INTERIM SUB ADVISORY AGREEMENT
EX-28.d.2.f
INTERIM SUB ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS INTERIM SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into effective the October 8, 2013, by and among NATIONWIDE VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, NATIONWIDE FUND ADVISORS (the “Adviser”), a Delaware statutory trust registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and XXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Subadviser”), and also registered under the Advisers Act.
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comply with, the requirements of the 1940 Act, including Rule 15a-4 thereunder, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Without limiting the preceding sentence, the Adviser promptly shall notify the Subadviser as to any act or omission of the Subadviser hereunder that the Adviser reasonably deems to constitute or to be the basis of any noncompliance or nonconformance with any of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws and the Prospectus, the instructions and directionsreceived in writing from the Adviser or the Trustees of the Trust or the 1940 Act, the Code, and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser shall remain responsible for ensuring the Fund’s and the Trust’s overall compliance with the 1940 Act, the Code and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations and the Subadviser is only obligated to comply with this subsection (b) with respect to the Subadviser Assets. The Adviser timely will provide the Subadviser with a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Trust to the extent they may affect the Fund or the services of the Subadviser, copies of any financial statements or reports made by the Fund to its shareholders, and any further materials or information which the Subadviser may reasonably request to enable it to perform its functions under this Agreement.
The Adviser shall perform quarterly and annual tax compliance tests to ensure that the Fund is in compliance with Subchapter M and Section 817(h) of the Code. In connection with such compliance tests, the Adviser shall inform the Subadviser at least ten (10) business days prior to a calendar quarter end if the Subadviser Assets are out of compliance with the diversification requirements under either Subchapter M or Section 817(h). If the Adviser notifies the Subadviser that the Subadviser Assets are not in compliance with such requirements noted above, the Subadviser will take prompt action to bring the Subadviser Assets back into compliance within the time permitted under the Code thereunder.
The Adviser will provide the Subadviser with reasonable advance notice of any change in the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in the Prospectus, and the Subadviser shall, in the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, manage the Subadviser Assets consistent with such changes, provided that the Subadviser has received prompt notice of the effectiveness of such changes from the Trust or the Adviser. In addition to such notice, the Adviser shall provide to the Subadviser a copy of a modified Prospectus reflecting such changes. The Adviser acknowledges and will ensure that the Prospectus will at all times be in compliance with all disclosure requirements under all applicable federal and state laws and regulations relating to the Trust or the Fund, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and that the Subadviser shall have no liability in connection therewith, except as to the accuracy of material information furnished in writing by the Subadviser to the Trust or to the Adviser specifically for inclusion in the Prospectus. The Subadviser hereby agrees to provide to the Adviser in a timely manner such information relating to the Subadviser and its relationship to, and actions for, the Trust as may be required to be contained in the Prospectus or in the Trust’s Registration Statement on Form N-l A.
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The Subadviser, including without limitation its designee, shall have the power to vote, either in person or by proxy, all securities in which the Subadviser Assets may be invested from time to time, and shall not be required to seek or take instructions from, the Adviser, the Fund or the Trust or take any action with respect thereto. If both the Subadviser and another entity managing assets of the Fund have invested the Fund’s assets in the same security, the Subadviser and such other entity will each have the power to vote its pro rata share of the Fund’s security.
The Subadviser will establish a written procedure for proxy voting in compliance with current applicable rules and regulations, including but not limited to Rule 3 Ob 1-4 under the 1940 Act. The Subadviser will provide the Adviser or its designee, a copy of such procedure and establish a process for the timely distribution of the Subadviser’s voting record with respect to the Fund’s securities and other information necessary for the Fund to complete information required by Form N-l A under the 1940 Act and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Form N-PX under the 1940 Act, and Form N-CSR under the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002, as amended, respectively.
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obligated to cause, and shall not be deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty created by this Agreement or otherwise solely by reason of its having caused, the Fund to pay a Broker that provides brokerage and research services (within the meaning of Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to the Subadviser an amount of commission for effecting a Subadviser Assets investment transaction that is in excess of the amount of commission that another Broker would have charged for effecting that transaction if, but only if, the Subadviser determines in good faith that such commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such Broker viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibility of the Subadviser with respect to the accounts as to which it exercises investment discretion.
It is recognized that the services provided by such Brokers may be useful to the Subadviser in connection with the Subadviser’s services to other clients. On occasions when the Subadviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund with respect to the Subadviser Assets as well as other clients of the Subadviser, the Subadviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and efficient execution. In such event, allocation of securities so sold or purchased, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Subadviser in the manner the Subadviser considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients. It is recognized that in some cases, this procedure may adversely affect the price paid or received by the Fund or the size of the position obtainable for, or disposed of by, the Fund with respect to the Subadviser Assets.
The Subadviser, on its own behalf and with respect to its Access Persons (as defined in subsection (e) of Rule 17j-l under the 1940 Act), agrees to observe and comply with Rule 17j-l and its Code of Ethics (which shall comply in all material respects with Rule 17j-l), as the same may be amended from time to time. On at least an annual basis, the Subadviser will comply with the reporting requirements of Rule 17j-l, which may include either (i) certifying to the Adviser that the Subadviser and its Access Persons have complied with the Subadviser’s Code of Ethics with respect to the Subadviser Assets or (ii) identifying any violations which have occurred with respect to the Subadviser Assets. The Subadviser will have also submitted its Code of Ethics for its initial approval by the Board of Trustees no later than the date of execution of this agreement and subsequently within six months of any material change thereto.
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Subadviser Assets (the “Fund’s Records”), including, without limitation, brokerage and other records of all securities transactions. The Subadviser acknowledges that the Fund’s Records are property of the Trust; except to the extent that the Subadviser is required to maintain the Fund’s Records under the Advisers Act or other applicable law and except that the Subadviser, at its own expense, is entitled to make and keep a copy of the Fund’s Records for its internal files. The Fund’s Records shall be available to the Adviser or the Trust at any time upon reasonable request during normal business hours and shall be available for telecopying promptly to the Adviser during any day that the Fund is open for business as set forth in the Prospectus.
Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, the Subadviser will also provide such information or perform such additional acts with respect to the Subadviser Assets as are reasonably required for the Trust or the Adviser to comply with their respective obligations under applicable laws, including without limitation, the Code, the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act, and the Securities Act, and any rule or regulation thereunder.
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4. Expenses. During the term of this Agreement, the Subadviser will pay all expenses incurred by it in connection with its activities under this Agreement. The Subadviser shall, at its sole expense, employ or associate itself with such persons as it believes to be particularly fitted to assist it in the execution of its duties under this Agreement. The Subadviser shall not be responsible for the Trust’s, the Fund’s or the Adviser’s expenses, which shall include, but not be limited to, the cost of securities, commodities and other investments (including brokerage commissions and other transaction charges, if any) purchased for the Fund and any losses incurred in connection therewith, expenses of holding or carrying Subadviser Assets, including, without limitation, expenses of dividends on stock borrowed to cover a short sale and interest, fees or other charges incurred in connection with leverage and related borrowings with respect to the Subadviser Assets, organizational and offering expenses (which include, but are not limited to, out-of-pocket expenses, but not overhead or employee costs of the Subadviser); expenses for legal, accounting and auditing services; taxes and governmental fees; dues and expenses incurred in connection with membership in investment company organizations; costs of printing and distributing shareholder reports, proxy materials, prospectuses, stock certificates and distribution of dividends; charges of the Fund’s custodians and sub-custodians, administrators and sub-administrators, registrars, transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents and dividend reinvestment plan agents; payment for portfolio pricing services to a pricing agent, if any; registration and filing fees of the SEC; expenses of registering or qualifying securities of the Fund for sale in the various states; freight and other charges in connection with the shipment of the Fund’s portfolio securities; fees and expenses of non-interested Trustees; salaries of shareholder relations personnel; costs of shareholders meetings; insurance; interest; brokerage costs; and litigation and other extraordinary or non-recurring expenses. The Trust or the Adviser, as the case may be, shall reimburse the Subadviser for any expenses of the Funds or the Adviser as may be reasonably incurred by such Subadviser on behalf of the Fund or the Adviser. The Subadviser shall keep and supply to the Trust and the Adviser reasonable records of all such expenses.
The method of determining the net asset value of the Subadviser Assets for purposes hereof shall be the same as the method of determining net asset value for purposes of establishing the offering and redemption price of the shares of the Trust as described in the Fund’s Prospectus. If this Agreement shall be effective for only a portion of a month with respect to the Fund, the aforesaid fee shall be prorated for the portion of such month during which this Agreement is in effect for the Fund.
(a) The Subadviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act;
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(b) The Subadviser is registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the “CEA”), with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”), or is not required to file such registration;
(c) The Subadviser is a limited liability company duly organized and properly registered and operating under the laws of the State of Delaware with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted and as proposed to be conducted hereunder;
(d) The execution, delivery and performance by the Subadviser of this Agreement are within the Subadviser’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary actions of its directors or shareholders, and no action by, or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Subadviser for execution, delivery and performance by the Subadviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Subadviser of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a violation of, or a material default under, (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Subadviser’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Subadviser; and
(e) The Form ADV of the Subadviser previously provided to the Adviser and the Trust is a true and complete copy of the form, including that part or parts of the Form ADV filed with the SEC, that part or parts maintained in the records of the Adviser, and/or that part or parts provided or offered to clients, in each case as required under the Advisers Act and rules thereunder, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(a) The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act;
(b) The Adviser has filed a notice of exemption pursuant to Rule 4.14 under the CEA with the CFTC and the National Futures Association or is not required to file such exemption;
(c) The Adviser is a business trust duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted and as proposed to be conducted hereunder;
(d) The execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement are within the Adviser’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of its directors, shareholders or managing unitholder, and no action by, or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Adviser for the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a violation of, or a material default under, (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or
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regulation, (ii) the Adviser’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Adviser;
(e) The Form ADV of the Adviser previously provided to the Subadviser and the Trust is a true and complete copy of the form, including that part or parts of the Form ADV filed with the SEC, that part or parts maintained in the records of the Adviser, and/or that part or parts provided or offered to clients, in each case as required under the Advisers Act and rules thereunder, and the information contained therein is accurate and complete in all material respects and does not omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(f) The Adviser acknowledges that it received a copy of the Subadviser’s Form ADV prior to the execution of this Agreement; and
(g) The Adviser and the Trust have duly entered into the Advisory Agreement pursuant to which the Trust authorized the Adviser to delegate certain of its duties under the Advisory Agreement to other investment advisers, including without limitation, the appointment of a subadviser with respect to assets of each of the Trust’s mutual fund series, including without limitation the Adviser’s entering into and performing this Agreement.
(a) The Trust is a statutory trust duly formed and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with the power to own and possess its assets and carry on its business as it is now being conducted and as proposed to be conducted hereunder;
(b) The Trust is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act and has elected to qualify and has qualified, together with the Fund, as a regulated investment company under the Code, and the Fund’s shares are registered under the Securities Act;
(c) The execution, delivery and performance by the Trust of this Agreement are within the Trust’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Trust and its Board of Trustees, and no action by, or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Trust for the execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Trust of this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a default under (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Trust’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Trust; and
(d) The Trust acknowledges that it received a copy of the Subadviser’s Form ADV prior to the execution of this Agreement.
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aware that any of the foregoing representations and warranties are no longer true or accurate in all material effects.
(a) Liability. The Subadviser shall exercise its best judgment in rendering its services in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, but otherwise, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Subadviser or a reckless disregard of its duties hereunder, the Subadviser, each of its affiliates and all respective partners, officers, directors and employees (“Affiliates”) and each person, if any, who within the meaning of the Securities Act controls the Subadviser (“Controlling Persons”), if any, shall not be subject to any expenses or liability to the Adviser, any other subadviser to the Fund, the Trust or the Fund or any of the Fund’s shareholders, in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, including without limitation for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of Subadviser Assets. The Adviser shall exercise its best judgment in rendering its obligations in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, but otherwise (except as set forth in Section 10(c) below), in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser or a reckless disregard of its duties hereunder, the Adviser, any of its Affiliates and each of the Adviser’s Controlling Persons, if any, shall not be subject to any liability to the Subadviser, for any act or omission in the case of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of Subadviser Assets. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein shall relieve the Adviser and the Subadviser from any of their obligations under applicable law, including, without limitation, the federal and state securities laws and the CEA.
The Trust shall indemnify the Subadviser, its Affiliates and its Controlling Persons, for any liability and expenses, including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, which may be sustained as a result of the Trust’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the federal and state securities laws or the CEA.
(c) The Subadviser shall not be liable to the Adviser for (i) any acts of the Adviser or any other subadviser to the Fund with respect to the portion of the assets of that Fund not managed by Subadviser, or (ii) acts of the Subadviser which result from acts of the Adviser,
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including, but not limited to, a failure of the Adviser to provide accurate and current information with respect to any records maintained by the Adviser or any other subadviser to the Fund, which records are not also maintained by or otherwise available to the Subadviser upon reasonable request. The Adviser agrees that the Subadviser shall manage the Subadviser Assets as if they were a separate operating Fund as set forth in Section 2(b) of this Agreement. The Adviser shall indemnify the Subadviser, its Affiliates and Controlling Persons from any liability arising from the conduct of the Adviser and any other subadviser with respect to the portion of the Fund’s assets not allocated to the Subadviser.
(b) Termination. This Interim Subadvisory Agreement will terminate as to the Fund listed on attached Exhibit A, upon the approval of the New Subadvisory Agreement by the Board. Notwithstanding whatever may be provided herein to the contrary, this Agreement may also be terminated at any time with respect to the Fund, without payment of any penalty: (i) by vote of a majority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, or by “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), or by the Adviser, in each case, upon not more than 60 days’ written notice to the Subadviser; (ii) by any party hereto immediately upon written notice to the other parties in the event of a breach of any provision of this Agreement by either of the other parties; or (iii) by the Subadviser upon not more than 60 days’ written notice to the Adviser and the Trust.
This Agreement shall not be assigned (as such term is defined in the 0000 Xxx) and shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment or upon the termination of the Advisory Agreement.
(a) Neither the Adviser nor any Affiliate or agent of the Adviser shall make reference to or use the name of the Subadviser or any of its Affiliates, or any of their clients, except references concerning the identity of and services provided by the Subadviser to the Fund, which references shall not differ in substance from those included in the Prospectus and this Agreement, in any advertising or promotional materials without the prior approval of the Subadviser, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Adviser hereby agrees to make all reasonable efforts to cause the Fund and any Affiliate thereof to satisfy the foregoing obligation.
(b) Neither the Subadviser nor any Affiliate or agent of it shall make reference
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to or use the name of the Adviser or any of its Affiliates, or any of their clients, except references concerning the identity of and services provided by the Adviser to the Fund or to the Subadviser, which references shall not differ in substance from those included in the Prospectus and this Agreement, in any advertising or promotional materials without the prior approval of the Adviser, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Subadviser hereby agrees to make all reasonable efforts to cause any Affiliate of the Subadviser to satisfy the foregoing obligation.
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(a) If to the Subadviser:
Xxxxxx Investment Management, LLC
Xxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Legal Department
Facsimile: 617.292.1625
(b) If to the Adviser:
Nationwide Fund Advisors
0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxx xx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Legal Department
Facsimile: 610.230.2777
(c) If to the Trust:
0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxx xx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Legal Department
Facsimile: 610.230.2777
17. Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with substantive laws of the State of Delaware without reference to choice of law principles thereof and in accordance with the 1940 Act. In the case of any conflict, the 1940 Act shall control.
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23. Nationwide Variable Insurance Trust and its Trustees. The terms “Nationwide Variable Insurance Trust” and the “Trustees of Nationwide Variable Insurance Trust” refer respectively to the Trust created and the Trustees, as trustees but not individually or personally, acting from time to time under the Second Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, amended and restated as of June 17, 2009, as has been or may be amended and/or restated from time to time, and to which reference is hereby made.
This prohibition does not apply to communications by the Adviser in connection with the Adviser’s (i) overall supervisory responsibility for the general management and investment of the Fund’s assets; (ii) determination of the allocation of assets among the Manager(s), if any; and (iii) investment discretion with respect to the investment of Fund assets not otherwise assigned to a Manager.
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TRUST
By: /s/Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
ADVISER
NATIONWIDE FUND ADVISORS
By: /s/Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
SUBADVISER
XXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC
By: /s/Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Assoc. Gen'l Counsel
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EXHIBIT A
AND XXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC
Effective October 8, 2013*
Funds of the Trust
|
Subadvisory Fees
|
NVIT Multi-Manager Small Company Fund
|
0.45% on Subadviser Assets up to $200 million; and
|
0.40% on Subadviser Assets of $200 million and more
|
* As approved at the October 18,2013 Board Meeting
TRUST
By: /s/Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
ADVISER
NATIONWIDE FUND ADVISORS
By: /s/Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: President
SUBADVISER
XXXXXX INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC
By: /s/Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Assoc. Gen'l Counsel
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