Exhibit 6
FORM OF DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, dated as of __________ __, 1996, by and between Variable Annuity
Portfolios, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"), and The Landmark Funds
Broker-Dealer Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation ("Distributor").
WHEREAS, the Trust engages in business as an open-end management investment
company and is registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "1940 Act");
WHEREAS, the Trust's shares of beneficial interest ("Shares") are divided
into separate series representing interests in separate funds of securities and
other assets;
WHEREAS, the Trust wishes to retain the services of a distributor for
Shares of each class of each of the Trust's series listed on Exhibit A hereto
(the "Funds") and has registered the Shares of the Funds under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act");
WHEREAS, Distributor has agreed to act as distributor of the Shares of each
class of the Funds for the period of this Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed between the parties hereto as follows:
1. Appointment of Distributor.
(a) The Trust hereby appoints Distributor its exclusive agent for the
distribution of Shares of each class of the Funds in jurisdictions wherein such
Shares may be legally offered for sale; provided, however, that the Trust in its
absolute discretion may issue Shares of the Funds in connection with (i) the
payment or reinvestment of dividends or distributions; (ii) any merger or
consolidation of the Trust or of the Funds with any other investment company or
trust or any personal holding company, or the acquisition of the assets of any
such entity or another Fund of the Trust; or (iii) any offer of exchange
permitted by Section 11 of the 0000 Xxx.
(b) Distributor hereby accepts such appointment as exclusive agent for the
distribution of Shares of each class of the Funds and agrees that it will sell
the Shares as agent for the Trust at prices determined as hereinafter provided
and on the terms hereinafter set forth, all according to the then-current
prospectus and statement of additional information of each Fund (collectively,
the "Prospectus" and the "Statement of Additional Information"), applicable
laws, rules and regulations and the Declaration of Trust of the Trust.
Distributor agrees to use its best efforts to solicit orders for the sale of
Shares of the Funds, and agrees to transmit promptly to the Trust (or to the
transfer agent of the Funds, if so instructed in writing by the Trust) any
orders received by it for purchase or redemption of Shares.
(c) Distributor may sell Shares of the Funds to or through qualified
securities dealers, financial institutions or others. Distributor will require
each dealer or other such party to conform to the provisions of this Agreement,
the Prospectus, the Statement of Additional Information and applicable law; and
neither Distributor nor any such dealers or others shall withhold the placing of
purchase orders for Shares so as to make a profit thereby.
(d) Distributor shall order Shares of the Funds from the Trust only to the
extent that it shall have received unconditional purchase orders therefor.
Distributor will not make, or authorize any dealers or others to make: (i) any
short sales of Shares; or (ii) any sales of Shares to any Trustee or officer of
the Trust, any officer or director of Distributor or any corporation or
association furnishing investment advisory, managerial or supervisory services
to the Trust, or to any such corporation or association, unless such sales are
made in accordance with the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional
Information.
(e) Distributor is not authorized by the Trust to give any information or
make any representations regarding Shares of the Funds, except such information
or representations as are contained in the Prospectus, the Statement of
Additional Information or advertisements and sales literature prepared by or on
behalf of the Trust for Distributor's use.
(f) The Trust agrees to execute any and all documents, to furnish any and
all information and otherwise to take all actions which may be reasonably
necessary in the discretion of the Trust's officers in connection with the
qualification of Shares of each Fund for sale in such states as Distributor and
the Trust agree.
(g) No Shares of any Fund shall be offered by either Distributor or the
Trust under this Agreement, and no orders for the purchase or sale of such
Shares hereunder shall be accepted by the Trust, if and so long as the
effectiveness of the Trust's then current registration statement as to Shares of
that Fund or any necessary amendments thereto shall be suspended under any of
the provisions of the 1933 Act, or if and so long as a current prospectus for
Shares of that Fund as required by Section 10 of the 1933 Act is not on file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission; provided, however, that nothing
contained in this paragraph (g) shall in any way restrict the Trust's obligation
to repurchase any Shares from any shareholder in accordance with the provisions
of the applicable Fund's Prospectus or charter documents.
(h) Notwithstanding any provision hereof, the Trust may terminate, suspend
or withdraw the offering of Shares of any Fund whenever, in its sole discretion,
it deems such action to be desirable.
2. Offering Price of Shares. All Fund Shares sold under this Agreement
shall be sold at the public offering price per Share in effect at the time of
the sale, as described in the Prospectus. The excess, if any, of the public
offering price over the net asset value of the Shares sold by Distributor as
agent, and any contingent deferred sales charge applicable to Shares of any
class of any Fund as set forth in the applicable Fund's Prospectus, shall be
retained by Distributor as a commission for its services hereunder. Out of such
commission Distributor may allow commissions, concessions or agency fees to
dealers or other financial institutions, including banks, and may allow them to
others in its discretion in such amounts as Distributor shall determine from
time to time. Except as may be otherwise determined by Distributor from time to
time, such commissions, concessions or agency fees shall be uniform to all
dealers and other financial institutions. At no time shall the Trust receive
less than the full net asset value of the Shares of each Fund, determined in the
manner set forth in the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information.
3. Furnishing of Information.
(a) The Trust shall furnish to Distributor copies of any information,
financial statements and other documents that Distributor may reasonably request
for use in connection with the sale of Shares of the Funds under this Agreement.
The Trust shall also make available a sufficient number of copies of the Funds'
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for use by the Distributor.
(b) The Trust agrees to advise Distributor immediately in writing:
(i) of any request by the Securities and Exchange Commission for
amendments to any registration statement concerning a Fund or to a
Prospectus or for additional information;
(ii) in the event of the issuance by the Securities and Exchange
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any such
registration statement or Prospectus or the initiation of any proceeding
for that purpose;
(iii) of the happening of any event which makes untrue any statement
of a material fact made in any such registration statement or Prospectus
or which requires the making of a change in such registration statement or
Prospectus in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and
(iv) of all actions of the Securities and Exchange Commission with
respect to any amendments to any such registration statement or Prospectus
which may from time to time be filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
4. Expenses.
(a) The Trust will pay or cause to be paid the following expenses:
organization costs of the Funds; compensation of Trustees who are not
"interested persons" of the Trust; governmental fees; interest charges; loan
commitment fees; taxes; membership dues in industry associations allocable to
the Trust; fees and expenses of independent auditors, legal counsel and any
transfer agent, distributor, registrar or dividend disbursing agent of the
Trust; expenses of issuing and redeeming shares of beneficial interest and
servicing shareholder accounts; expenses of preparing, typesetting, printing and
mailing prospectuses, statements of additional information, shareholder reports,
notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental officers and commissions
and to existing shareholders of the Funds; expenses connected with the
execution, recording and settlement of security transactions; insurance
premiums; fees and expenses of the custodian for all services to the Funds,
including safekeeping of funds and securities and maintaining required books and
accounts; expenses of calculating the net asset value of the Funds (including
but not limited to the fees of independent pricing services); expenses of
meetings of shareholders; expenses relating to the issuance, registration and
qualification of shares; and such non-recurring or extraordinary expenses as may
arise, including those relating to actions, suits or proceedings to which the
Trust may be a party and the legal obligation which the Trust may have to
indemnify its Trustees and officers with respect thereto.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, Distributor will pay or
cause to be paid all expenses connected with its own qualification as a dealer
under state and federal laws and all other expenses incurred by Distributor in
connection with the sale of Shares of each Fund as contemplated by this
Agreement.
5. Repurchase of Shares. Distributor as agent and for the account of the
Trust may repurchase Shares of the Funds offered for resale to it and redeem
such Shares at their net asset value.
6. Indemnification by the Trust. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad
faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder
on the part of Distributor, the Trust agrees to indemnify Distributor, its
officers and directors, and any person which controls Distributor within the
meaning of the 1933 Act against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and
expenses that any such indemnified party may incur under the 1933 Act, or common
law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon any alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the registration statement for any Fund, any
Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, or any advertisements or
sales literature prepared by or on behalf of the Trust for Distributor's use, or
any omission to state a material fact therein, the omission of which makes any
statement contained therein misleading, unless such statement or omission was
made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust
in connection therewith by or on behalf of Distributor. Nothing herein contained
shall require the Trust to take any action contrary to any provision of its
Declaration of Trust or any applicable statute or regulation.
7. Indemnification by Distributor. Distributor agrees to indemnify the
Trust, its officers and Trustees and any person which controls the Trust within
the meaning of the 1933 Act against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and
expenses that any such indemnified party may incur under the 1933 Act, or common
law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon (i) any alleged untrue statement
of a material fact contained in the registration statement for any Fund, any
Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, or any advertisements or
sales literature prepared by or on behalf of the Trust for Distributor's use, or
any omission to state a material fact therein, the omission of which makes any
statement contained therein misleading, if such statement or omission was made
in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Trust in
connection therewith by or on behalf of Distributor; and (ii) any act or deed of
Distributor or its sales representatives that has not been authorized by the
Trust in any Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information or by this
Agreement.
8. Term and Termination.
(a) Unless terminated as herein provided, this Agreement shall continue in
effect as to each Fund until __________ __, 199_ and shall continue in full
force and effect as to each Fund for successive periods of one year thereafter,
but only so long as each such continuance is approved (i) by either the Trustees
of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as
defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the particular Fund, or (ii) by vote of a majority
of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement or interested
persons (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of any such party and who have no direct or
indirect financial interest in this Agreement or in any agreement related
thereto ("Independent Trustees"), cast at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on such approval.
(b) This Agreement may be terminated as to any Fund on not less than thirty
days' nor more than sixty days' written notice to the other party.
(c) This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
9. Limitation of Liability. The obligations of the Trust hereunder shall
not be binding upon any of the Trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust
personally, but shall bind only the assets and property of the particular Fund
or Funds in question, and not any other Fund or series of the Trust. The term
"Variable Annuity Portfolios" means and refers to the Trustees from time to time
serving under the Declaration of Trust of the Trust, a copy of which is on file
with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The execution and
delivery of this Agreement has been authorized by the Trustees, and this
Agreement has been signed on behalf of the Trust by an authorized officer of the
Trust, acting as such and not individually, and neither such authorization by
such Trustees nor such execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to
have been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of
them personally, but shall bind only the assets and property of the Trust as
provided in the Declaration of Trust.
10. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the provisions of the 1940
Act.
IN WITNESS THEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed as of the date first written above.
Variable Annuity Portfolios
By:_______________________________
The Landmark Funds Broker-Dealer
Services, Inc.
By:_______________________________
Exhibit A
Funds
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