Exhibit 24(b)(15)(i)
DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLAN AND AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
XXXXXXXXXXX FUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
AND
XXXXXXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
FOR CLASS A SHARES
SERVICE PLAN AND AGREEMENT (the "Plan") dated the 20th day of March, 1996,
by and between XXXXXXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND (the "Fund") and
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC. (the "Distributor").
1. The Plan. This Plan is the Fund's written service plan for its Class
A Shares described in the Fund's registration statement as of the date
this Plan takes effect, contemplated by and to comply with Article III,
Section 26 of the Rules of Fair Practice of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, pursuant to which the Fund will reimburse the
Distributor for a portion of its costs incurred in connection with the
personal service and the maintenance of shareholder accounts ("Accounts")
that hold Class A Shares (the "Shares") of such series and class of the
Fund. The Fund may be deemed to be acting as distributor of securities
of which it is the issuer, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), according to the terms of this Plan.
The Distributor is authorized under the Plan to pay "Recipients," as
hereinafter defined, for rendering services and for the maintenance of
Accounts. Such Recipients are intended to have certain rights as third-
party beneficiaries under this Plan.
2. Definitions. As used in this Plan, the following terms shall have
the following meanings:
(a) "Recipient" shall mean any broker, dealer, bank or other
institution which: (i) has rendered services in connection with the
personal service and maintenance of Accounts; (ii) shall furnish the
Distributor (on behalf of the Fund) with such information as the
Distributor shall reasonably request to answer such questions as may
arise concerning such service; and (iii) has been selected by the
Distributor to receive payments under the Plan. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, a majority of the Fund's Board of Trustees (the "Board")
who are not "interested persons" (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) and who
have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of
this Plan or in any agreements relating to this Plan (the
"Independent Trustees") may remove any broker, dealer, bank or other
institution as a Recipient, whereupon such entity's rights as a
third-party beneficiary hereof shall terminate.
(b) "Qualified Holdings" shall mean, as to any Recipient, all Shares
owned beneficially or of record by: (i) such Recipient, or (ii) such
customers, clients and/or accounts as to which such Recipient is a
fiduciary or custodian or co-fiduciary or co-custodian (collectively,
the "Customers"), but in no event shall any such Shares be deemed
owned by more than one Recipient for purposes of this Plan. In the
event that two entities would otherwise qualify as Recipients as to
the same Shares, the Recipient which is the dealer of record on the
Fund's books shall be deemed the Recipient as to such Shares for
purposes of this Plan.
3. Payments.
(a) Under the Plan, the Fund will make payments to the Distributor,
within forty-five (45) days of the end of each calendar quarter, in
the amount of the lesser of: (i) .0625% (.25% on an annual basis) of
the average during the calendar quarter of the aggregate net asset
value of the Shares, computed as of the close of each business day,
or (ii) the Distributor's actual expenses under the Plan for that
quarter of the type approved by the Board. The Distributor will use
such fee received from the Fund in its entirety to reimburse itself
for payments to Recipients and for its other expenditures and costs
of the type approved by the Board incurred in connection with the
personal service and maintenance of Accounts including, but not
limited to, the services described in the following paragraph. The
Distributor may make Plan payments to any "affiliated person" (as
defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Distributor if such affiliated person
qualifies as a Recipient.
The services to be rendered by the Distributor and Recipients
in connection with the personal service and the maintenance of
Accounts may include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
answering routine inquiries from the Recipient's customers concerning
the Fund, providing such customers with information on their
investment in shares, assisting in the establishment and maintenance
of accounts or sub-accounts in the Fund, making the Fund's investment
plans and dividend payment options available, and providing such
other information and customer liaison services and the maintenance
of Accounts as the Distributor or the Fund may reasonably request.
It may be presumed that a Recipient has provided services qualifying
for compensation under the Plan if it has Qualified Holdings of
Shares to entitle it to payments under the Plan. In the event that
either the Distributor or the Board should have reason to believe
that, notwithstanding the level of Qualified Holdings, a Recipient
may not be rendering appropriate services, then the Distributor, at
the request of the Board, shall require the Recipient to provide a
written report or other information to verify that said Recipient is
providing appropriate services in this regard. If the Distributor
still is not satisfied, it may take appropriate steps to terminate
the Recipient's status as such under the Plan, whereupon such
entity's rights as a third-party beneficiary hereunder shall
terminate.
Payments received by the Distributor from the Fund under the
Plan will not be used to pay any interest expense, carrying charges
or other financial costs, or allocation of overhead by the
Distributor, or for any other purpose other than for the payments
described in this Section 3. The amount payable to the Distributor
each quarter will be reduced to the extent that reimbursement
payments otherwise permissible under the Plan have not been
authorized by the Board of Trustees for that quarter. Any
unreimbursed expenses incurred for any quarter by the Distributor may
not be recovered in later periods.
(b) The Distributor shall make payments to any Recipient quarterly,
within forty-five (45) days of the end of each calendar quarter, at
a rate not to exceed .0625% (.25% on an annual basis) of the average
during the calendar quarter of the aggregate net asset value of the
Shares computed as of the close of each business day, of Qualified
Holdings owned beneficially or of record by the Recipient or by its
Customers. However, no such payments shall be made to any Recipient
for any such quarter in which its Qualified Holdings do not equal or
exceed, at the end of such quarter, the minimum amount ("Minimum
Qualified Holdings"), if any, to be set from time to time by a
majority of the Independent Trustees. A majority of the Independent
Trustees may at any time or from time to time increase or decrease
and thereafter adjust the rate of fees to be paid to the Distributor
or to any Recipient, but not to exceed the rate set forth above,
and/or increase or decrease the number of shares constituting Minimum
Qualified Holdings. The Distributor shall notify all Recipients of
the Minimum Qualified Holdings and the rate of payments hereunder
applicable to Recipients, and shall provide each Recipient with
written notice within thirty (30) days after any change in these
provisions. Inclusion of such provisions or a change in such
provisions in a revised current prospectus shall constitute
sufficient notice.
(c) Under the Plan, payments may be made to Recipients: (i) by
OppenheimerFunds, Inc. ("OFI") from its own resources (which may
include profits derived from the advisory fee it receives from the
Fund), or (ii) by the Distributor (a subsidiary of OFI), from its own
resources.
4. Selection and Nomination of Trustees. While this Plan is in effect,
the selection or replacement of Independent Trustees and the nomination
of those persons to be Trustees of the Fund who are not "interested
persons" of the Fund shall be committed to the discretion of the
Independent Trustees. Nothing herein shall prevent the Independent
Trustees from soliciting the views or the involvement of others in such
selection or nomination if the final decision on any such selection and
nomination is approved by a majority of the incumbent Independent
Trustees.
5. Reports. While this Plan is in effect, the Treasurer of the Fund
shall provide at least quarterly a written report to the Fund's Board for
its review, detailing the amount of all payments made pursuant to this
Plan, the identity of the Recipient of each such payment, and the purposes
for which the payments were made. The report shall state whether all
provisions of Section 3 of this Plan have been complied with. The
Distributor shall annually certify to the Board the amount of its total
expenses incurred that year with respect to the personal service and
maintenance of Accounts in conjunction with the Board's annual review of
the continuation of the Plan.
6. Related Agreements. Any agreement related to this Plan shall be in
writing and shall provide that: (i) such agreement may be terminated at
any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the
Independent Trustees or by a vote of the holders of a "majority" (as
defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Fund's outstanding voting securities of
the Class, on not more than sixty days written notice to any other party
to the agreement; (ii) such agreement shall automatically terminate in the
event of its "assignment" (as defined in the 1940 Act); (iii) it shall
go into effect when approved by a vote of the Board and its Independent
Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such agreement; and (iv) it shall, unless terminated as herein provided,
continue in effect from year to year only so long as such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by the Board and its Independent
Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such continuance.
7. Effectiveness, Continuation, Termination and Amendment. This Plan
has been approved by a vote of the Independent Trustees cast in person at
a meeting called on February 22, 1996 for the purpose of voting on this
Plan, and shall take effect on the date that the Fund's Registration
Statement is declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Unless terminated as hereinafter provided, it shall continue in effect
from year to year thereafter or as the Board may otherwise determine only
so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by
the Board and its Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called
for the purpose of voting on such continuance. This Plan may be
terminated at any time by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees
or by the vote of the holders of a "majority" (as defined in the 0000 Xxx)
of the Fund's outstanding voting securities of the Class. This Plan may
not be amended to increase materially the amount of payments to be made
without approval of the Class A Shareholders, in the manner described
above, and all material amendments must be approved by a vote of the Board
and of the Independent Trustees.
8. Disclaimer of Shareholder and Trustee Liability. The Distributor
understands that the obligations of the Fund under this Plan are not
binding upon any Trustee or shareholder of the Fund personally, but bind
only the Fund and the Fund's property. The Distributor represents that
it has notice of the provisions of the Declaration of Trust of the Fund
disclaiming shareholder and Trustee liability for acts or obligations of
the Fund.
XXXXXXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
-----------------------------------
Xxxxxx X. Xxxx, Assistant Secretary
XXXXXXXXXXX FUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx
--------------------------
Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx
Vice President & Secretary
OFMI/825A
