FORM OF ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT
Exhibit (h)(22)
FORM OF ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of February , 2011 by and between HIGHLAND FUNDS II, a Massachusetts business trust (the “Fund”) and BNY MELLON INVESTMENT SERVICING (US) INC., a Massachusetts corporation (“BNYM”).
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, the Fund is registered as an open-end, non-diversified management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Fund wishes to retain BNYM to provide accounting services to its investment portfolios listed on Exhibit A attached hereto and made a part hereof, as such Exhibit A may be amended from time to time (each a “Portfolio”), and BNYM wishes to furnish such services.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
| 1. | Definitions. As Used in this Agreement |
| (a) | “1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder. |
| (b) | “1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder. |
| (c) | “1940 Act” has the meaning set forth in the recitals hereof and includes the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder. |
| (d) | “Authorized Person” means any officer of the Fund and any other person duly authorized by the Fund’s Board of Trustees to give Oral Instructions or Written Instructions on behalf of the Fund. An Authorized Person’s scope of Authority may be limited by setting forth such limitation in a written document signed by both parties hereto. |
| (e) | “Board of Trustees” and “Shareholders” shall have the same meanings as used in the Fund’s organizational documents. |
| (f) | “Oral Instructions” mean oral instructions received by BNYM from an Authorized Person or from a person reasonably believed by BNYM to be an Authorized Person. |
| (g) | “SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
| (h) | “Securities Laws” mean the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act. |
| (i) | “Shares” mean the Fund’s shares of beneficial interest. |
| (j) | “Written Instructions” mean (i) written instructions signed by an Authorized Person and received by BNYM or (ii) trade instructions transmitted (and received by BNYM) by means of an electronic transaction reporting system, access to which requires use of a password or other authorized identifier. The instructions may be delivered by hand, mail, tested telegram, cable, telex or facsimile sending device. |
| 2. | Appointment. The Fund hereby appoints BNYM to provide accounting services to each of the Portfolio, in accordance with the terms set forth in this Agreement. BNYM accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish such services. |
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| 3. | Compliance with Rules and Regulations. |
| BNYM agrees to comply with the applicable requirements of the Securities Laws, and any laws, rules and regulations of governmental authorities having jurisdiction with respect to the duties to be performed by BNYM hereunder. Except as specifically set forth herein, BNYM assumes no responsibility for such compliance by the Fund. |
| 4. | Instructions. |
| (a) | Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, BNYM shall act only upon Oral Instructions or Written Instructions, including standing Written Instructions related to ongoing instructions received electronically. |
| (b) | BNYM shall be entitled to rely upon any Oral Instructions or Written Instructions it receives from an Authorized Person (or from a person reasonably believed by BNYM to be an Authorized Person) pursuant to this Agreement. BNYM may assume that any Oral Instruction or Written Instruction received hereunder is not in any way inconsistent with the provisions of organizational documents or this Agreement or of any vote, resolution or proceeding of the Fund’s Board of Trustees or of the Fund’s Shareholders, unless and until BNYM receives Written Instructions to the contrary. |
| (c) | The Fund agrees to forward to BNYM Written Instructions confirming Oral Instructions (except where such Oral Instructions are given by BNYM or its affiliates) and shall endeavor to ensure that BNYM receives the Written Instructions by the close of business on the same day that such Oral Instructions are received. The fact that such confirming Written Instructions are not received by BNYM shall in no way invalidate the transactions or enforceability of the transactions authorized by the Oral Instructions. Where Oral Instructions or |
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| Written Instructions reasonably appear to have been received from an Authorized Person, BNYM shall incur no liability to the Fund in acting upon such Oral Instructions or Written Instructions provided that BNYM’s actions comply with the other provisions of this Agreement. |
| 5. | Right to Receive Advice. |
| (a) | Advice of the Fund. If BNYM is in doubt as to any action it should or should not take, BNYM may request directions or advice, including Oral Instructions or Written Instructions, from the Fund. |
| (b) | Advice of Counsel. If BNYM shall be in doubt as to any question of law pertaining to any action it should or should not take, BNYM may request advice at its own cost from such counsel of its own choosing (who may be counsel for the Fund, the Fund’s investment adviser or BNYM, at the option of BNYM). |
| (c) | Conflicting Advice. In the event of a conflict between directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions BNYM receives from the Fund, and the advice it receives from counsel, BNYM shall be entitled to rely upon and follow the advice of counsel, provided that such counsel is selected with reasonable care. BNYM shall promptly inform the Fund of such conflict and BNYM shall refrain from acting in the event of a conflict unless counsel advises BNYM that a failure to take action is likely to result in additional loss, liability or expense. In the event BNYM relies on the advice of counsel, BNYM remains liable for any action or omission on the part of BNYM which constitutes willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard by BNYM of any duties, obligations or responsibilities set forth in this Agreement. |
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| (d) | Protection of BNYM. BNYM shall be protected in any action it takes or does not take in reliance upon directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions it receives from the Fund or (to the extent permitted under clause (c) above) from counsel and which BNYM believes, in good faith, to be consistent with those directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions. Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to impose an obligation upon BNYM (i) to seek such directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions, or (ii) to act in accordance with such directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions unless, under the terms of other provisions of this Agreement, the same is a condition of BNYM’s properly taking or not taking such action. Nothing in this subsection shall excuse BNYM when an action or omission on the part of BNYM constitutes willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard by BNYM of any duties, obligations or responsibilities set forth in this Agreement. |
| 6. | Records; Visits. |
| (a) | The books and records pertaining to the Fund and the Portfolio, which are in the possession or under the control of BNYM, shall be the property of the Fund. Such books and records shall be prepared, preserved and maintained as required by the 1940 Act and other applicable securities laws, rules and regulations. The Fund and its duly authorized officers, employees and agents and the staff of the SEC shall have access to such books and records at all times during BNYM’s normal business hours. Upon the reasonable request of the Fund, copies of any such books and records shall be provided by BNYM to the Fund or to an Authorized |
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| Person, at the Fund’s expense. Any such books and records may be maintained in the form of electronic media and stored on any magnetic disk or tape or similar recording method. |
| (b) | BNYM shall keep the following records: |
| (i) | all books and records with respect to each Portfolio’s books of account; and |
| (ii) | records of each Portfolio’s securities transactions. |
| 7. | Confidentiality. |
Each party shall keep confidential any information relating to the other party’s business (“Confidential Information”). Confidential Information shall include (a) any data or information that is competitively sensitive material, and not generally known to the public, including, but not limited to, information about product plans, marketing strategies, finances, operations, customer relationships, customer profiles, customer lists, sales estimates, business plans, and internal performance results relating to the past, present or future business activities of the Fund or BNYM, their respective subsidiaries and affiliated companies and the customers, clients and suppliers of any of them; (b) any scientific or technical information, design, process, procedure, formula, or improvement that is commercially valuable and secret in the sense that its confidentiality affords the Fund or BNYM a competitive advantage over its competitors; (c) all confidential or proprietary concepts, documentation, reports, data, specifications, computer software, source code, object code, flow charts, databases, inventions, know-how, and trade secrets, whether or not patentable or copyrightable; and (d) anything designated as confidential. Notwithstanding the foregoing, information shall not be subject to such confidentiality
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obligations if it: (a) is already known to the receiving party at the time it is obtained; (b) is or becomes publicly known or available through no wrongful act of the receiving party; (c) is rightfully received from a third party who, to the best of the receiving party’s knowledge, is not under a duty of confidentiality; (d) is released by the protected party to a third party without restriction; (e) is required to be disclosed by the receiving party pursuant to a requirement of a court order, subpoena, governmental or regulatory agency or law (provided the receiving party will provide the other party written notice of such requirement, to the extent such notice is permitted); (f) is relevant to the defense of any claim or cause of action asserted against the receiving party; (g) is Fund information provided by BNYM in connection with an independent third party compliance or other review; or (h) has been or is independently developed or obtained by the receiving party.
| 8. | Liaison with Accountants. BNYM shall act as liaison with the Fund’s independent public accountants and shall provide account analyses, fiscal year summaries, and other audit-related schedules with respect to each Portfolio. BNYM shall take all reasonable action in the performance of its obligations under this Agreement to ensure that the necessary information is made available to such independent public accountants as reasonably requested by the Fund. |
| 9. | BNY Mellon System. BNYM shall retain title to and ownership of any and all data bases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, derivative works, inventions, discoveries, patentable or copyrightable matters, concepts, expertise, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and other related legal rights utilized by BNYM in connection with the services provided by BNYM to the Fund. |
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| 10. | Disaster Recovery. BNYM shall enter into and shall maintain in effect with appropriate parties one or more agreements making reasonable provisions for emergency use of electronic data processing equipment. In the event of equipment failures, BNYM shall, at no additional expense to the Fund, take reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions. BNYM shall have no liability with respect to the loss of data or service interruptions caused by equipment failure, provided such loss or interruption is not caused by BNYM’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its duties or obligations under this Agreement. |
| 11. | Compensation. |
| (a) | As compensation for services rendered by BNYM during the term of this Agreement, the Fund, on behalf of each Portfolio, will pay to BNYM a fee or fees as may be agreed to from time to time in writing by the Fund and BNYM. |
| (b) | The undersigned hereby represents and warrants to BNYM that (i) the terms of this Agreement, and (ii) the fees and expenses associated with this Agreement have been approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund to the extent required by applicable law. |
| 12. | Indemnification. |
| (a) | The Fund, on behalf of each Portfolio, agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless BNYM and its affiliates from all taxes, charges, expenses, assessments, claims and liabilities (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements and liabilities arising under the Securities Laws and any state and foreign securities and blue sky laws) (collectively, “Losses”) arising directly or indirectly from any action or omission to act which BNYM takes (i) at the request |
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| or on the direction of or in reliance on the advice of the Fund or (ii) upon Oral Instructions or Written Instructions; provided, however, neither BNYM nor any of its affiliates, shall be indemnified against any liability (or any expenses incident to such liability) arising out of BNYM’s or its affiliates’ own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under this Agreement. |
| (b) | Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Fund shall not be liable to BNYM or its affiliates for any consequential, special or indirect losses or damages which BNYM or its affiliates may incur or suffer as a consequence of this Agreement, whether or not the likelihood of such damages or losses was known by the Fund. |
| 13. | Responsibility of BNYM. |
| (a) | BNYM shall be under no duty to take any action on behalf of the Fund or any Portfolio except as necessary to fulfill its duties and obligations as specifically set forth herein or as may be specifically agreed to by BNYM in writing. BNYM shall be obligated to exercise care and diligence in the performance of its duties hereunder and to act in good faith and to use its best efforts, within reasonable limits, in performing services provided for under this Agreement. BNYM agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund from Losses arising out of BNYM’s failure to perform its duties under this Agreement to the extent such damages arise out of BNYM’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of such duties. |
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| (b) | Without limiting the generality of the foregoing or of any other provision of this Agreement, (i) BNYM shall not be liable for losses beyond its control, provided that BNYM has acted in accordance with the standard of care set forth above; and (ii) BNYM shall not be liable for (A) the validity or invalidity or authority or lack thereof of any Oral Instruction or Written Instruction, notice or other instrument which conforms to the applicable requirements of this Agreement and which BNYM reasonably believes to be genuine; or (B) subject to Section 10, delays or errors or loss of data occurring by reason of circumstances beyond BNYM’s control, including acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties, fire, flood, catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply. |
| (c) | Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither BNYM nor its affiliates shall be liable to the Fund for any consequential, special or indirect losses or damages which the Fund may incur or suffer by or as a consequence of BNYM’s or its affiliates’ performance of the services provided hereunder, whether or not the likelihood of such losses or damages was known by BNYM or its affiliates. |
| 14. | Description of Accounting Services on a Continuous Basis. |
BNYM will perform the following accounting services with respect to each Portfolio:
| (i) | Journalize investment, capital and income and expense activities; |
| (ii) | Verify investment buy/sell trade tickets when received from the investment adviser for a Portfolio (the “Adviser”); |
| (iii) | Maintain individual ledgers for investment securities; |
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| (iv) | Maintain historical tax lots for each security; |
| (v) | Record and reconcile corporate action activity and all other capital changes; |
| (vi) | Reconcile cash and investment balances with the Fund’s custodian(s), and provide the Adviser with the beginning cash balance available for investment purposes; |
| (vii) | Update the cash availability throughout the day as required by the Adviser; |
| (viii) | Calculate contractual expenses, including management fees, as applicable, in accordance with the Fund’s prospectus; |
| (ix) | Post to and prepare the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and the Statement of Operations in U.S. dollar terms; |
| (x) | Monitor the expense accruals and notify an officer of the Fund of any proposed adjustments; |
| (xi) | Control all disbursements and authorize such disbursements from the Fund’s account with the custodian(s) upon Written Instructions; |
| (xii) | Calculate capital gains and losses; |
| (xiii) | Determine net income; |
| (xiv) | Determine applicable foreign exchange gains and losses on payables and receivables; |
| (xv) | Obtain security market quotes and currency exchange rates from independent pricing sources approved by the Adviser, or if such quotes are unavailable, then obtain such prices from the Adviser, and in either case calculate the market value of each Portfolio’s investments in accordance with the applicable valuation policies or guidelines provided by the Fund to BNYM and acceptable to BNYM; |
| (xvi) | Transmit a copy of the monthly portfolio valuation to the Adviser; |
| (xvii) | Compute net asset value; and |
| (xviii) | As appropriate, compute yields, total return, expense ratios, portfolio turnover rate, and, if required, portfolio average dollar weighted maturity. |
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| 15. | Duration and Termination This Agreement shall continue until terminated by the Fund or by BNYM on sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party. In the event the Fund gives notice of termination, all reasonable expenses associated with movement (or duplication) of records and materials and conversion thereof to a successor administration services agent (and any other service provider(s)), and all trailing expenses incurred by BNYM, will be borne by the Fund. |
| 16. | Notices. Notices shall be addressed (a) if to BNYM, at 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: General Counsel; (b) if to the Fund, at 00000 Xxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000, Attention: General Counsel and the President of Retail Funds (c) if to neither of the foregoing, at such other address as shall have been given by like notice to the sender of any such notice by the other party. If notice is sent by confirming telegram, cable, telex or facsimile sending device, it shall be deemed to have been given immediately. If notice is sent by first-class mail, it shall be deemed to have been given three days after it has been mailed. If notice is sent by messenger, it shall be deemed to have been given on the day it is delivered. |
| 17. | Amendments. This Agreement, or any term thereof, may be changed or waived only by a written amendment, signed by the party against whom enforcement of such change or waiver is sought. |
| 18. | Delegation; Assignment; Sub-Contracting. This Agreement and the rights and duties of the parties herein may not be assigned or delegated by any party without the written consent of each party, except that BNYM may assign or delegate its duties to any affiliate of BNYM upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to the Fund. |
| 19. | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. |
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| 20. | Further Actions. Each party agrees to perform such further acts and execute such further documents as are necessary to effectuate the purposes hereof. |
| 21. | Miscellaneous. |
| (a) | Entire Agreement. This Agreement embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof, provided that the parties may embody in one or more separate documents their agreement, if any, with respect to delegated duties and Oral Instructions. |
| (b) | Captions. 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. |
| (c) | Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made in Delaware and governed by Delaware law, without regard to principles of conflicts of law. |
| (d) | Partial Invalidity. 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. |
| (e) | Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns. |
| (f) | Facsimile Signatures. The facsimile signature of any party to this Agreement shall constitute the valid and binding execution hereof by such party. |
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| (g) | Information. The Fund will provide such information and documentation as BNYM may reasonably request in connection with services provided by BNYM to the Fund. |
| (h) | Customer Identification Program Notice. To help the U.S. government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, U.S. Federal law requires each financial institution to obtain, verify, and record certain information that identifies each person who initially opens an account with that financial institution on or after October 1, 2003. BNYM and certain of its affiliates are financial institutions, and BNYM may, as a matter of policy, request (or may have already requested) the Fund’s name, address and taxpayer identification number or other government-issued identification number, and, if such party is a natural person, that party’s date of birth. BNYM may also ask (and may have already asked) for additional identifying information, and BNYM may take steps (and may have already taken steps) to verify the authenticity and accuracy of these data elements. |
| (i) | Notwithstanding any provision hereof, the services of BNYM are not, nor shall they be, construed as constituting legal advice or the provision of legal services for or on behalf of the Fund or any other person. |
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first above written.
| BNY MELLON INVESTMENT SERVICING (US) INC. | ||
| By: |
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| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| HIGHLAND FUNDS II | ||
| By: |
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| Name: |
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| Title: |
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EXHIBIT A
THIS EXHIBIT A, dated as of , is Exhibit A to that certain Accounting Services Agreement dated as of , among BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. and Highland Funds II.
Portfolios
Highland U.S Equity Fund (f/k/a GE U.S. Equity Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Tax-Exempt Fund (f/k/a GE Tax-Exempt Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Highland Short-Term Govt Fund (f/k/a GE Short-Term Govt Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Fixed Income Fund (f/k/a GE Fixed Income Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Global Equity Fund (f/k/a GE Global Equity Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland International Equity Fund (f/k/a GE International Equity Fund)
Class A
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Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Premier Growth Equity Fund (f/k/a GE Growth Equity Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Money Market Fund II (f/k/a GE Money Market Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Institutional Class
Highland Government Securities Fund (f/k/a GE Government Securities Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Highland Small-Cap Value Equity Fund (f/k/a GE Small-Cap Value Equity Fund
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Core Value Equity Fund (f/k/a GE Core Value Equity Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
Highland Total Return Fund (f/k/a GE Total Return Fund)
Class A
Class B
Class C
Class Y
Class R
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