund’s Anti-Money Laundering Responsibility |
4.1. | The Fund understands and agrees that the Bank’s only responsibilities under this Supplement are in performing the Delegated Functions as set forth herein and that the Fund is ultimately responsible for ensuring that it is compliant with its own anti-money laundering obligations. |
4.2. | The Fund understands and agrees that, notwithstanding the Bank’s agreement to perform the Delegated Functions, the Bank shall be ultimately responsible for, and have complete discretion in, ensuring that it is compliant with its own anti-money laundering obligations. |
5. | Miscellaneous |
5.1. | This Supplement to the Agreement supersedes in its entirety Section 1.5 of the Agreement and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written. In all other regards, the terms and provisions of the Agreement between the parties hereto shall continue to apply with full force and effect. |
5.2. | Either party may terminate this Supplement upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to the other party. Further, this Supplement will terminate automatically upon any termination of the Agreement. |
5.3. | The parties acknowledge that the obligations of the Funds hereunder are several and not joint, that no Fund shall be liable for any amount owing by another Fund and that the Funds have executed one instrument for convenience only. |
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5.4. | Each party represents to the other that the execution and delivery of this Supplement has been duly authorized. |
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Supplement to be executed in its name and behalf by its duly authorized representative.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Title: | Executive Vice President | |
On behalf of each Fund listed on Appendix A | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Supplemental to Transfer Agency and service Agreement
APPENDIX A
LIST OF FUNDS
Babson Global Floating Rate Fund
Babson Global Credit Income Opportunities Fund
A-1
APPENDIX B
Approved Introducers:
None.
B-1