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EXHIBIT 99.B9(B)
TRANSFER AGENT AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into on this __________ day of
_________, 1998 by and between Hotchkis and Wiley Variable Trust (hereinafter
referred to as the "Trust") and Firstar Trust Company, a corporation organized
under the laws of the State of Wisconsin (hereinafter referred to as the
"Agent").
WHEREAS, the Trust is an an open-ended management investment company which
is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940; and
WHEREAS, the Agent is a trust company and, among other things, is in the
business of administering transfer and dividend disbursing agent functions for
the benefit of its customers;
NOW, THEREFORE, the and the Agent do mutually promise and agree as
follows:
1. TERMS OF APPOINTMENT; DUTIES OF THE AGENT
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Trust
hereby employs and appoints the Agent to act as transfer agent and dividend
disbursing agent.
The Agent shall perform all of the customary services of a transfer agent
and dividend disbursing agent, and as relevant, agent in connection with
accumulation, open account or similar plans (including without limitation any
periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including but not
limited to:
A. Receive orders for the purchase of shares;
B. Process purchase orders and issue the appropriate number of
certificated or uncertificated shares with such uncertificated
shares being held in the appropriate shareholder account;
C. Process redemption requests received in good order;
D. Pay monies where relevant in accordance with the instructions of
redeeming shareholders;
E. Process transfers of shares in accordance with the shareowner's
instructions;
F. Process exchanges between funds within the same family of funds;
G. Issue and/or cancel certificates as instructed; replace lost, stolen
or destroyed certificates upon receipt of satisfactory
indemnification or surety bond;
H. Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions
declared by the Trust;
I. Make changes to shareholder records, including, but not limited to,
address changes in plans (i.e., systematic withdrawal, automatic
investment, dividend reinvestment, etc.);
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J. Record the issuance of shares of the Trust and maintain, pursuant to
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 17ad-10(e), a record of the
total number of shares of the which are authorized, issued and
outstanding;
K. Prepare shareholder meeting lists and, if applicable, mail, receive
and tabulate proxies;
L. Mail shareholder reports and prospectuses to current shareholders;
M. Prepare and file U.S. Treasury Department forms 1099 and other
appropriate information returns required with respect to dividends
and distributions for all shareholders;
N. Provide shareholder account information upon request and prepare and
mail confirmations and statements of account to shareholders for all
purchases, redemptions and other confirmable transactions as agreed
upon with the Trust; and
O. Provide a Blue Sky System which will enable the to monitor the total
number of shares sold in each state. In addition, the Trust shall
identify to the Agent in writing those transactions and assets to be
treated as exempt from the Blue Sky reporting to the Trust for each
state. The responsibility of the Agent for the Trust's Blue Sky
state registration status is solely limited to the initial
compliance by the Trust and the reporting of such transactions to
the Trust.
2. COMPENSATION
The Trust agrees to pay the Agent for performance of the duties listed in
this Agreement; the fees and out-of-pocket expenses include, but are not limited
to the following: printing, postage, forms, stationery, record retention,
mailing, insertion, programming, labels, shareholder lists and proxy expenses.
These fees and reimbursable expenses may be changed from time to time
subject to mutual written agreement between the Trust and the Agent.
The Trust agrees to pay all fees and reimbursable expenses within ten (10)
business days following the mailing of the billing notice.
3. REPRESENTATIONS OF AGENT
The Agent represents and warrants to the Trust that:
A. It is a trust company duly organized, existing and in good standing
under the laws of Wisconsin;
B. It is a registered transfer agent under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 as amended.
C. It is duly qualified to carry on its business in the state of
Wisconsin;
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D. It is empowered under applicable laws and by its charter and bylaws
to enter into and perform this Agreement;
E. All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it
to enter and perform this Agreement;
F. It has and will continue to have access to the necessary facilities,
equipment and personnel to perform its duties and obligations under
this Agreement; and
G. It will comply with all applicable requirements of the Securities
Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and any laws, rules, and
regulations of governmental authorities having jurisdiction.
4. REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TRUST
The Trust represents and warrants to the Agent that:
A. The Trust is an open-ended diversified investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940;
B. The Trust is a business trust organized, existing, and in good
standing under the laws of Massachusetts;
C. The Trust is empowered under applicable laws and by its Declaration
of Trust and bylaws to enter into and perform this Agreement;
D. All necessary proceedings required by the Declaration of Trust have
been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement;
E. The Trust will comply with all applicable requirements of the
Securities and Exchange Acts of 1933 and 1934, as amended, the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and any laws, rules and
regulations of governmental authorities having jurisdiction; and
F. A registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 is
currently effective and will remain effective, and 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.
5. COVENANTS OF AND AGENT
The Trust shall furnish the Agent a certified copy of the resolution of
the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizing the appointment of the Agent and
the execution of this Agreement. The Trust shall provide to the Agent a copy of
the Declaration of Trust, bylaws of the Trust and all amendments thereto.
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The Agent shall keep records relating to the services to be performed
hereunder, in the form and manner as it may deem advisable. To the extent
required by Section 31 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and
the rules thereunder, the Agent agrees that all such records prepared or
maintained by the Agent relating to the services to be performed by the Agent
hereunder are the property of the Trust and will be preserved, maintained and
made available in accordance with such section and rules and will be surrendered
to the Trust on and in accordance with its request.
6. INDEMNIFICATION; REMEDIES UPON BREACH
The Agent shall exercise reasonable care in the performance of its duties
under this Agreement. The Agent shall not be liable for any error of judgment or
mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with matters
to which this Agreement relates, including losses resulting from mechanical
breakdowns or the failure of communication or power supplies beyond the Agent's
control, except a loss resulting from the Agent's refusal or failure to comply
with the terms of this Agreement or from bad faith, negligence, or willful
misconduct on its part in the performance of its duties under this Agreement.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Trust shall indemnify
and hold harmless the Agent from and against any and all claims, demands,
losses, expenses, and liabilities (whether with or without basis in fact or law)
of any and every nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees) which the Agent
may sustain or incur or which may be asserted against the Agent by any person
arising out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in performing the
services hereunder (i) in accordance with the foregoing standards, or (ii) in
reliance upon any written or oral instruction provided to the Agent by any duly
authorized officer of the Trust, such duly authorized officer to be included in
a list of authorized officers furnished to the Agent and as amended from time to
time in writing by resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Trust.
Further, the Trust will indemnify and hold the Agent harmless against any
and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (including reasonable
counsel fees and expenses) resulting from any claim, demand, action, or suit as
a result of the negligence of the Trust or the principal underwriter (unless
contributed to by the Agent's breach of this Agreement or other Agreements
between the Trust and the Agent, or the Agent's own negligence or bad faith); or
as a result of the Agent acting upon telephone instructions relating to the
exchange or redemption of shares received by the Agent and reasonably believed
by the Agent under a standard of care customarily used in the industry to have
originated from the record owner of the subject shares; or as a result of acting
in reliance upon any genuine instrument or stock certificate signed,
countersigned, or executed by any person or persons authorized to sign,
countersign, or execute the same.
In the event of a mechanical breakdown or failure of communication or
power supplies beyond its control, the Agent shall take all reasonable steps to
minimize service interruptions for any period that such interruption continues
beyond the Agent's control. The Agent will make every reasonable effort to
restore any lost or damaged data and correct any errors resulting from such a
breakdown at the expense of the Agent. The Agent agrees that it shall, at all
times, have reasonable contingency plans with appropriate parties, making
reasonable provision for emergency use of electrical data processing equipment
to the extent appropriate equipment is available. Representatives of the Trust
shall be entitled to inspect the Agent's premises and operating capabilities at
any time during regular business hours of the Agent, upon reasonable notice to
the Agent.
Regardless of the above, the Agent reserves the right to reprocess and
correct administrative errors at its own expense.
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In order that the indemnification provisions contained in this section
shall apply, it is understood that if in any case the Trust may be asked to
indemnify or hold the Agent harmless, the Trust shall be fully and promptly
advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question, and it is
further understood that the Agent will use all reasonable care to notify the
Trust promptly concerning any situation which presents or appears likely to
present the probability of such a claim for indemnification against the Trust.
The Trust shall have the option to defend the Agent against any claim which may
be the subject of this indemnification. In the event that the Trust so elects,
it will so notify the Agent and thereupon the Trust shall take over complete
defense of the claim, and the Agent shall in such situation initiate no further
legal or other expenses for which it shall seek indemnification under this
section. The Agent shall in no case confess any claim or make any compromise in
any case in which the Trust will be asked to indemnify the Agent except with the
Trust's prior written consent.
The Agent shall indemnify and hold the Trust harmless from and against any
and all claims, demands, losses, expenses, and liabilities (whether with or
without basis in fact or law) of any and every nature (including reasonable
attorneys' fees) which may be asserted against the Trust by any person arising
out of any action taken or omitted to be taken by the Agent as a result of the
Agent's refusal or failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, its bad
faith, negligence, or willful misconduct.
7. CONFIDENTIALITY
The Agent agrees on behalf of itself and its employees to treat
confidentially all records and other information relative to the Trust and its
shareholders and shall not be disclosed to any other party, except after prior
notification to and approval in writing by the Trust, which approval shall not
be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where the Agent may be exposed
to civil or criminal contempt proceedings for failure to comply after being
requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities.
8. RECORDS
The Agent shall keep records relating to the services to be performed
hereunder, in the form and manner, and for such period as it may deem advisable
and is agreeable to the but not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of
appropriate government authorities, in particular, Section 31 of The Investment
Company Act of 1940 as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), and the rules
thereunder. The Agent agrees that all such records prepared or maintained by The
Agent relating to the services to be performed by the Agent hereunder are the
property of the Trust and will be preserved, maintained, and made available with
such section and rules of the Investment Company Act and will be promptly
surrendered to the Trust on and in accordance with its request.
9. WISCONSIN LAW TO APPLY
This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted
under and in accordance with the laws of the state of Wisconsin.
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10. AMENDMENT, ASSIGNMENT, TERMINATION AND NOTICE
A. This Agreement may be amended by the mutual written consent of the
parties.
B. This Agreement may be terminated upon ninety (90) day's written
notice given by one party to the other.
C. This Agreement and any right or obligation hereunder may not be
assigned by either party without the signed, written consent of the
other party.
D. Any notice required to be given by the parties to each other under
the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and
delivered, or mailed to the principal place of business of the other
party. If to the agent, such notice should to be sent to
_______________. If to the Trust, such notice should be sent to
________________.
E. In the event that the Trust gives to the Agent its written intention
to terminate and appoint a successor transfer agent, the Agent
agrees to cooperate in the transfer of its duties and
responsibilities to the successor, including any and all relevant
books, records and other data established or maintained by the Agent
under this Agreement.
F. Should the Trust exercise its right to terminate, all out-of-pocket
expenses associated with the movement of records and material will
be paid by the Trust.
11. Agreement Binding Only on Trust Property
The Agent understands that the obligations of this Agreement are not
binding upon any shareholder of the Trust personally, but bind only the Trust's
property. The Agent represents that it has notice of the provisions of the
Trust's Declaration of Trust disclaiming shareholder liability for acts or
obligations of the Trust.
Hotchkis and Wiley Variable Trust Firstar Trust Company
By: ______________________________ By: ______________________________
Attest: __________________________ Attest: __________________________
Assistant Secretary
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