INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
THE VICTORY PORTFOLIOS
AND
KEY ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.
AGREEMENT made as of the 1st day of March, 1997, by and between The
Victory Portfolios, a Delaware business trust which may issue one or more series
of shares of beneficial interest (the "Company"), and Key Asset Management Inc.,
a New York corporation (the "Adviser").
WHEREAS, the Company is registered as an open-end, management
investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"1940 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to retain the Adviser to furnish
investment advisory services to the funds listed on Schedule A (each, a "Fund"
and collectively, the "Funds"), and the Adviser represents that it is willing
and possesses legal authority to so furnish such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants
herein contained, it is agreed between the parties hereto as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT.
(a) General. The Company hereby appoints the Adviser to act as
investment adviser to the Funds for the period and on the
terms set forth in this Agreement. The Adviser accepts such
appointment and agrees to furnish the services herein set
forth for the compensation herein provided.
(b) Employees of Affiliates. The Adviser may, in its discretion,
provide such services through its own employees or the
employees of one or more affiliated companies that are
qualified to act as an investment adviser to the Company under
applicable laws and are under the control of KeyCorp, the
indirect parent of the Adviser; provided that (i) all persons,
when providing services hereunder, are functioning as part of
an organized group of persons, and (ii) such organized group
of persons is managed at all times by authorized officers of
the Adviser.
(c) Sub-Advisers. It is understood and agreed that the Adviser may
from time to time employ or associate with such other entities
or persons as the Adviser believes appropriate to assist in
the performance of this Agreement with respect to a particular
Fund or Funds (each a "Sub-Adviser"), and that any such
Sub-Adviser shall have all of the rights and powers of the
Adviser set forth in this Agreement; provided that a Fund
shall not pay any additional compensation for any Sub- Adviser
and the Adviser shall be as fully responsible to the Company
for the acts and omissions of the Sub-Adviser as it is for its
own acts and omissions; and provided further that the
retention of any Sub-Adviser shall be approved in
advance by (i) the Board of Trustees of the Company and (ii)
the shareholders of the relevant Fund if required under any
applicable provisions of the 1940 Act. The Adviser will
review, monitor and report to the Company's Board of Trustees
regarding the performance and investment procedures of any
Sub-Adviser. In the event that the services of any Sub-Adviser
are terminated, the Adviser may provide investment advisory
services pursuant to this Agreement to the Fund without a
Sub-Adviser and without further shareholder approval, to the
extent consistent with the 1940 Act. A Sub-Adviser may be an
affiliate of the Adviser.
2. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS. The Company has delivered to the Adviser
copies of each of the following documents along with all amendments thereto
through the date hereof, and will promptly deliver to it all future amendments
and supplements thereto, if any:
(a) the Company's Trust Instrument;
(b) the By-Laws of the Company;
(c) resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Company
authorizing the execution and delivery of this Agreement;
(d) the most recent Post-Effective Amendment to the Company's
Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "1933 Act"), and the 1940 Act, on Form N-1A as
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission");
(e) Notification of Registration of the Company under the 1940 Act
on Form N-8A as filed with the Commission; and
(f) the currently effective Prospectuses and Statements of
Additional Information of the Funds.
3. INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES.
(a) Management of the Funds. The Adviser hereby undertakes to act
as investment adviser to the Funds. The Adviser shall
regularly provide investment advice to the Funds and
continuously supervise the investment and reinvestment of
cash, securities and other property composing the assets of
the Funds and, in furtherance thereof, shall:
(i) supervise all aspects of the operations of the
Company and each Fund;
(ii) obtain and evaluate pertinent economic, statistical
and financial data, as well as other significant
events and developments, which affect the economy
generally, the Funds' investment programs, and the
issuers of securities included in the Funds'
portfolios and the industries in which
they engage, or which may relate to securities or
other investments which the Adviser may deem
desirable for inclusion in a Fund's portfolio;
(iii) determine which issuers and securities shall be
included in the portfolio of each Fund;
(iv) furnish a continuous investment program for each
Fund;
(v) in its discretion and without prior consultation with
the Company, buy, sell, lend and otherwise trade any
stocks, bonds and other securities and investment
instruments on behalf of each Fund; and
(vi) take, on behalf of each Fund, all actions the Adviser
may deem necessary in order to carry into effect such
investment program and the Adviser's functions as
provided above, including the making of appropriate
periodic reports to the Company's Board of Trustees.
(b) Covenants. The Adviser shall carry out its investment advisory
and supervisory responsibilities in a manner consistent with
the investment objectives, policies, and restrictions provided
in: (i) each Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information as revised and in effect from time to time; (ii)
the Company's Trust Instrument, By-Laws or other governing
instruments, as amended from time to time; (iii) the 1940 Act;
(iv) other applicable laws; and (v) such other investment
policies, procedures and/or limitations as may be adopted by
the Company with respect to a Fund and provided to the Adviser
in writing. The Adviser agrees to use reasonable efforts to
manage each Fund so that it will qualify, and continue to
qualify, as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and
regulations issued thereunder (the "Code"), except as may be
authorized to the contrary by the Company's Board of Trustees.
The management of the Funds by the Adviser shall at all times
be subject to the review of the Company's Board of Trustees.
(c) Books and Records. Pursuant to applicable law, the Adviser
shall keep each Fund's books and records required to be
maintained by, or on behalf of, the Funds with respect to
advisory services rendered hereunder. The Adviser agrees that
all records which it maintains for a Fund are the property of
the Fund and it will promptly surrender any of such records to
the Fund upon the Fund's request. The Adviser further agrees
to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the
1940 Act any such records of the Fund required to be preserved
by such Rule.
(d) Reports, Evaluations and other Services. The Adviser shall
furnish reports, evaluations, information or analyses to the
Company with respect to the Funds and in connection with the
Adviser's services hereunder as the Company's Board of
Trustees may request from time to time or as the Adviser may
otherwise deem to be desirable. The Adviser shall make
recommendations to the Company's
Board of Trustees with respect to Company policies, and shall
carry out such policies as are adopted by the Board of
Trustees. The Adviser shall, subject to review by the Board of
Trustees, furnish such other services as the Adviser shall
from time to time determine to be necessary or useful to
perform its obligations under this Agreement.
(e) Purchase and Sale of Securities. The Adviser shall place all
orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for
each Fund with brokers or dealers selected by the Adviser,
which may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the
Adviser to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the
Company's policies and procedures applicable to the Funds. The
Adviser shall use its best efforts to seek to execute
portfolio transactions at prices which, under the
circumstances, result in total costs or proceeds being the
most favorable to the Funds. In assessing the best overall
terms available for any transaction, the Adviser shall
consider all factors it deems relevant, including the breadth
of the market in the security, the price of the security, the
financial condition and execution capability of the broker or
dealer, research services provided to the Adviser, and the
reasonableness of the commission, if any, both for the
specific transaction and on a continuing basis. In no event
shall the Adviser be under any duty to obtain the lowest
commission or the best net price for any Fund on any
particular transaction, nor shall the Adviser be under any
duty to execute any order in a fashion either preferential to
any Fund relative to other accounts managed by the Adviser or
otherwise materially adverse to such other accounts.
(f) Selection of Brokers or Dealers. In selecting brokers or
dealers qualified to execute a particular transaction, brokers
or dealers may be selected who also provide brokerage and
research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to the Adviser, the
Funds and/or the other accounts over which the Adviser
exercises investment discretion. The Adviser is authorized to
pay a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and
research services a commission for executing a portfolio
transaction for a Fund which is in excess of the amount of
commission another broker or dealer would have charged for
effecting that transaction if the Adviser determines in good
faith that the total commission is reasonable in relation to
the value of the brokerage and research services provided by
such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that
particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of the
Adviser with respect to accounts over which it exercises
investment discretion. The Adviser shall report to the Board
of Trustees of the Company regarding overall commissions paid
by the Funds and their reasonableness in relation to the
benefits to the Funds.
(g) Aggregation of Securities Transactions. In executing portfolio
transactions for a Fund, the Adviser may, to the extent
permitted by applicable laws and regulations, but shall not be
obligated to, aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased
with those of other Funds or its other clients if, in the
Adviser's reasonable judgment, such aggregation (i) will
result in an overall economic
benefit to the Fund, taking into consideration the
advantageous selling or purchase price, brokerage commission
and other expenses, and trading requirements, and (ii) is not
inconsistent with the policies set forth in the Company's
registration statement and the Fund's Prospectus and Statement
of Additional Information. In such event, the Adviser will
allocate the securities so purchased or sold, and the expenses
incurred in the transaction, in an equitable manner,
consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and such
other clients.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES.
(a) The Adviser hereby represents and warrants to the Company as
follows:
(i) The Adviser is a corporation duly organized and in
good standing under the laws of the State of New York
and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement
and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder.
(ii) The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser
with the Commission under the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"), and is
registered or licensed as an investment adviser under
the laws of all applicable jurisdictions. The Adviser
shall maintain such registrations or licenses in
effect at all times during the term of this
Agreement.
(iii) The Adviser at all times shall provide its best
judgment and effort to the Company in carrying out
the Adviser's obligations hereunder.
(b) The Company hereby represents and warrants to the Adviser as
follows:
(i) The Company has been duly organized as a business
trust under the laws of the State of Delaware and is
authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out
its terms.
(ii) The Company is registered as an investment company
with the Commission under the 1940 Act and shares of
each Fund are registered for offer and sale to the
public under the 1933 Act and all applicable state
securities laws where currently sold. Such
registrations will be kept in effect during the term
of this Agreement.
5. COMPENSATION. As compensation for the services which the Adviser is
to provide or cause to be provided pursuant to Paragraph 3, each Fund shall pay
to the Adviser out of Fund assets an annual fee, computed and accrued daily and
paid in arrears on the first business day of every month, at the rate set forth
opposite each Fund's name on Schedule A, which shall be a percentage of the
average daily net assets of the Fund (computed in the manner set forth in the
Fund's most recent Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information)
determined as of the close of business on each business day throughout the
month. At the request of the Adviser, some or all of such fee shall be paid
directly to a Sub-Adviser. The fee for any partial month under this Agreement
shall be calculated on a proportionate basis. In the event that the total
expenses of a Fund exceed the limits on investment company expenses imposed by
any statute or any regulatory authority of any jurisdiction in which shares of
such Fund are qualified for offer and sale, the Adviser will bear the amount of
such excess, except: (i) the Adviser shall not be required to bear such excess
to an extent greater than the compensation due to the Adviser for the period for
which such expense limitation is required to be calculated unless such statute
or regulatory authority shall so require, and (ii) the Adviser shall not be
required to bear the expenses of the Fund to an extent which would result in the
Fund's or Company's inability to qualify as a regulated investment company under
the provisions of Subchapter M of the Code.
6. INTERESTED PERSONS. It is understood that, to the extent consistent
with applicable laws, the Trustees, officers and shareholders of the Company are
or may be or become interested in the Adviser as directors, officers or
otherwise and that directors, officers and shareholders of the Adviser are or
may be or become similarly interested in the Company.
7. EXPENSES. As between the Adviser and the Funds, the Funds will pay
for all their expenses other than those expressly stated to be payable by the
Adviser hereunder, which expenses payable by the Funds shall include, without
limitation, (i) interest and taxes; (ii) brokerage commissions and other costs
in connection with the purchase or sale of securities and other investment
instruments, which the parties acknowledge might be higher than other brokers
would charge when a Fund utilizes a broker which provides brokerage and research
services to the Adviser as contemplated under Paragraph 3 above; (iii) fees and
expenses of the Company's Trustees that are not employees of the Adviser; (iv)
legal and audit expenses; (v) administrator, custodian, pricing and bookkeeping,
registrar and transfer agent fees and expenses; (vi) fees and expenses related
to the registration and qualification of the Funds' shares for distribution
under state and federal securities laws; (vii) expenses of printing and mailing
reports and notices and proxy material to shareholders, unless otherwise
required; (viii) all other expenses incidental to holding meetings of
shareholders, including proxy solicitations therefor, unless otherwise required;
(ix) expenses of typesetting for printing Prospectuses and Statements of
Additional Information and supplements thereto; (x) expenses of printing and
mailing Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information and supplements
thereto sent to existing shareholders; (xi) insurance premiums for fidelity
bonds and other coverage to the extent approved by the Company's Board of
Trustees; (xii) association membership dues authorized by the Company's Board of
Trustees; and (xiii) such non-recurring or extraordinary expenses as may arise,
including those relating to actions, suits or proceedings to which the Company
is a party (or to which the Funds' assets are subject) and any legal obligation
for which the Company may have to provide indemnification to the Company's
Trustees and officers.
8. NON-EXCLUSIVE SERVICES; LIMITATION OF ADVISER'S LIABILITY. The
services of the Adviser to the Funds are not to be deemed exclusive and the
Adviser may render similar services to others and engage in other activities.
The Adviser and its affiliates may enter into
other agreements with the Funds and the Company for providing additional
services to the Funds and the Company which are not covered by this Agreement,
and to receive additional compensation for such services. In the absence of
willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Adviser, or a breach of
fiduciary duty with respect to receipt of compensation, neither the Adviser nor
any of its directors, officers, shareholders, agents, or employees shall be
liable or responsible to the Company, the Funds or to any shareholder of the
Funds for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any act or omission in
the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any loss
suffered by the Company, a Fund or any shareholder of a Fund in connection with
the performance of this Agreement.
9. EFFECTIVE DATE; MODIFICATIONS; TERMINATION. This Agreement shall
become effective on March 1, 1997, provided that it shall have been approved by
a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund, in accordance with
the requirements of the 1940 Act, or such later date as may be agreed by the
parties following such shareholder approval.
(a) This Agreement shall continue in force until December 31,
1997. Thereafter, this Agreement shall continue in effect as
to each Fund for successive annual periods, provided such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by
a vote of the majority of the Trustees of the Company who are
not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any
such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose
of voting on such approval and (ii) by a vote of the Board of
Trustees of the Company or a majority of the outstanding
voting shares of the Fund.
(b) The modification of any of the non-material terms of this
Agreement may be approved by a vote of a majority of those
Trustees of the Company who are not interested persons of any
party to this Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called
for the purpose of voting on such approval.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Paragraph 9,
either party hereto may terminate this Agreement at any time
on sixty (60) days' prior written notice to the other, without
payment of any penalty. Such a termination by the Company may
be effected severally as to any particular Fund, and shall be
effected as to any Fund by vote of the Company's Board of
Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Fund. This Agreement shall terminate
automatically in the event of its assignment.
10. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF TRUSTEES AND SHAREHOLDERS. The Adviser
acknowledges the following limitation of liability:
The terms "The Victory Portfolios" and "Trustees" refer, respectively,
to the trust created and the Trustees, as trustees but not individually or
personally, acting from time to time under the Trust Instrument, to which
reference is hereby made and a copy of which is on file
at the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, such reference
being inclusive of any and all amendments thereto so filed or hereafter filed.
The obligations of "The Victory Portfolios" entered into in the name or on
behalf thereof by any of the Trustees, representatives or agents are made not
individually, but in such capacities and are not binding upon any of the
Trustees, shareholders or representatives of the Company personally, but bind
only the assets of the Company, and all persons dealing with the Company or a
Fund must look solely to the assets of the Company or Fund for the enforcement
of any claims against the Company or Fund.
11. SERVICE XXXX. The service xxxx of the Company and the name
"Victory" (and derivatives thereof) have been licensed to the Company by
KeyCorp, through its subsidiary Key Trust Company ("Key Trust"), an affiliate of
the Adviser, pursuant to a License Agreement dated June 21, 1993, and their
continued use is subject to the right of Key Trust to withdraw this permission
under the License Agreement in the event the Adviser or another subsidiary of
KeyCorp is not the investment adviser to the Company.
12. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. The terms "vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities," "assignment," "control," and "interested
persons," when used herein, shall have the respective meanings specified in the
1940 Act. References in this Agreement to the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act
shall be construed as references to such laws as now in effect or as hereafter
amended, and shall be understood as inclusive of any applicable rules,
interpretations and/or orders adopted or issued thereunder by the Commission.
13. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. The Adviser shall for all purposes herein
be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly
provided herein or authorized by the Board of Trustees of the Company from time
to time, have no authority to act for or represent a Fund in any way or
otherwise be deemed an agent of a Fund.
14. STRUCTURE OF AGREEMENT. The Company is entering into this Agreement
on behalf of the respective Funds severally and not jointly. The
responsibilities and benefits set forth in this Agreement shall refer to each
Fund severally and not jointly. No Fund shall have any responsibility for any
obligation of any other Fund arising out of this Agreement. Without otherwise
limiting the generality of the foregoing:
(a) any breach of any term of this Agreement regarding the Company
with respect to any one Fund shall not create a right or
obligation with respect to any other Fund;
(b) under no circumstances shall the Adviser have the right to set
off claims relating to a Fund by applying property of any
other Fund; and
(c) the business and contractual relationships created by this
Agreement, consideration for entering into this Agreement, and
the consequences of such relationship and consideration relate
solely to the Company and the particular Fund to which such
relationship and consideration applies.
This Agreement is intended to govern only the relationships between the
Adviser, on the one hand, and the Company and the Funds, on the other hand, and
(except as specifically provided above in this Paragraph 14) is not intended to
and shall not govern (i) the relationship between the Company and any Fund or
(ii) the relationships among the respective Funds.
15. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the
State of Ohio, provided that nothing herein shall be construed in a manner
inconsistent with the 1940 Act or the Advisers Act.
16. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or
made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of
this Agreement shall not be affected thereby and, to this extent, the provisions
of this Agreement shall be deemed to be severable.
17. NOTICES. Notices of any kind to be given to the Company hereunder
by the Adviser shall be in writing and shall be duly given if mailed or
delivered to 0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxx 00000-0000, Attention: Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx, Esq.; with a copy to Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Xxxxxxx, 000 Xxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, 00000, Attention: Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, Esq., or at such
other address or to such individual as shall be so specified by the Company to
the Adviser. Notices of any kind to be given to the Adviser hereunder by the
Company shall be in writing and shall be duly given if mailed or delivered to
the Adviser at 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxx 00000-0000, Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxx with a copy to Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Esq., or at such other address or to
such individual as shall be so specified by the Adviser to the Company. Notices
shall be effective upon delivery.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be
executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized as of the date
written above.
THE VICTORY PORTFOLIOS KEY ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.
By: /s/Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx By: /s/Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
------------------------ -------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx Name: Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Secretary Title: Senior Managing Director
Schedule A
Name of Fund Fee*
1. The Victory Balanced Fund 1.00%
2. The Victory Diversified Stock Fund .65%
3. The Victory Government Mortgage Fund .50%
4. The Victory Growth Fund 1.00%
5. The Victory Intermediate Income Fund .75%
6. The Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxxx Growth Fund 1.10%
7. The Victory Investment Quality Bond Fund .75%
8. The Victory Limited Term Income Fund .50%
9. The Victory Ohio Municipal Bond Fund .60%
10. The Victory Ohio Regional Stock Fund .75%
11. The Victory Prime Obligations Fund .35%
12. The Victory Special Value Fund 1.00%
13. The Victory Stock Index Fund .60%
14. The Victory Tax-Free Money Market Fund .35%
15. The Victory U.S. Government Obligations Fund .35%
16. The Victory Value Fund 1.00%
17. The Victory Financial Reserves Fund .50%
18. The Victory Fund for Income .50%
19. The Victory Government Bond Fund .55%
20. The Victory Institutional Money Market Fund .25%
21. The Victory National Municipal Bond Fund .55%
22. The Victory New York Tax-Free Fund .55%
23. The Victory Ohio Municipal Money Market Fund .50%
24. The Victory Special Growth Fund 1.00%
--------------------
* As a percentage of average daily net assets. Note, however, that the
Adviser shall have the right, but not the obligation, to voluntarily
waive any portion of the advisory fee from time to time. Any such
voluntary waiver will be irrevocable and determined in advance of
rendering investment advisory services by the Adviser, and shall be in
writing and signed by the parties hereto.
