TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
TRANSFER AGENCY AND SERVICE AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 25th day of August, 2016, by and between STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a Massachusetts trust company having its principal office and place of business at Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000 (“State Street” or the “Transfer Agent”), and Guardian Variable Products Trust, a Delaware statutory trust having its principal office and place of business at 0 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, X-00X, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000 (the “Trust”).
WHEREAS, the Trust is authorized to issue shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in separate series, with each such series representing interests in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets;
WHEREAS, the Trust intends to initially offer Shares in one or more series, each as named in the attached Schedule A, which may be amended by the parties from time to time (such series, together with all other series subsequently established by the Trust and made subject to this Agreement in accordance with Section 12 of this Agreement, being herein referred to as a “Fund,” and collectively as the “Funds”);
WHEREAS, the Trust on behalf of the Funds desires to appoint the Transfer Agent as its transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, and agent in connection with certain other activities, and the Transfer Agent desires to accept such appointment;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. TERMS OF APPOINTMENT
1.1 Appointment. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Trust on behalf of the Funds hereby employs and appoints the Transfer Agent to act as, and the Transfer Agent agrees to act as, transfer agent for each Fund’s authorized and issued Shares, dividend disbursing agent, and agent in connection with any accumulation or similar plans provided to shareholders (“Shareholders”) of each of the respective Funds of the Trust and set out in the currently effective prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the Trust and each Fund (collectively, the “Prospectus”), including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program.
1.2 Transfer Agency Services. In accordance with procedures established from time to time by agreement between the Trust, on behalf of each of the Funds, as applicable, and the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall:
(i) receive orders for the purchase of Shares from the Trust, and promptly deliver payment and appropriate documentation thereof to the custodian of a Fund as identified by the Trust (the “Custodian”);
(ii) pursuant to such purchase orders, issue the appropriate number of Shares and book such Share issuance to the appropriate Shareholder account;
(iii) receive redemption requests and redemption directions from the Trust and deliver the appropriate documentation thereof to the Custodian;
(iv) with respect to the transactions in items (i) and (iii) above, the Transfer Agent shall process transactions received directly from broker-dealers or other
intermediaries authorized by the Trust who shall thereby be deemed to be acting on behalf of the Trust;
(v) at the appropriate time as and when it receives monies paid to it by the Custodian with respect to any redemption, pay over or cause to be paid over in the appropriate manner such monies as instructed by the redeeming Shareholders;
(vi) process Shareholder account maintenance instructions (excluding instructions to change an account’s registration or wire instructions) received directly from broker-dealers or other intermediaries authorized per procedures established by mutual agreement of the Transfer Agent and the Trust;
(vii) process transfer of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of proper instruction and approval by the Trust;
(viii) process and transmit payments for any dividends and distributions declared by the Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund; and
(ix) record the issuance of Shares of the applicable Fund and maintain pursuant to SEC Rule 17Ad-10(e) a record of the total number of Shares of each Fund which are authorized, based upon data provided to it by the Trust, and issued and outstanding; and provide the Trust on a regular basis with the total number of Shares of each Fund which are issued and outstanding but Transfer Agent shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares to determine if there are authorized Shares available for issuance or to take cognizance of any laws relating to, or corporate actions required for, the issue or sale of such Shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund.
1.3 Additional Services. In addition to, and neither in lieu of nor in contravention of the services set forth in Section 1.2 above, the Transfer Agent shall perform the following services:
(i) Other Customary Services. Perform certain customary services of a transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent, including, but not limited to: maintaining Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing Shareholder reports to current Shareholders, maintaining on behalf of the Funds such bank accounts as the Transfer Agent shall deem necessary for the performance of its duties under this Agreement, withholding taxes on U.S. resident and non-resident alien accounts, preparing and filing U.S. Treasury Department Forms 1099 and other appropriate forms required with respect to dividends and distributions by federal authorities for all Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information.
(ii) State Transaction (“Blue Sky”) Reporting. The Trust shall be solely responsible for its “blue sky” compliance and state registration requirements.
(iii) Lost Shareholder Searches. The Transfer Agent shall conduct lost Shareholder searches as required by Rule 17Ad-17 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”). If a Shareholder remains lost after the completion of the mandatory Rule 17Ad-17 search, the Trust hereby authorizes and directs the Transfer Agent to escheat the assets in such lost Shareholder’s account to the U.S. state or territory in the shareholder’s account registration.
(iv) Escheatment Laws. Notwithstanding Section 1.3(iii), the Trust shall be solely responsible for its compliance with the requirements of any applicable escheatment laws, including without limitation, the laws of any U. S. state or territory.
(v) Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”)/National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). If applicable, the Transfer Agent shall: (a) accept and effectuate the registration and maintenance of accounts with DTCC/NSCC, and the purchase and redemption of Shares in such accounts, in accordance with instructions transmitted to and received by the Transfer Agent by transmission from DTCC or NSCC (acting on behalf of its members); and (b) issue instructions to a Fund’s banks for the settlement of transactions between the Fund and DTCC or NSCC (acting on behalf of its members and bank participants).
(vi) Performance of Certain Services by the Trust or Affiliates or Agents. New procedures as to who shall provide certain of these services described in this Section 1 may be established in writing from time to time by agreement between the Trust and the Transfer Agent. If agreed to in writing by the Trust and the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent may at times perform only a portion of these services, and the Trust or its agent may perform these services on the Trust’s or a Fund’s behalf.
1.4 Authorized Persons. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, hereby agrees and acknowledges that the Transfer Agent may rely on the current list of authorized persons, as provided or agreed to by the Trust and as may be amended from time to time, in receiving instructions to issue or redeem the Shares. The Trust, on behalf each Fund, agrees and covenants for itself and each such authorized person that any order, sale or transfer of, or transaction in the Shares received by it after the close of the market shall be effectuated at the net asset value determined on the next business day or as otherwise required pursuant to the applicable Fund’s then-effective Prospectus, and the Trust or such authorized person shall so instruct the Transfer Agent of the proper effective date of the transaction.
1.5 Anti-Money Laundering and Client Screening. With respect to the Trust’s or any Fund’s offering and sale of Shares at any time, and for all subsequent transfers of such interests, the Trust or its delegate shall, directly or indirectly and to the extent required by law: (i) conduct know your customer/client identity due diligence with respect to potential investors and transferees in the Shares and shall obtain and retain due diligence records for each investor and transferee; (ii) use its best efforts to ensure that each investor’s and any transferee’s funds used to purchase Shares shall not be derived from, nor the product of, any criminal activity; (iii) if requested, provide periodic written verifications that such investors/transferees have been checked against the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control database for any non-compliance or exceptions; and (iv) perform its obligations under this Section in accordance with all applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations. In the event that the Transfer
Agent has received advice from counsel that access to underlying due diligence records pertaining to the investors/transferees is necessary to ensure compliance by the Transfer Agent with relevant anti-money laundering (or other applicable) laws or regulations, the Trust shall, upon receipt of written request from the Transfer Agent, provide the Transfer Agent copies of such due diligence records.
1.6 Tax Law. The Transfer Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any obligations now or hereafter imposed on the Trust, a Fund, the Shares, a Shareholder or the Transfer Agent in connection with the services provided by the Transfer Agent hereunder by the tax laws of any country or of any state or political subdivision thereof. It shall be the responsibility of the Trust to notify the Transfer Agent of the obligations imposed on the Trust, a Fund, the Shares, a Shareholder or the Transfer Agent in connection with the services provided by the Transfer Agent hereunder by the tax law of countries, states and political subdivisions thereof, including responsibility for withholding and other taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, certifications and governmental reporting.
2. FEES AND EXPENSES
2.1 Fee Schedule. For the performance by the Transfer Agent of services provided pursuant to this Agreement, the Trust agrees on behalf of each of the Funds to pay the Transfer Agent the fees and expenses set forth in a written fee schedule.
3. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE TRANSFER AGENT
The Transfer Agent represents and warrants to the Trust that:
3.1 It is a trust company duly organized and existing under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
3.2 It is duly registered as a transfer agent under Section 17A(c)(2) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), it will remain so registered for the duration of this Agreement, and it will promptly notify the Trust in the event of any material change in its status as a registered transfer agent.
3.3 It is duly qualified to carry on its business in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
3.4 It is empowered under applicable laws and by its organizational documents to enter into and perform the services contemplated in this Agreement.
3.5 All requisite organizational proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE TRUST ON BEHALF OF THE FUNDS
The Trust on behalf of the Funds represents and warrants to the Transfer Agent that:
4.1 The Trust is a business trust duly organized, existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
4.2 The Trust is empowered under applicable laws and by its Declaration of Trust and By-Laws to enter into and perform this Agreement.
4.3 All requisite proceedings have been taken to authorize the Trust to enter into, perform and receive services pursuant to this Agreement.
4.4 The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company.
4.5 A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is currently effective and will remain effective, and all appropriate state securities law filings have been made and will continue to be made, with respect to all Shares of the Trust being offered for sale.
4.6 Where information provided by The Trust or the Trust’s investors includes information about an identifiable individual (“Personal Information”), the Trust represents and warrants that it has obtained all consents and approvals, as required by all applicable laws, regulations, by-laws and ordinances that regulate the collection, processing, use or disclosure of Personal Information, necessary to disclose such Personal Information to the Transfer Agent, and as required for the Transfer Agent to use and disclose such Personal Information in connection with the performance of the services hereunder. The Trust acknowledges that the Transfer Agent may perform any of the services, and may use and disclose Personal Information outside of the jurisdiction in which it was initially collected by the Trust, including the United States and that information relating to the Trust, including Personal Information of investors may be accessed by national security authorities, law enforcement and courts. The Transfer Agent shall be kept indemnified by and be without liability to the Trust for any action taken or omitted by it in reliance upon this representation and warranty, including without limitation, any liability or costs in connection with claims or complaints for failure to comply with any applicable law that regulates the collection, processing, use or disclosure of Personal Information.
5. DATA ACCESS SERVICES
5.1 The Trust acknowledges that the databases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, and documentation manuals furnished to the Trust by the Transfer Agent as part of the Trust’s ability to access certain Trust-related data maintained by the Transfer Agent or another third party on databases under the control and ownership of the Transfer Agent (“Data Access Services”) constitute copyrighted, trade secret, or other proprietary information (collectively, “Proprietary Information”) of substantial value to the Transfer Agent or another third party. In no event shall Proprietary Information be deemed to be Shareholder information or the confidential information of the Trust. The Trust, on behalf of itself and the Funds, agrees to treat all Proprietary Information as proprietary to the Transfer Agent and further agrees that it shall not divulge any Proprietary Information to any person or organization except as may be provided hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust agrees for itself and its officers and trustees, on behalf of the Funds and their agents, to:
(i) use such programs and databases solely on the Trust’s, or such agents’ computers, or solely from equipment at the location(s) agreed to between the Trust and the Transfer Agent, and solely in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s applicable user documentation;
(ii) refrain from copying or duplicating in any way the Proprietary Information;
(iii) refrain from obtaining unauthorized access to any portion of the Proprietary Information, and if such access is inadvertently obtained, to inform the Transfer Agent in a timely manner of such fact and dispose of such information in accordance with the Transfer Agent’s instructions;
(iv) refrain from causing or allowing Proprietary Information transmitted from the Transfer Agent’s computers to the Trust’s, or such agents’ computer to be retransmitted to any other computer facility or other location, except with the prior written consent of the Transfer Agent;
(v) allow the Trust or such agents to have access only to those authorized transactions agreed upon by the Trust and the Transfer Agent;
(vi) honor all reasonable written requests made by the Transfer Agent to protect at the Transfer Agent’s expense the rights of the Transfer Agent in Proprietary Information at common law, under federal copyright law and under other federal or state law.
5.2 Proprietary Information shall not include all or any portion of any of the foregoing items that are or become publicly available without breach of this Agreement; that are released for general disclosure by a written release by the Transfer Agent; or that are already in the possession of the receiving party at the time of receipt without obligation of confidentiality or breach of this Agreement.
5.3 If the Trust notifies the Transfer Agent that any of the Data Access Services do not operate in material compliance with the most recently issued user documentation for such services, the Transfer Agent shall endeavor in a timely manner to correct such failure. Organizations from which the Transfer Agent may obtain certain data included in the Data Access Services are solely responsible for the contents of such data, and the Trust agrees to make no claim against the Transfer Agent arising out of the contents of such third-party data, including, but not limited to, the accuracy thereof. DATA ACCESS SERVICES AND ALL COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS, AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. THE TRANSFER AGENT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXCEPT THOSE EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
5.4 If the transactions available to the Trust include the ability to originate electronic instructions to the Transfer Agent in order to effect the transfer or movement of cash or Shares, Shareholder information or other information, then in such event the Transfer Agent shall be entitled to rely on the validity and authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any further inquiry as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with security procedures established by the Transfer Agent from time to time.
5.5 Each party shall take reasonable efforts to advise its employees of their obligations pursuant to this Section. The obligations of this Section shall survive any earlier termination of this Agreement.
6. STANDARD OF CARE / LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
6.1 The Transfer Agent shall at all times act in good faith in its performance of all services performed under this Agreement, but assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors, including encoding and payment processing errors, unless said errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, fraud or willful misconduct or that of its employees or agents. The parties agree that any encoding or payment processing errors shall be governed by this standard of care, and that Section 4-209 of the Uniform Commercial Code is superseded by this Section.
6.2 In any event, the Transfer Agent’s cumulative liability for each calendar year (a “Liability Period”) with respect to the Trust under this Agreement regardless of the form of action or legal theory shall be limited to its total annual compensation earned and fees payable hereunder during the preceding Compensation Period, as defined herein, for any liability or loss suffered by the Trust including, but not limited to, any liability relating to qualification of the Trust as a regulated investment company or any liability relating to the Trust’s compliance with any federal or state tax or securities statute, regulation or ruling during such Liability Period. “Compensation Period” shall mean the calendar year ending immediately prior to each Liability Period in which the event(s) giving rise to the Transfer Agent’s liability for that period have occurred. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Compensation Period for purposes of calculating the annual cumulative liability of the Transfer Agent for the Liability Period commencing on the date of this Agreement and terminating on December 31, 2016 shall be the date of this Agreement through December 31, 2016, calculated on an annualized basis, and the Compensation Period for the Liability Period commencing January 1, 2017 and terminating on December 31, 2017 shall be the date of this Agreement through December 31, 2016, calculated on an annualized basis. In no event shall the Transfer Agent be liable for special, incidental, indirect, punitive or consequential damages, regardless of the form of action and even if the same were foreseeable.
7. INDEMNIFICATION
7.1 The Transfer Agent shall not be responsible for, and the Trust on behalf of itself and each Fund shall indemnify and hold the Transfer Agent harmless from and against, any and all losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees (including the defense of any lawsuit in which the Transfer Agent or affiliate is a named party), payments, expenses and liability arising out of or attributable to:
(i) all actions of the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that such actions are taken in good faith and without negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;
(ii) the Trust’s breach of any representation, warranty or covenant of the Trust hereunder;
(iii) the Trust’s lack of good faith, gross negligence or willful misconduct;
(iv) reliance upon, and any subsequent use of or action taken or omitted, by the Transfer Agent, or its agents or subcontractors on: (a) any information, records, documents, data, stock certificates or services, which are received by the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, facsimile, CRT data entry, electronic instructions or other similar means authorized by the Trust, and which have been prepared, maintained or performed by the Trust or any
other person or firm on behalf of the Trust, including but not limited to any broker-dealer, third party administrator or previous transfer agent; (b) any instructions or requests of the Trust or its officers, or the Trust’s agents or subcontractors or their officers or employees; (c) any instructions or opinions of legal counsel to the Trust or any Fund with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement which are provided to the Transfer Agent after consultation with such legal counsel; or (d) any paper or document, reasonably believed to be genuine, authentic, or signed by the proper person or persons;
(v) the offer or sale of Shares in violation of any requirement under the federal or state securities laws or regulations requiring that such Shares be registered, or in violation of any stop order or other determination or ruling by any federal or state agency with respect to the offer or sale of such Shares;
(vi) the negotiation and processing of any checks, wires and ACH transmissions, including without limitation, for deposit into, or credit to, the Trust’s demand deposit accounts maintained by the Transfer Agent;
(vii) all actions relating to the transmission of Trust, Fund or Shareholder data through the NSCC clearing systems, if applicable; and
(viii) any tax obligations under the tax laws of any country or of any state or political subdivision thereof, including taxes, withholding and reporting requirements, claims for exemption and refund, additions for late payment, interest, penalties and other expenses (including legal expenses) that may be assessed, imposed or charged against the Transfer Agent as transfer agent hereunder.
7.2 At any time the Transfer Agent may apply to any officer of the Trust for instructions, and may consult with legal counsel (which may be Trust counsel) with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Transfer Agent under this Agreement, and the Transfer Agent and its agents or subcontractors shall not be liable and shall be indemnified by the Trust on behalf of the applicable Fund for any action taken or omitted by it in reliance upon such instructions or upon the opinion of such counsel, except to the extent such action or omission to act is not taken in good faith. The Transfer Agent, its agents and subcontractors shall be protected and indemnified in acting upon any paper or document furnished by or on behalf of the Trust or the applicable Fund, reasonably believed to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper person or persons, or upon any instruction, information, data, records or documents provided the Transfer Agent or its agents or subcontractors by machine readable input, electronic data entry or other similar means authorized by the Trust on behalf of the Funds, and shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any person, until receipt of written notice thereof from the Trust. The Transfer Agent, its agents and subcontractors shall also be protected and indemnified in recognizing stock certificates which are reasonably believed to bear the proper manual or facsimile signatures of the officers of the Trust, and the proper countersignature of any former transfer agent or former registrar, or of a co-transfer agent or co-registrar.
8. ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE TRUST AND THE TRANSFER AGENT
8.1 Delivery of Documents. The Trust shall promptly furnish to the Transfer Agent the following:
(i) A certificate of the Secretary of the Trust certifying the resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizing the appointment of the Transfer Agent and the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
(ii) A copy of the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust and all amendments thereto.
8.2 Certificates, Checks, Facsimile Signature Devices. The Transfer Agent hereby agrees to establish and maintain facilities and procedures for safekeeping of any stock certificates, check forms and facsimile signature imprinting devices; and for the preparation or use, and for keeping account of, such certificates, forms and devices.
8.3 Records. In compliance with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Transfer Agent agrees that all records which it maintains for the Trust shall at all times remain the property of the Trust, shall be readily accessible during normal business hours, and shall be promptly surrendered upon the termination of the Agreement or otherwise on written request except as otherwise provided in Section 11. The Transfer Agent further agrees that all records that it maintains for the Trust pursuant to Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act will be preserved for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act unless any such records are earlier surrendered as provided above. Records may be surrendered in either written or machine-readable form, at the option of the Transfer Agent. In the event that the Transfer Agent is requested or authorized by the Trust, or required by subpoena, administrative order, court order or other legal process, applicable law or regulation, or required in connection with any investigation, examination or inspection of the Trust by state or federal regulatory agencies, to produce the records of the Trust or the Transfer Agent’s personnel as witnesses or deponents, the Trust agrees to pay the Transfer Agent for the Transfer Agent’s time and expenses, as well as the fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent’s counsel, incurred in such production.
9. CONFIDENTIALITY AND USE OF DATA
9.1 All information provided under this Agreement by a party (the “Disclosing Party”) to the other party (the “Receiving Party”) regarding the Disclosing Party’s business and operations shall be treated as confidential. Subject to Section 9.2 below, all confidential information provided under this Agreement by Disclosing Party shall be used, including disclosure to third parties, by the Receiving Party, or its agents or service providers, solely for the purpose of performing or receiving the services and discharging the Receiving Party’s other obligations under the Agreement or managing the business of the Receiving Party and its Affiliates (as defined in Section 9.2 below), including financial and operational management and reporting, risk management, legal and regulatory compliance and client service management. The foregoing shall not be applicable to any information (a) that is publicly available when provided or thereafter becomes publicly available, other than through a breach of this Agreement, (b) that is independently derived by the Receiving Party without the use of any information provided by the Disclosing Party in connection with this Agreement, (c) that is disclosed to comply with any legal or regulatory proceeding, investigation, audit, examination, subpoena, civil
investigative demand or other similar process, (d) that is disclosed as required by operation of law or regulation or as required to comply with the requirements of any market infrastructure that the Disclosing Party or its agents direct the Transfer Agent or its Affiliates to employ (or which is required in connection with the holding or settlement of instruments included in the assets subject to this Agreement), or (e) where the party seeking to disclose has received the prior written consent of the party providing the information, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
9.2 (i) In connection with the provision of the services and the discharge of its other obligations under this Agreement, the Transfer Agent (which term for purposes of this Section 9.2 includes each of its parent company, branches and affiliates (“Affiliates”)) may collect and store information regarding the Trust or Fund and share such information with its Affiliates, agents and service providers in order and solely to the extent reasonably necessary (i) to carry out the provision of services contemplated under this Agreement and other agreements between the Trust and the Transfer Agent or any of its Affiliates and (ii) to carry out management of its businesses, including, but not limited to, financial and operational management and reporting, risk management, legal and regulatory compliance and client service management.
(ii) Subject to paragraph (iii) below, the Transfer Agent and/or its Affiliates (except those Affiliates or business divisions principally engaged in the business of asset management) may use any data or other information (“Data”) obtained by such entities in the performance of their services under this Agreement or any other agreement between the Trust and the Transfer Agent or one of its Affiliates, including Data regarding transactions and portfolio holdings relating to the Trust/Fund, and publish, sell, distribute or otherwise commercialize the Data; provided that, unless the Trust otherwise consents, Data is combined or aggregated with information relating to (i) other customers of the Transfer Agent and/or its Affiliates or (ii) information derived from other sources, in each case such that any published information will be displayed in a manner designed to prevent attribution to or identification of such Data with the Trust/Fund, and such use will be designed to prevent identification of the Trust, any Fund, or any beneficial interests in a Fund. The Trust agrees that the Transfer Agent and/or its Affiliates may seek to profit and realize economic benefit from the commercialization and use of the Data, that such benefit will constitute part of the Transfer Agent’s compensation for services under this Agreement or such other agreement, and the Transfer Agent and/or its Affiliates shall be entitled to retain and not be required to disclose the amount of such economic benefit and profit to the Trust/Fund.
(iii) Except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement, nothing in this Section 9.2 shall limit the confidentiality and data-protection obligations of the Transfer Agent and its Affiliates under this Agreement and applicable law. The Transfer Agent shall cause any Affiliate, agent or service provider to which it has disclosed Data pursuant to this Section 9.2 to comply at all times with confidentiality and data-protection obligations as if it were a party to this Agreement.
(iv) Upon written request from the Trust, the Transfer Agent shall promptly return or destroy any non-public portfolio holdings information relating to the Trust, except the Transfer Agent may keep copies of the information for the purpose of maintaining appropriate business records or as may be required by law or any regulatory authority.
9.3 The Transfer Agent affirms that it has, and will continue to have throughout the term of
this Agreement, procedures in place that are reasonably designed to protect the privacy of non-public personal consumer/customer financial information to the extent required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
10. EFFECTIVE PERIOD AND TERMINATION
This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect for an initial term ending June 9, 2020 (the “Initial Term”). After the expiration of the Initial Term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for successive one-year terms (each, a “Renewal Term”) unless a written notice of non-renewal is delivered by the non-renewing party no later than sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term, as the case may be, or such shorter period as the Parties may agree. During the Initial Term and thereafter, either party may terminate this Agreement: (i) in the event of the other party’s material breach of a material provision of this Agreement that the other party has either (a) failed to cure or (b) failed to establish a remedial plan to cure that is reasonably acceptable, within 60 days’ written notice of such breach, or (ii) in the event of the appointment of a conservator or receiver for the other party or upon the happening of a like event to the other party at the direction of an appropriate agency or court of competent jurisdiction. Upon termination of this Agreement pursuant to this paragraph with respect to the Trust or any Fund, the Trust or applicable Fund shall pay Transfer Agent its compensation due and shall reimburse Transfer Agent for its costs, expenses and disbursements.
In the event of: (i) the Trust’s termination of this Agreement with respect to the Trust or its Fund(s) for any reason other than as set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph or (ii) a transaction not in the ordinary course of business pursuant to which the Transfer Agent is not retained to continue providing services hereunder to the Trust or a Fund (or its respective successor), the Trust or applicable Fund shall pay the Transfer Agent its compensation due through the end of the then-current term (based upon the average monthly compensation previously earned by Transfer Agent with respect to the Trust or such Fund) and shall reimburse the Transfer Agent for its costs, expenses and disbursements. Upon receipt of such payment and reimbursement, the Transfer Agent will deliver the Trust’s or such Fund’s records as set forth herein. For the avoidance of doubt, no payment will be required pursuant to clause (ii) of this paragraph in the event of any transaction such as (a) the liquidation or dissolution of the Trust or a Fund and distribution of the Trust’s or such Fund’s assets as a result of the Board’s determination in its reasonable business judgment that the Trust or such Fund is no longer viable, (b) a merger of the Trust or a Fund into, or the consolidation of the Trust or a Fund with, another entity, or (c) the sale by the Trust or a Fund of all, or substantially all, of its assets to another entity, in each of (b) and (c) where the Transfer Agent is retained to continue providing services to the Trust such Fund (or its respective successor) on substantially the same terms as this Agreement.
Termination of this Agreement with respect to any one particular Fund shall in no way affect the rights and duties under this Agreement with respect to the Trust or any other Fund.
If a successor transfer agent for one or more Funds shall be appointed by the Board of the Trust, the Transfer Agent and the Trust, on behalf of any applicable Fund(s) agree, upon termination and the Transfer Agent’s receipt of instructions from the Trust, to reasonably cooperate to deliver to such successor Transfer Agent, the records of the Trust and/or the Funds as reasonably requested by the Trust. Each of the Transfer Agent and the Trust, on behalf of any applicable Fund(s), agrees to reasonably cooperate with the successor transfer agent in the execution of such documents and the performance of such other necessary actions as may reasonably be requested by the successor transfer agent or the Trust in order to substitute the successor transfer agent for the Transfer Agent, provided, however, that any special or unduly burdensome arrangements, and any expenses associated therewith, shall be subject to good faith negotiation and mutual agreement by the parties hereto. All reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with the transfer of the transfer agency services hereunder upon termination hereof shall be
borne by the respective Funds (except as may be specifically and mutually agreed in writing by the parties in relation to such special arrangements).
11. ADDITIONAL FUNDS
In the event that the Trust establishes one or more series of Shares in addition to the Funds listed on the attached Schedule A, with respect to which the Trust desires to have the Transfer Agent render services as transfer agent under the terms hereof, it shall so notify the Transfer Agent in writing, and if the Transfer Agent agrees in writing to provide such services, such series of Shares shall become a Fund hereunder.
12. ASSIGNMENT
12.1 Except as provided in Section 14 below, neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by either party without the written consent of the other party.
12.2 Except as explicitly stated elsewhere in this Agreement, nothing under this Agreement shall be construed to give any rights or benefits in this Agreement to anyone other than the Transfer Agent and the Trust on behalf of the Funds, and the duties and responsibilities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Transfer Agent and the Trust on behalf of the Funds. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns.
12.3 This Agreement does not constitute an agreement for a partnership or joint venture between the Transfer Agent and the Trust. Other than as provided in Section 14, neither party shall make any commitments with third parties that are binding on the other party without the other party’s prior written consent.
13. SUBCONTRACTORS
The Transfer Agent may, without further consent on the part of the Trust, subcontract for the performance hereof with a transfer agent duly registered pursuant to Section 17A(c)(2) of the 1934 Act including, but not limited to: (i) Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (“BFDS”), (ii) a BFDS subsidiary or affiliate, or (iii) another affiliated or unaffiliated third party duly registered as a transfer agent; provided, however, that the Transfer Agent shall remain liable to the Trust for the acts and omissions of any subcontractor under this Section as it is for its own acts and omissions under this Agreement.
14. MISCELLANEOUS
14.1 Amendment. This Agreement may be amended or modified by a written agreement executed by both parties.
14.2 Massachusetts Law to Apply. This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions hereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts without giving effect to any conflict of laws rules.
14.3 Force Majeure. In the event either party is unable to perform its obligations under the terms of this Agreement because of acts of God, strikes, equipment or transmission
failure or damage reasonably beyond its control, or other causes reasonably beyond its control, such party shall not be liable for damages to the other for any damages resulting from such failure to perform or otherwise from such causes.
14.4 Data Protection. State Street will implement and maintain a comprehensive written information security program that contains appropriate security measures to safeguard the personal information of the Trust’s shareholders, employees, directors and/or officers that the Transfer Agent receives, stores, maintains, processes or otherwise accesses in connection with the provision of services hereunder. For these purposes, “personal information” shall mean (i) an individual’s name (first initial and last name or first name and last name), address or telephone number plus (a) social security number, (b) driver’s license number, (c) state identification card number, (d) debit or credit card number, (e) financial account number or (f) personal identification number or password that would permit access to a person’s account or (ii) any combination of the foregoing that would allow a person to log onto or access an individual’s account. Notwithstanding the foregoing “personal information” shall not include information that is lawfully obtained from publicly available information, or from federal, state or local government records lawfully made available to the general public.
14.5 Survival. All provisions regarding indemnification, warranty, liability, and limits thereon, and confidentiality and/or protections of proprietary rights and trade secrets shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
14.6 Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.
14.7 Priorities Clause. In the event of any conflict, discrepancy or ambiguity between the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and any schedules or attachments hereto, the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement shall take precedence.
14.8 Waiver. The failure of a party to insist upon strict adherence to any term of this Agreement on any occasion shall not be considered a waiver nor shall it deprive such party of the right thereafter to insist upon strict adherence to that term or any term of this Agreement or the failure of a party hereto to exercise or any delay in exercising any right or remedy under this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of any such term, right or remedy or a waiver of any other rights or remedies, and no single or partial exercise of any right or remedy under this Agreement shall prevent any further exercise of the right or remedy or the exercise of any other right or remedy. Any waiver must be in writing signed by the waiving party.
14.9 Entire Agreement. This Agreement and any schedules, exhibits, attachments or amendments hereto constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written.
14.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Counterparts may be executed in either original or electronically transmitted form (e.g., faxes or emailed portable document format (PDF)
form), and the parties hereby adopt as original any signatures received via electronically transmitted form.
14.11 Reproduction of Documents. This Agreement and all schedules, exhibits, attachments and amendments hereto may be reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic or other similar process. The parties hereto all/each agree that any such reproduction shall be admissible in evidence as the original itself in any judicial or administrative proceeding, whether or not the original is in existence and whether or not such reproduction was made by a party in the regular course of business, and that any enlargement, facsimile or further reproduction of such reproduction shall likewise be admissible in evidence.
14.12 Notices. Any notice instruction or other instrument required to be given hereunder will be in writing and may be sent by hand, or by facsimile transmission, or overnight delivery by any recognized delivery service, to the parties at the following address or such other address as may be notified by any party from time to time:
(a) If to Transfer Agent, to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Transfer Agency
Attention: Compliance
000 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxx
Xxxxxx Place Tower 2, Floor 3
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
With a copy to:
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Legal Division — Global Services Americas
Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel
(b) If to the Trust, to:
GUARDIAN VARIABLE PRODUCTS TRUST
0 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, X-00X
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Equity Counsel
Telephone: (000) 000-0000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
14.13 Interpretive and Other Provisions. In connection with the operation of this Agreement, the Transfer Agent and the Trust on behalf of each of the Funds, may from time to time agree on such provisions interpretive of or in addition to the provisions of this Agreement as may in their joint opinion be consistent with the general tenor of this Agreement. Any such interpretive or additional provisions shall be in a writing signed by all parties, provided that no such interpretive or additional provisions shall contravene any applicable laws or regulations or any provision of the Trust’s governing documents. No
interpretive or additional provisions made as provided in the preceding sentence shall be deemed to be an amendment of this Agreement.
14.14 Employment of Others. The Transfer Agent may employ, engage, associate or contract with such person or persons, including, without limitation, affiliates and subsidiaries of the Transfer Agent, as the Transfer Agent may deem desirable to assist it in performing its duties under this Agreement without the consent of the Trust; provided, however, that the compensation of such person or persons shall be paid by the Transfer Agent and that the Transfer Agent shall be as fully responsible to the Trust for the acts and omissions of any such person or persons as it is for its own acts and omissions under this Agreement.
14.15 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity. The Transfer Agent shall take reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions in the event of equipment failure, work stoppage, governmental action, communication disruption or other impossibility of performance beyond the Transfer Agent’s control. The Transfer Agent shall enter into and shall maintain in effect at all times during the term of this Agreement with appropriate parties one or more agreements making reasonable provision for (i) periodic back-up of the computer files and data with respect to the Trust and (ii) emergency use of electronic data processing equipment as necessary to provide services under this Agreement. Upon reasonable request, the Transfer Agent shall discuss with the Trust any business continuity/disaster recovery plan of the Transfer Agent and/or provide a high-level presentation summarizing such plan
14.16 Insurance Coverage. The Transfer Agent shall at all times during the term of this Agreement maintain, at its cost, insurance coverage regarding its business in such amount and scope as it deems adequate in connection with the services provided by State Street under this Agreement. Upon the Trust’s reasonable request, which in no event shall be more than once annually, State Street shall furnish to the Trust a summary of State Street’s applicable insurance coverage.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed in their names and on their behalf by and through their duly authorized officers, as of the day and year first above written.
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
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Executive Vice President |
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SVP & Treasurer |
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Schedule A
LIST OF FUNDS
Guardian Variable Products Trust
Guardian Large Cap Disciplined Growth VIP Fund
Guardian Large Cap Fundamental Growth VIP Fund
Guardian Integrated Research VIP Fund
Guardian Diversified Research VIP Fund
Guardian Large Cap Disciplined Value VIP Fund
Guardian Growth & Income VIP Fund
Guardian Mid Cap Relative Value VIP Fund
Guardian Mid Cap Traditional Growth VIP Fund
Guardian International Value VIP Fund
Guardian International Growth VIP Fund
Guardian Core Plus Fixed Income VIP Fund
