ROCHDALE INVESTMENT TRUST
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT is made as of the 7th day of July,
1998, by and between ROCHDALE INVESTMENT TRUST, a Delaware business trust
(hereinafter called the "Trust"), on behalf of the series of the Trust named in
Appendix A to this Agreement (a "Fund" or the "Funds") and Rochdale Investment
Management Inc. a Delaware corporation (hereinafter called the "Advisor").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end management investment company,
registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"Investment Company Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Fund is a series of the Trust having separate assets and
liabilities; and
WHEREAS, the Advisor is registered as an investment adviser under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and is engaged in the business of
supplying investment advice as an independent contractor; and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Advisor to render advice and
services to the Fund pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and
the Advisor desires to furnish said advice and services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants and the mutual
promises hereinafter set forth, the parties to this Agreement, intending to be
legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:
1. APPOINTMENT OF ADVISOR. The Trust hereby employs the Advisor and the
Advisor hereby accepts such employment, to render investment advice and related
services with respect to the assets of the Fund for the period and on the terms
set forth in this Agreement, subject to the supervision and direction of the
Trust's Board of Trustees.
2. DUTIES OF ADVISOR.
(a) General Duties. The Advisor shall act as investment adviser to the
Fund and shall supervise investments of the Fund on behalf of the Fund in
accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund
as set forth in the Fund's and Trust's governing documents, including, without
limitation, the Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws; the
Fund's prospectus, statement of additional information and undertakings; and
such other limitations, policies and procedures as the Trustees may impose from
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time to time in writing to the Advisor. In providing such services, the Advisor
shall at all times adhere to the provisions and restrictions contained in the
federal securities laws, applicable state securities laws, the Internal Revenue
Code, the Uniform Commercial Code and other applicable law.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Advisor shall:
(i) furnish the Funds with advice and recommendations with respect to the
investment of the Fund's assets and the purchase and sale of portfolio
securities for the Fund, including the taking of such steps as may be necessary
to implement such advice and recommendations (I.E., placing the orders); (ii)
manage and oversee the investments of the Funds, subject to the ultimate
supervision and direction of the Trust's Board of Trustees; (iii) vote proxies
for the Fund, file Section 13 ownership reports for the Fund, and take other
actions on behalf of the Fund; (iv) maintain the books and records required to
be maintained by the Fund except to the extent arrangements have been made for
such books and records to be maintained by the administrator or another agent of
the Fund; (v) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic
conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund's assets
which the Fund's administrator or distributor or the officers of the Trust may
reasonably request; and (vi) render to the Trust's Board of Trustees such
periodic and special reports with respect to each Fund's investment activities
as the Board may reasonably request, including at least one in-person appearance
annually before the Board of Trustees.
(b) Brokerage. The Advisor shall be responsible for decisions to buy
and sell securities for the Fund, for broker-dealer selection, and for
negotiation of brokerage commission rates, provided that the Advisor shall not
direct order to an affiliated person of the Advisor without general prior
authorization to use such affiliated broker or dealer for the Trust's Board of
Trustees. The Advisor's primary consideration in effecting a securities
transaction will be execution at the most favorable price. In selecting a
broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Advisor may take the
following into consideration: the best net price available; the reliability,
integrity and financial condition of the broker-dealer; the size of and
difficulty in executing the order; and the value of the expected contribution of
the broker-dealer to the investment performance of the Fund on a continuing
basis. The price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that
available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified
by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered.
Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees of the Trust may
determine, the Advisor 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 or dealer that provides (directly or
indirectly) brokerage or research services to the Advisor an amount of
commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of
commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that
transaction, if the Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of
commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research
services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that
particular transaction or the Advisor's overall responsibilities with respect to
the Trust. The Advisor is further authorized to allocate the orders placed by it
on behalf of the Fund to such brokers or dealers who also provide research or
statistical material, or other services, to the Trust, the Advisor, or any
affiliate of either. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as
the Advisor shall determine, and the Advisor shall report on such
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allocations regularly to the Trust, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such
allocations have been made and the basis therefor. The Advisor is also
authorized to consider sales of shares as a factor in the selection of brokers
or dealers to execute portfolio transactions, subject to the requirements of
best execution, I.E., that such brokers or dealers are able to execute the order
promptly and at the best obtainable securities price.
On occasions when the Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a security
to be in the best interest of one or more of the Fund as well as of other
clients, the Advisor, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and
regulations, may aggregate the securities to be so purchased or sold in order to
obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and the most
efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or
sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the
Advisor in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with
its fiduciary obligations to the Funds and to such other clients.
3. REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ADVISOR.
(a) The Advisor shall use its best judgment and efforts in rendering
the advice and services to the Funds as contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) The Advisor shall maintain all licenses and registrations necessary
to perform its duties hereunder in good order.
(c) The Advisor shall conduct its operations at all times in
conformance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act
of 1940, and any other applicable state and/or self-regulatory organization
regulations.
4. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. The Advisor shall, for all purposes herein,
be deemed to be an independent contractor, and shall, unless otherwise expressly
provided and authorized to do so, have no authority to act for or represent the
Trust or the Fund in any way, or in any way be deemed an agent for the Trust or
for the Fund. It is expressly understood and agreed that the services to be
rendered by the Advisor to the Funds under the provisions of this Agreement are
not to be deemed exclusive, and the Advisor shall be free to render similar or
different services to others so long as its ability to render the services
provided for in this Agreement shall not be impaired thereby.
5. ADVISOR'S PERSONNEL. The Advisor shall, at its own expense, maintain
such staff and employ or retain such personnel and consult with such other
persons as it shall from time to time determine to be necessary to the
performance of its obligations under this Agreement. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, the staff and personnel of the Advisor shall be
deemed to include persons employed or retained by the Advisor to furnish
statistical information, research, and other factual information, advice
regarding economic factors and trends, information with respect to technical and
scientific developments, and such other information, advice and assistance as
the Advisor or the Trust's Board of Trustees may desire and reasonably request.
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6. EXPENSES.
(a) With respect to the operation of the Fund, the Advisor shall be
responsible for (I) providing the personnel, office space and equipment
reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund, (ii) the expenses of
printing and distributing extra copies of the Fund's prospectus, statement of
additional information, and sales and advertising materials (but not the legal,
auditing or accounting fees attendant thereto) to prospective investors (but not
to existing shareholders), and (iii) the costs of any special Board of Trustees
meetings or shareholder meetings convened for the primary benefit of the
Advisor. If the Advisor has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the Fund,
the Advisor shall also be responsible on a monthly basis for any operating
expenses that exceed the agreed upon expense limit.
(b) The Fund is responsible for and has assumed the obligation for
payment of all of its expenses, other than as stated in Subparagraph 6(a) above,
including but not limited to: fees and expenses incurred in connection with the
issuance, registration and transfer of its shares; brokerage and commission
expenses; all expenses of transfer, receipt, safekeeping, servicing and
accounting for the cash, securities and other property of the Trust for the
benefit of the Fund including all fees and expenses of its custodian,
shareholder services agent and accounting services agent; interest charges on
any borrowings; costs and expenses of pricing and calculating its daily net
asset value and of maintaining its books of account required under the
Investment Company Act; taxes, if any; a pro rata portion of expenditures in
connection with meetings of the Fund's shareholders and the Trust's Board of
Trustees that are properly payable by the Fund; salaries and expenses of
officers and fees and expenses of members of the Trust's Board of Trustees or
members of any advisory board or committee who are not members of, affiliated
with or interested persons of the Advisor; insurance premiums on property or
personnel of each Fund which inure to its benefit, including liability and
fidelity bond insurance; the cost of preparing and printing reports, proxy
statements, prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Fund or
other communications for distribution to existing shareholders; legal, auditing
and accounting fees; trade association dues; fees and expenses (including legal
fees) of registering and maintaining registration of its shares for sale under
federal and applicable state and foreign securities laws; all expenses of
maintaining and servicing shareholder accounts, including all charges for
transfer, shareholder recordkeeping, dividend disbursing, redemption, and other
agents for the benefit of the Funds, if any; and all other charges and costs of
its operation plus any extraordinary and non-recurring expenses, except as
herein otherwise prescribed.
(c) The Advisor may voluntarily absorb certain Fund expenses or waive
the Advisor's own advisory fee.
(d) To the extent the Advisor incurs any costs by assuming expenses
which are an obligation of a Fund as set forth herein, the Fund shall promptly
reimburse the Advisor for such costs and expenses, except to the extent the
Advisor has otherwise agreed to bear such expenses. To the extent the services
for which a Fund is obligated to pay are performed by the Advisor, the Advisor
shall be entitled to recover from such Fund to the extent of the Advisor's
actual costs for providing such services. In determining the Advisor's actual
costs, the Advisor may take into account an allocated portion of the salaries
and overhead of personnel performing such services.
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7. INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND MANAGEMENT FEE.
(a) Each Fund shall pay to the Advisor, and the Advisor agrees to
accept, as full compensation for all investment management and advisory services
furnished or provided to such Fund pursuant to this Agreement, an annual
management fee equal to 1.00% of the Fund's daily net assets, computed on the
value of the net assets of the Fund as of the close of business each day.
(b) The management fee shall be accrued daily by each Fund and paid to
the Advisor on or before the tenth business day of the succeeding month.
(c) The initial fee under this Agreement shall be payable on or before
the tenth business day of the first month following the effective date of this
Agreement and shall be prorated as set forth below. If this Agreement is
terminated prior to the end of any month, the fee to the Advisor shall be
prorated for the portion of any month in which this Agreement is in effect which
is not a complete month according to the proportion which the number of calendar
days in the month during which the Agreement is in effect bears to the number of
calendar days in the month, and shall be payable within ten (10) days after the
date of termination.
(d) The fee payable to the Advisor under this Agreement will be reduced
to the extent of any receivable owed by the Advisor to the Fund and as required
under any expense limitation applicable to a Fund.
(e) The Advisor voluntarily may reduce any portion of the compensation
or reimbursement of expenses due to it pursuant to this Agreement and may agree
to make payments to limit the expenses which are the responsibility of a Fund
under this Agreement. Any such reduction or payment shall be applicable only to
such specific reduction or payment and shall not constitute an agreement to
reduce any future compensation or reimbursement due to the Advisor hereunder or
to continue future payments. Any such reduction will be agreed to prior to
accrual of the related expense or fee and will be estimated daily and reconciled
and paid on a monthly basis.
(f) Any fee withheld or voluntarily reduced and any Fund expense
absorbed by the Advisor voluntarily or pursuant to an agreed upon expense cap
shall be reimbursed by the Fund to the Advisor, if so requested by the Advisor,
in the first, second or third (or any combination thereof) fiscal year next
succeeding the fiscal year of the withholding, reduction or absorption if the
aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward the operating expenses for
such fiscal year (taking into account the reimbursement) do not exceed the
applicable limitation on Fund expenses. Such reimbursement may be paid prior to
the Fund's payment of current expenses if so requested by the Advisor even if
such practice may require the Advisor to waive, reduce or absorb current Fund
expenses.
(g) The Advisor may agree not to require payment of any portion of the
compensation or reimbursement of expenses otherwise due to it pursuant to this
Agreement.
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Any such agreement shall be applicable only with respect to the specific items
covered thereby and shall not constitute an agreement not to require payment of
any future compensation or reimbursement due to the Advisor hereunder.
8. NO SHORTING; NO BORROWING. The Advisor agrees that neither it nor
any of its officers or employees shall take any short position in the shares of
the Funds. This prohibition shall not prevent the purchase of such shares by any
of the officers or employees of the Advisor or any trust, pension,
profit-sharing or other benefit plan for such persons or affiliates thereof, at
a price not less than the net asset value thereof at the time of purchase, as
allowed pursuant to rules promulgated under the Investment Company Act. The
Advisor agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or employees shall borrow
from the Fund or pledge or use the Fund's assets in connection with any
borrowing not directly for the Fund's benefit. For this purpose, failure to pay
any amount due and payable to the Fund for a period of more than thirty (30)
days shall constitute a borrowing.
9. CONFLICTS WITH TRUST'S GOVERNING DOCUMENTS AND APPLICABLE LAWS.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require the Trust or the Fund to
take any action contrary to the Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust,
By-Laws, or any applicable statute or regulation, or to relieve or deprive the
Board of Trustees of the Trust of its responsibility for and control of the
conduct of the affairs of the Trust and Funds. In this connection, the Advisor
acknowledges that the Trustees retain ultimate plenary authority over the Fund
and may take any and all actions necessary and reasonable to protect the
interests of shareholders.
10. REPORTS AND ACCESS. The Advisor agrees to supply such information
to the Fund's administrator and to permit such compliance inspections by the
Fund's administrator as shall be reasonably necessary to permit the
administrator to satisfy its obligations and respond to the reasonable requests
of the Trustees.
11. ADVISOR'S LIABILITIES AND INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) The Advisor shall have responsibility for the accuracy and
completeness (and liability for the lack thereof) of the statements in the
Fund's offering materials (including the prospectus, the statement of additional
information, advertising and sales materials), except for information supplied
by the administrator or the Trust or another third party for inclusion therein.
(b) The Advisor shall be liable to the Fund for any loss (including
brokerage charges) incurred by the Fund as a result of any improper investment
made by the Advisor.
(c) In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence,
or reckless disregard of the obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the
Advisor, the Advisor shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or the Fund
or to any shareholder of the Fund for any act or omission in the course of, or
connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be
sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Funds.
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(d) Each party to this Agreement shall indemnify and hold harmless the
other party and the shareholders, directors, officers and employees of the other
party (any such person, an "Indemnified Party") against any loss, liability,
claim, damage or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating and
defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damage or expenses and reasonable
counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising out of the Indemnified
Party's performance or non-performance of any duties under this Agreement
provided, however, that nothing herein shall be deemed to protect any
Indemnified Party against any liability to which such Indemnified Party would
otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence in the performance of duties hereunder or by reason of reckless
disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement.
(e) No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to protect any
Trustee or officer of the Trust, or officer of the Advisor, from liability in
violation of Sections 17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act.
12. NON-EXCLUSIVITY; TRADING FOR ADVISOR'S OWN ACCOUNT. The Trust's
employment of the Advisor is not an exclusive arrangement. The Trust may from
time to time employ other individuals or entities to furnish it with the
services provided for herein. Likewise, the Advisor may act as investment
adviser for any other person, and shall not in any way be limited or restricted
from buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or
the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting, provided, however,
that the Advisor expressly represents that it will undertake no activities which
will adversely affect the performance of its obligations to the Fund under this
Agreement; and provided further that the Advisor will adhere to a code of ethics
governing employee trading and trading for proprietary accounts that conforms to
the requirements of the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940 and has been approved by the Trust' Board of Trustees.
13. TERM.
(a) This Agreement shall become effective at the time the Fund
commences operations pursuant to an effective amendment to the Trust's
Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933 and shall remain in
effect for a period of two (2) years, unless sooner terminated as hereinafter
provided. This Agreement shall continue in effect thereafter for additional
periods not exceeding one (l) year so long as such continuation is approved for
the Fund at least annually by (I) the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the
vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund and (ii)
the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this
Agreement nor interested persons thereof, cast in person at a meeting called for
the purpose of voting on such approval. The terms "majority of the outstanding
voting securities" and "interested persons" shall have the meanings as set forth
in the Investment Company Act.
(b) The Fund may use the name "Rochdale" or any name derived from or
using the name "Rochdale" only for so long as this Agreement or any extension,
renewal or amendment hereof remains in effect. Within sixty (60) days from such
time as this Agreement shall no longer be in effect, the Fund shall cease to use
such a name or any other name connected with the Advisor.
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14. TERMINATION; NO ASSIGNMENT.
(a) This Agreement may be terminated by the Trust on behalf of the Fund
at any time without payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the
Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund,
upon sixty (60) days' written notice to the Advisor, and by the Advisor upon
sixty (60) days' written notice to a Fund. In the event of a termination, the
Advisor shall cooperate in the orderly transfer of the Fund's affairs and, at
the request of the Board of Trustees, transfer any and all books and records of
the Fund maintained by the Advisor on behalf of the Fund.
(b) This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of any
transfer or assignment thereof, as defined in the Investment Company Act.
15. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or
made invalid by a court decision, statute or rule, or shall be otherwise
rendered invalid, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
16. NOTICE OF DECLARATION OF TRUST. The Advisor agrees that the Trust's
obligations under this Agreement shall be limited to the Funds and to their
assets, and that the Advisor shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation
from the shareholders of the Funds nor from any trustee, officer, employee or
agent of the Trust or the Funds.
17. CAPTIONS. The captions in this Agreement are included for
convenience of reference only and in no way define or limit any of the
provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.
18. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed
in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to
the conflict of laws principles thereof; provided that nothing herein shall be
construed to preempt, or to be inconsistent with, any federal law, regulation or
rule, including the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisors Act of
1940 and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
duly executed by their duly authorized officers, all on the day and year first
above written.
ROCHDALE INVESTMENT TRUST ROCHDALE INVESTMENT
MANAGEMENT INC.
By: By:
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(Name and Title) (Name and Title)
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APPENDIX A
Series of the Rochdale Investment Trust covered by this Agreement
Rochdale Magna Portfolio
Rochdale Atlas Portfolio
Rochdale Alpha Portfolio
July 7, 1998, as amended April 14, 1999
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