TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN GOLD BANK FUNDS AND STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
EX-99.h.1
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
AND
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 17th day of July, 2003, by and between GOLD BANK FUNDS a Delaware statutory trust, having its principal office and place of business’ at 00000 Xx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxx 00000 (the “Fund”), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company having its principal office and place of business at 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (the “Transfer Agent”).
WHEREAS, pursuant to a management agreement between the Fund and Gold Capital Management, Inc. (“GCM”), GCM is responsible for obtaining and paying for transfer agency and other services for the Funds; and
WHEREAS, GCM and the Fund have chosen the Transfer Agent to perform such services; and
WHEREAS, the Fund, on behalf of the portfolios of the Fund, which are set forth on Exhibit A hereto (the “Portfolios”), desires to appoint the Transfer Agent as its transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in connection with certain other activities, and the Transfer Agent desires to accept such appointment.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
TERMS OF APPOINTMENT AND DUTIES
Transfer Agency Services. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Fund, on behalf of the Portfolios, hereby employs and appoints the Transfer Agent to act as, and the Transfer Agent agrees to act as its transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and issued shares of its beneficial interest (“Shares”), dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and agent in connection with any accumulation, open-account or similar plan provided to the shareholders of each of the respective Portfolios of the Fund (“Shareholders”) and set out in the currently effective prospectus and statement of additional information (“prospectus”) of the Fund on behalf of the applicable Portfolio, including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program. In accordance with procedures established from time to time by agreement between the Fund on behalf of each of the Portfolios, as applicable and the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent agrees that it will perform the following services:
Receive for acceptance, orders for the purchase of Shares, and promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation thereof to the Custodian of the Fund authorized pursuant to the Declaration of Trust of the Fund (the “Custodian”);
Pursuant to purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of Shares and hold such Shares in the appropriate Shareholder account;
Receive for acceptance redemption requests and redemption directions and deliver the appropriate documentation thereof to the Custodian;
In respect to the transactions in items (a), (b) and (c) above, the Transfer Agent shall execute transactions directly with broker-dealers authorized by the Fund;
At the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid to it by the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay over or cause to be paid over in the appropriate manner such monies as instructed’ by the redeeming Shareholders;
Effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of appropriate instructions;
Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions declared by the Fund on behalf of the applicable Portfolio;
Issue replacement certificates for those certificates alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon receipt by the Transfer Agent of indemnification satisfactory to the Transfer Agent and protecting the Transfer Agent and the Fund, and the Transfer Agent at its option, may issue replacement certificates in place of mutilated stock certificates upon presentation thereof and without such indemnity;
Maintain records of account for and advise the Fund and its Shareholders as to the foregoing; and
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Record the issuance. of Shares of the Fund and maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of the total number of Shares of the Fund which are authorized, based upon data provided to it by the Fund, and issued and outstanding. The Transfer Agent shall also provide the Fund on a regular basis with the total number of Shares which are authorized. and issued and outstanding and shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares or to take cognizance of any laws relating to the issue or sale of such Shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund.
Additional Services. In addition to, and neither in lieu nor in contravention of, the services set forth in the above paragraph, the Transfer Agent shall perform the following services:
Other Customary Services. Perform the customary services of a transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, custodian of certain retirement plans and, as relevant, agent in connection with accumulation, open-account or similar plan (including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing Shareholder proxies, Shareholder reports and prospectuses to current Shareholders, withholding taxes on U.S. resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with respect to dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confineable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information;
Control Book (also known as “Super Sheet’). Maintain a daily record and produce a daily report for the Fund of all transactions and receipts and disbursements of money and securities and deliver a copy of such report for the Fund for each business day to the Fund no later than 9:00 AM Eastern Time, or such earlier time as the Fund may reasonably require, on the next business day;
“Blue Sky” Reporting. The Fund shall (i) identify to the Transfer Agent in writing those transactions and assets to be treated as exempt from blue sky reporting for each State and (ii) verify the establishment of transactions for each State on the system prior to activation and thereafter monitor the daily activity for each State. The responsibility of the Transfer Agent for the Fund’s blue sky State registration status is solely limited to the initial establishment of transactions subject to blue sky compliance by the Fund and providing a system which will enable the Fund to monitor the total number of Shares sold in each State;
National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”). (i) accept and effectuate the registration and maintenance of accounts through Networking and the purchase, redemption, transfer and exchange of shares in such accounts through Fund/SERV (Networking and Fund/SERV being programs operated by the NSCC on behalf of NSCC’s participants, including the Fund), in accordance with, instructions transmitted to and received by the Transfer Agent by transmission from NSCC on behalf of broker-dealers and banks which have been established by, or in accordance with the instructions of authorized persons, as hereinafter
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defined on the dealer file maintained by the Transfer Agent; (ii) issue instructions to Fund’s banks for the settlement of transactions between the Fund and NSCC (acting on behalf of its broker-dealer and bank participants); (iii) provide account and transaction information from the affected Fund’s records on DST Systems, Inc. computer system TA2000 (“TA2000 System”) in accordance with NSCC’s Networking and Fund/SERV rules for those broker-dealers; and (iv) maintain Shareholder accounts on TA2000 System through Networking;
New Procedures. New procedures as to who shall provide certain of these services in Section 1 may be established in writing from time to time by agreement between the Fund and the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent may at times perform only a portion of these services and the Fund or its agent may perform these services on the Fund’s behalf;
Additional Telephone Support Services. If the parties elect to have the Transfer Agent provide additional telephone support services under this Agreement, the parties will agree to such services, fees and sub-contracting as stated in Schedule 1.2(f) entitled “Telephone Support Services” attached hereto; and
Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) Delegation. If the Fund elects to delegate to the Transfer Agent certain AML duties under this Agreement, the parties will agree to such duties and terms as stated in the attached schedule (“Schedule 1.2(g) entitled “AML Delegation” which may be changed from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the parties. In consideration of the performance of the duties by the Transfer Agent pursuant to this Section 1.2(g), the Fund agrees to pay the Transfer Agent for the reasonable administrative expense that may be associated with such additional duties -in the amount as the parties may from time to time agree in writing in accordance with Section 3 (Fees and Expenses) below.
THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATORS FOR DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS
The Fund may decide to make available to certain of its-customers, a qualified plan program (the “Program”) pursuant to which the customers (“Employers”) may adopt certain plans of deferred compensation (“Plan or Plans”) for the benefit of the individual Plan participant (the “Plan Participant”), such Plan(s) being qualified under Section 401 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”) and administered by third party administrators which may be plan administrators as defined in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (the “TPA(s)”).
In accordance with the procedures established in the initial Schedule 2.1 entitled “Third Party Administrator Procedures”, as may be amended by the Transfer Agent and the Fund from time to time (“Schedule 2.1”), the Transfer Agent shall:
Treat Shareholder accounts established by the Plans in the name of the Trustees, Plans or TPAs as the case may be as omnibus accounts;
Maintain omnibus accounts on its records in the name of the TPA or its designee as the Trustee for the benefit of the Plan; and
Perform all services under Section 1 as transfer agent of the Funds and not as a record-keeper for the Plans.
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Transactions identified under Section 2 of this Agreement shall be deemed exception services (“Exception Services”) when such transactions:
Require the Transfer Agent to use methods and procedures other than those usually employed by the Transfer Agent to perform services under Section 1 of this Agreement;
Involve the provision of information to the Transfer Agent after the commencement of the nightly processing cycle of the TA2000 System; or
Require more manual intervention by the Transfer Agent, either in the entry of data or in the modification or amendment ‘of reports generated by the TA2000 System than is usually required by non-retirement plan and pre-nightly transactions.
FEES AND EXPENSES
Fee Schedule. For the performance by the Transfer Agent pursuant to this Agreement, the Fund agrees to pay the Transfer Agent an annual maintenance fee for each Shareholder account as set forth in the attached fee schedule (“Schedule 3.1”). Such fees and out-of-pocket expenses and advances identified under Section 3.2 below may be changed from time to time subject to mutual written agreement between the Fund and the Transfer Agent.
Out-of-Pocket Expenses. In addition to the fee paid under Section 3.1 above, the Fund agrees to reimburse the Transfer Agent for out-of-pocket expenses, including but not limited to confirmation production, postage; forms, telephone, microfilm, microfiche, mailing and tabulating proxies, records storage, or advances incurred by the Transfer Agent for the items set out in Schedule 3.1 attached hereto. In addition, any other expenses incurred by the Transfer Agent at the request or with the consent of the Fund, will be reimbursed by the- Fund.
Postage. Postage for mailing of dividends, proxies, Fund reports and other mailings to all shareholder accounts shall be advanced to the Transfer Agent by the Fund at least seven (7) days prior to the mailing date of such materials.
Invoices. The Fund agrees to pay all fees and reimbursable expenses within thirty (30) days following the receipt of the respective billing notice, except for any fees or expenses that are subject to good faith dispute. In the event of such a dispute, the Fund may only withhold that portion of the fee or expense subject to the good faith dispute. The Fund shall notify the Transfer Agent in writing within twenty-one (21) calendar days following the receipt of each billing notice if the Fund is disputing any amounts in good faith. If the Fund does not provide such notice of dispute within the required time, the billing notice will be deemed accepted by the Fund. The Fund shall settle such disputed amounts within five (5) days of the day on which the parties agree on the amount to be paid by payment of the agreed amount. If no agreement is reached, then such disputed amounts shall be settled as may be required by law or legal process.
Cost of Living Adjustment. Unless the parties shall otherwise agree and provided that the service mix and volumes remain consistent as provided in the previous year, the total fee for all services for a year shall equal the fee that would be charged for
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the same services based on a fee rate (as reflected in a fee rate, schedule) increased by the percentage increase for the twelve-month period of such previous calendar year of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, for the Boston area, as published bimonthly by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or, in the event that publication of such Index is terminated, any successor or substitute index, appropriately adjusted, acceptable to both parties.
Late Payments. If any undisputed amount in an invoice of the Transfer Agent (for fees or reimbursable expenses) is not paid when due, the Fund shall pay the Transfer Agent interest thereon (from the due date to the date of payment) at a per annum rate equal to one percent (1.0%) plus the Prime Rate (that is, the base rate on corporate loans posted by large domestic banks) published by The Wall Street Journal (or, in the event such rate is not so published, a reasonably equivalent published rate selected by the Fund) on the first day of publication during the month when such amount was due. Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, such interest rate shall be no greater than permitted under applicable provisions of Massachusetts law.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE TRANSFER AGENT
THE TRANSFER AGENT REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS TO THE FUND THAT:
It is a trust company duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Charter and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement.
It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities, equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under this Agreement.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE FUND
The Fund represents and warrants to the Transfer Agent that:
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It is a statutory trust duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
It is empowered under applicable laws and by its Declaration of Trust and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
All corporate proceedings required by said Declaration of Trust and By-Laws have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement.
It is an open-end and diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended is currently effective and will remain effective, and appropriate state securities law filings have been made and will continue to be made, with respect to all Shares of the Fund being offered for sale.
WIRE TRANSFER OPERATING GUIDELINES/ARTICLES 4A OF THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE
Obligation of Sender. The Transfer Agent is authorized to promptly debit the appropriate Fund account(s) upon the receipt of a payment order in compliance with the selected security procedure (the “Security Procedure”) chosen for funds transfer and in the amount of money that the Transfer Agent has been instructed to transfer. The Transfer Agent shall execute payment orders in compliance with the Security Procedure and with the Fund instructions on the execution date provided that such payment order is received by the customary deadline for processing such a request, unless the payment order specifies a later time. All payment orders and communications received after this the customary deadline will be deemed to have been received the next business day.
Security Procedure. The Fund acknowledges that the Security Procedure it has designated on the Fund Selection Form was selected by the Fund from security procedures offered by the Transfer Agent. The Fund shall restrict access to confidential information relating to the Security Procedure to authorized persons as communicated to the Transfer Agent in writing. The Fund must notify the Transfer Agent immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information or of any change in the Fund’s authorized personnel. The Transfer Agent shall verify the authenticity of all Fund instructions according to the Security Procedure.
Account Numbers. The Transfer Agent shall process -all payment orders on the basis of the account number contained in the payment order. In the event of a discrepancy between any name indicated on the payment order and the account number, the account number shall take precedence and govern.
Rejection. The Transfer Agent reserves the right to decline to process or delay the processing of a payment order which (a) is in excess of the collected balance in the account to be charged at the time of the Transfer Agent’s receipt of such payment order; (b) if initiating such payment order would cause the Transfer Agent, in the Transfer Agent’s sole judgement, to exceed any volume, aggregate dollar, network, time, credit or similar limits which are applicable to the Transfer Agent; or (c) if the Transfer Agent, in good faith, is unable to satisfy itself that the transaction has been properly authorized.
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Cancellation Amendment. The Transfer Agent shall use reasonable efforts to act on all authorized requests to cancel or amend payment orders received in compliance with the Security Procedure provided that such requests are received in a timely manner affording the Transfer Agent reasonable opportunity to act. However, the Transfer Agent assumes no liability if the request for amendment or cancellation cannot be satisfied.
Errors. The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for failure to detect any erroneous payment order provided that the Transfer Agent complies with the payment order instructions as received and the Transfer Agent complies with the Security Procedure. The Security Procedure is established for the purpose of authenticating payment orders only and not for the detection of errors in payment orders.
Interest. The Transfer Agent shall assume no responsibility for lost interest with respect to the refundable amount of any unauthorized payment order, unless the Transfer Agent is notified of the unauthorized payment order within thirty (30) days of notification by the Transfer Agent of the acceptance of such payment order.
ACH Credit Entries/Provisional Payments. When the Fund initiates or receives Automated Clearing House credit and debit entries pursuant to these guidelines and the rules of the National Automated Clearing House Association and the New England Clearing House Association, the Transfer Agent will act as an Originating Depository Financial Institution and/or Receiving Depository Financial Institution, as the case may be, with respect to such entries. Credits given by the Transfer Agent with respect to an ACH credit entry are provisional until the Transfer Agent receives final settlement for such entry from the Federal Reserve Bank. If the Transfer Agent does not receive such final settlement, the Fund agrees that the Transfer Agent shall receive a refund of the amount credited to the Fund in connection with such entry, and the party making payment to the Fund via such entry shall not be deemed to have paid the amount of the entry.
Confirmation. Confirmation of Transfer Agent’s execution of payment orders shall ordinarily be provided within twenty four (24) hours notice of which may be delivered through the Transfer Agent’s proprietary information systems, or by facsimile or call-back. Fund must report any objections to the execution of an order within thirty (30) days.
DATA ACCESS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
The Fund acknowledges that the databases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and documentation manuals furnished to the Fund by the Transfer Agent as part of the Fund’s ability to access certain Fund-related data (“Customer Data”) maintained by the Transfer Agent on databases under the control and ownership of the Transfer Agent or other third party (“Data Access Services”) constitute copyrighted, trade secret, or other proprietary information (collectively, “Proprietary Information”) of substantial value to the Transfer Agent or other third party. In no event shall Proprietary Information be deemed Customer Data. The Fund ,agrees to treat all Proprietary Information as proprietary to the
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Transfer Agent and further agrees that it shall not divulge any Proprietary Information to any person or organization except as may be provided hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing, the Fund agrees for itself and its employees and agents to:
Use such programs and databases (i) solely on the Fund’s computers, or (ii) solely from equipment at the location agreed to between the Fund and the Transfer Agent and (iii) solely in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s applicable user documentation;
Refrain from copying or duplicating in any way (other than in the normal course of performing processing; on the Fund’s computer(s)), the Proprietary Information;
Refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion of the Proprietary Information, and if such access is inadvertently obtained, to inform in a timely manner of such fact and dispose of such information in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s instructions;
Refrain from causing or allowing information transmitted from the Transfer Agent’s computer to the Fund’s terminal to be retransmitted to any other computer terminal or other device except as expressly permitted by the Transfer Agent (such permission not to be unreasonably withheld);
Allow the Fund to have access only to those authorized transactions as agreed to between the Fund and the Transfer Agent; and
Honor all reasonable written requests made by the Transfer Agent to protect at the Transfer Agent’s expense the rights of the Transfer Agent in Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright law and under other federal or state law.
Proprietary Information shall not include all or any portion of any of the foregoing items that: (i) are or become publicly available without breach of this Agreement; (ii) are released for general disclosure by a written release by the Transfer Agent; or (iii) are already in the possession of the receiving party at the time of receipt without obligation of confidentiality or breach of this Agreement.
The Fund acknowledges that its obligation to protect the Transfer Agent’s Proprietary Information is essential to the business interest of the Transfer Agent and that the disclosure of such Proprietary Information in breach of this Agreement would cause the Transfer Agent immediate, substantial and irreparable harm, the value of which-would be extremely difficult to determine. Accordingly, the parties agree that, in addition to any other remedies that may be available in law, equity, or otherwise for the disclosure or use of the Proprietary Information in breach of this Agreement, the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to seek and obtain a temporary restraining order, injunctive relief, or other equitable relief against the continuance of such breach.
If the Fund notifies the Transfer Agent that any of the Data Access Services do not operate in material compliance with the most recently issued user documentation for such services, the Transfer Agent shall endeavor in a timely manner to correct such failure. Organizations from which the Transfer Agent may obtain certain data included in the Data Access Services are solely
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responsible for the contents of such data and the Fund agrees to make no claim against the Transfer Agent arising out of the contents of such third-party data, including, but not limited to, the accuracy thereof. DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS IS, AS AVAILABLE BASIS. THE TRANSFER AGENT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXCEPT THOSE EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING., BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
If the transactions available to the Fund include the ability to originate electronic instructions to the Transfer Agent in order to (i) effect the transfer or movement of cash or Shares or (ii) transmit Shareholder information or other information, then in such event the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely on the validity and authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any further inquiry as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with security procedures established by the Transfer Agent from time to time.
Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of their obligations pursuant to this Section 7. The obligations of this Section shall survive any earlier termination of this Agreement.
INDEMNIFICATION
The Transfer Agent shall not be responsible for, and the Fund shall indemnify and hold the Transfer Agent harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees, payments, expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to:
All actions of the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement (including the defense of any law suit in which the Transfer Agent or affiliate is a named party), provided that such actions are taken in good faith and without negligence or willful misconduct;
The Fund’s lack of good faith, negligence or willful misconduct;
The reliance upon, and any subsequent use of or action taken or omitted, by the Transfer Agent, or its agents or subcontractors on: (i) any information, records, documents, data, stock certificates or services, which are received by the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, facsimile, CRT data entry, electronic instructions or other similar means authorized by the Fund, and which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Fund or any other person or firm on behalf of the Fund including but not limited to any broker-dealer, TPA or previous transfer agent; (ii) any instructions or requests of the Fund or any of its officers; (iii) any instructions or opinions of legal counsel with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement which are provided to the Transfer Agent after consultation with such legal counsel; or (iv) any paper or document, reasonably believed to be genuine, authentic, or signed by the proper person or persons;
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The offer or sale of Shares in violation of federal or state securities laws or regulations requiring that such Shares be registered or in violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any federal or any state agency with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares
The negotiation and processing of any checks including without limitation for deposit into the Fund’s demand deposit account maintained by the Transfer Agent; or
Upon the Fund’s request entering into any agreements required by the NSCC for the transmission of Fund or Shareholder data through the NSCC clearing systems.
In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this Section 8 shall apply, upon the assertion of a claim for which the Fund may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall promptly notify the Fund of such assertion, and shall keep the Fund advised. with respect to all developments concerning such claim. The Fund shall have the option to participate with the Transfer Agent in the defense of such claim or to defend against said claim in its own name or in the name of the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in any case in which the Fund may be required to indemnify the Transfer Agent except with the Fund’s prior written consent.
STANDARD OF CARE/LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
The Transfer Agent shall at all times act in good faith and agrees to use its best efforts within reasonable limits to ensure the accuracy of all services performed under this Agreement, but assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors, including encoding and payment processing errors, unless said errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of its employees or agents. The parties agree that any encoding or payment processing errors shall be governed by this standard of care and Section 4-209 of the Uniform Commercial Code is superseded by Section 9 of this Agreement. This standard of care also shall apply to Exception Services, as defined in Section 2.3 herein, but such application shall take into consideration the manual processing involved in, and time sensitive nature of, Exception Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Transfer Agent’s aggregate liability during any term of this Agreement with respect to, arising from or arising in connection with this Agreement, or from all services provided or omitted to be provided by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement, whether in contract, or in tort, or otherwise, is limited to, and shall not exceed, the aggregate of the amounts actually received hereunder by the Transfer Agent as fees and charges, but not including reimbursable expenses, during the twelve (12) calendar months immediately preceding the first event for which recovery from the Transfer Agent Financial is being sought.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The Transfer Agent and the Fund agree that they will not, at any time during the term of this Agreement or after its termination, reveal, divulge, or make known to any person, firm, corporation or other business organization, any customers’ lists, trade secrets, cost figures and projections, profit figures and projections, or any other secret or confidential information whatsoever,
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whether of the Transfer Agent or of the Fund, used or gained by the Transfer Agent or the Fund during performance under this Agreement. The Fund and the Transfer Agent further covenant and agree to retain all such knowledge and information acquired during and after the term of this Agreement respecting such lists, trade secrets, or any secret or confidential information whatsoever in trust for the sole benefit of the Transfer Agent or the Fund and their successors and assigns. In the event of breach of the foregoing by either party, the remedies provided by Section 7.3 shall be available to the party whose confidential information is disclosed. The above prohibition of disclosure shall not apply to the extent that the Transfer Agent must disclose such data to its sub-contractor or Fund agent for purposes of providing services under this Agreement.
In the event that any requests or demands are made for the inspection of the Shareholder records of the Fund, other than request for records of Shareholders pursuant to standard subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (i.e., divorce and criminal actions), the Transfer Agent will endeavor to notify the Fund and to secure instructions from an authorized officer of the Fund as to such inspection. The Transfer Agent expressly reserves the right, however, to exhibit the Shareholder records to any person whenever it is advised by counsel that it may be held liable for the failure to exhibit the Shareholder records to such person or if required by law or court order.
COVENANTS OF THE FUND AND THE TRANSFER AGENT
The Fund shall promptly furnish to the Transfer Agent the following:
A certified copy of the resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Fund authorizing the appointment of the Transfer Agent and the execution and delivery of this Agreement; and
A copy of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Fund and all amendments thereto.
The Transfer Agent hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities and procedures reasonably acceptable to the Fund for safekeeping of stock certificates, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting devices, if any; and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account of, such certificates, forms and devices.
The Transfer Agent shall keep records relating to the services to be performed hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To the extent required by Section 31 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Rules thereunder, the Transfer Agent agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by the Transfer Agent relating to the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent hereunder are the property of the Fund and will be preserved, maintained and made available in accordance with such Section and Rules, and will be surrendered promptly to the Fund on and in accordance with its request.
TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
Term. This Agreement shall be effective commencing on the date first above written and shall continue in effect unless terminated by either party. upon sixty (60) days written notice. The parties to this Agreement will agree upon a Fee Schedule for the
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upcoming year sixty (60) days prior to the start of the next year otherwise, the fees shall be increased pursuant to Section 3.5 of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall continue to apply until the completion of the deconversion.
Termination without Required Notice. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, should the Fund desire to move any of its services provided by the Transfer Agent hereunder to a successor service provider without the required notice, the Transfer Agent shall make a good faith effort to facilitate the conversion on such prior date; however, there can be no guarantee or assurance that the Transfer Agent will be able to facilitate a conversion of services on such prior date. In connection with the foregoing, should services be converted to a successor service provider, or if the Fund is liquidated or its assets merged or purchased or the like with or by another entity which does not utilize the services of the Transfer Agent, the fees payable to the Transfer Agent shall be calculated as if the services had been performed by the Transfer Agent until the expiration of such sixty (60) day notice period and calculated at the asset and/or Shareholder account levels, as the case may be, on the date notice of termination was given to the Transfer Agent, and the payment of all fees to the Transfer Agent as set forth herein shall be accelerated to the business day immediately prior to the deconversion or termination of services.
Costs upon Termination. Should either party exercise its right to terminate, all out-ofpocket expenses or costs associated with the movement of records and material will be borne by the Fund. Additionally, the Transfer Agent reserves the right to charge for any other reasonable expenses associated with such termination.
Confidential Information. Upon termination of this Agreement, each party shall return to the other party all copies of confidential or proprietary materials or information received from such other party hereunder, other than materials or information required to be retained by such party under applicable laws or regulations.
Unpaid Invoices. The Transfer Agent may terminate this Agreement immediately upon an unpaid invoice payable by the Fund to the Transfer Agent being outstanding for more than ninety (90) days, except with respect to any amount subject to a good faith dispute within the meaning of Section 3.4 of this Agreement.
Bankruptcy. Either party hereto may terminate this Agreement by notice to the other party, effective at any time specified therein, in the event that (a) the other party ceases to carry on its business or (b) an action is commenced by or against the other party under Title 11 of the United States Code or a receiver, conservator or similar officer is appointed for the other party and such suit, conservatorship or receivership is not discharged within thirty (30) days.
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ASSIGNMENT AND THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES.
Except as provided in Section 14.1 below, neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party without the written consent of the other party. Any attempt to do so in violation of this Section shall be void. Unless specifically stated to the contrary in any written consent to an assignment, no assignment will release or discharge the assignor from any duty or responsibility under this Agreement.
Except as explicitly stated elsewhere in this Agreement, nothing under this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in this Agreement to anyone other than the Transfer Agent and the Fund, and the duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Transfer Agent and the Fund. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for a partnership or joint venture between the Transfer Agent and the Fund. Other than as provided in Section 14.1 and Schedule 1.2(f), neither party shall make any commitments with third parties that are binding on the other party without the other party’s prior written consent.
SUBCONTRACTORS
The Transfer Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Fund, subcontract for the performance hereof with (i) Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (“Boston Financial”) which is duly registered as a transfer agent pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (ii) a Boston Financial subsidiary duly registered as a transfer agent or (iii) a Boston Financial affiliate duly registered as a transfer agent; provided, however, that the Transfer Agent shall be fully responsible to the Fund for the acts and omissions of Boston Financial or its subsidiary or affiliate as it is for its own acts and omissions.
Nothing herein shall impose any duty upon the Transfer Agent in connection with or make the Transfer Agent liable for the actions or omissions to act of unaffiliated third parties such as by way of example and not limitation, Airborne Services, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, the U.S. Mails, the NSCC and telecommunication companies, provided, if the Transfer Agent selected such company, the Transfer Agent shall have exercised due care in selecting the same.
MISCELLANEOUS
Amendment. This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written agreement executed by both parties and authorized or approved by a resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Fund.
Massachusetts Law to Apply. This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted wider and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Force Majeure. In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, equipment or transmission failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or other causes reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting from such failure to perform or otherwise from such causes.
Consequential Damages. Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to the other party for special, indirect or consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement or for any special, indirect or consequential damages arising out of any act or failure to act hereunder.
Survival. All provisions regarding indemnification, warranty, liability, and limits thereon, and confidentiality and/or protections of proprietary rights and trade secrets shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.
Priorities Clause. In the event of any conflict, discrepancy or ambiguity between the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and any Schedules or attachments hereto, the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement shall take precedence.
Waiver. No waiver by either party or any breach or default of any of the covenants or conditions herein contained and performed by the other party shall be construed as a waiver of any succeeding breach of the same or of any other covenant or condition.
Merger of Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written.
Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of counterparts, and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
Reproduction of Documents. This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits, attachments and amendments hereto may be reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic or other similar process. The parties hereto each agree that any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not the original is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by a party in the regular course of business, and that any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence.
Notices. All notices and other communications as required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed as follows or to such other address or addresses of which the respective party shall have notified the other.
(a)
If to State Street Bank and Trust Company, to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
c/o Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.
0 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Legal Department
Fax: 000-000-0000
(b)
If to the Fund, to:.
00000 Xx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Fax: 000-000-0000
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY OF THE TRUSTEES AND SHAREHOLDERS
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is executed on behalf of the Trustees of the Trust as Trustees and not individually and that the obligations of this instrument are not binding upon any of the Trustees or Shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Fund.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized officers, as of the day and year first above written.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||||
By: | By: | |||
Name: |
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
Name: |
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Title: |
Executive Vice President | Title: |
Chief Executive Officer | |
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SCHEDULE 1.2(G)
AML DELEGATION
Delegation. In connection with the enactment of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 and the regulations promulgated thereunder, (collectively, the “USA PATRIOT Act”), the Fund has developed and implemented a written anti-money laundering program (the “AML Program”), which is designed to satisfy the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act. Under the USA PATRIOT Act, a mutual fund can elect to delegate certain duties with respect to the implementation and operation of its AML Program to a service provider, including its transfer agent. The Fund is desirous of having the Transfer Agent perform certain delegated duties pursuant to the AML Program and the Transfer Agent desires to accept such delegation.
Limitation on Delegation. The Fund acknowledges and agrees that in accepting the delegation hereunder, the Transfer Agent is agreeing to perform only those duties that have been expressly delegated on this Schedule 1.26 (the “Delegated Duties”), as may be amended from time to time, and is not undertaking and shall not be responsible for any other aspect of the AML Program or for the overall compliance by the Fund with the USA PATRIOT Act or for any other matters that have not been delegated hereunder. Additionally, the parties acknowledge and agree that the Transfer Agent shall only be responsible for performing the Delegated Duties with respect to the ownership of, and transactions in, shares in the Fund for which the Transfer Agent maintains the applicable shareholder information.
Consent to Examination. In connection with the performance by the Transfer Agent of the Delegated Duties, the Transfer Agent understands and acknowledges that the Fund remains responsible for assuring compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act and that the records the Transfer Agent maintains for the Fund relating to the AML Program may be subject, from time to time, to examination and/or inspection by federal regulators in order that the regulators may evaluate such compliance. The Transfer Agent hereby consents to such examination and/or inspection and agrees to cooperate with such federal examiners in connection with their review. For purposes of such examination and/or inspection, the Transfer Agent will use its best efforts to make available, during normal business hours and on reasonable notice all required records and information for review by such examiners.
Delegated Duties
With respect to the beneficial ownership of, and transactions in, shares m the Fund for which the Transfer Agent maintains the applicable shareholder information, the Transfer Agent shall:
(a) Submit all financial and non-financial transactions through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) database and such other lists or databases as may be required from time to time by applicable regulatory authorities;
Review redemption transactions that occur within thirty (30) days of account or maintenance;
Review wires sent pursuant to banking instructions other than those on file;
Review a Shareholder’s account for unusual activity when purchases and redemptions by the Shareholder (based on social security number or other tax identification number within the Fund’s records) hit the $100,000 threshold that has been set on the “Unusual Activity Warning System”;
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Review accounts to identify those established by known offenders attempting fraud and once identified, freeze such accounts; and
Monitor and track cash equivalents under $10,000 for a rolling twelve-month period and file Form 8300 as required by law.
In the event that the Transfer Agent detects suspicious activity as a result of the foregoing procedures, which necessitates the filing by the Transfer Agent of a suspicious activity report, a Form 8300 or other similar report or notice to OFAC, then the Transfer Agent shall also immediately notify the Fund, unless prohibited by applicable law.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||||
By: | By: | |||
Name: |
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
Name: |
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Title: |
Executive Vice President |
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer | |
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SCHEDULE 3.1
FEES
Dated July 10, 2003
General: Fees are based on an annual per Shareholder account charge for account maintenance plus transaction and out-of-pocket expenses. Fees are billable on a monthly basis at the rate of 1/12 of the annual fee. A charge is made for an account in the month that an account opens or closes.
Annual Account Service Fees | |
Base Fee Per Fund/CUSIP | $12,500ICUSIP |
Closed Accounts | $2.40/account |
New Funds/CUSIPS Opened | $15,000/CUSIP |
Activity Based Fees | |
New Account Set-up | $4.00/account |
Correspondence | $3.00/each |
Manual Transactions | $2.00/each |
Automated Work Distributor (Image Enabled Work Management) | |
Remote License Fee & AWD Data Center Fee Combined | $5,000/workstation/year* |
*Does not include hardware or line charges. | |
XXX Custodial Fees (If Applicable) | |
Annual Maintenance (Paid by Shareholder) | $12.50/account |
Termination | |
A termination fee will be assessed if Gold Bank terminates the agreement for any reason other than material breach as further described in the contract. The fee will consist of the actual DST Systems, Inc./Transfer Agent expense for any implementation cost, which will be amortized over the initial term of the agreement plus $25,000 per year for any years or partial year remaining within the initial term. | |
Other Fees: | |
Audio Response TA2000/Voice | $0.32/call |
Voice Recognition TA2000/Voice | $0.37/call |
These Fees are estimated and include but are not limited to AT&T, 800 line charges and call transfer capabilities. | |
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SCHEDULE 3.1
FEES
(continued)
Out-of-Pocket Expenses:
Out-of-Pocket expenses include but are not limited to: confirmation statements, average cost statements, investor statements, postage, forms, audio response, telephone, records retention, customized programming / enhancements, federal wire, transcripts, microfilm, microfiche, and expenses incurred at the specific direction of the fund.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Name: | Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Title: | Executive Vice President | Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
