FORM OF TRANSFER AGENCY SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of , 2013 by and between [BNY Mellon], a Delaware corporation, and AQUILA MUNICIPAL TRUST, a Massachusetts business trust , on behalf of its series AQUILA TAX-FREE FUND OF COLORADO (the "Fund").
1. Definitions. As used in this Agreement:
(a) "1933 Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(b) "1934 Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
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(c) "Authorized Person" means any officer of the Fund and any other person duly authorized by the Fund's Board of Trustees to give Oral Instructions and Written Instructions on behalf of the Fund and listed on the Authorized Persons Appendix attached hereto and made a part hereof or any amendment thereto as may be received by BNY Mellon. An Authorized Person's scope of authority may be limited by the Fund by setting forth such limitation in the Authorized Persons Appendix.
(d) "CEA" means the Commodities Exchange Act, as amended.
(e) "Oral Instructions" mean oral instructions received by BNY Mellon from an Authorized Person or from a person reasonably believed by BNY Mellon to be an Authorized Person.
(f) "SEC" means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(g) "Securities Laws" mean the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the 1940 Act and the CEA.
(h) "Shares" mean the shares of beneficial interest of any series or class of the Fund.
(i) "Written Instructions" mean written instructions signed by an Authorized Person and received by BNY Mellon. The instructions may be delivered by hand, mail, tested telegram, cable, telex or facsimile sending device.
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(a)Certified or authenticated copies of the resolutions of the Fund's Board of Trustees, approving the appointment of BNY Mellon or its affiliates to provide services to the Fund and approving this Agreement;
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(b)A copy, and all amendments thereto, of the Fund's most recent effective registration statement;
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(c)A copy of the applicable administration, advisory and/or sub-advisory agreements, and all amendments thereto, with respect to each Portfolio;
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(d)A copy of the distribution agreement, and all amendments thereto, with respect to each class of Shares;
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(e)Copies of any shareholder servicing agreements, and all amendments thereto, made in respect of the Fund or a Portfolio;
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(f)The Fund's Declaration of Trust filed with the Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and all amendments thereto (such Declaration of Trust, as presently in effect and as it shall from time to time be amended, is herein called the "Declaration of Trust"); and
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(g)The Fund's By-Laws and all amendments thereto (such By-Laws, as presently in effect and as they shall from time to time be amended, are hereinafter called the "By-Laws").
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BNY Mellon has furnished the Fund with copies properly certified or authenticated of its Registration Statement on Form TA-1 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and all other public reports filed with the SEC related to the services provided to the Fund as may be requested from time to time by the Fund.
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(a) Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, BNY Mellon shall act only upon Oral Instructions and Written Instructions.
(b) BNY Mellon shall be entitled to rely upon any Oral Instructions and Written Instructions it receives from an Authorized Person (or from a person reasonably believed by BNY Mellon to be an Authorized Person) pursuant to this Agreement. BNY Mellon may assume that any Oral Instruction or Written Instruction received hereunder is not in any way inconsistent with the provisions of organizational documents or this Agreement or of any vote, resolution or proceeding of the Fund's Board of Trustees or of the Fund's shareholders, unless and until BNY Mellon receives Written Instructions to the contrary.
(c) The Fund agrees to forward to BNY Mellon Written Instructions confirming Oral Instructions so that BNY Mellon receives the Written Instructions by the close of business on the same day that such Oral Instructions are received. The fact that such confirming Written Instructions are not received by BNY Mellon shall in no way invalidate the transactions or enforceability of the transactions authorized by the Oral Instructions. Where Oral Instructions or Written Instructions
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reasonably appear to have been received from an Authorized Person, BNY Mellon shall incur no liability to the Fund in acting upon such Oral Instructions or Written Instructions provided that BNY Mellon's actions comply with the other provisions of this Agreement.
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Instructions. Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to impose an obligation upon BNY Mellon (i) to seek such directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions, or (ii) to act in accordance with such directions, advice or Oral Instructions or Written Instructions unless, under the terms of other provisions of this Agreement, the same is a condition of BNY Mellon's properly taking or not taking such action. Nothing in this subsection shall excuse BNY Mellon when an action or omission on the part of BNY Mellon constitutes willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard by BNY Mellon of any duties, obligations or responsibilities set forth in this Agreement.
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in accordance with instructions of the Fund, the records will be destroyed or, at the expense of the Fund, delivered to the Fund or as it may otherwise direct.
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and in a detail reasonably designed pursuant to industry standards to provide for protection of such files in the event of a disaster to BNY Mellon's facilities). BNY Mellon shall enter into and shall maintain in effect with appropriate parties one or more agreements making adequate and reliable provisions for emergency use of electronic data processing equipment to the extent appropriate equipment is available. In the event of equipment failures, BNY Mellon shall, at no additional expense to the Fund, take reasonable steps to minimize service interruptions. BNY Mellon shall periodically back up data (including all predecessor transfer agent data delivered to BNY Mellon by the Fund's prior transfer agent in a machine readable format and converted by BNY Mellon) on appropriate media to be stored at an offsite facility of BNY Mellon's choosing. BNY Mellon shall have no liability with respect to the loss of data or service interruptions caused by equipment failure or otherwise, provided such loss or interruption is not caused by BNY Mellon's own willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of its duties or obligations under this Agreement.
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by BNY Mellon without cost to the Fund except as otherwise stated in this Agreement or otherwise agreed to in writing.
(a) BNY Mellon shall be under no duty to take any action on behalf of the Fund except as specifically set forth herein or as may be
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specifically agreed to by BNY Mellon in writing. BNY Mellon shall be obligated to exercise care and diligence in the performance of its duties hereunder, to act in good faith and to use its best efforts, within reasonable limits, to ensure the accuracy and completeness of all services performed under this Agreement. BNY Mellon shall be liable for any damages arising out of BNY Mellon's failure to perform its duties under this Agreement to the extent such damages arise out of BNY Mellon's willful misfeasance, bad faith, negligence or reckless disregard of such duties.
(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing or of any other provision of this Agreement, (i) BNY Mellon shall not be liable for losses beyond its control, provided that BNY Mellon has acted in accordance with the standard of care set forth above; and (ii) BNY Mellon shall not be under any duty or obligation to inquire into and shall not be liable for (A) the validity or invalidity or authority or lack thereof of any Oral Instruction or Written Instruction, notice or other instrument which conforms to the applicable requirements of this Agreement, and which BNY Mellon reasonably believes to be genuine; or (B) subject to Section 10, delays or errors or loss of data occurring by reason of circumstances beyond BNY Mellon's control, including acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties, fire, flood, catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply.
(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither BNY Mellon nor its affiliates shall be liable to the Fund for any consequential, special or indirect losses or damages which the
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Fund may incur or suffer by or as a consequence of BNY Mellon's or its affiliates' performance of the services provided hereunder, whether or not the likelihood of such losses or damages was known by BNY Mellon or its affiliates.
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(i)Calculate 12b-1 payments and payments under any Shareholder Services Plan of the Fund, produce and mail statements and checks where applicable or generate payments through the National Securities Clearing Corp. (the "NSCC") to all eligible dealers, and forward ineligible checks and statements to Aquila Distributors, Inc. (the "Distributor");
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(ii)Make weekly payment of direct commissions, including settlement through NSCC;
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(iii)Establish and maintain proper shareholder registrations;
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(iv)Review new applications for required information and correspond with shareholders to complete or correct information;
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(v)Provide payment processing of checks or wires;
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(vi)Prepare and certify stockholder lists in conjunction with proxy solicitations;
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(vii)Issue and countersign share certificates (when requested in writing by a shareholder) and cancel share certificates;
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(viii)Prepare and mail to shareholders confirmation of activity;
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(ix)Provide toll-free lines and voice response unit for direct shareholder use, plus customer liaison staff for on-line inquiry response (generally until 6 p.m., New York time, on days on which the
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New York Stock Exchange is open), including the ability to receive redirected toll-free calls from the Distributor on an as-needed basis;
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(x)On a monthly basis, mail duplicate statements to: (1) broker-dealers of their clients' activity, whether executed through the broker-dealer or directly with BNY Mellon, and (2) other parties (e.g., lawyers and accountants) as requested by the shareholders;
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(xi)Provide periodic shareholder lists and statistics to the Fund;
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(xii)Provide detailed data for underwriter/broker confirmations, including daily outstanding confirmed purchases, redemptions, and paid not issued shares;
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(xiii)Prepare periodic mailing of year-end tax and statement information;
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(xiv)Provide reports, notification, and where applicable reconciliation on a timely basis to the investment adviser, sub-adviser, administrator, accounting agent, and custodian of fund activity;
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(xv)Perform other participating broker-dealer shareholder services, including Fund/Serv, Automated Customer Account Transfer System ("ACATS"), Networking and terminal access for selected dealers, and such other services as may be agreed upon from time to time;
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(xvi)Promptly transmit to the Fund all reports, documents and information as are requested by the Fund and agreed to by BNY Mellon, which agreement shall not be unreasonably withheld, that are necessary to enable the Fund and its service providers to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service, the SEC, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc, the National Securities Clearing Corp., the state blue sky authorities and any other regulatory bodies having jurisdiction over the Fund, it being understood and agreed that such reports shall
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include those on the list contained in Exhibit B hereto, as such list may be amended from time to time by agreement between the parties;
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(xvii)Process all clerical transactions;
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(xviii)Screen and maintain Transfer on Death registrations according to Fund guidelines (except those guidelines hereafter adopted by the Fund which are considered in BNY Mellon’s sole good-faith discretion to be more burdensome than the guidelines in effect on the date of this Agreement);
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(xix) Provide electronic imaging and time-stamping of all incoming mail;
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(xx)Compute and track all front-end and contingent deferred sales charges imposed upon the purchase and redemption of Shares;
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(xxi)Track and convert Shares in accordance with the share conversion features described in the prospectus of the Fund;
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(xxii)Answer written or telephonic correspondence relating to its duties hereunder (including providing written acknowledgement of address changes to previous addresses of record) and such other correspondence as may from time to time be mutually agreed upon between BNY Mellon and the Fund; inquiries of a non-routine nature shall be referred to the Fund;
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(xxiii)Remit supporting detail of underwriter fees to the Distributor on a semi-monthly basis;
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(xxiv)Until such time as Fund management and legal counsel to the Fund determine otherwise and so inform BNY Mellon in Written Instructions, establish, maintain for the benefit of the Fund and control the flow of funds through separate subscription, redemption and dividend disbursement accounts (each an "Operational Account") provided by PNC Bank, N.A. or by such other financial institution as may be agreed upon by the Fund and BNY Mellon;
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(xxv)To the extent reasonably feasible, reverse trades (including backing out dividends) due to nonreceipt of funds, improper registration, or other sufficient reason;
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(xxvi)Compute and track all letters of intent;
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(xxvii)Screen all transactions with respect to the Fund's Blue Sky requirements of which BNY Mellon is informed by the Fund by Written Instructions, and comply with the Written Instructions of the Fund in effect from time to time limiting issuance of Shares to specified states (based on address of registration), including screening for Shares sold in states other than those so specified (but relating only to those Shares sold after BNY Mellon commences its duties as transfer agent hereunder);
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(xxviii)Provide abandoned property reporting and filing to meet the escheat requirements of each of the states named by the Fund in Written Instructions;
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(xxix)Maintain a record of all incoming checks, new account applications and documentation set forth in Section 16(g), on filmstrips, another microfilm retrieval method or otherwise so as to be retrievable and reproducible, upon reasonable request, within time frames that meet reasonable industry standards;
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(xxx)Process W-9 or similar forms received by BNY Mellon and review taxpayer identification numbers for all same number (e.g., 000 00 0000), sequential numbering (e.g., 000 00 0000) and non-numeric numbers (e.g., 128 4A 3927) and other conditions of obvious irregularity in accordance with BNY Mellon's normal operating procedures;
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(xxxi)On a semi-monthly or other basis acceptable to BNY Mellon and the Fund (but in no event more frequently than once per month per shareholder account) initiate, accept and process pre-authorized checks or, when available, electronic funds transfers drawn against shareholders' checking accounts;
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(xxxii)In accordance with policies and procedures established by the Fund and BNY Mellon, furnish to shareholders dividend and redemption checks alleged to have been lost, stolen, destroyed or not received; and
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(xxxiii)Record all incoming telephone conversations and telephonic transactions that are received via the Fund's published customer service numbers and retain such recordings for a minimum of six months.
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(xxxiv)Post and perform shareholder transfers and post and perform exchanges for shares of other funds with which the Fund has exchange privileges, pursuant to shareholder instructions; and
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(xxxv)Reconcile to Fund accounting records and pay dividends and other distributions, including direct deposit credits through the Automatic Clearing House ("ACH") upon proper written shareholder authorization.
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(i)A purchase order or application, either directly from an investor or otherwise, complying with requirements for purchases prescribed by the prospectus;
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(ii)Proper information to establish a shareholder account; and
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(iii)A purchase check or confirmation of receipt or crediting of available funds for such order to the Fund's custodian.
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In opening new shareholder accounts, BNY Mellon will assign account numbers. BNY Mellon shall assign Aquila Distributors, Inc. as broker of record whenever dealer information is omitted and send a copy of any related application to Aquila Distributors, Inc.
BNY Mellon must receive a completed application before any redemption orders are accepted and processed for an account opened directly by an investor.
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(i)the surrendered certificate is drawn to the order of an assignee or holder and transfer authorization is signed by the recordholder;
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(ii)Transfer authorizations are signed by the recordholder when Shares are held in book-entry form;
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(iii)Such redemption is through money market fund check-writing capabilities; or
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(iv)such redemption is in settlement of dealer confirmed redemptions via Fund/Serv.
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Consistent with provisions set forth in the prospectus, redemption proceeds shall be wired upon request. When a broker-dealer notifies BNY Mellon of a redemption desired by a customer, and the Fund's custodian provides BNY Mellon with funds, BNY Mellon shall prepare and send the redemption check to the broker-dealer, made payable to the broker-dealer on behalf of its customer.
BNY Mellon shall establish procedures reasonably designed to ensure that redemption requirements established by BNY Mellon and agreed to by the Fund have been met, including the receipt and examination of stock certificates and related endorsements, signature guarantees and obtaining any needed papers or documents, including a properly completed application, where required. No redemptions in accounts represented in whole or in part by certificates shall be effected without cancellation of an adequate number of certificate Shares, if necessary. No signature guarantees shall be acceptable if received by facsimile and signature guarantees must reasonably appear to have been provided by an eligible guarantor institution of a type described as such in the prospectus which is a participant in a medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association or in instructions received from the Fund; provided, however, that BNY Mellon may accept a
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signature guarantee received by facsimile if so instructed by Oral or Written Instructions.
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(i)Reports to shareholders;
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(ii)Confirmations of purchases and sales of Shares;
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(iii)Monthly or quarterly statements (with extra print lines for additional information, such as
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additional dividend information, to shareholders), generally by the fifth business day after the dividend payable date, providing a combined check and statement to shareholders electing cash distributions;
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(iv)Dividend and distribution notices (at year-end, such notices will be upon Written Instructions);
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(v)Tax form information (upon Written Instructions);
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(vi)Forms W-9 or W-8 as appropriate;
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(vii)Prospectuses;
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(viii)Account-related shareholder correspondence that is considered in BNY Mellon’s sole discretion to be routine; and
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(ix)Any other routine shareholder communications as agreed to between the Fund and BNY Mellon.
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(f) Third Party Proxy Provider. BNY Mellon shall assist the Fund in obtaining competitive bids for proxy services. Proxy services shall be provided by a third party. The Fund understands and agrees that BNY Mellon bears no responsibility for the provision of any proxy services or the manner in which any proxy services are provided, that BNY Mellon will not be considered the Fund’s agent in connection with the provision of any proxy services, and that any party providing proxy services to the Fund shall not be considered to be the agent of BNY Mellon or to have any other relationship with BNY Mellon with respect to such services. Such proxy services, which will be decided upon solely between the Fund and the third party provider, shall include proxy mailing, receiving and tabulating proxy cards for the meetings of the Fund’s shareholders, communicating to the Fund daily and final results of such tabulation
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accompanied by appropriate certificates, and preparing and furnishing to the Fund certified lists of shareholders as of such date, and in such form and containing such information as may be required by the Fund to comply with any applicable provisions of law or its Declaration of Trust and/or By-Laws relating to such meetings. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Subsection (f), BNY Mellon shall furnish to the third-party proxy provider such information as is reasonably requested by such provider pertaining to shareholder registration information and record-date share positions to permit the Fund to obtain the benefits of the services necessary for conduct of its shareholder meetings.
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(i)Name, address, United States Tax Identification or Social Security number, and any pertinent beneficiary information;
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(ii)Number and class of Shares held and number and class of Shares for which certificates, if any, have been issued, including certificate numbers and denominations;
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(iii)Historical information regarding the account of each shareholder, including dividends and distributions paid and the date and price for all transactions in a shareholder's account;
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(iv)Any stop or restraining order placed against a shareholder's account;
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(v)Any correspondence relating to the current maintenance of a shareholder's account;
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(vi)Information with respect to withholdings, including withholdings in the case of a foreign account and accounts subject to backup withholding; and
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(vii)Any information required in order for the transfer agent to perform any calculations contemplated or required by this Agreement.
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BNY Mellon shall use its best efforts to convert for use in its system such data of the predecessor transfer agent that has been provided to BNY Mellon as shall permit BNY Mellon to maintain on its system such converted data covering a minimum of 18 months prior to commencement of its services as transfer agent of the Fund. BNY Mellon is not responsible for errors or omissions in or caused by the records of any predecessor transfer agent. BNY Mellon shall inform the Fund of material errors coming to its attention in the course of performance of its duties hereunder. BNY Mellon shall maintain on its system in a readily viewable form pertinent account information (i.e., the information listed in this Section 16(g)) relating to shareholders of the Fund (including all predecessor transfer agent data delivered to BNY Mellon by the Fund’s prior transfer agent in a machine readable format and converted by BNY Mellon) for a minimum of 13 months after the date of the transaction or other matter to which the information relates and shall thereafter maintain such information in a readily accessible format to the extent required by the 1940 Act and other applicable securities laws, rules and regulations.
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(i)The shareholder's pledge of a lost instrument bond or such other appropriate indemnity bond issued by a surety company approved by BNY Mellon; and
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(ii)Completion of a release and indemnification agreement signed by the shareholder to protect BNY Mellon and its affiliates.
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(m) Relationship Officer. BNY Mellon agrees to provide a Relationship Officer to serve as the primary point of contact between the Fund and BNY Mellon. BNY Mellon will exercise due care in assigning an individual who is conversant with standard investment company practices.
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(i)BNY Mellon shall, in addition to the services herein itemized, if so requested by the Fund and agreed to by BNY Mellon, which shall bargain in good faith regarding such requests and the fees and charges to be paid therefor, for such additional fees and charges as the Fund and BNY Mellon may from time to time agree, perform and do all other acts and services as required by the Fund's prospectus or the law or that are customarily performed and done by transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents, and shareholder servicing agents of open-end mutual funds such as the Fund.
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(ii)BNY Mellon shall, in addition to the services herein itemized, provide such additional services to the Fund and in such manner as are normally provided by BNY Mellon to its mutual fund transfer agency customers in the
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normal course of business, subject to additional mutually-agreed upon pricing, if any.
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BNY Mellon INC.
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By:
Title:
AQUILA MUNICIPAL TRUST, on behalf of its series
AQUILA TAX-FREE FUND OF COLORADO
By:
Title:
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EXHIBIT A
THIS EXHIBIT A, dated as of ______________, is Exhibit A to that certain Transfer Agency Services Agreement dated as of ________________between BNY Mellon Inc. and AQUILA MUNICIPAL TRUST, on behalf of its series AQUILA TAX-FREE FUND OF COLORADO
PORTFOLIOS
AQUILA MUNICIPAL TRUST, on behalf of its series AQUILA TAX-FREE FUND OF COLORADO
AUTHORIZED PERSONS APPENDIX
On the date of the Agreement and thereafter until further notice, the following persons shall be Authorized Persons as defined therein:
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Signature
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Exhibit B
Report List for Aquila Group of Funds
12b-1 Report
5 Percent or More Shareholder Listing
5 Percent or More Shareholder Listing - sorted by ssn
Account Analysis by Type
Asset Report by Dealer for Management Company
Asset Report by Fund and Dealer
Blue Sky Sales Report
Capital Stock Reporting
Daily Transaction Journal
Dealer Commission Check Register/Dealer Commission Statement
DTS Activity Summary
DTS Liquidation Placements
DTS Outstanding Trades by Fund
DTS Posted Transactions
DTS Purchase Placement
Matrix Summary by Fund With Dealer Name
Matrix Summary by Management Company With Dealer Name
Month to Sales (Demographics by Account Group)
Monthly Statistical Report
Monthly Wire Order (Purchases/Redemptions)
New Account Journal
Next Day NSCC Settlement Detail
NSAR Based on trade date
Transactions at a Glance