Exhibit (g)(2)
SUB-INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT dated as of [_____________], 2001, between BlackRock Core
Bond Trust, a Delaware business trust (the "Trust"), BlackRock Advisors, Inc. a
Delaware corporation (the "Advisor"), and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.,
a Delaware corporation (the "Sub-Advisor").
WHEREAS, the Advisor has agreed to furnish investment advisory
services to the Trust, a closed-end management investment company registered
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act");
WHEREAS, the Advisor wishes to retain the Sub-Advisor to provide it
with certain sub-advisory services as described below in connection with
Advisor's advisory activities on behalf of the Trust;
WHEREAS, the advisory agreement between the Advisor and the Trust
dated [_____________], 2001 (such Agreement or the most recent successor
agreement between such parties relating to advisory services to the Trust is
referred to herein as the "Advisory Agreement") contemplates that the Advisor
may sub-contract investment advisory services with respect to the Trust to a
sub-advisor pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement agreeable to the Trust and
approved in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act; and
WHEREAS, this Agreement has been approved in accordance with the
provisions of the 1940 Act, and the Sub-Advisor is willing to furnish such
services upon the terms and conditions herein set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual premises and
covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the
receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the parties
hereto as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT. The Advisor hereby appoints the Sub-Advisor to
act as sub-advisor with respect to the Trust and the Sub-Advisor accepts such
appointment and agrees to render the services herein set forth for the
compensation herein provided.
2. SERVICES OF THE SUB-ADVISOR. Subject to the succeeding
provisions of this section, the oversight and supervision of the Advisor and the
direction and control of the Trust's Board of Trustees, the Sub-Advisor will
perform certain of the day-to-day operations of the Trust which may include one
or more of the following services at the request of the Advisor: (a) acting as
investment advisor for and managing the investment and reinvestment of those
assets of the Trust as the Advisor may from time to time request and in
connection therewith have complete discretion in purchasing and selling such
securities and other assets for the Trust and in voting, exercising consents and
exercising all other rights appertaining to such securities and other assets on
behalf of the Trust; (b) arranging, subject to the provisions of paragraph 3
hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other assets held in the
investment portfolio of the Trust; (c) providing investment research and credit
analysis concerning the Trust's investments, (d) assist the Advisor in
determining what portion of the Trust's assets will be invested in cash, cash
equivalents and money market instruments, (e) placing orders for all purchases
and sales of such investments made for the Trust, and (f) maintaining the books
and records as are required to support Trust investment operations. At the
request of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor will also, subject to the oversight and
supervision of the Advisor and the direction and control of the Trust's Board of
Trustees, provide to the Advisor or the Trust any of the facilities and
equipment and perform any of the services described in Section 3 of the Advisory
Agreement. In addition, the Sub-Advisor will keep the Trust and the Advisor
informed of developments materially affecting the Trust and shall, on its own
initiative, furnish to the Trust from time to time whatever information the
Sub-Advisor believes appropriate for this purpose. The Sub-Advisor will
periodically communicate to the Advisor, at such times as the Advisor may
direct, information concerning the purchase and sale of securities for the
Trust, including: (a) the name of the issuer, (b) the amount of the purchase or
sale, (c) the name of the broker or dealer, if any, through which the purchase
or sale is effected, (d) the CUSIP number of the instrument, if any, and (e)
such other information as the Advisor may reasonably require for purposes of
fulfilling its obligations to the Trust under the Advisory Agreement. The
Sub-Advisor will provide the services rendered by it under this Agreement in
accordance with the Trust's investment objectives, policies and restrictions (as
currently in effect and as they may be amended or supplemented from time to
time) as stated in the Trust's Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information and the resolutions of the Trust's Board of Trustees.
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3. COVENANTS. In the performance of its duties under this
Agreement, the Sub-Advisor shall at all times conform to, and act in accordance
with, any requirements imposed by:
(a) (i) the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act") and all applicable Rules
and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"); (ii) any
other applicable provision of law; (iii) the provisions of the Agreement and
Declaration of Trust, as amended and restated, and By-Laws of the Trust, as such
documents are amended from time to time; (iv) the investment objectives and
policies of the Trust as set forth in its Registration Statement on Form N-2;
and (v) any policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Trust;
(b) will place orders either directly with the issuer or
with any broker or dealer. Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, in
placing orders with brokers and dealers, the Sub-Advisor will attempt to obtain
the best price and the most favorable execution of its orders. In placing
orders, the Sub-Advisor will consider the experience and skill of the firm's
securities traders as well as the firm's financial responsibility and
administrative efficiency. Consistent with this obligation, the Sub-Advisor may
select brokers on the basis of the research, statistical and pricing services
they provide to the Trust and other clients of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor.
Information and research received from such brokers will be in addition to, and
not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Sub-Advisor
hereunder. A commission paid to such brokers may be higher than that which
another qualified broker would have charged for effecting the same transaction,
provided that the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such commission is
reasonable in terms either of the transaction or the overall responsibility of
the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to the Trust's and their other clients and that
the total commissions paid by the Trust will be reasonable in relation to the
benefits to the Trust over the long-term. In addition, the Sub-Advisor is
authorized to take into account the sale of shares of the Trust in allocating
purchase and sale orders for portfolio securities to brokers or dealers
(including brokers and dealers that are affiliated with the Advisor or the
Sub-Advisor), provided that the Sub-Advisor believes that the quality of the
transaction and the commission are comparable to what they would be with other
qualified firms. In no instance, however, will the Trust's securities be
purchased from or sold to the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or any affiliated person
thereof, except to the extent permitted by the SEC or by applicable law;
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(c) will maintain books and records with respect to the
Trust's securities transactions and will render to the Advisor and the Trust's
Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports as they may request;
(d) will maintain a policy and practice of conducting its
investment advisory services hereunder independently of the commercial banking
operations of its affiliates. When the Sub-Advisor makes investment
recommendations for the Trust, its investment advisory personnel will not
inquire or take into consideration whether the issuer of securities proposed for
purchase or sale for the Trust's account are customers of the commercial
department of its affiliates; and
(e) will treat confidentially and as proprietary information
of the Trust all records and other information relative to the Trust, and the
Trust's prior, current or potential shareholders, and will not use such records
and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities
and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing
by the Trust, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be
withheld where the Sub-Advisor may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt
proceedings for failure to comply, when requested to divulge such information by
duly constituted authorities, or when so requested by the Trust.
4. SERVICES NOT EXCLUSIVE. Nothing in this Agreement shall
prevent the Sub-Advisor or any officer, employee or other affiliate thereof from
acting as investment advisor for any other person, firm or corporation, or from
engaging in any other lawful activity, and shall not in any way limit or
restrict the Sub-Advisor or any of its officers, employees or agents from
buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or for
the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting; provided, however,
that the Sub-Advisor will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will
adversely affect the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.
5. BOOKS AND RECORDS. In compliance with the requirements of Rule
31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Sub-Advisor hereby agrees that all records which
it maintains for the Trust are the property of the Trust and further agrees to
surrender promptly to the Trust any such records upon the Trust's request. The
Sub-Advisor further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2
under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained by Rule 31a-1 under the
1940 Act (to the extent such books and records are not maintained by the
Advisor).
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6. AGENCY CROSS TRANSACTIONS. From time to time, the Sub-Advisor
or brokers or dealers affiliated with it may find themselves in a position to
buy for certain of their brokerage clients (each an "Account") securities which
the Sub-Advisor's investment advisory clients wish to sell, and to sell for
certain of their brokerage clients securities which advisory clients wish to
buy. Where one of the parties is an advisory client, the Advisor or the
affiliated broker or dealer cannot participate in this type of transaction
(known as a cross transaction) on behalf of an advisory client and retain
commissions from both parties to the transaction without the advisory client's
consent. This is because in a situation where the Sub-Advisor is making the
investment decision (as opposed to a brokerage client who makes his own
investment decisions), and the Sub-Advisor or an affiliate is receiving
commissions from one or both sides of the transaction, there is a potential
conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities on the Sub-Advisor's part
regarding the advisory client. The Securities and Exchange Commission has
adopted a rule under the Advisers Act which permits the Sub-Advisor or its
affiliates to participate on behalf of an Account in agency cross transactions
if the advisory client has given written consent in advance. By execution of
this Agreement, the Trust authorizes the Sub-Advisor or its affiliates to
participate in agency cross transactions involving an Account. The Trust may
revoke its consent at any time by written notice to the Sub-Advisor.
7. EXPENSES. During the term of this Agreement, the Sub-Advisor
will bear all costs and expenses of its employees and any overhead incurred by
the Sub-Advisor in connection with its duties hereunder; provided that the Board
of Trustees of the Trust may approve reimbursement to the Sub-Advisor of the
pro-rata portion of the salaries, bonuses, health insurance, retirement
benefits and all similar employment costs for the time spent on Trust operations
(other than the provision of investment advice and administrative services
required to be provided hereunder) of all personnel employed by the Sub-Advisor
who devote substantial time to the Trust operations or the operations of other
investment companies advised or sub-advised by the Sub-Advisor.
8. COMPENSATION.
(a) The Advisor agrees to pay to the Sub-Advisor and the
Sub-Advisor agrees to accept as full compensation for all services rendered by
the Sub-Advisor as such, a monthly fee in arrears at an annual rate equal to 38%
of the monthly advisory fees received by the Advisor. For any period less than a
month during which this Agreement is in effect, the fee shall be prorated
according to the
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proportion which such period bears to a full month of 28, 29, 30 or 31 days, as
the case may be.]
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, the Managed Assets of
the Trust shall be defined as in the Investment Management Agreement.
9. INDEMNITY.
(a) The Trust hereby agrees to indemnify the Sub-Advisor and
each of the Sub-Advisor's directors, officers, employees, agents, associates and
controlling persons and the directors, partners, members, officers, employees
and agents thereof (including any individual who serves at the Sub-Advisor's
request as director, officer, partner, member, trustee or the like of another
entity) (each such person being an "Indemnitee") against any liabilities and
expenses, including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or
as fines and penalties, and counsel fees (all as provided in accordance with
applicable state law) reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with
the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether
civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in
which such Indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise
or with which such Indemnitee may be or may have been threatened, while acting
in any capacity set forth herein or thereafter by reason of such Indemnitee
having acted in any such capacity, except with respect to any matter as to which
such Indemnitee shall have been adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in
the reasonable belief that such Indemnitee's action was in the best interest of
the Trust and furthermore, in the case of any criminal proceeding, so long as
such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was
unlawful; provided, however, that (1) no Indemnitee shall be indemnified
hereunder against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders or any expense
of such Indemnitee arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith,
(iii) gross negligence or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the
conduct of such Indemnitee's position (the conduct referred to in such clauses
(i) through (iv) being sometimes referred to herein as "disabling conduct"), (2)
as to any matter disposed of by settlement or a compromise payment by such
Indemnitee, pursuant to a consent decree or otherwise, no indemnification either
for said payment or for any other expenses shall be provided unless there has
been a determination that such settlement or compromise is in the best interests
of the Trust and that such Indemnitee appears to have acted in good faith in the
reasonable belief that such Indemnitee's action was in the best interest of the
Trust and did not involve disabling conduct by such Indemnitee and (3) with
respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily prosecuted by any
Indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory only if
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the prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such Indemnitee was
authorized by a majority of the full Board of Trustees of the Trust.
(b) The Trust shall make advance payments in connection with
the expenses of defending any action with respect to which indemnification might
be sought hereunder if the Trust receives a written affirmation of the
Indemnitee's good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for
indemnification has been met and a written undertaking to reimburse the Trust
unless it is subsequently determined that such Indemnitee is entitled to such
indemnification and if the trustees of the Trust determine that the facts then
known to them would not preclude indemnification. In addition, at least one of
the following conditions must be met: (A) the Indemnitee shall provide a
security for such Indemnitee-undertaking, (B) the Trust shall be insured against
losses arising by reason of any lawful advance, or (C) a majority of a quorum
consisting of trustees of the Trust who are neither "interested persons" of the
Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 0000 Xxx) nor parties to the
proceeding ("Disinterested Non-Party Trustees") or an independent legal counsel
in a written opinion, shall determine, based on a review of readily available
facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe
that the Indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
(c) All determinations with respect to indemnification
hereunder shall be made (1) by a final decision on the merits by a court or
other body before whom the proceeding was brought that such Indemnitee is not
liable by reason of disabling conduct, or (2) in the absence of such a decision,
by (i) a majority vote of a quorum of the Disinterested Non-Party Trustees of
the Trust, or (ii) if such a quorum is not obtainable or even, if obtainable, if
a majority vote of such quorum so directs, independent legal counsel in a
written opinion. All determinations that advance payments in connection with the
expense of defending any proceeding shall be authorized shall be made in
accordance with the immediately preceding clause (2) above.
The rights accruing to any Indemnitee under these provisions
shall not exclude any other right to which such Indemnitee may be lawfully
entitled.
10. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.
(a) The Sub-Advisor will not be liable for any error of
judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Advisor or by the
Trust in connection with the performance of this Agreement, except a loss
resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of
compensation for services or a
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loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its
part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its
duties under this Agreement.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in
this Agreement, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, as provided in
Section 5.1 of Article V of the Declaration of Trust, as amended and restated,
this Agreement is executed by the Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, not
individually but as such Trustees and/or officers of the Trust, and the
obligations hereunder are not binding upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders
individually but bind only the estate of the Trust.
11. DURATION AND TERMINATION. This Agreement shall become
effective as of the date hereof and, unless sooner terminated with respect to
the Trust as provided herein, shall continue in effect for a period of two
years. Thereafter, if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect
with respect to the Trust for successive periods of 12 months, provided such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (a) the vote of a
majority of the Trust's Board of Trustees or a vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled
to vote and (b) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees, who are not parties
to this Agreement or interested persons (as such term is defined in the 0000
Xxx) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on such approval. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be
terminated by the Trust or the Advisor at any time, without the payment of any
penalty, upon giving the Sub-Advisor 60 days' notice (which notice may be waived
by the Sub-Advisor), provided that such termination by the Trust or the Advisor
shall be directed or approved by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the
Trust in office at the time or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the
voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, or
by the Sub-Advisor on 60 days' written notice (which notice may be waived by the
Trust and the Advisor), and will terminate automatically upon any termination of
the Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor. This Agreement will
also immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. (As used in this
Agreement, the terms "majority of the outstanding voting securities,"
"interested person" and "assignment" shall have the same meanings of such terms
in the 1940 Act.)
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12. NOTICES. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing
to the other party at such address as the other party may designate from time to
time for the receipt of such notice and shall be deemed to be received on the
earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark if
such notice is mailed first class postage prepaid.
13. AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT. No provision of this Agreement
may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an
instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the
change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought. Any amendment of this
Agreement shall be subject to the 1940 Act.
14. MISCELLANEOUS. The captions in this Agreement are included for
convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the
provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. If any
provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision,
statute, rule or other wise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be
affected thereby. This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the
benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.
15. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York for contracts to
be performed entirely therein without reference to choice of law principles
thereof and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act.
16. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in counter parts
by the parties hereto, each of which shall constitute an original counterpart,
and all of which, together, shall constitute one Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument
to be executed by their duly authorized officers designated below as of the day
and year first above written.
BLACKROCK ADVISORS, INC.
By:
---------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Title: President
BLACKROCK FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
By:
---------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Title: President
BLACKROCK CORE BOND TRUST
By:
---------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Title: President
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