FORM OF AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
Exhibit
4
[ ],
2009
In
order to consummate the reorganization contemplated herein (the "Reorganization") and
in consideration of the promises and the covenants and agreements hereinafter
set forth, and intending to be legally bound, BlackRock XXXXXX (the "Target Fund"), a
registered, diversified, closed-end investment company, File No. 811-XXXX and
BlackRock Global Opportunities Equity Trust (the "Acquiring Fund", and,
together with the Target Fund, the "Funds"), a registered, diversified,
closed-end investment company, File No. 811-XXXX, each hereby agree as
follows:
1.
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REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE ACQUIRING
FUND.
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The
Acquiring Fund represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Target Fund
that:
(a) The Acquiring Fund is a statutory trust duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing in conformity with the laws of the State of Delaware, and has the power to own all of its
assets and to carry out this Agreement. The Acquiring Fund has all
necessary federal, state
and local authorizations to carry on its business as it is now being conducted
and to carry out this Agreement.
(b) The Acquiring Fund is duly registered
under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "1940
Act"), as a diversified, closed-end management investment company and such
registration has not been revoked or rescinded and is in full force and
effect.
(c) The Acquiring Fund has provided or made
available (including by electronic format) to the Target Fund the Acquiring
Fund's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008, and the audited financial statements
appearing therein, having been audited by
, independent registered
public accounting firm, fairly present the financial position of the Acquiring
Fund as of the respective
dates indicated, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in
the United States
applied on a consistent
basis.
(d) An unaudited statement of assets,
liabilities and capital of the Acquiring Fund and an unaudited schedule
of investments of the
Acquiring Fund, each as of the Valuation Time (as defined in Section
3(e) herein), will be provided or made available (including by
electronic format) furnished to the Target Fund, at or
prior to the Closing Date (as defined in Section 7(a) herein), for the purpose of
determining the number of Acquiring Fund Common Shares (as defined in Section 1(l) herein) to
be issued pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement; each will fairly present the
financial position of the Acquiring Fund as of the Valuation Time (as defined in Section 3(e))
in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent
basis.
(e) The Acquiring Fund has full power and
authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this
Agreement. The execution, delivery and performance of
this Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary action of the Acquiring Fund's Board of Trustees, and this Agreement constitutes a
valid and binding contract of the Acquiring Fund enforceable against the Acquiring Fund in accordance with its terms, subject to
the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance and
similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and court decisions
with respect thereto.
(f) There are no material legal, administrative or other
proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Acquiring Fund, threatened
against it which assert liability on the part of the Acquiring Fund or which
materially affect its financial condition or its ability to
consummate the Reorganization. The
Acquiring Fund is not charged with or, to the best of its knowledge, threatened
with any violation or investigation of any possible violation of any provisions
of any federal, state or local law or regulation or administrative
ruling relating to any aspect of its
business.
(g) The Acquiring Fund is not obligated
under any provision of its Agreement and Declaration of
Trust or its Bylaws, each
as amended to the date hereof, and is not a party to any contract or other
commitment or
1
obligation, and is not subject to any order
or decree, which would be violated by its execution of or performance under this
Agreement, except insofar as the Funds have mutually agreed to amend such
contract or other commitment or obligation to cure any potential violation as a condition precedent to
the Reorganization.
(h) There are no material contracts
outstanding to which the Acquiring Fund is a party that have not been disclosed
in the N-14 Registration Statement (as defined in subsection (k) below) or that
will not otherwise be
disclosed to the Target Fund prior to the Valuation Time.
(i) The Acquiring Fund has no known
liabilities of a material amount, contingent or otherwise, other than those
shown on its statements of assets, liabilities and capital referred to
in subsection (d) above, those incurred in the ordinary
course of its business as an investment company, and those incurred in
connection with the Reorganization. As of the Valuation Time, the
Acquiring Fund will advise the Target Fund of all known liabilities, contingent or otherwise, whether
or not incurred in the ordinary course of business, existing or accrued as of
such time, except to the extent disclosed in the financial statements referred
to in subsection (d) above or to the extent already known
by the Target
Fund.
(j) No consent, approval, authorization or
order of any court or government authority is required for the consummation by
the Acquiring Fund of the Reorganization, except such as may be required under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933
Act"), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the "1934
Act") and the 1940 Act or state securities
laws (which term as used herein shall include the laws of the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico)
each of which will have been obtained on or prior to the Closing
Date.
(k) The registration statement filed by the
Acquiring Fund on Form N-14, which includes the proxy statement of the Target
Fund and the Acquiring Fund with respect to the transactions contemplated herein
(the "Joint Proxy
Statement/Prospectus"), and any supplement or amendment
thereto or to the documents therein (as amended or supplemented, the
"N-14
Registration Statement"), on its effective date, at the time of
the shareholders' meetings referred to in Section 8(a) of
this Agreement and at the
Closing Date, insofar as it relates to the Acquiring Fund, (i) complied or will
comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934
Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and (ii) did not
or will not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and the
Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus included therein did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; provided, however, that the representations and warranties in this subsection only
shall apply to statements in or omissions from the N-14 Registration Statement
made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished by the
Acquiring Fund for use in the N-14 Registration Statement.
(l) The Acquiring Fund is authorized to issue
an unlimited number
of common shares, par value $0.001 per share (the "Acquiring
Fund Common Shares"). Each outstanding Acquiring
Fund Common Share is fully paid and nonassessable and has full voting
rights.
(m) The Acquiring Fund Common Shares to be issued to the Target Fund
pursuant to this Agreement will have been duly authorized and, when issued and
delivered pursuant to this Agreement, will be legally and validly
issued, will be fully paid and nonassessable
and will have full voting
rights, and no shareholder of the Acquiring Fund will have any preemptive right
of subscription or purchase in respect thereof.
(n) At or prior to the Closing Date, the
Acquiring Fund Common
Shares to be transferred to
the Target Fund for distribution to the shareholders of the Target Fund on the Closing Date
will be duly qualified for offering to the public in all states of
the United States
in which the sale of shares
of the Funds presently are qualified, and there will be a sufficient number of
such shares registered
under the 1933 Act to permit the transfers contemplated by this Agreement to be
consummated.
(o) At or prior to the Closing Date, the
Acquiring Fund will have obtained any and all regulatory, Trustee and shareholder approvals necessary
to issue the Acquiring Fund Common Shares to the Target Fund.
2
(p) The Acquiring Fund has filed, or intends
to file, or has obtained extensions to file, all federal, state and local tax
returns which are required to be filed by it, and has paid or has obtained
extensions to pay, all
federal, state and local taxes shown on said returns to be due and owing and all
assessments received by it, up to and including the taxable year in which the
Closing Date occurs. All tax liabilities of the Acquiring Fund have
been adequately provided for on its books, and
no tax deficiency or liability of the Acquiring Fund has been asserted and no
question with respect thereto has been raised by the Internal Revenue Service or
by any state or local tax authority for taxes in excess of those already paid, up to and
including the taxable year in which the Closing Date occurs.
(q) The Acquiring Fund has elected to
qualify and has qualified as a regulated investment company within the meaning
of Section 851 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) for each of its taxable years since
its inception; and has satisfied the RIC distribution requirements imposed by
Section 852 of the Code for each of its taxable years.
2.
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REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE TARGET FUND.
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The Target Fund represents and warrants
to, and agrees with, the Acquiring Fund that:
(a) The Target Fund is a statutory trust duly organized, validly existing and in
good standing in conformity with the laws of the State of Delaware, and has the power to own all of
its assets and to carry out
this Agreement. The Target Fund has all necessary federal, state and
local authorizations to carry on its business as it is now being conducted and
to carry out this Agreement.
(b) The Target Fund is duly registered under
the Investment Company Act of 1940 as a diversified, closed-end
management investment company, and such registration has not been revoked or
rescinded and is in full force and effect.
(c) The Target Fund has full power and
authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this
Agreement. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement
has been duly authorized by all necessary action of the Target Funds Board of Trustees and this Agreement constitutes a valid
and binding contract of the
Target Fund enforceable against the Target Fund in accordance with its terms, subject to
the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance and
similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and court decisions
with respect thereto.
(d) The Target Fund has provided or made
available (including by electronic format) to the Acquiring Fund the Target
Fund's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008, and the audited financial statements
appearing therein, having
been audited by
, independent registered
public accounting firm, fairly present the financial position of the Target Fund
as of the respective dates indicated, in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the
United States applied on a consistent
basis.
(e) An unaudited statement of assets,
liabilities and capital of the Target Fund and an unaudited schedule of
investments of the Target Fund, each as of the Valuation Time (as defined in Section
3(e)), will be provided or made available (including by electronic format)
to the Acquiring Fund at or
prior to the Closing Date for the purpose of determining the number of shares of
Acquiring Fund Common
Shares to be issued to the
Target Fund pursuant to Section 3 of this Agreement; each will fairly present the financial
position of the Target Fund as of the Valuation Time (as defined in Section
3(e)) in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent
basis.
(f) There are no material legal,
administrative or other
proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Target Fund, threatened against
it which assert liability on the part of the Target Fund or which materially
affect its financial condition or its ability to consummate the
Reorganization. The Target Fund is not charged with or, to the best of
its knowledge, threatened with any violation or investigation of any possible
violation of any provisions of any federal, state or local law or regulation or
administrative ruling relating to any aspect of its business.
3
(g) There are no material contracts
outstanding to which the Target Fund is a party that have not been disclosed in
the N-14 Registration Statement or will not otherwise be disclosed to the
Acquiring Fund prior to the Valuation Time.
(h) The Target Fund is not obligated under any provision of its
Agreement and Declaration
of Trust or its Bylaws,
each as amended to the date hereof, or a party to any contract or other
commitment or obligation, and is not subject to any order or decree which would
be violated by its
execution of or performance under this Agreement, except insofar as the Funds
have mutually agreed to amend such contract or other commitment or obligation to
cure any potential violation as a condition precedent to the
Reorganization.
(i) The Target Fund has no known liabilities of a material
amount, contingent or otherwise, other than those shown on its statements of
assets, liabilities and capital referred to in subsection (e) above, those incurred in the ordinary
course of its business as an investment company and those incurred in connection
with the Reorganization. As of the Valuation Time, the Target Fund
will advise the Acquiring Fund of all known liabilities, contingent or
otherwise, whether or not incurred in the ordinary course of business,
existing or accrued as of such
time, except to the extent
disclosed in subsection (e) above or to the extent already known by the
Acquiring Fund.
(j) The Target Fund has filed, or intends to
file, or has obtained extensions to file, all federal, state and local
tax returns which are
required to be filed by it, and has paid or has obtained extensions to pay, all
federal, state and local taxes shown on said returns to be due and owing and all
assessments received by it, up to and including the taxable year in which
the Closing Date occurs. All
tax liabilities of the Target Fund have been adequately provided for on its
books, and no tax deficiency or liability of the Target Fund has been asserted
and no question with respect thereto has been raised by the Internal
Revenue Service or by any state or local tax
authority for taxes in excess of those already paid, up to and including the
taxable year in which the Closing Date occurs.
(k) At both the Valuation Time and the
Closing Date, the Target Fund will have full right, power and authority to sell, assign,
transfer and deliver the Target Fund Investments. As used in this
Agreement, the term "Target Fund
Investments" shall mean (i) the investments of the
Target Fund shown on the schedule of its investments as of the
Valuation Time furnished to
the Acquiring Fund; and (ii) all other assets owned by the Target Fund or
liabilities incurred as of the Valuation Time. At the Closing Date,
subject only to the obligation to deliver the Target Fund Investments as
contemplated by this Agreement, the Target Fund will have
good and marketable title to all of the Target Fund Investments, and the
Acquiring Fund will acquire all of the Target Fund Investments free and clear of
any encumbrances, liens or security interests and without any restrictions upon the transfer thereof
(except those imposed by the federal or state securities laws and those
imperfections of title or encumbrances as do not materially detract from the
value or use of the Target Fund Investments or materially affect
title thereto).
(l) No consent, approval, authorization or
order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by
the Target Fund of the Reorganization, except such as may be required under the
1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the 1940 Act or state securities laws (which term as used herein shall include
the laws of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) each of which will have been obtained
on or prior to the Closing Date.
(m) The N-14 Registration Statement, on its
effective date, at the time of the shareholders' meetings called to vote on this
Agreement and on the Closing Date, insofar as it relates to the Target Fund (i)
complied or will comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933
Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and (ii)
did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus included therein did not
or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the
representations and warranties in this subsection shall apply only to statements
in or omissions from the N-14 Registration Statement made in reliance upon and
in conformity with information furnished by the Target Fund for use in the N-14 Registration
Statement.
(n) The Target Fund is authorized to issue
an unlimited number of
common shares, par value $0.001 per share (the "Target Fund
Common Shares"). Each outstanding Target
Fund Common Share is fully paid and nonassessable and has full voting
rights.
4
(o) All of the issued and outstanding Target
Fund Common Shares were offered for sale and sold in conformity with all
applicable federal and state securities laws.
(p) The books and records of the Target Fund
made available to the Acquiring Fund and/or its counsel are substantially
true and correct and contain no material misstatements or omissions with respect
to the operations of the Target Fund.
(q) The Target Fund will not sell or
otherwise dispose of any of the Acquiring Fund Common Shares to be received in the Reorganization,
except in distribution to the shareholders of the Target Fund as provided in
Section 3 of this Agreement.
(r) The Target Fund has elected to qualify
and has qualified as a regulated investment company within the meaning of
Section 851 of the Code for
each of its taxable years since its inception; and has satisfied the RIC
distribution requirements imposed by Section 852 of the Code for each of its
taxable years.
3.
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THE
REORGANIZATION.
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(a) Subject to receiving the requisite
approvals of the
shareholders of the Funds, and to the other terms and conditions
contained herein, the Target Fund agrees to convey, transfer and deliver to the
Acquiring Fund and the Acquiring Fund agrees to acquire from the Target Fund, on
the Closing Date, all of
the Target Fund Investments (including interest accrued as of the Valuation Time
on debt instruments), and assume substantially all of the liabilities of the
Target Fund, in exchange for that number of Acquiring Fund Common Shares provided in Section 4 of this Agreement. Pursuant
to this Agreement, as soon as practicable after the Closing Date, the Target
Fund will distribute all Acquiring Fund Common Shares received by it to its shareholders in exchange for their Target Fund
Common Shares. Such distributions shall be accomplished by the
opening of shareholder accounts on the share ledger records of the Acquiring
Fund in the amounts due the shareholders of the Target Fund based on their
respective holdings in the Target Fund as of the Valuation
Time.
(b) If it is determined that the portfolios of
the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund, when aggregated, would contain
investments exceeding certain percentage limitations imposed upon the Acquiring
Fund with respect to such investments, the Target Fund, if requested by the Acquiring Fund, will dispose
of a sufficient amount of such investments as may be necessary to avoid
violating such limitations as of the Closing Date. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, (i) nothing herein will require the Target
Fund to dispose of any
portfolios, securities or other investments, if, in the reasonable judgment of
the Target Fund's Trustees or investment adviser, such
disposition would adversely affect the tax-free nature of the Reorganization
for U.S. federal income tax purposes
or would otherwise not be
in the best interests of the Target Fund, and (ii) nothing will permit the Target Fund to
dispose of any portfolio securities or other investments if, in the reasonable
judgment of the Acquiring Fund's Trustees or investment adviser, such disposition would adversely
affect the tax-free nature of the Reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes or would
otherwise not be in the best interests of the Acquiring
Fund.
(c) Prior to the Closing Date, the Target
Fund shall declare a dividend or dividends which, together with
all such previous dividends, shall have the effect of distributing to its
shareholders all of its net investment company
taxable income to and including the Closing Date, if any (computed without
regard to any deduction for
dividends paid), and all of its net capital gain, if any, realized to and
including the Closing Date.
(d) The Target Fund will pay or cause to be
paid to the Acquiring Fund any interest the Target Fund receives on or after the
Closing Date with respect to any of the Target Fund Investments
transferred to the Acquiring Fund hereunder.
(e) The Valuation Time shall be 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern time, on the full
business day proceeding the
Closing Date or at such other time and date
agreed to by the Funds on a date mutually agreed upon in writing (the
"Valuation
Time").
5
(f) Recourse for liabilities assumed from
the Target Fund by the Acquiring Fund in the Reorganization will be limited to
the net assets acquired by the Acquiring Fund. The known liabilities
of the Target Fund, as of
the Valuation Time, shall be confirmed to the Acquiring Fund pursuant to Section
2(i) of this Agreement.
(g) The Target Fund will be terminated as
soon as practicable following the Closing Date by terminating its registration
under the 1940 Act and dissolving under Delaware law and will withdraw its authority to
do business in any state where it is registered.
(h) For U.S. federal income tax purposes,
this Agreement will constitute a plan of reorganization within the meaning of
United States Treasury Regulations Section
1.368-2(g).
4.
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ISSUANCE
AND VALUATION OF ACQUIRING FUND COMMON SHARES IN THE
REORGANIZATION.
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A
number of Acquiring Fund Common Shares with an aggregate net asset value equal
to the value of the assets of the Target Fund acquired in the Reorganization
determined as hereinafter provided, reduced by the amount of liabilities of the
Target Fund assumed by the Acquiring Fund in the Reorganization, shall be issued
by the Acquiring Fund to the Target Fund in exchange for such assets of the
Target Fund, which shall be determined as set forth below.
The
net asset value of each of the Funds and the values of their assets and the
amounts of their liabilities shall be determined as of the Valuation Time in
accordance with the regular procedures of the investment adviser, and no formula
will be used to adjust the net asset value so determined of any Fund to take
into account differences in realized and unrealized gains and
losses. Such valuation and determination shall be made by the
Acquiring Fund in cooperation with the Target Fund and shall be confirmed in
writing by the Acquiring Fund to the Target Fund. For
purposes of determining the net asset value per share of each Fund's Common
Shares, the value of the securities held by the applicable Fund plus any cash or
other assets (including interest accrued but not yet received) minus all
liabilities (including accrued expenses) shall be divided by the total number of
Target Fund Common Shares or Acquiring Fund Common Shares, as the case may be,
outstanding at such time. The Acquiring Fund shall issue to the
Target Fund certificates or share deposit receipts for the Acquiring Fund Common
Shares registered in the name of the Target Fund. The Target Fund
shall then distribute the Acquiring Fund Common Shares to the holders of Target
Fund Common Shares by redelivering the certificates or share deposit receipts
evidencing ownership of the Acquiring Fund Common Shares to the transfer agent
and registrar for the Acquiring Fund Common Shares, for distribution to the
holders of Target Fund Common Shares on the basis of such holder's proportionate
interest in the aggregate net asset value of the Target Fund Common
Shares. With respect to any Target Fund shareholder holding
certificates evidencing ownership of Target Fund Common Shares as of the Closing
Date, and subject to the Acquiring Fund being informed thereof in writing by the
Target Fund, the Acquiring Fund will not permit such shareholder to receive new
certificates evidencing ownership of the Acquiring Fund Common Shares until
notified by the Target Fund or its agent that such shareholder has surrendered
his or her outstanding certificates evidencing ownership of Target Fund Common
Shares or, in the event of lost certificates, posted adequate
bond. The Target Fund, at its own expense, will request its
shareholders to surrender their outstanding certificates evidencing ownership of
Target Fund Common Shares or post adequate bond therefor.
No
fractional shares of Acquiring Fund Common Shares will be issued to holders of
Target Fund Common Shares unless such shares are held in a Dividend Reinvestment
Plan account. In lieu thereof, the Acquiring Fund's transfer agent
will aggregate all fractional Acquiring Fund Common Shares to be issued in
connection with the Reorganization (other than those issued to a Dividend
Reinvestment Plan account) and sell the resulting full shares on the New York
Stock Exchange at the current market price for Acquiring Fund Common Shares for
the account of all holders of such fractional interests, and each such holder
will receive such holder's pro rata share of the proceeds of such sale upon
surrender of such holder's certificates representing Acquiring Fund Common
Shares.
5.
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PAYMENT
OF EXPENSES.
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(a) The Target Fund, the Acquiring Fund and
any other closed-end
investment company that sells substantially all of its assets to the Acquiring
Fund on or about the Closing Date (for purposes of this Section 5(a) only, a
"Fund") will bear expenses incurred in
connection with the Reorganization, including but not limited to,
6
costs related to the preparation and
distribution of materials distributed to each Fund's Board of Trustees, expenses incurred in connection with
the preparation of the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and a registration
statement on Form N-14, the
printing and distribution of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and
any other materials
required to be distributed to shareholders, SEC and state securities commission
filing fees and legal and audit fees in connection with the
Reorganization, legal fees
incurred preparing each Fund's board materials, attending each
Fund's board meetings and preparing the
minutes, auditing fees associated with each Fund's financial statements, stock exchange
fees, transfer agency fees, rating agency fees, portfolio transfer taxes (if any) and
any similar expenses incurred in connection with the Reorganization, which will
be borne directly by the respective Fund incurring the expense or allocated
among the Funds based upon some reasonable methodology as appropriate. Neither the Funds nor the Investment
Adviser will pay any expenses of shareholders arising out of or in connection
with the Reorganization.
6.
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COVENANTS
OF THE FUNDS.
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(a) Each Fund covenants to operate its
business as presently conducted between the date hereof and the Closing
Date.
(b) The Target Fund agrees that following
the consummation of the Reorganization, it will dissolve in accordance with the
laws of the State of Delaware and any other applicable law, it will
not make any distributions of any Acquiring Fund Common Shares other than to its shareholders and without first paying or adequately
providing for the payment of all of its respective liabilities not assumed by
the Acquiring Fund, if any, and on and after the Closing Date it shall not
conduct any business except
in connection with its termination.
(c) The Target Fund undertakes that if the
Reorganization is consummated, it will file an application pursuant to Section
8(f) of the 1940 Act for an order declaring that the Target Fund has ceased to
be a registered investment
company.
(d) The Acquiring Fund will file the N-14
Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"SEC") and will use its best efforts to
provide that the N-14 Registration Statement becomes effective as
promptly as
practicable. Each Fund agrees to cooperate fully with the other, and
each will furnish to the other the information relating to itself to be set
forth in the N-14 Registration Statement as required by the 1933 Act, the 1934
Act the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder and the
state securities laws.
(e) The Acquiring Fund has no plan or
intention to sell or otherwise dispose of the Target Fund Investments, except
for dispositions made in the ordinary course of business.
(f) Each of the Funds agrees that by the Closing Date all of its
federal and other tax returns and reports required to be filed on or before such
date shall have been filed and all taxes shown as due on said returns either
have been paid or adequate liability reserves have been provided for the payment of such
taxes.
The
intention of the parties is that the transaction contemplated by this Agreement
will qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the
Code. Neither the Acquiring Fund nor the Target Fund shall take any
action or cause any action to be taken (including, without limitation, the
filing of any tax return) that is inconsistent with such treatment or results in
the failure of the transaction to qualify as a reorganization within the meaning
of Section 368(a) of the Code. At or prior to the Closing Date, the
Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund will take such action, or cause such action
to be taken, as is reasonably necessary to enable Skadden, Arps, Slate, Xxxxxxx
& Xxxx LLP ("Skadden"), special
counsel to the Funds, to render the tax opinion required herein (including,
without limitation, each party's execution of representations reasonably
requested by and addressed to Skadden).
In
connection with this covenant, the Funds agree to cooperate with each other in
filing any tax return, amended return or claim for refund, determining a
liability for taxes or a right to a refund of taxes or participating in or
conducting any audit or other proceeding in respect of taxes. The
Acquiring Fund agrees to retain for a period of ten years following the Closing
Date all returns, schedules and work papers and all material records or other
7
documents
relating to tax matters of the Target Fund for each of such Fund's taxable
period first ending after the Closing Date and for all prior taxable
periods.
After
the Closing Date, the Target Fund shall prepare, or cause its agents to prepare,
any federal, state or local tax returns required to be filed by such fund with
respect to its final taxable year ending with its complete liquidation and for
any prior periods or taxable years and further shall cause such tax returns to
be duly filed with the appropriate taxing
authorities. Notwithstanding the aforementioned provisions of this
subsection, any expenses incurred by the Target Fund (other than for payment of
taxes) in connection with the preparation and filing of said tax returns after
the Closing Date shall be borne by such Fund to the extent such expenses have
been accrued by such Fund in the ordinary course without regard to the
Reorganization; any excess expenses shall be borne by the investment adviser or
an affiliate thereof.
(g) Each Fund agrees to mail to its shareholders of record entitled to vote at the
special meeting of shareholders at which action is to be
considered regarding this
Agreement, in sufficient time to comply with requirements as to notice thereof,
a combined proxy statement and prospectus which complies in all material
respects with the applicable provisions of Section 14(a) of the 1934 Act and
Section 20(a) of the 1940 Act, and the rules and
regulations, respectively, thereunder.
(h) Following the consummation of the
Reorganization, the Acquiring Fund will continue its business as a diversified,
closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act.
7.
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CLOSING
DATE.
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(a) Delivery of the assets of the Target
Fund to be transferred, together with any other Target Fund Investments, and the
Acquiring Fund Common
Shares to be issued as
provided in this Agreement, shall be made on the date specified as the closing date in the N-14 Registration
Statement, or at such other
time and date agreed to by the Funds, the date and time upon which such delivery
is to take place being referred to herein as the "Closing
Date." To the extent that any
Target Fund Investments,
for any reason, are not transferable on the Closing Date, the Target Fund shall
cause such Target Fund Investments to be transferred to the Acquiring
Fund's account with its custodian at the
earliest practicable date thereafter.
(b) The Target Fund will deliver to the Acquiring Fund on the
Closing Date confirmation or other adequate evidence as to the tax basis of the
Target Fund Investments delivered to the Acquiring Fund
hereunder.
(c) As soon as practicable after the close
of business on the Closing Date, the Target Fund shall deliver to
or make available
(including by electronic format) the Acquiring Fund a list of the names
and addresses of all of the shareholders of record of the Target Fund on the
Closing Date and the number of Target Fund Common Shares owned by each such shareholder,
certified to the best of its knowledge and belief by the transfer agent for the
Target Fund or by its President.
8.
|
CONDITIONS
OF THE TARGET FUND.
|
The
obligations of the Target Fund hereunder shall be subject to the following
conditions:
(a) That this Agreement shall have been
adopted, and the Reorganization shall have been approved, by the affirmative
vote of two-thirds of the members of the Board of Trustees of the Target Fund and by an affirmative vote of
shareholders of the
Target Fund representing
the lesser of (i) 67% of
the common shares
represented at the special meeting of shareholders at which more than 50% of the
outstanding common shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the
outstanding shares of the Target Fund; and that the Acquiring Fund shall have
made available to the Target Fund a copy of the
resolution approving this Agreement adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Fund, and a
certificate setting forth the vote of holders of Acquiring Fund Common Shares approving the issuance of additional
Acquiring Fund Common
Shares, each certified by
its Secretary.
(b) That the Acquiring Fund shall have provided or
made available (including by electronic format) to the Target Fund a statement of assets,
liabilities and capital,
with values determined as provided in Section 4 of this
8
Agreement, together with a schedule of
the Acquiring Fund's investments, all as of the Valuation
Time, certified on the Acquiring Fund's behalf by its President (or any Vice
President) or its
Treasurer, and a certificate signed by the Acquiring Fund's President (or any Vice President) and
its Treasurer, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying that as of the Valuation
Time and as of the Closing Date there has been no material adverse
change in the financial
position of the Acquiring Fund since the date of the Acquiring Fund's most recent Annual or Semi-Annual
Report, as applicable, other than changes in its portfolio securities since that
date or changes in the market value of its portfolio securities.
(c) That the Acquiring Fund shall have
furnished to the Target Fund a certificate signed by the Acquiring
Fund's President (or any Vice President) or
its Treasurer, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying that, as of the
Valuation Time and as of the Closing Date, all representations
and warranties of the Acquiring Fund made in this Agreement are true and correct
in all material respects with the same effect as if made at and as of such
dates, and that the Acquiring Fund has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the
conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to each of such
dates.
(d) That there shall not be any material
litigation pending with respect to the matters contemplated by this
Agreement.
(e) The Target Fund shall have received the opinion of
Skadden, acting as special counsel for the Acquiring Fund, dated as of the
Closing Date, addressed to the Target Fund, substantially in the form and to the
effect that:
(i) the Acquiring Fund is validly existing
and in good standing under
the laws of the State of Delaware;
(ii) the Acquiring Fund is registered as a
closed-end management investment company under the 1940 Act;
(iii) the Acquiring Fund has the power and
authority to execute, deliver and perform all of its obligations
under this Agreement under
the laws of the State of Delaware, the execution and delivery and the
consummation by the Acquiring Fund of the transactions contemplated hereby
have been duly authorized by all requisite action of the Acquiring Fund under
the laws of the State of
Delaware, and this Agreement has been duly
executed and delivered by the Acquiring Fund under the laws of the State of
Delaware;
(iv) this Agreement constitutes a valid and
binding obligation of the Acquiring Fund (assuming this Agreement is a
valid and binding
obligation of the other party hereto);
(v) the execution and delivery by the
Acquiring Fund of this Agreement and the performance by the Acquiring Fund of
its obligations under this Agreement do not conflict with the Agreement and Declaration
of Trust or the Bylaws of the Acquiring
Fund;
(vi) neither the execution, delivery or
performance by the Acquiring Fund of this Agreement nor the compliance by the
Acquiring Fund with the terms and provisions hereof contravene any provision of
the laws of the State of
Delaware or the federal laws of the
United States;
(vii) no governmental approval, which has not
been obtained or taken and is not in full force and effect, is required to
authorize, or is required in connection with, the execution or delivery of this
Agreement by the Acquiring
Fund or the enforceability of this Agreement against the Acquiring Fund;
and
(viii) the Acquiring Fund Common Shares have each been duly authorized and,
upon issuance thereof in accordance with this Agreement, each will be validly
issued, fully paid and
nonassessable.
9
(f) That the Target Fund shall have obtained
an opinion from Skadden, special counsel for the Acquiring Fund, dated as of the
Closing Date, addressed to the Target Fund, that the consummation of the
transactions set forth in this Agreement comply with the requirements of
a reorganization as described in Section 368(a) of the Code.
(g) That all proceedings taken by each of
the Funds and its counsel in connection with the Reorganization and all
documents incidental thereto shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the
others.
(h) That the N-14 Registration Statement
shall have become effective under the 1933 Act, and no stop order suspending
such effectiveness shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the
Acquiring Fund, be contemplated by the SEC.
9.
|
CONDITIONS
OF THE ACQUIRING FUND.
|
The
obligations of the Acquiring Fund hereunder shall be subject to the following
conditions:
(a) That this Agreement shall have been
adopted, and the Reorganization shall have been approved, by the Board
of Trustees of the Acquiring Fund and that the
issuance of additional Acquiring Fund Common Shares shall have been approved by the
affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast, where total votes cast represented
over 50% of all securities entitled to vote; and the Target Fund shall have
made available to the Acquiring Fund a copy of the
resolution approving this Agreement adopted by the Target Fund's Board of Trustees, and a certificate setting forth the
vote of the holders of Target Fund Common Shares obtained, each certified by its
Secretary.
(b) That the Target Fund shall have provided or made
available (including by electronic format) to the Acquiring Fund a statement of its assets, liabilities
and capital, with values determined as provided in Section 4 of this Agreement, together with a schedule
of investments with their respective dates of acquisition and tax costs, all as
of the Valuation Time, certified on the Target Fund's behalf by its President (or any Vice
President) or its Treasurer, and a certificate signed by the Target Fund's President (or any Vice President) or
its Treasurer, dated as of the Closing Date, certifying that as of the Valuation
Time and as of the Closing Date there has been no material adverse change in the
financial position of the Target Fund since the date of the Target
Fund's most recent Annual Report or
Semi-Annual Report, as applicable, other than changes in the Target Fund
Investments since that date or changes in the market value of the Target Fund
Investments.
(c) That the Target Fund shall have furnished to the
Acquiring Fund a certificate signed by the Target Fund's President (or any Vice President) or
its Treasurer, dated the Closing Date, certifying that as of the Valuation Time
and as of the Closing Date all representations and warranties of the Target Fund made in
this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects with the same
effect as if made at and as of such dates and the Target Fund has complied with
all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at
or prior to such dates.
(d) That there shall not be any material
litigation pending with respect to the matters contemplated by this
Agreement.
(e) That the Acquiring Fund shall have
received the opinion of Skadden, acting as special counsel for the Target Fund,
dated as of the Closing Date, addressed to the Acquiring Fund, substantially in
the form and to the effect that:
(i) the Target Fund is validly existing and
in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware;
(ii) the Target Fund is registered as a closed-end
management investment company under the 1940 Act;
(iii) the Target Fund has the power and
authority to execute, deliver and perform all of its obligations under this
Agreement under the laws of the State of Delaware, the execution and delivery and
10
the consummation by the Target Fund of
the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all requisite
action of the Target Fund under the laws of the State of Delaware, and this Agreement has been duly
executed and delivered by
the Target Fund under the laws of the State of Delaware;
(iv) this Agreement constitutes a valid and
binding obligation of the Target Fund (assuming this Agreement is a valid and
binding obligation of the other party hereto);
(v) the execution and delivery by the Target Fund of this
Agreement and the performance by the Target Fund of its obligations under this
Agreement do not conflict with the charter or the Bylaws of the Target
Fund;
(vi) neither the execution, delivery or
performance by the Target Fund of this Agreement nor the compliance by
the Target Fund with the terms and provisions hereof contravene any provision of
the laws of the State of Delaware or the federal laws of the
United States; and
(vii) no governmental approval, which has not
been obtained or taken and
is not in full force and effect, is required to authorize, or is required in
connection with, the execution or delivery of this Agreement by the Target Fund
or the enforceability of this Agreement against the Target Fund.
(f) That the Acquiring Fund shall have obtained an opinion from
Skadden, special counsel for the Target Fund, dated as of the Closing Date,
addressed to the Acquiring Fund, that the consummation of the transactions set
forth in this Agreement comply with the requirements of a reorganization as described in Section
368(a) of the Code.
(g) That the N-14 Registration Statement
shall have become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending such
effectiveness shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Target
Fund, be contemplated by
the SEC.
(h) That all proceedings taken by the Target
Fund and its counsel in connection with the Reorganization and all documents
incidental thereto shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Acquiring
Fund.
(i) That prior to the Closing Date the Target Fund shall have
declared a dividend or dividends which, together with all such previous
dividends, shall have the effect of distributing to its shareholders all of its net investment company
taxable income for the period to and including the Closing Date, if any (computed
without regard to any deduction for dividends paid), and all of its net capital
gain, if any, realized to and including the Closing Date.
10.
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TERMINATION,
POSTPONEMENT AND WAIVERS.
|
(a) Notwithstanding anything contained in
this Agreement to the
contrary, this Agreement may be terminated and the Reorganization abandoned at
any time (whether before or after adoption thereof by the shareholders of the Funds) prior to the Closing
Date, or the Closing Date may be postponed, (i) by mutual consent of the Boards of Trustees of the Funds, (ii) by the Board of
Trustees of the Target Fund if any condition of
the Target Fund's obligations set forth in Section 8 of
this Agreement has not been fulfilled or waived by such Board of Trustees, or (iii) by the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Fund if any condition
of the Acquiring Fund's obligations set forth in Section 9
of this Agreement
has not been fulfilled or
waived by such Board of Trustees.
(b) If the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement have not been
consummated by December 31, 2009, this Agreement automatically shall
terminate on that date, unless a later date is mutually agreed to by the Boards
of Trustees of the Funds.
(c) In the event of termination of this
Agreement pursuant to the provisions hereof, the same shall become void and have
no further effect, and there shall not be any liability on the part of any Fund
or persons who are their Trustees, trustees, officers, agents or
shareholders in respect of this
Agreement.
11
(d) At any time prior to the
Closing Date, any of the
terms or conditions of this Agreement may be waived by a Fund (whichever is entitled to the
benefit thereof), if, in the judgment of such Fund after consultation with its counsel,
such action or waiver will not have a material adverse effect on the benefits intended under
this Agreement to the shareholders of their respective fund, on behalf of
which such action is taken.
(e) The respective representations and
warranties contained in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement shall expire with,
and be terminated by, the
consummation of the Reorganization, and neither Fund nor any of its officers,
trustees, agents or shareholders shall have any liability with respect
to such representations or warranties after the Closing Date. This
provision shall not protect
any officer, trustee, agent or shareholder of either Fund against any liability
to the entity for which that officer, trustee, agent or shareholder so acts or
to its shareholders, to which that officer, trustee, agent
or shareholder otherwise would be subject by reason of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties in
the conduct of such office.
(f) If any order or orders of the SEC with
respect to this Agreement shall be issued prior to the Closing Date
and shall impose any terms
or conditions which are determined by action of the Boards of Trustees of the Funds to be acceptable, such
terms and conditions shall be binding as if a part of this Agreement without
further vote or approval of the shareholders of the Funds unless such terms and
conditions shall result in a change in the method of computing the number of
Acquiring Fund Common
Shares to be issued to the
Acquired Funds, as applicable, in which event, unless such terms and conditions
shall have been included in
the proxy solicitation materials furnished to the shareholders of the Funds prior to the meetings at
which the Reorganization shall have been approved, this Agreement shall not be
consummated and shall terminate unless the Funds promptly shall call a special meeting of shareholders at which such conditions so imposed
shall be submitted for approval.
11.
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INDEMNIFICATION.
|
(a) Each party (an "Indemnitor") shall indemnify and hold the other and
its officers, trustees, agents and persons controlled by or controlling any of them (each, an
"Indemnified
Party") harmless from and against any and all
losses, damages, liabilities, claims, demands, judgments, settlements,
deficiencies, taxes, assessments, charges, costs and expenses of any nature
whatsoever (including
reasonable attorneys' fees), including amounts paid in satisfaction
of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and counsel fees
reasonably incurred by such the Indemnified Party in connection with the
defense or disposition of any claim, action, suit or other proceeding, whether
civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in
which such the Indemnified Party may be or may have
been involved as a party or otherwise or with which such the Indemnified Party may be or may have been threatened (collectively,
the "Losses") arising out of or related to any claim
of a breach of any representation, warranty or covenant made herein by the
Indemnitor; provided, however, that no Indemnified Party shall be indemnified
hereunder against any
Losses arising directly from such the Indemnified Party's (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad
faith, (iii) gross negligence or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved
in the conduct of such Indemnified Party's position.
(b) The Indemnified Party shall use its best efforts to
minimize any liabilities, damages, deficiencies, claims, judgments, assessments,
costs and expenses in respect of which indemnity may be sought
hereunder. The Indemnified Party shall give written notice to
Indemnitor within the earlier of ten days of receipt of
written notice to the Indemnified Party or 30 days from discovery by the
Indemnified Party of any matters which may give rise to a claim for
indemnification or reimbursement under this Agreement. The failure to
give such notice shall not affect the right
of the Indemnified Party to indemnity hereunder unless such failure has
materially and adversely affected the rights of the Indemnitor; provided that in
any event such notice shall have been given prior to the expiration of the Survival
Period. At any time after ten days from the giving of such notice,
the Indemnified Party may, at its option, resist, settle or otherwise
compromise, or pay such claim unless it shall have received notice from the
Indemnitor that the Indemnitor intends, at the
Indemnitor's sole cost and expense, to assume the
defense of any such matter, in which case the Indemnified Party shall have the
right, at no cost or expense to the Indemnitor, to participate in such
defense. If the Indemnitor does not assume the defense of such
matter, and in any event until the Indemnitor states in writing that it will
assume the defense, the Indemnitor shall pay all costs of the Indemnified Party
arising out of the defense until the defense is assumed; provided, however, that the Indemnified Party
shall consult with the Indemnitor and obtain indemnitor's prior written consent to any payment
or settlement of any such claim. The Indemnitor shall keep the
Indemnified Party fully apprised at all times as to the status of the defense. If the
Indemnitor does not assume the defense, the Indemnified Party shall keep the
Indemnitor apprised at all times as
12
to the status of the
defense. Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the
Indemnitor shall be subrogated to all rights of the Indemnified
Party with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the
matter for which indemnification has been made.
12.
|
OTHER
MATTERS.
|
(a) All covenants, agreements,
representations and warranties made under this Agreement and any certificates delivered
pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to have been material and relied upon
by each of the parties, notwithstanding any investigation made by them or on
their behalf.
(b) All notices hereunder shall be
sufficiently given for all
purposes hereunder if in writing and delivered personally or sent by registered
mail or certified mail, postage prepaid. Notice to the Target Fund
shall be addressed to the Target Fund c/o BlackRock Advisors, LLC, 00 Xxxx 00xx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000, Attention:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Secretary of the Target Fund, or at such other address as the Target
Fund may designate by written notice to the Acquiring Fund. Notice to
the Acquiring Fund shall be addressed to the Acquiring Fund c/o BlackRock
Advisors, LLC, 00 Xxxx 00xx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx,
XX 00000, Attention: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Secretary of the Acquiring Fund, or at such other address and to the
attention of such other person as the Acquiring Fund may designate by written
notice to the Target Fund. Any notice shall be deemed
to have been served or given as of the date such notice is delivered personally
or mailed.
(c) This Agreement supersedes all previous
correspondence and oral communications between the parties regarding the
Reorganization, constitutes
the only understanding with respect to the Reorganization, may not be changed
except by a letter of agreement signed by each party and shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to
agreements made and to be performed in said
state.
(d) It is expressly agreed that the
obligations of the Funds hereunder shall not be binding upon any of their
respective Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers, agents, or
employees personally, but shall bind only the property of the respective
Fund. The execution and delivery of this Agreement has been
authorized by the Trustees of each Fund and signed by authorized
officers of each Fund, acting as such, and neither such authorization by such
Trustees, nor such execution and delivery by such officers 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 trust property of each
Fund.
This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which, when
executed and delivered, shall be deemed to be an original but all such
counterparts together shall constitute but one instrument.
13
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have hereunto caused this Agreement to be executed
and delivered by their duly authorized officers as of the day and year first
written above.
BLACKROCK
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
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[Name]
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[Title]
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BLACKROCK
GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES
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EQUITY
TRUST
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[Name]
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[Title]
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