GENERAL DISTRIBUTOR'S AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
XXXXXXXXXXX INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH FUND
AND
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
Date: March __, 1998
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Dear Sirs:
XXXXXXXXXXX INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH FUND, a Massachusetts business trust (the
"Fund"), is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act
of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), and an indefinite number of one or more classes of its
shares of beneficial interest ("Shares") have been registered under the
Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") to be offered for sale to the public in
a continuous public offering in accordance with the terms and conditions set
forth in the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") included
in the Fund's Registration Statement as it may be amended from time to time (the
"current Prospectus and/or SAI").
In this connection, the Fund desires that your firm (the "General Distributor")
act in a principal capacity as General Distributor for the sale and distribution
of Shares which have been registered as described above and of any additional
Shares which may become registered during the term of this Agreement. You have
advised the Fund that you are willing to act as such General Distributor, and it
is accordingly agreed by and between us as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT OF THE DISTRIBUTOR. The Fund hereby appoints you as the sole
General Distributor, pursuant to the aforesaid continuous public offering of its
Shares, and the Fund further agrees from and after the date of this Agreement,
that it will not, without your consent, sell or agree to sell any Shares
otherwise than through you, except (a) the Fund may itself sell shares without
sales charge as an investment to the officers, trustees or directors and bona
fide present and former full-time employees of the Fund, the Fund's Investment
Adviser and affiliates thereof, and to other investors who are identified in the
current Prospectus and/or SAI as having the privilege to buy Shares at net asset
value; (b) the Fund may issue shares in connection with a merger, consolidation
or acquisition of assets on such basis as may be authorized or permitted under
the 1940 Act; (c) the Fund may issue shares for the reinvestment of dividends
and other distributions of the Fund or of any other Fund if permitted by the
current Prospectus and/or SAI; and (d) the Fund may issue shares as underlying
securities of a unit investment trust if such unit investment trust has elected
to use Shares as an underlying investment; provided that in no event as to any
of the foregoing exceptions shall Shares be issued and sold at less than the
then-existing net asset value.
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2. SALE OF SHARES. You hereby accept such appointment and agree to use your best
efforts to sell Shares, provided, however, that when requested by the Fund at
any time because of market or other economic considerations or abnormal
circumstances of any kind, or when agreed to by mutual consent of the Fund and
the General Distributor, you will suspend such efforts. The Fund may also
withdraw the offering of Shares at any time when required by the provisions of
any statute, order, rule or regulation of any governmental body having
jurisdiction. It is understood that you do not undertake to sell all or any
specific number of Shares.
3. SALES CHARGE. Shares shall be sold by you at net asset value plus a front-end
sales charge not in excess of 8.5% of the offering price, but which front-end
sales charge shall be proportionately reduced or eliminated for larger sales and
under other circumstances, in each case on the basis set forth in the current
Prospectus and/or SAI. The redemption proceeds of shares offered and sold at net
asset value with or without a front-end sales charge may be subject to a
contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") under the circumstances described in
the current Prospectus and\or SAI. You may reallow such portion of the front-end
sales charge to dealers or cause payment (which may exceed the front-end sales
charge, if any) of commissions to brokers through which sales are made, as you
may determine, and you may pay such amounts to dealers and brokers on sales of
shares from your own resources (such dealers and brokers shall collectively
include all domestic or foreign institutions eligible to offer and sell the
Shares), and in the event the Fund has more than one class of Shares
outstanding, then you may impose a front-end sales charge and/or a CDSC on
Shares of one class that is different from the charges imposed on Shares of the
Fund's other class(es), in each case as set forth in the current Prospectus
and/or SAI, provided the front-end sales charge and CDSC to the ultimate
purchaser do not exceed the respective levels set forth for such category of
purchaser in the current Prospectus and/or SAI.
4. PURCHASE OF SHARES.
(a) As General Distributor, you shall have the right to accept or reject
orders for the purchase of Shares at your discretion. Any
consideration which you may receive in connection with a rejected
purchase order will be returned promptly.
(b) You agree promptly to issue or to cause the duly appointed transfer or
shareholder servicing agent of the Fund to issue as your agent
confirmations of all accepted purchase orders and to transmit a copy
of such confirmations to the Fund. The net asset value of all Shares
which are the subject of such confirmations, computed in accordance
with the applicable rules under the 1940 Act, shall be a liability of
the General Distributor to the Fund to be paid promptly after receipt
of payment from the originating dealer or broker (or investor, in the
case of direct purchases) and not later than eleven business days
after such confirmation even if you have not actually received payment
from the originating dealer or broker, or investor. In no event shall
the General Distributor make payment to the Fund later than permitted
by applicable rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc.
(c) If the originating dealer or broker shall fail to make timely
settlement of its purchase order in accordance with applicable rules
of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or if a
direct purchaser shall fail to make good payment for shares in a
timely manner, you shall have the right to cancel such purchase order
and, at your
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account and risk, to hold responsible the originating dealer or
broker, or investor. You agree promptly to reimburse the Fund for
losses suffered by it that are attributable to any such
cancellation, or to errors on your part in relation to the effective
date of accepted purchase orders, limited to the amount that such
losses exceed contemporaneous gains realized by the Fund for either
of such reasons with respect to other purchase orders.
(d) In the case of a canceled purchase for the account of a directly
purchasing shareholder, the Fund agrees that if such investor fails to
make you whole for any loss you pay to the Fund on such canceled
purchase order, the Fund will reimburse you for such loss to the
extent of the aggregate redemption proceeds of any other shares of the
Fund owned by such investor, on your demand that the Fund exercise its
right to claim such redemption proceeds. The Fund shall register or
cause to be registered all Shares sold to you pursuant to the
provisions hereof in such names and amounts as you may request from
time to time and the Fund shall issue or cause to be issued
certificates evidencing such Shares for delivery to you or pursuant to
your direction if and to the extent that the shareholder account in
question contemplates the issuance of such certificates. All Shares,
when so issued and paid for, shall be fully paid and non-assessable by
the Fund (which shall not prevent the imposition of any CDSC that may
apply) to the extent set forth in the current Prospectus and/or SAI.
5. REPURCHASE OF SHARES.
(a) In connection with the repurchase of Shares, you are appointed and
shall act as Agent of the Fund. You are authorized, for so long as you
act as General Distributor of the Fund, to repurchase, from authorized
dealers, certificated or uncertificated shares of the Fund ("Shares")
on the basis of orders received from each dealer ("authorized dealer")
with which you have a dealer agreement for the sale of Shares and
permitting resales of Shares to you, provided that such authorized
dealer, at the time of placing such resale order, shall represent (i)
if such Shares are represented by certificate(s), that certificate(s)
for the Shares to be repurchased have been delivered to it by the
registered owner with a request for the redemption of such Shares
executed in the manner and with the signature guarantee required by
the then- currently effective prospectus of the Fund, or (ii) if such
Shares are uncertificated, that the registered owner(s) has delivered
to the dealer a request for the redemption of such Shares executed in
the manner and with the signature guarantee required by the
then-currently effective prospectus of the Fund.
(b) You shall (a) have the right in your discretion to accept or
reject orders for the repurchase of Shares; (b) promptly transmit
confirmations of all accepted repurchase orders; and (c) transmit a
copy of such confirmation to the Fund, or, if so directed, to any duly
appointed transfer or shareholder servicing agent of the Fund. In your
discretion, you may accept repurchase requests made by a financially
responsible dealer which provides you with indemnification in form
satisfactory to you in consideration of your acceptance of such
dealer's request in lieu of the written redemption request of the
owner of the account; you agree that the Fund shall be a
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third party beneficiary of such indemnification.
(c) Upon receipt by the Fund or its duly appointed transfer or
shareholder servicing agent of any certificate(s) (if any has been
issued) for repurchased Shares and a written redemption request of the
registered owner(s) of such Shares executed in the manner and bearing
the signature guarantee required by the then-currently effective
Prospectus or SAI of the Fund, the Fund will pay or cause its duly
appointed transfer or shareholder servicing agent promptly to pay to
the originating authorized dealer the redemption price of the
repurchased Shares (other than repurchased Shares subject to the
provisions of part (d) of Section 5 of this Agreement) next determined
after your receipt of the dealer's repurchase order.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of part (c) of Section 5 of this
Agreement, repurchase orders received from an authorized dealer after
the determination of the Fund's redemption price on a regular business
day will receive that day's redemption price if the request to the
dealer by its customer to arrange such repurchase prior to the
determination of the Fund's redemption price that day complies with
the requirements governing such requests as stated in the current
Prospectus and/or SAI.
(e) You will make every reasonable effort and take all reasonably
available measures to assure the accurate performance of all services
to be performed by you hereunder within the requirements of any
statute, rule or regulation pertaining to the redemption of shares of
a regulated investment company and any requirements set forth in the
then-current Prospectus and/or SAI of the Fund. You shall correct any
error or omission made by you in the performance of your duties
hereunder of which you shall have received notice in writing and any
necessary substantiating data; and you shall hold the Fund harmless
from the effect of any errors or omissions which might cause an over-
or under-redemption of the Fund's Shares and/or an excess or non-
payment of dividends, capital gains distributions, or other
distributions.
(f) In the event an authorized dealer initiating a repurchase order
shall fail to make delivery or otherwise settle such order in
accordance with the rules of the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc., you shall have the right to cancel such repurchase
order and, at your account and risk, to hold responsible the
originating dealer. In the event that any cancellation of a Share
repurchase order or any error in the timing of the acceptance of a
Share repurchase order shall result in a gain or loss to the Fund, you
agree promptly to reimburse the Fund for any amount by which any
losses shall exceed then-existing gains so arising.
6. 1933 ACT REGISTRATION. The Fund has delivered to you a copy of its current
Prospectus and SAI. The Fund agrees that it will use its best efforts to
continue the effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the 1933 Act. The
Fund further agrees to prepare and file any amendments to its Registration
Statement as may be necessary and any supplemental data in order to comply with
the 1933 Act. The Fund will furnish you at your expense with a reasonable number
of copies of the Prospectus and SAI and any amendments thereto for use in
connection with the sale of Shares.
7. 1940 ACT REGISTRATION. The Fund has already registered under the 1940
Act as an investment
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company, and it will use its best efforts to maintain such registration and to
comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
8. STATE BLUE SKY QUALIFICATION. At your request, the Fund will take such steps
as may be necessary and feasible to qualify Shares for sale in states,
territories or dependencies of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and in foreign countries, in accordance with the
laws thereof, and to renew or extend any such qualification; provided, however,
that the Fund shall not be required to qualify shares or to maintain the
qualification of shares in any jurisdiction where it shall deem such
qualification disadvantageous to the Fund.
9. DUTIES OF DISTRIBUTOR You agree that:
(a) Neither you nor any of your officers will take any long or short
position in the Shares, but this provision shall not prevent you or
your officers from acquiring Shares for investment purposes only;
(b) You shall furnish to the Fund any pertinent information required to
be inserted with respect to you as General Distributor within the
purview of the Securities Act of 1933 in any reports or registration
required to be filed with any governmental authority; and
(c) You will not make any representations inconsistent with the
information contained in the current Prospectus and/or SAI.
(d) You shall maintain such records as may be reasonably required for
the Fund or its transfer or shareholder servicing agent to respond to
shareholder requests or complaints, and to permit the Fund to maintain
proper accounting records, and you shall make such records available
to the Fund and its transfer agent or shareholder servicing agent upon
request.
(e) In performing under this Agreement, you shall comply with all
requirements of the Fund's current Prospectus and/or SAI and all
applicable laws, rules and regulations with respect to the purchase,
sale and distribution of Shares.
10. ALLOCATION OF COSTS. The Fund shall pay the cost of composition and printing
of sufficient copies of its Prospectus and SAI as shall be required for periodic
distribution to its shareholders and the expense of registering Shares for sale
under federal securities laws. You shall pay the expenses normally attributable
to the sale of Shares, other than as paid under the Fund's Distribution Plan
under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, including the cost of printing and mailing of
the Prospectus (other than those furnished to existing shareholders) and any
sales literature used by you in the public sale of the Shares and for
registering such shares under state blue sky laws pursuant to paragraph 8.
11. DURATION. This Agreement shall take effect on the date first written above,
and shall supersede any and all prior General Distributor's Agreements by and
among the Fund and you. Unless earlier terminated pursuant to paragraph 12
hereof, this Agreement shall remain in effect until December 31, 1998. This
Agreement shall continue in effect from year to year thereafter, provided that
such continuance shall be specifically approved at least annually: (a) by the
Fund's Board of
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Trustees or by vote of a majority of the voting securities of the Fund; and (b)
by the vote of a majority of the Trustees, who are not parties to this Agreement
or "interested persons" (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of any such person, cast in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
12. TERMINATION This Agreement may be terminated (a) by the General Distributor
at any time without penalty by giving sixty days' written notice (which notice
may be waived by the Fund); (b) by the Fund at any time without penalty upon
sixty days' written notice to the General Distributor (which notice may be
waived by the General Distributor); or (c) by mutual consent of the Fund and the
General Distributor, provided that such termination by the Fund shall be
directed or approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund or by the vote of the
holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. In the
event this Agreement is terminated by the Fund, the General Distributor shall be
entitled to be paid the CDSC under paragraph 3 hereof on the redemption proceeds
of Shares sold prior to the effective date of such termination.
13. ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement may not be amended or changed except in writing
and shall be binding upon and shall enure to the benefit of the parties hereto
and their respective successors; however, this Agreement shall not be assigned
by either party and shall automatically terminate upon assignment.
14. DISCLAIMER OF SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY. The General Distributor understands and
agrees that the obligations of the Fund under this Agreement are not binding
upon any Trustee or shareholder of the Fund personally, but bind only the Fund
and the Fund's property; the General Distributor represents that it has notice
of the provisions of the Declaration of Trust of the Fund disclaiming
shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund.
15. SECTION HEADINGS The headings of each section is for descriptive purposes
only, and such headings are not to be construed or interpreted as part of this
Agreement.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, so indicate by
signing in the space provided below.
Xxxxxxxxxxx Institutional Growth Fund
By:_________________________________
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Secretary
Accepted:
OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc.
By: _______________________________________
Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx, Vice President & Secretary
ofmi\270-i.198
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