Dealer #________
COUNTRYWIDE INVESTMENTS, INC.
000 XXXXXX XXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX, XXXX 00000
000-000-0000
000-000-0000
DEALER'S AGREEMENT
Countrywide Investments, Inc. ("Underwriter") invites you, as a
selected dealer, to participate as principal in the distribution of shares (the
"Shares") of the mutual funds set forth on Schedule A to this Agreement (the
"Funds"), of which it is the exclusive underwriter. Underwriter agrees to sell
to you, subject to any limitations imposed by the Funds, Shares issued by the
Funds and to promptly confirm each sale to you. All sales will be made according
to the following terms:
1. All offerings of any of the Shares by you must be made at the public
offering prices, and shall be subject to the conditions of offering, set forth
in the then current Prospectus of the Funds and to the terms and conditions
herein set forth, and you agree to comply with all requirements applicable to
you of all applicable laws, including federal and state securities laws, the
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Rules
of Fair Practice of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the
"NASD"), including Section 24 of the Rules of Fair Practice of the NASD. You
will not offer the Shares for sale in any state or other jurisdiction where they
are not qualified for sale under the Blue Sky Laws and regulations of such state
or jurisdiction, or where you are not qualified to act as a dealer. Upon
application to Underwriter, Underwriter will inform you as to the states or
other jurisdictions in which Underwriter believes the Shares may legally be
sold.
2. (a) You will receive a discount from the public offering
price ("concession") on all Shares purchased by you from Underwriter as
indicated on Schedule A, as it may be amended by Underwriter from time to time.
(b) In all transactions in open accounts in which you are
designated as Dealer of Record, you will receive the concessions as set forth on
Schedule A. You hereby authorize Underwriter to act as your agent in connection
with all transactions in open accounts in which you are designated as Dealer of
Record. All designations as Dealer of Record, and all authorizations of
Underwriter to act as your Agent pursuant thereto, shall cease upon the
termination of this Agreement or upon the investor's instructions to transfer
his open account to another Dealer of Record. No dealer concessions will be
allowed on purchases generating less than $1.00 in dealer concessions.
(c) As the exclusive underwriter of the Shares, Underwriter
reserves the privilege of revising the discounts specified on Schedule A at any
time by written notice.
3. Concessions will be paid to you at the address of your
principal office, as indicated below in your acceptance of this Agreement.
4. Underwriter reserves the right to cancel this Agreement at any time
without notice if any Shares shall be offered for sale by you at less than the
then current public offering prices determined by, or for, the Funds.
5. All orders are subject to acceptance or rejection by Underwriter in
its sole discretion. The Underwriter reserves the right, in its discretion,
without notice, to suspend sales or withdraw the offering of Shares entirely.
6. Payment shall be made to the Funds and shall be received by its
Transfer Agent within three (3) business days after the acceptance of your order
or such shorter time as may be required by law. With respect to all Shares
ordered by you for which payment has not been received, you hereby assign and
pledge to Underwriter all of your right, title and interest in such Shares to
secure payment therefor. You appoint Underwriter as your agent to execute and
deliver all documents necessary to effectuate any of the transactions described
in this paragraph. If such payment is not received within the required time
period, Underwriter reserves the right, without notice, and at its option,
forthwith (a) to cancel the sale, (b) to sell the Shares ordered by you back to
the Funds, or (c) to assign your payment obligation, accompanied by all pledged
Shares, to any person. You agree that Underwriter may hold you responsible for
any loss, including loss of profit, suffered by the Funds, its Transfer Agent or
Underwriter, resulting from your failure to make payment within the required
time period.
7. No person is authorized to make any representations concerning
Shares of the Funds except those contained in the current applicable Prospectus
and Statement of Additional Information and in sales literature issued and
furnished by Underwriter supplemental to such Prospectus. Underwriter will
furnish additional copies of the current Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information and such sales literature and other releases and information issued
by Underwriter in reasonable quantities upon request.
8. Under this Agreement, you act as principal and are not employed by
Underwriter as broker, agent or employee. You are not authorized to act for
Underwriter nor to make any representation on its behalf; and in purchasing or
selling Shares hereunder, you rely only upon the current Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information furnished to you by Underwriter from time to
time and upon such written representations as may hereafter be made by
Underwriter to you over its signature.
9. You appoint the transfer agent for the Funds as your agent to
execute the purchase transactions of Shares in accordance with the terms and
provisions of any account, program, plan or service established or used by your
customers and to confirm each purchase to your customers on your behalf, and you
guarantee the legal capacity of your customers purchasing such Shares and any
co-owners of such Shares.
10. You will (a) maintain all records required by law relating to
transactions in the Shares, and upon the request of Underwriter, or the request
of the Funds, promptly make such records available to Underwriter or to the
Funds as are requested, and (b) promptly notify Underwriter if you experience
any difficulty in maintaining the records required in the foregoing clause in an
accurate and complete manner. In addition, you will establish appropriate
procedures and reporting forms and schedules, approved by Underwriter and by the
Funds, to enable the parties hereto and the Funds to identify all accounts
opened and maintained by your customers.
11. Underwriter has adopted compliance standards, attached hereto as
Schedule B, as to when Class A and Class C Shares of the Dual Pricing Funds may
appropriately be sold to particular investors. You agree that all persons
associated with you will conform to such standards when selling Shares.
12. Each party hereto represents that it is presently, and, at all
times during the term of this Agreement, will be, a member in good standing of
the NASD and agrees to abide by all its Rules of Fair Practice including, but
not limited to, the following provisions:
(a) You shall not withhold placing customers' orders for any Shares so
as to profit yourself as a result of such withholding. You shall not purchase
any Shares from Underwriter other than for investment, except for the purpose of
covering purchase orders already received.
(b) All conditional orders received by Underwriter must be at a
specified definite price.
(c) If any Shares purchased by you are repurchased by the Funds (or by
Underwriter for the account of the Funds) or are tendered for redemption within
seven business days after confirmation of the original sale of such Shares (1)
you agree to forthwith refund to Underwriter the full concession allowed to you
on the original sale, such refund to be paid by Underwriter to the Funds, and
(2) Underwriter shall forthwith pay to the Funds that part of the discount
retained by Underwriter on the original sale. Notice will be given to you of any
such repurchase or redemption within ten days of the date on which the
repurchase or redemption request is made.
(d) Neither Underwriter, as exclusive underwriter for the Funds, nor
you as principal, shall purchase any Shares from a record holder at a price
lower than the net asset value then quoted by, or for, the Funds. Nothing in
this sub-paragraph shall prevent you from selling Shares for the account of a
record holder to Underwriter or the Funds at the net asset value currently
quoted by, or for, the Funds and charging the investor a fair commission for
handling the transaction.
(e) You warrant on behalf of yourself and your registered
representatives and employees that any purchase of Shares at net asset value by
the same pursuant to the terms of the Prospectus of the applicable Fund is for
investment purposes only and not for purposes of resale. Shares so purchased may
be resold only to the Fund which issued them.
13. You agree that you will indemnify Underwriter, the Funds, the
Funds' transfer agent and the Funds' custodians and hold such persons harmless
from any claims or assertions relating to the lawfulness of your company's
participation in this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby or
relating to any activities of any persons or entities affiliated with your
company which are performed in connection with the discharge of your
responsibilities under this Agreement. If any such claims are asserted, the
indemnified parties shall have the right to engage in their own defense,
including the selection and engagement of legal counsel of their choosing, and
all costs of such defense shall be borne by you.
14. This Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment. Either party hereto may cancel this Agreement without penalty upon
ten days' written notice. This Agreement may also be terminated as to any Fund
at any time without penalty by the vote of a majority of the members of the
Board of Trustees of the terminating Fund who are not "interested persons" (as
such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) and who have no
direct or indirect financial interest in the applicable Fund's Distribution
Expense Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or
any agreement relating to such Plan, including this Agreement, or by a vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities of the terminating Fund on ten
days' written notice.
15. All communications to Underwriter should be sent to Countrywide
Investments, Inc., 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxx 00000, or at such other
address as Underwriter may designate in writing. Any notice to you shall be duly
given if mailed or telegraphed to you at the address of your principal office,
as indicated below in your acceptance of this Agreement.
16. This Agreement supersedes any other agreement with you relating
to the offer and sale of the Shares, and relating to any other matter discussed
herein.
17. This Agreement shall be binding (i) upon placing your first order
with Underwriter for the purchase of Shares, or (ii) upon receipt by Underwriter
in Cincinnati, Ohio of a counterpart of this Agreement duly accepted and signed
by you, whichever shall occur first. This Agreement shall be construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio.
18. The undersigned, executing this Agreement on behalf of Dealer,
hereby warrants and represents that he is duly authorized to so execute this
Agreement on behalf of Dealer.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our
agreement, please sign and return all copies of this Agreement to the
Underwriter.
ACCEPTED BY DEALER
By:________________________________________
Authorized Signature
___________________________________________
Type or Print Name, Position
___________________________________________
Dealer Name
___________________________________________
Address
____________________________________________
Address
____________________________________________
Phone
_____________________________________________
Date
COUNTRYWIDE INVESTMENTS, INC.
By: __________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Date
Schedule A
COUNTRYWIDE INVESTMENTS
COMMISSION SCHEDULE
Intermediate Bond Fund - Class A
Tax-Free Intermediate Term Fund - Class A
Intermediate Term Government Income Fund
Ohio Insured Tax-Free Fund - Class A
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Total
Dollar Amount of Purchase Sales Dealer
(At Offering Price) Charge* Concession
Less than $50,000 4.75% 4.00%
from $ 50,000 but under $100,000 4.50% 3.75%
from $100,000 but under $250,000 3.50% 2.75%
from $250,000 but under $500,000 2.95% 2.25%
from $500,000 but under $1,000,000 2.25% 1.75%
$1,000,000 and over** None None
25 basis points annual trailing commission effective immediately, paid
quarterly.
Equity Fund - Class A
Utility Fund - Class A
Growth/Value Fund - Class A
Aggressive Growth Fund
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total
Dollar Amount of Purchase Sales Dealer
(At Offering Price) Charge* Concession
Less than $ 50,000 5.75% 5.00%
from $ 50,000 but under $100,000 4.50% 3.75%
from $100,000 but under $250,000 3.50% 2.75%
from $250,000 but under $500,000 2.95% 2.25%
from $500,000 but under $1,000,000 2.25% 1.75%
$1,000,000 and over** None None
25 basis points annual trailing commission effective immediately, paid
quarterly.
*As a percentage of offering price.
** Broker/Dealers are entitled to total compensation of up to 1% at the time
the investor purchases Class A shares at NAV in amounts totaling $1 million or
more which includes up to 75 basis points and 25 basis points annual trailing
commission, paid quarterly. However, the investor is subject to a contingent
deferred sales load of 1% if a redemption occurs within one year of purchase.
See specific Fund prospectus for details.
Growth/Value Fund - Class C
Equity Fund - Class C
Utility Fund - Class C
Intermediate Bond Fund - Class C
Tax-Free Intermediate Term Fund - Class C
The Funds will be offered to clients with a 1.25% sales load. A commission of
2% of the purchase amount of Class C shares will be paid to participating
brokers at the time of purchase. Purchases of Class C shares are subject to a
contingent deferred sales load, according to the following schedule:
Year Since Purchase Contingent Deferred
Payment Was Made Sales Load
-------------------- --------------------
First Year 1%
Thereafter None
100 basis points annual trailing commission will be paid quarterly beginning in
the thirteenth month.
Brokers may invest for their own account at NAV
FOR BROKER/DEALER USE ONLY
Schedule B
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
WITH RESPECT TO SALES
OF DUAL PRICING FUND
As certain Funds within Countrywide Investments (the "Dual Pricing
Funds") offer two classes of Shares subject to different levels of front-end
sales charges, it is important for an investor not only to choose the Fund that
best suits his investment objectives, but also to choose the sales financing
method which best suits his particular situation. To assist investors in these
decisions, we are instituting the following policy:
1. Any purchase order for $1 million or more must be for Class A
Shares.
2. Any purchase order for $100,000 but less than $1 million is
subject to approval by a registered principal of the
Underwriter, who must approve the purchase order for either
Class A Shares or Class C Shares in light of the relevant
facts and circumstances, including:
(a) the specific purchase order dollar amount;
(b) the length of time the investor expects to hold the
Shares; and
(c) any other relevant circumstances, such as the
availability of purchases under a Letter of Intent.
3. Any order to exchange Class A Shares of a Dual Pricing Fund
(or Shares of another Fund having a maximum sales load equal
to or greater than Class A Shares of the Dual Pricing Funds)
for Shares of another Dual Pricing Fund will be for Class A
Shares only. Class C Shares of a Dual Pricing Fund may be
exchanged for either Class A or Class C Shares of another Dual
Pricing Fund, provided that an exchange of Class C Shares for
Class A Shares is subject to approval by a registered
principal of Underwriter, who must approve the exchange in
light of the relevant facts and circumstances.
There are instances when one financing method may be more appropriate
than the other. For example, investors who would qualify for a significant
discount from the maximum sales charge on Class A Shares may determine that
payment of such a reduced front-end sales charge is superior to payment of the
higher ongoing distribution fee applicable to Class C Shares. On the other hand,
an investor whose order would not qualify for such a discount may wish to pay a
lower sales charge and have more of his funds invested in Class C Shares. If
such an investor anticipates that he will redeem his Shares within a short
period of time, the investor may, depending on the amount of his purchase,
choose to bear higher distribution expenses than if he had purchased Class A
Shares.
In addition, investors who intend to hold their Shares for a
significantly long time may wish to purchase Class A Shares in order to avoid
the higher ongoing distribution expenses of Class C Shares.
The appropriate supervisor must ensure that all employees receiving
investor inquiries about the purchase of Shares of Dual Pricing Funds advise the
investor of the available financing methods offered by mutual funds, and the
impact of choosing one method over another. It may be appropriate for the
supervisor to discuss the purchase with the investor.
This policy is effective immediately with respect to any order for the
purchase of Shares of all Dual Pricing Funds. Questions relating to this policy
should be directed to Xxxxxx Xxxx, Vice President of the Underwriter, at
513/629-2000.
