1
EXHIBIT d(4)(a)
FOREIGN COUNTRY SELECTION
AND MANDATORY SECURITIES DEPOSITORY RESPONSIBILITIES
DELEGATION AGREEMENT
This FOREIGN COUNTRY SELECTION AND MANDATORY SECURITIES DEPOSITORY
RESPONSIBILITIES DELEGATION AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") is made this 9th day of
September, 1998 by and between A I M ADVISORS, INC., a Delaware corporation
("AIM") and each registered investment company (the "Investment Companies") and
its respective portfolios (the "Funds") listed on the signature page hereof.
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, AIM has agreed to accept responsibility for selecting and
monitoring relationships with compulsory depositories; and
WHEREAS, AIM has agreed to accept responsibility for the selection of
foreign countries in which the Funds may invest;
NOW, THEREFORE, AIM hereby agrees to exercise reasonable care, prudence and
diligence such as a person having safekeeping of fund assets would exercise in
performing the following responsibilities:
1. DEFINITIONS.
A. "FOREIGN ASSETS" means any of a Fund's investments (including foreign
currencies) for which the primary market is outside the United States,
currency contracts that are settled outside the United States, and
such cash and cash equivalents as are reasonably necessary to effect
the Fund's transactions in such investments.
B. "FOREIGN CUSTODY MANAGER" means State Street Bank and Trust Company.
C. "MANDATORY SECURITIES DEPOSITORY" means a foreign securities
depository or clearing agency that, either as a legal or practical
matter, must be used if a Fund determines to place Foreign Assets in a
country outside the United States (i) because required by law or
regulation; (ii) because securities cannot be withdrawn from such
foreign securities depository or clearing agency; or (iii) because
maintaining or effecting trades in securities outside the foreign
securities depository or clearing agency is not consistent with
prevailing or developing custodial or market practices.
D. "PREVAILING COUNTRY RISKS" means all factors reasonably related to the
systemic risk of holding Foreign Assets in a particular country,
including but not limited to, such country's political environment;
economic and financial infrastructure (including any Mandatory
Securities Depositories operating in the country); prevailing or
developing custody and settlement practices; laws and regulations
applicable to the safekeeping and recovery of Foreign Assets held in
custody in that country; and factors comprising "prevailing country
risk", including the effects of foreign law on the safekeeping of Fund
assets, the likelihood of expropriation, nationalization, freezing or
confiscation of the Fund's assets and any reasonably foreseeable
difficulties in repatriating the Fund's assets.
2
E. "SECURITIES DEPOSITORY" means a system for the central handling of
securities where all securities of any particular class or series of
any issuer deposited within the system are treated as fungible and may
be transferred or pledged by bookkeeping entry without physical
delivery of the securities. A Securities Depository includes a
Mandatory Securities Depository.
2. FOREIGN COUNTRY SELECTION. Selection of foreign countries in which a Fund
invests. AIM may determine that an issuer is located in a particular
country based on various factors, including the following: (i) the issuer
is organized under the laws of and maintains a principal office in that
country; (ii) the issuer derives 50% or more of its total revenues from
business in that country; or (iii) the primary market for the issuer's
securities is in that country. In addition, in determining whether to
maintain assets of a Fund in a foreign country, AIM shall consider
Prevailing Country Risks. AIM may rely on information provided by
computerized information services, such as Bloomberg terminals, in making
the foregoing determinations. AIM may also rely on information and
opinions provided by the Foreign Custody Manager in making such
determinations. AIM may add or delete foreign countries to or from the
list of approved foreign countries from time to time, as determined by the
AIM employees who are portfolio managers of the Funds.
3. MANDATORY SECURITIES DEPOSITORIES SELECTION. Selection of Mandatory
Securities Depositories for the placement and maintenance of Foreign
Assets. AIM shall not make any such selection unless and until it has
complied with the terms of paragraphs 4 through 6 of this Agreement.
4. DETERMINATION OF REASONABLE CARE. Determinations by AIM that the Foreign
Assets will be subject to reasonable care, based on the standards
applicable to custodians in the relevant market, if such Assets are held
with a Mandatory Securities Depository. In making such determinations, AIM
shall consider all factors relevant to the safekeeping of such Foreign
Assets, including without limitation:
A. The practices, procedures, and internal controls of the Mandatory
Securities Depository, including, but not limited to, the physical
protections available for certificated securities (if applicable), the
method of keeping custodial records, and the security and data
protection practices;
B. Whether the Mandatory Securities Depository has the requisite
financial strength to provide reasonable care for the Foreign Assets;
C. The general reputation and standing of the Mandatory Securities
Depository and its operating history and number of participants; and
D. Whether the Fund will have jurisdiction over and be able to enforce
judgments against the Mandatory Securities Depository, such as by
virtue of the existence of any offices of the Mandatory Securities
Depository in the United States or the consent by the Mandatory
Securities Depository to service of process in the United States.
5. FOREIGN CUSTODY ARRANGEMENTS. Implementation of the Funds' foreign custody
arrangements pursuant to written contracts, by the rules or established
practices or
3
procedures of the Mandatory Securities Depository, or by any combination of the
foregoing that AIM determines will provide reasonable care for the Funds'
Foreign Assets based on the standards specified in paragraph A.2. above. Any
such contracts shall include provisions that provide:
A. For indemnification or insurance arrangements (or any combination of
the foregoing) such that the Funds will be adequately protected
against the risk of loss of Foreign Assets held in accordance with
such contracts;
B. That the Funds' Foreign Assets will not be subject to any right,
charge, security interest, lien or claim of any kind in favor of the
custodian or its creditors except a claim of payment for their safe
custody or administration or, in the case of cash deposits, liens or
rights in favor of creditors of the custodian arising under
bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws;
C. That beneficial ownership for the Funds' Foreign Assets will be freely
transferable without the payment of money or value other than for safe
custody or administration;
D. That adequate records will be maintained identifying the Foreign
Assets as belonging to a Fund or as being held by a third party for
the benefit of the Fund;
E. That each Fund's independent public accountants will be given access
to those records or confirmation of the content of those records; and
F. That a Fund will receive periodic reports with respect to the
safekeeping of the Fund's Foreign Assets, including, but not limited
to, notification of any transfer to or from the Fund's accounts or a
third party account containing Foreign Assets held for the benefit of
the Fund.
In lieu of any or all of the provisions specified in a. through f.
above, such contracts may contain such other provisions that AIM
determines will provide, in their entirety, the same or a greater
level of care and protection for Fund Foreign Assets as the specified
provisions, in their entirety.
6. MONITORING MANDATORY SECURITIES DEPOSITORIES. Establishment of a system
(a) to monitor the appropriateness of maintaining the Fund's Foreign Assets
with a particular Mandatory Securities Depository under Section 4 above,
and the contracts governing the Funds' arrangements under Section 5 above;
and (b) to notify the Funds promptly if an arrangement no longer meets the
requirements of [this section B] and to withdraw promptly the Funds'
Foreign Assets from such Mandatory Securities Depository in such event.
7. REPORTS AND OTHER INFORMATION.
A. ANNUAL REPORTS AND OTHER INFORMATION. AIM shall furnish annually to
the Boards of Directors/Trustees information regarding the factors
used in its system to monitor Mandatory Securities Depositories.
B. QUARTERLY REPORTS. AIM will submit to the Boards of
Directors/Trustees a quarterly report listing all newly approved
countries and all countries in which a Fund invested
4
for the first time during the preceding quarter. Such report shall
include a revised Appendix 1 to the Foreign Custody and Country
Selection Procedures, if applicable, listing the approved countries.
AIM will submit to the Boards of Directors/Trustees a quarterly report
indicating changes to Mandatory Securities Depositories to the extent
such report is not provided by the Foreign Custody Manager.
C. OTHER REPORTS. AIM will notify the Boards of Directors/Trustees in
writing of any material change in the Mandatory Securities
Depositories for a Fund that has not been reported by the Foreign
Custody Manager promptly after the occurrence of the material change.
5
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed by their duly authorized officers, as of the day and year first above
written.
A I M ADVISORS, INC.
Attest: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXX By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXX
------------------------ -------------------------
Assistant Secretary Name:
Title:
(SEAL)
AIM ADVISOR FUNDS, INC. AIM SUMMIT FUND, INC.
AIM Advisor Flex Fund
AIM Advisor International Value Fund AIM INTERNATIONAL FUNDS, INC.
AIM Advisor Large Cap Value Fund AIM Asian Growth Fund
AIM Advisor MultiFlex Fund AIM European Development Fund
AIM Advisor Real Estate Fund AIM International Equity Fund
AIM Global Aggressive Growth Fund
AIM EQUITY FUNDS, INC. AIM Global Growth Fund
AIM Aggressive Growth Fund AIM Global Income Fund
AIM Blue Chip Fund
AIM Capital Development Fund AIM VARIABLE INSURANCE FUNDS, INC.
AIM Charter Fund AIM V.I. Aggressive Growth Fund
AIM Constellation Fund AIM V.I. Balanced Fund
AIM Xxxxxxxxxx Fund AIM V.I. Capital Appreciation Fund
AIM V.I. Capital Development Fund
AIM FUNDS GROUP AIM V.I. Diversified Income Fund
AIM Balanced Fund AIM V.I. Global Utilities Fund
AIM Global Utilities Fund AIM V.I. Government Securities Fund
AIM High Yield Fund AIM V.I. Growth Fund
AIM Income Fund AIM V.I. Growth & Income Fund
AIM Money Market Fund AIM V.I. High Yield Fund
AIM Select Growth Fund AIM V.I. International Equity Fund
AIM Value Fund AIM V.I. Money Market Fund
AIM V.I. Value Fund
AIM SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FUNDS
AIM Small Cap Opportunities Fund
Attest: /s/ P. XXXXXXXX XXXXX By: /s/ XXXX X. XXXXXX
------------------------ ---------------------------
Assistant Secretary Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President
(SEAL)
