SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT
This SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT is dated as of September 17, 1996
by and between SUNAMERICA ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., a Delaware corporation (the
"Adviser"), and STRONG CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC., a Wisconsin corporation (the
"Subadviser").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Adviser and Style Select Series, Inc., a Maryland
corporation (the "Corporation"), have entered into an Investment Advisory and
Management Agreement dated as of September 17, 1996, (the "Advisory Agreement")
pursuant to which the Adviser has agreed to provide investment management,
advisory and administrative services to the Corporation; and
WHEREAS, the Corporation is registered under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), as an open-end management investment
company and may issue shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, in
separately designated series representing separate funds with their own
investment objectives, policies and purposes; and
WHEREAS, the Subadviser is engaged in the business of rendering
investment advisory services and is registered as an investment adviser under
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser desires to retain the Subadviser to furnish
investment advisory services to the investment series of the Corporation listed
on Schedule A attached hereto (the "Portfolio"), and the Subadviser is willing
to furnish such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed between the parties hereto as
follows:
1. Duties of the Subadviser. (a) The Adviser hereby engages the
services of the Subadviser in furtherance of its Investment Advisory and
Management Agreement with the Corporation. Pursuant to this Subadvisory
Agreement and subject to the oversight and review of the Adviser, the
Subadviser will manage the investment and reinvestment of a portion of the
assets of each Portfolio listed on Schedule A attached hereto. The Subadviser
will determine in its discretion and subject to the oversight and review of the
Adviser, the securities to be purchased or sold, will provide the Adviser with
records concerning its activities which the Adviser or the Corporation is
required to maintain, and will render regular reports to the Adviser and to
officers and Directors of the Corporation concerning its discharge of the
foregoing responsibilities. The Subadviser shall discharge the foregoing
responsibilities subject to the control of the officers and the Directors of
the Corporation and in compliance with such policies as the Directors of the
Corporation may from time to time establish, and in compliance with (a) the
objectives, policies, and limitations for the Portfolio set forth in the
Corporation's current prospectus and statement of additional information, and
(b) applicable laws and regulations.
The Subadviser represents and warrants to the Adviser that
the portion of the assets which it manages of the Portfolio set forth in
Schedule A will at all times be operated and managed in compliance with all
applicable federal and state laws governing its operations and investments.
Without limiting the foregoing, the Subadviser represents and warrants that
with respect to management of that portion of the assets which it manages of
the Portfolio set forth in Schedule A (1) each such Portfolio shall qualify to
be treated as a "regulated investment company" under subchapter M, chapter 1 of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and (2) compliance
with (a) the provisions of the Act and rules adopted thereunder; and (b)
applicable federal and state securities, commodities and banking laws. The
Subadviser further represents and warrants that no statements or omissions made
in any Registration Statement for shares of the Corporation, or any amendment
or supplement thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished by the Subadviser expressly for use therein, will result in the
Registration Statement and any amendments or supplements thereto containing any
untrue statement of a material fact or omitting to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading.
(b) Acceptance of Employment. The Subadviser accepts such
employment and agrees, at its own expense, to render the services set forth
herein and to provide the office space, furnishings, equipment and personnel
required by it to perform such services on the terms and for the compensation
provided in this Agreement. The Subadviser shall direct the custodian as to how
to vote such proxies as may be necessary or advisable in connection with any
matters submitted to a vote of shareholders of securities held by the
Portfolio.
(c) Survival of Representations and Warranties. All
representations and warranties made by the Subadviser and the Adviser pursuant
to this Section 1 hereof shall survive for the duration of this Agreement and
the parties hereto shall promptly notify each other in writing upon becoming
aware that any of the foregoing representations and warranties are no longer
true.
2. Portfolio Transactions. The Subadviser is responsible for decisions
to buy or sell securities and other investments for a portion of the assets of
each Portfolio, broker-dealers and futures commission merchants' selection, and
negotiation of brokerage commission and futures commission merchants' rates.
The Subadviser is authorized, subject to the supervision of the Adviser and the
Board of Directors of the Corporation, to establish and maintain accounts on
behalf of the Corporation. As a general matter, in executing Portfolio
transactions, the Subadviser may employ or deal with such broker-dealers or
futures commission merchants as may, in the Subadviser's best judgement,
provide prompt and reliable execution of the transactions at favorable prices
and reasonable commission rates. In selecting such broker-dealers or futures
commission merchants, the Subadviser shall consider all relevant factors
including price (including the applicable brokerage commission, dealer spread
or futures commission merchant rate), the size of the order, the nature of the
market for the security or other investment, the timing of the transaction, the
reputation, experience and financial stability of the broker-dealer or futures
commission merchant involved, the quality of the service, the difficulty of
execution, the execution capabilities and operational facilities of the firm
involved, and, in the case of securities, the firm's risk in positioning a
block of securities. Subject to such policies as the Directors may determine
and consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "1934 Act"), the Subadviser shall not be deemed to have acted
unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise
solely by reason of the Subadviser's having caused a
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Portfolio to pay a member of an exchange, broker or dealer an amount of
commission for effecting a securities transaction in excess of the amount of
commission another member of an exchange, broker or dealer would have charged
for effecting that transaction, if the Subadviser determines in good faith that
such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the
brokerage and research services provided by such member of an exchange, broker
or dealer viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the
Subadviser's overall responsibilities with respect to such Portfolio and to
other clients as to which the Subadviser exercises investment discretion. In
accordance with Section 11(a) of the 1934 Act and Rule 11a2-2(T) thereunder,
and subject to any other applicable laws and regulations including Section
17(e) of the Act and Rule 17e-1 thereunder, the Subadviser may engage its
affiliates, the Adviser and its affiliates or any other subadviser to the
Corporation and its respective affiliates, as broker-dealers or futures
commission merchants to effect Portfolio transactions in securities and other
investments for a Portfolio. The Subadviser will promptly communicate to the
Adviser and to the officers and the Directors of the Corporation such
information relating to Portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request.
To the extent consistent with applicable law, the Subadviser may aggregate
purchase or sell orders for the Portfolio with contemporaneous purchase or sell
orders of other clients of the Subadviser or its affiliated persons. In such
event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the
expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Subadviser in the
manner the Subadviser determines to be equitable and consistent with its and
its affiliates' fiduciary obligations to the Portfolio and to such other
clients. The Adviser hereby acknowledges that such aggregation of orders may
not result in more favorable pricing or lower brokerage commissions in all
instances.
3. Compensation of the Subadviser. The Subadviser shall not be
entitled to receive any payment from the Corporation and shall look solely and
exclusively to the Adviser for payment of all fees for the services rendered,
facilities furnished and expenses paid by it hereunder. As full compensation
for the Subadviser under this Agreement, the Adviser agrees to pay to the
Subadviser a fee at the annual rates set forth in Schedule A hereto with
respect to the portion of the assets managed by the Subadviser for each
Portfolio listed thereon. Such fee shall be accrued daily and paid monthly as
soon as practicable but in no event later than fifteen (15) days after the end
of each month (i.e., the applicable annual fee rate divided by 365 applied to
each prior days' net assets in order to calculate the daily accrual). Payment
shall be by wire transfer if so requested by Subadviser. If the Subadviser
shall provide its services under this Agreement for less than the whole of any
month, the foregoing compensation shall be prorated.
4. Reports. The Corporation, the Adviser and the Subadviser agree to
furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, statements of
additional information, proxy statements, reports of shareholders and such
other information with regard to their affairs and that of the Corporation as
each may reasonably request.
5. Status of the Subadviser. The services of the Subadviser to the
Adviser and the Corporation are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Subadviser
shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to
the Corporation are not impaired thereby. The Subadviser shall be deemed to be
an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or
authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Corporation in any
way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Corporation.
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6. Certain Records. The Subadviser hereby undertakes and agrees to
maintain, in the form and for the period required by Rule 31a-2 under the Act,
all records relating to the investments of the Portfolio that are required to
be maintained by the Corporation pursuant to the requirements of Rule 31a-1 of
that Act. Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the
provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Act which are
prepared or maintained by the Subadviser on behalf of the Corporation are the
property of the Corporation and will be surrendered promptly to the Corporation
or the Adviser on request.
The Subadviser agrees that all accounts, books and other
records relating maintained and preserved by it as required hereby shall be
subject at any time, and from time to time, to such reasonable periodic,
special and other examinations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the
Corporation's auditors, the Corporation or any representative of the
Corporation, the Adviser, or any governmental agency or other instrumentality
having regulatory authority over the Corporation.
7. Reference to the Subadviser. Neither the Corporation nor the
Adviser or any affiliate or agent thereof shall make reference to or use the
name of the Subadviser or any of its affiliates in any advertising or
promotional materials without the prior approval of the Subadviser, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
8. Liability of the Subadviser. (a) In the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations
or duties ("disabling conduct") hereunder on the part of the Subadviser (and
its officers, directors, agents, employees, controlling persons, shareholders
and any other person or entity affiliated with the Subadviser) the Subadviser
shall not be subject to liability to the Corporation or to any shareholder of
the Corporation for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with,
rendering services hereunder, including without limitation, any error of
judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by any of them in
connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except to the
extent specified in Section 36(b) of the Act concerning loss resulting from a
breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for
services. Except for such disabling conduct, the Adviser shall indemnify the
Subadviser (and its officers, directors, partners, agents, employees,
controlling persons, shareholders and any other person or entity affiliated
with the Subadviser) (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") from any
liability arising from the Subadviser's conduct under this Agreement.
(b) The Subadviser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Adviser and its affiliates and each of its directors and officers and each
person, if any, who controls the Adviser within the meaning of Section 15 of
the 1933 Act against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
litigation (including reasonable legal and other expenses), to which the
Adviser or its affiliates or such directors, officers or controlling person may
become subject under the 1933 Act, under other statutes, at common law or
otherwise, which may be based upon (i) any wrongful act or breach of this
Agreement by the Subadviser, or (ii) any failure by the Subadviser to comply
with the representations and warranties set forth in Section 1 of this
Agreement; provided, however, that in no case is the Subadviser's indemnity in
favor of any person deemed to protect such other persons against any liability
to which such person would otherwise be subject by reasons of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of his, her or
its duties or by reason of his, her or its reckless disregard of obligation and
duties under this Agreement.
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(c) The Subadviser shall not be liable to the Adviser for (i)
any acts of the Adviser or any other subadviser to the Portfolio with respect
to the portion of the assets of a Portfolio not managed by Subadviser and (ii)
acts of the Subadviser which result from acts of the Adviser, including, but
not limited to, a failure of the Adviser to provide accurate and current
information with respect to any records maintained by Adviser or any other
subadviser to a Portfolio, which records are not also maintained by or
otherwise available to the Subadviser upon reasonable request. The Adviser
agrees that Subadviser shall manage the portion of the assets of a Portfolio
allocated to it as if it was a separate operating Portfolio and shall comply
with subsections (a) and (b) of Section I of this Subadvisory Agreement
(including, but not limited to, the investment objectives, policies and
restrictions applicable to a Portfolio and qualifications of a Portfolio as a
regulated investment company under the Code) with respect to the portion of
assets of a Portfolio allocated to Subadviser. The Adviser shall indemnify the
Indemnified Parties from any liability arising from the conduct of the Adviser
and any other subadviser with respect to the portion of a Portfolio's assets
not allocated to Subadviser.
9. Appointment of Sub-Subadviser. Subadviser may appoint such other
sub- subadvisers to advise the Portfolio listed in Schedule A and to carry out
Subadviser's obligations hereunder as Subadviser may deem appropriate, provided
that Subadviser shall remain liable pursuant to this Agreement for the actions
of said sub-subadvisers.
10 Permissible Interests. Directors and agents of the Corporation are
or may be interested in the Subadviser (or any successor thereof) as directors,
partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners,
officers, agents, and shareholders of the Subadviser are or may be interested
in the Corporation as Directors, or otherwise; and the Subadviser (or any
successor) is or may be interested in the Corporation in some manner.
11. Term of the Agreement. This Agreement shall continue in full force
and effect with respect to each Portfolio until two years from the date hereof,
and from year to year thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually (i) by the vote of a majority of those Directors of
the Corporation who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of
any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such approval, and (ii) by the Directors of the Corporation or by vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio voting
separately from any other series of the Corporation.
With respect to each Portfolio, this Agreement may be
terminated at any time, without payment of a penalty by the Portfolio or the
Corporation, by vote of a majority of the Directors, or by vote of a majority
of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Act) of the Portfolio,
voting separately from any other series of the Corporation, or by the Adviser,
on not less than 30 nor more than 60 days' written notice to the Subadviser.
With respect to each Portfolio, this Agreement may be terminated by the
Subadviser at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon the earlier of
(i) 90 days' written notice to the Adviser and the Corporation, provided, that
another subadvisory agreement has been approved by the Corporation in
accordance with the Act, or (ii) after six months' written notice. The
termination of this Agreement with respect to any Portfolio or the addition of
any Portfolio to Schedule A hereto (in the manner required by the Act) shall
not affect the continued effectiveness of this Agreement with respect to each
other Portfolio subject hereto. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in
the event of its assignment (as defined by the Act).
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This Agreement will also terminate in the event that the
Advisory Agreement by and between the Corporation and the Adviser is
terminated.
12. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or
made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of
this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
13. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent in
writing, but the consent of the Corporation must be obtained in conformity with
the requirements of the Act.
14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of New York and the applicable provisions of the
Act. To the extent the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the
provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the Act, the
latter shall control.
15. Separate Series. Pursuant to the provisions of the Articles of
Incorporation and the General Laws of the State of Maryland, each Portfolio is
a separate series of the Corporation, and all debts, liabilities, obligations
and expenses of a particular Portfolio shall be enforceable only against the
assets of that Portfolio and not against the assets of any other Portfolio or
of the Corporation as a whole.
16. Notices. All notices hereunder shall be given in writing (and
shall be deemed to have been duly given upon receipt) by delivery in person, by
facsimile, by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt
requested) or by overnight delivery to the respective parties as follows:
Subadviser: Strong Capital Management, Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
General Counsel
Adviser: SunAmerica Asset Management Corp.
The SunAmerica Center
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Senior Vice President and
General Counsel
17. Waiver. No waiver of any provisions of this Agreement will be
binding unless in writing and executed by the party granting such waiver. Any
valid waiver of a provision set forth herein shall not constitute a waiver of
any other provision of this Agreement. In addition, any such waiver shall
constitute a present waiver of such provision and shall not constitute a
permanent future waiver of such provision.
18. Captions. The captions herein are included for convenience of
reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation
hereof.
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19. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the full and complete
understanding between the parties with respect to the transactions covered and
contemplated hereunder, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings
between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof, whether oral or
written, expressed or implied.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused their respective
duly authorized officers to execute this Agreement as of the date first above
written.
SUNAMERICA ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP.
By: ____________________________________
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Title: President
STRONG CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
By: ____________________________________
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: General Counsel
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