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EXHIBIT a(5)
AMENDMENT NO. 4
TO
AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST
OF
AIM SERIES TRUST
This Amendment No. 4 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of AIM
Series Trust (this "Amendment") amends, effective as of December 5, 2000, the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust of AIM Series Trust, a Delaware business
trust (the "Trust"), dated as of May 7, 1998, as amended (the "Agreement").
Under Section 9.7 of the Agreement, the Amendment may be executed by a
majority of the Trustees of the Trust.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Trustees hereby amend the Agreement as follows:
1. Unless defined herein, each capitalized term used in this Agreement
shall have the meaning given it in the Agreement.
2. Sections 2.3, 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 of the Agreement are hereby deleted and
replaced with the following sections 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6:
"Section 2.3. Establishment of Portfolios and Classes.
(a) The Trust shall consist of one or more separate and distinct
Portfolios, each with an unlimited number of Shares unless
otherwise specified. The Trustees hereby establish and
designate the Portfolios listed on Schedule A attached hereto
and made a part hereof ("Schedule A"). Each additional
Portfolio shall be established by the adoption of a resolution
by the Trustees. Each such resolution is hereby incorporated
herein by this reference and made a part of the Trust's
Governing Instrument whether or not expressly stated in such
resolution, and shall be effective upon the occurrence of both
(i) the date stated therein (or, if no such date is stated,
upon the date of such adoption) and (ii) the execution of an
amendment either to this Agreement or to Schedule A hereto
establishing and designating such additional Portfolio or
Portfolios. The Shares of each Portfolio shall have the
relative rights and preferences provided for herein and such
rights and preferences as may be designated by the Trustees in
any amendment or modification to the Trust's Governing
Instrument. The Trust shall maintain separate and distinct
records of each Portfolio and shall hold and account for the
assets belonging thereto separately from the other Trust
Property and the assets belonging to any other Portfolio. Each
Share of a Portfolio shall represent an equal beneficial
interest in the net assets belonging to that Portfolio, except
to the extent of Class Expenses and other expenses separately
allocated to Classes thereof (if any Classes have been
established) as permitted herein.
(b) The Trustees may establish one or more Classes of Shares of
any Portfolio, each with an unlimited number of Shares unless
otherwise specified. Each Class so established and designated
shall represent a Proportionate Interest (as defined in
Section 2.5(d)) in the net assets belonging to that Portfolio
and shall have identical voting, dividend, liquidation, and
other rights and be subject to the same terms and conditions,
except that (1) Class Expenses allocated to a Class for which
such expenses were incurred shall be borne solely by that
Class, (2) other expenses, costs, charges, and reserves
allocated to a Class in accordance with Section 2.5(e) may be
borne solely by that Class, (3) dividends declared and payable
to a Class pursuant to Section 7.1 shall reflect the items
separately
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allocated thereto pursuant to the preceding clauses, (4) each
Class may have separate rights to convert to another Class,
exchange rights, and similar rights, each as determined by the
Trustees, and (5) subject to Section 2.6(c), each Class may
have exclusive voting rights with respect to matters affecting
only that Class. The Trustees hereby establish for each
Portfolio listed on Schedule A the Classes listed thereon.
Each additional Class for any or all Portfolios shall be
established by the adoption of a resolution by the Trustees,
each of which is hereby incorporated herein by this reference
and made a Governing Instrument whether or not expressly
stated in such resolution, and shall be effective upon the
occurrence of both (i) the date stated therein (or, if no such
date is stated, upon the date of such adoption) and (ii) the
execution of an amendment to this Agreement establishing and
designating such additional Class or Classes.
Section 2.4. Actions Affecting Portfolios and Classes. Subject to the
right of Shareholders, if any, to vote pursuant to Section 6.1, the Trustees
shall have full power and authority, in their sole discretion without obtaining
any prior authorization or vote of the Shareholders of any Portfolio, or Class
thereof, to establish and designate and to change in any manner any Portfolio of
Shares, or any Class or Classes thereof; to fix or change such preferences,
voting powers, rights, and privileges of any Portfolio, or Classes thereof, as
the Trustees may from time to time determine, including any change that may
adversely affect a Shareholder, to divide or combine the Shares of any
Portfolio, or Classes thereof, into a greater or lesser number; to classify or
reclassify or convert any issued Shares of any Portfolio, or Classes thereof,
into one or more Portfolios or Classes of Shares of a Portfolio; and to take
such other action with respect to the Shares as the Trustees may deem desirable.
A Portfolio and any Class thereof may issue any number of Shares but need not
issue any Shares. At any time that there are no Outstanding Shares of any
particular Portfolio or Class previously established and designated, the
Trustees may abolish that Portfolio or Class and the establishment and
designation thereof.
Section 2.5. Relative Rights and Preferences. Unless the establishing
resolution or any other resolution adopted pursuant to Section 2.3 otherwise
provides, Shares of each Portfolio or Class thereof established hereunder shall
have the following relative rights and preferences:
(a) Except as set forth in paragraph (e) of this Section 2.5, each
Share of a Portfolio, regardless of Class, shall represent an
equal pro rata interest in the assets belonging to such
Portfolio and shall have identical voting, dividend,
liquidation and other rights, preferences, powers,
restrictions, limitations, qualifications and designations and
terms and conditions with each other Share of such Portfolio.
(b) Shareholders shall have no preemptive or other right to
subscribe to any additional Shares or other securities issued
by the Trust or the Trustees, whether of the same or other
Portfolio (or Class).
(c) All consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale
of Shares of a particular Portfolio, together with all assets
in which such consideration is invested or reinvested, all
income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, including any
proceeds derived from the sale, exchange, or liquidation of
such assets, and any funds or payments derived from any
reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may
be, shall be held and accounted for separately from the other
assets of the Trust and of every other Portfolio and may be
referred to herein as "assets belonging to" that Portfolio.
The assets belonging to a particular Portfolio shall belong to
that Portfolio for all purposes, and to no other Portfolio,
subject only to the rights of creditors of that Portfolio. In
addition, any assets, income, earnings, profits or funds, or
payments and proceeds with respect thereto, which are not
readily identifiable as belonging to any particular Portfolio
shall be allocated by the Trustees between and among
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one or more of the Portfolios in such manner as the Trustees,
in their sole discretion, deem fair and equitable. Each such
allocation shall be conclusive and binding upon the
Shareholders of all Portfolios thereof for all purposes, and
such assets, income, earnings, profits, or funds, or payments
and proceeds with respect thereto shall be assets belonging to
that Portfolio.
(d) Each Class of a Portfolio shall have a proportionate undivided
interest (as determined by or at the direction of, or pursuant
to authority granted by, the Trustees, consistent with
industry practice) ("Proportionate Interest") in the net
assets belonging to that Portfolio. References herein to
assets, expenses, charges, costs, and reserves "allocable" or
"allocated" to a particular Class of a Portfolio shall mean
the aggregate amount of such items(s) of the Portfolio
multiplied by the Class's Proportionate Interest.
(e) A particular Portfolio shall be charged with the liabilities
of that Portfolio, and all expenses, costs, charges and
reserves attributable to any particular Portfolio shall be
borne by such Portfolio; provided that the Trustees may, in
their sole discretion, allocate or authorize the allocation of
particular expenses, costs, charges, and/or reserves of a
Portfolio to fewer than all the Classes thereof. Class
Expenses shall, in all cases, be allocated to the Class for
which such Class Expenses were incurred. Any general
liabilities, expenses, costs, charges or reserves of the Trust
(or any Portfolio) that are not readily identifiable as
chargeable to or bearable by any particular Portfolio (or any
particular Class) shall be allocated and charged by the
Trustees between or among any one or more of the Portfolios
(or Classes) in such manner as the Trustees in their sole
discretion deem fair and equitable. Each such allocation shall
be conclusive and binding upon the Shareholders of all
Portfolios (or Classes) for all purposes. Without limitation
of the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.5(e), (i) the
debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred,
contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to a
particular Portfolio shall be enforceable against the assets
of such Portfolio only, and not against the assets of the
Trust generally or assets belonging to any other Portfolio,
and (ii) none of the debts, liabilities, obligations and
expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with
respect to the Trust generally that have not been allocated to
a specified Portfolio, or with respect to any other Portfolio,
shall be enforceable against the assets of such specified
Portfolio. Notice of this contractual limitation on
inter-Portfolio liabilities shall be set forth in the Trust's
Certificate of Trust described to Section 1.4, and upon the
giving of such notice in the Certificate of Trust, the
statutory provisions of Section 3804 of the Delaware Act
relating to limitations on inter-Portfolio liabilities (and
the statutory effect under Section 3804 of setting forth such
notice in the Certificate of Trust) shall become applicable to
the Trust and each Portfolio.
All references to Shares in this Agreement shall be deemed to
be shares of any or all Portfolios, or Classes thereof, as the context may
require. All provisions herein relating to the Trust shall apply equally to each
Portfolio of the Trust, and each Class thereof, except as the context otherwise
requires.
Section 2.6. Additional Rights and Preferences of Class B Shares. In
addition to the relative rights and preferences set forth in Section 2.5 and all
other provisions of this Agreement relating to Shares of the Trust generally,
any Class of any Portfolio designated as Class B Shares shall have the following
rights and preferences:
(a) Subject to provisions of paragraph (c) below, all Class B
Shares other than those purchased through the reinvestment of
dividends and distributions shall automatically convert to
Class A Shares at the end of the month which is eight
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(8) years after the date on which a Shareholder's order to
purchase such shares was accepted.
(b) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (c) below, Class B
Shares purchased through the reinvestment of dividends and
distributions paid in respect of Class B Shares will be
considered held in a separate sub-account, and will
automatically convert to Class A Shares in the same proportion
as any Class B Shares (other than those in the sub-account)
convert to Class A Shares. Other than this conversion feature,
the Class B Shares purchased through the reinvestment of
dividends and distributions paid in respect of Class B Shares
shall have all the rights and preferences, restrictions,
limitations as to dividends, qualifications and terms and
conditions of redemption of Class B Shares generally.
(c) If a Portfolio of the Trust implements any amendment to a Plan
of Distribution adopted under Rule 12b-1 promulgated under the
1940 Act (or adopts or implements a non-Rule 12b-1 shareholder
services plan that the Trustees have caused to be submitted to
the Shareholders for their approval) that the Trustees
determine would materially increase the charges that may be
borne by the Class A Shareholders under such plan, the Class B
Shares will stop converting to the Class A Shares unless the
Class B Shares, voting separately, approve the amendment or
adoption. The Trustees shall have sole discretion in
determining whether such amendment or adoption is submitted to
a vote of the Class B Shareholders. Should such amendment or
adoption not be submitted to a vote of the Class B
Shareholders or, if submitted, should the Class B Shareholders
fail to approve such amendment or adoption, the Trustees shall
take such action as is necessary to: (1) create a new class
(the "New Class A Shares") which shall be identical in all
material respects to the Class A Shares as they existed prior
to the implementation of the amendment or adoption; and
(2) ensure that the existing Class B Shares will be exchanged
or converted into New Class A Shares no later than the date
such Class B Shares were scheduled to convert to Class A
Shares. If deemed advisable by the Trustees to implement the
foregoing, and at the sole discretion of the Trustees, such
action may include the exchange of all Class B Shares for a
new class (the "New Class B Shares"), identical in all
material respects to the Class B Shares except that the New
Class B shares will automatically convert into the New Class A
Shares. Such exchanges or conversions shall be effected in a
manner that the Trustees reasonably believe will not be
subject to federal taxation."
3. Existing sections 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 are hereby renumbered 2.7, 2.8, and
2.9, respectively.
4. Section 6.1(7) is hereby amended by deleting the words "with and", so
that it reads as follows:
"(7) the merger or consolidation of the Trust or any Portfolio
into another Company or a series or portfolio thereof,
unless..."
5. All references in the Agreement to "this Agreement" shall mean the
Agreement as amended by the Amendment.
6. Except as specifically amended by this Amendment, the Agreement is
hereby confirmed and remains in full force and effect.
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7. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by
different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so
executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall
constitute one and the same Amendment.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned Trustees of the Trust have
executed this Amendment as of December 5, 2000.
/s/ C. XXXXX XXXXXXXX /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXX
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C. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Trustee Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Trustee
/s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXX /s/ XXXX X. XXXXXXX
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Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Trustee Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Trustee
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