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EXHIBIT 1a 8(b)
PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this __ day of ________, 1998 by
and between XXXXXXX XXXXX VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST, an unincorporated business
trust formed under the laws of Delaware (the "Trust"), XXXXXXX, SACHS & CO., a
New York limited partnership (the "Distributor"), and NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE
COMPANY, a Vermont life insurance company (the "Company"), on its own behalf
and on behalf of each separate account of the Company identified herein.
WHEREAS, the Trust is a series-type mutual fund offering shares of
beneficial interest (the "Trust shares") consisting of one or more separate
series ("Series") of shares, each such Series representing an interest in a
particular investment portfolio of securities and other assets (a "Fund"), and
which Series may be subdivided into various classes ("Classes") with each such
Class supporting a distinct charge and expense arrangement; and
WHEREAS, the Trust was established for the purpose of serving as an
investment vehicle for insurance company separate accounts supporting variable
annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies to be offered by
insurance companies and may also be utilized by qualified retirement plans; and
WHEREAS, the Distributor has the exclusive right to distribute Trust
shares to qualifying investors; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires that the Trust serve as an investment
vehicle for a certain separate account(s) of the Company and the Distributor
desires to sell shares of certain Series and/or Class(es) to such separate
account(s);
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of their mutual promises, the Trust,
the Distributor and the Company agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS
1.1. "Account" -- the separate account of the Company described
more specifically in Schedule 1 to this Agreement. If more than one separate
account is described on Schedule 1, the term shall refer to each separate
account so described.
1.2. "Business Day" -- each day that the Trust is open for business
as provided in the Trust's Prospectus.
1.3. "Code" -- the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and
any successor thereto.
1.4. "Contracts" -- the class or classes of variable annuity
contracts and/or variable life insurance policies issued by the Company and
described more specifically on Schedule 2 to this Agreement.
1.5. "Contract Owners" -- the owners of the Contracts, as
distinguished from all Product Owners.
1.6. "Participating Account" -- a separate account investing all or
a portion of its assets in the Trust, including the Account.
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1.7. "Participating Insurance Company" -- any insurance company
investing in the Trust on its behalf or on behalf of a Participating Account,
including the Company.
1.8. "Participating Plan" -- any qualified retirement plan
investing in the Trust.
1.9. "Participating Investor" -- any Participating Account,
Participating Insurance Company or Participating Plan, including the Account
and the Company.
1.10. "Products" -- variable annuity contracts and variable life
insurance policies supported by Participating Accounts, including the
Contracts.
1.11. "Product Owners" -- owners of Products, including Contract
Owners.
1.12. "Trust Board" -- the board of trustees of the Trust.
1.13. "Registration Statement" -- with respect to the Trust shares
or a class of Contracts, the registration statement filed with the SEC to
register such securities under the 1933 Act, or the most recently filed
amendment thereto, in either case in the form in which it was declared or
became effective. The Contracts' Registration Statement for each class of
Contracts is described more specifically on Schedule 2 to this Agreement. The
Trust's Registration Statement is filed on Form N-1A (File No. 333-35883).
1.14. "1940 Act Registration Statement" -- with respect to the Trust
or the Account, the registration statement filed with the SEC to register such
person as an investment company under the 1940 Act, or the most recently filed
amendment thereto. The Account's 1940 Act Registration Statement is described
more specifically on Schedule 2 to this Agreement. The Trust's 1940 Act
Registration Statement is filed on Form N-1A (File No. 811-08361).
1.15. "Prospectus" -- with respect to shares of a Series (or Class)
of the Trust or a class of Contracts, each version of the definitive prospectus
or supplement thereto filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 497 under the 1933
Act. With respect to any provision of this Agreement requiring a party to take
action in accordance with a Prospectus, such reference thereto shall be deemed
to be to the version for the applicable Series, Class or Contracts last so
filed prior to the taking of such action. For purposes of Article IX, the term
"Prospectus" shall include any statement of additional information incorporated
therein.
1.16. "Statement of Additional Information" -- with respect to the
shares of the Trust or a class of Contracts, each version of the definitive
statement of additional information or supplement thereto filed with the SEC
pursuant to Rule 497 under the 1933 Act. With respect to any provision of this
Agreement requiring a party to take action in accordance with a Statement of
Additional Information, such reference thereto shall be deemed to be the last
version so filed prior to the taking of such action.
1.17. "SEC" -- the Securities and Exchange Commission.
1.18. "NASD" -- The National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
1.19. "1933 Act" -- the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended.
1.20. "1940 Act" -- the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
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ARTICLE II
SALE OF TRUST SHARES
2.1. AVAILABILITY OF SHARES
(a) The Trust has granted to the Distributor exclusive
authority to distribute the Trust shares and to select which Series or
Classes of Trust shares shall be made available to Participating
Investors. Pursuant to such authority, and subject to Article X
hereof, the Distributor shall make available to the Company for
purchase on behalf of the Account, shares of the Series and Classes
listed on Schedule 3 to this Agreement, such purchases to be effected
at net asset value in accordance with Section 2.3 of this Agreement.
Such Series and Classes shall be made available to the Company in
accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement until this
Agreement is terminated pursuant to Article X or the Distributor
suspends or terminates the offering of shares of such Series or
Classes in the circumstances described in Article X.
(b) Notwithstanding clause (a) of this Section 2.1, other
Series or Classes of Trust shares in existence now or that may be
established in the future will be made available to the Company only
as the Distributor may so provide, subject to the Distributor's rights
set forth in Article X to suspend or terminate the offering of shares
of any Series or Class or to terminate this Agreement.
(c) The parties acknowledge and agree that: (i) the
Trust may revoke the Distributor's authority pursuant to the terms and
conditions of its distribution agreement with the Distributor; and
(ii) the Trust reserves the right in its sole discretion to refuse to
accept a specific request for the purchase of Trust shares in
accordance with the Trust's prospectus.
2.2. REDEMPTIONS. The Trust shall redeem, at the Company's
request, any full or fractional Trust shares held by the Company on behalf of
the Account, such redemptions to be effected at net asset value in accordance
with Section 2.3 of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the
Company shall not redeem Trust shares attributable to Contract Owners except in
the circumstances permitted in Article X of this Agreement, and (ii) the Trust
may delay redemption of Trust shares of any Series or Class to the extent
permitted by the 1940 Act, any rules, regulations or orders thereunder, or the
Prospectus for such Series or Class.
2.3. PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION PROCEDURES
(a) The Trust hereby appoints the Company as an agent of
the Trust for the limited purpose of receiving purchase and redemption
requests on behalf of the Account (but not with respect to any Trust
shares that may be held in the general account of the Company) for
shares of those Series or Classes made available hereunder, based on
allocations of amounts to the Account or subaccounts thereof under the
Contracts, other transactions relating to the Contracts or the Account
and customary processing of the Contracts. Receipt of any such
requests (or effectuation of such transaction or processing) on any
Business Day by the Company as such limited agent of the Trust prior
to the Trust's close of business as defined from time to time in the
applicable Prospectus for such Series or Class (which as of the date
of execution of this Agreement is defined as the close of regular
trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. New York
Time)) shall constitute receipt by the Trust on that same Business
Day, [PROVIDED THAT THE COMPANY USES ITS BEST EFFORTS TO PROVIDE
ACTUAL AND SUFFICIENT NOTICE OF SUCH REQUEST TO THE TRUST BY 8:00 A.M.
NEW YORK TIME ON THE NEXT FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY AND THE TRUST
RECEIVES SUCH NOTICE NO LATER THAN 9:00 A.M. NEW YORK TIME ON
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SUCH BUSINESS DAY.] Such notice may be communicated by telephone to
the office or person designated for such notice by the Trust, and
shall be confirmed by facsimile.
(b) The Company shall pay for shares of each Series or
Class on the same day that it provides actual notice to the Trust of a
purchase request for such shares. Payment for Series or Class shares
shall be made in Federal funds transmitted to the Trust by wire to be
received by the Trust by [12:00 NOON] New York Time on the day the
Trust receives actual notice of the purchase request for Series or
Class shares (unless the Trust determines and so advises the Company
that sufficient proceeds are available from redemption of shares of
other Series or Classes effected pursuant to redemption requests
tendered by the Company on behalf of the Account). In no event may
proceeds from the redemption of shares requested pursuant to an order
received by the Company after the Trust's close of business on any
Business Day be applied to the payment for shares for which a purchase
order was received prior to the Trust's close of business on such day.
If the issuance of shares is canceled because Federal funds are not
timely received, the Company shall indemnify the respective Fund and
Distributor with respect to all costs, expenses and losses relating
thereto. Upon the Trust's receipt of Federal funds so wired, such
funds shall cease to be the responsibility of the Company and shall
become the responsibility of the Trust. If Federal funds are not
received on time, such funds will be invested, and Series or Class
shares purchased thereby will be issued, as soon as practicable after
actual receipt of such funds but in any event not on the same day that
the purchase order was received.
(c) Payment for Series or Class shares redeemed by the
Account or the Company shall be made in Federal funds transmitted by
wire to the Company or any other person properly designated in writing
by the Company, such funds normally to be transmitted by 6:00 p.m. New
York Time on the next Business Day after the Trust receives actual
notice of the redemption order for Series or Class shares (unless
redemption proceeds are to be applied to the purchase of Trust shares
of other Series or Classes in accordance with Section 2.3(b) of this
Agreement), except that the Trust reserves the right to redeem Series
or Class shares in assets other than cash and to delay payment of
redemption proceeds to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, any rules
or regulations or orders thereunder, or the applicable Prospectus.
The Trust shall not bear any responsibility whatsoever for the proper
disbursement or crediting of redemption proceeds by the Company; the
Company alone shall be responsible for such action.
(d) Any purchase or redemption request for Series or
Class shares held or to be held in the Company's general account shall
be effected at the net asset value per share next determined after the
Trust's actual receipt of such request, provided that, in the case of
a purchase request, payment for Trust shares so requested is received
by the Trust in Federal funds prior to close of business for
determination of such value, as defined from time to time in the
Prospectus for such Series or Class.
(e) Prior to the first purchase of any Trust shares
hereunder, the Company and the Trust shall provide each other with all
information necessary to effect wire transmissions of Federal funds to
the other party and all other designated persons pursuant to such
protocols and security procedures as the parties may agree upon.
Should such information change thereafter, the Trust and the Company,
as applicable, shall notify the other in writing of such changes,
observing the same protocols and security procedures, at least three
Business Days in advance of when such change is to take effect. The
Company and the Trust shall observe customary procedures to protect
the confidentiality and security of such information, but the Trust
shall not be liable to the Company for any breach of security.
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(f) The procedures set forth herein are subject to any
additional terms set forth in the applicable Prospectus for the Series
or Class or by the requirements of applicable law.
2.4. NET ASSET VALUE. The Trust shall use its best efforts to
inform the Company of the net asset value per share for each Series or Class
available to the Company as soon as reasonably practicable after the net asset
value per share for such Series or Class is calculated. The Trust shall
calculate such net asset value in accordance with the Prospectus for such
Series or Class.
2.5. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS. The Trust shall furnish notice
to the Company as soon as reasonably practicable of any income dividends or
capital gain distributions payable on any Series or Class shares. The Company,
on its behalf and on behalf of the Account, hereby elects to receive all such
dividends and distributions as are payable on any Series or Class shares in the
form of additional shares of that Series or Class. The Company reserves the
right, on its behalf and on behalf of the Account, to revoke this election and
to receive all such dividends and capital gain distributions in cash; to be
effective, such revocation must be made in writing and received by the Trust at
least ten Business Days prior to a dividend or distribution date. The Trust
shall notify the Company promptly of the number of Series or Class shares so
issued as payment of such dividends and distributions.
2.6. BOOK ENTRY. Issuance and transfer of Trust shares shall be by
book entry only. Stock certificates will not be issued to the Company or the
Account. Purchase and redemption orders for Trust shares shall be recorded in
an appropriate ledger for the Account or the appropriate subaccount of the
Account.
2.7. PRICING ERRORS. Any material errors in the calculation of net
asset value, dividends or capital gain information shall be reported
immediately upon discovery to the Company. An error shall be deemed "material"
based on our interpretation of the SEC's position and policy with regard to
materiality, as it may be modified from time to time. Neither the Trust, any
Fund, the Distributor, nor any of their affiliates shall be liable for any
information provided to the Company pursuant to this Agreement which
information is based on incorrect information supplied by or on behalf of the
Company or any other Participating Company to the Trust or the Distributor.
2.8. LIMITS ON PURCHASERS. The Distributor and the Trust shall
sell Trust shares only to insurance companies and their separate accounts and
to persons or plans ("Qualified Persons") that qualify to purchase shares of
the Trust under Section 817(h) of the Code and the regulations thereunder
without impairing the ability of the Account to consider the portfolio
investments of the Trust as constituting investments of the Account for the
purpose of satisfying the diversification requirements of Section 817(h). The
Distributor and the Trust shall not sell Trust shares to any insurance company
or separate account unless an agreement complying with Article VIII of this
Agreement is in effect to govern such sales. The Company hereby represents and
warrants that it and the Account are Qualified Persons.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
3.1. COMPANY. The Company represents and warrants that: (i) the
Company is an insurance company duly organized and in good standing under
Vermont insurance law; (ii) the Account is a validly existing separate account,
duly established and maintained in accordance with applicable law; (iii) the
Account's 1940 Act Registration Statement has been filed with the SEC in
accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Account is duly
registered as a unit investment trust thereunder; (iv) the Contracts'
Registration Statement has been declared
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effective by the SEC, or will be declared effective prior to the Company
purchasing shares in respect of such Contract; (v) the Contracts will be issued
in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Federal and state
laws; (vi) the Contracts have been filed, qualified and/or approved for sale,
as applicable, under the insurance laws and regulations of the states in which
the Contracts will be offered; (vii) the Account will maintain its registration
under the 1940 Act and will comply in all material respects with the 1940 Act;
(viii) the Contracts currently are, and at the time of issuance and for so long
as they are outstanding will be, treated as annuity contracts or life insurance
policies, whichever is appropriate, under applicable provisions of the Code;
and (ix) the Company's entering into and performing its obligations under this
Agreement does not and will not violate its charter documents or by-laws, rules
or regulations, or any agreement to which it is a party. The Company will
notify the Trust promptly if for any reason it is unable to perform its
obligations under this Agreement.
3.2. TRUST. The Trust represents and warrants that: (i) the Trust
is an unincorporated business trust duly formed and validly existing under the
Delaware law; (ii) the Trust's 1940 Act Registration Statement has been filed
with the SEC in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Trust is
duly registered as an open-end management investment company thereunder; (iii)
the Trust's Registration Statement has been declared effective by the SEC; (iv)
the Trust shares will be issued in compliance in all material respects with all
applicable federal laws; (v) the Trust will remain registered under and will
comply in all material respects with the 1940 Act during the term of this
Agreement; (vi) each Fund of the Trust intends to qualify as a "regulated
investment company" under Subchapter M of the Code and to comply with the
diversification standards prescribed in Section 817(h) of the Code and the
regulations thereunder; and (vii) the investment policies of each Fund are in
material compliance with any investment restrictions set forth on Schedule 4 to
this Agreement. The Trust, however, makes no representation as to whether any
aspect of its operations (including, but not limited to, fees and expenses and
investment policies) otherwise complies with the insurance laws or regulations
of any state.
3.3. DISTRIBUTOR. The Distributor represents and warrants that:
(i) the Distributor is a limited partnership duly organized and in good
standing under New York law; (ii) the Distributor is registered as a
broker-dealer under federal and applicable state securities laws and is a
member of the NASD; and (iii) the Distributor is registered as an investment
adviser under federal securities laws.
3.4. LEGAL AUTHORITY. Each party represents and warrants that the
execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein have been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate, partnership or trust action, as applicable, by such party, and, when
so executed and delivered, this Agreement will be the valid and binding
obligation of such party enforceable in accordance with its terms.
3.5. BONDING REQUIREMENT. Each party represents and warrants that
all of its directors, officers, partners and employees dealing with the money
and/or securities of the Trust are and shall continue to be at all times
covered by a blanket fidelity bond or similar coverage for the benefit of the
Trust in an amount not less than the amount required by the applicable rules of
the NASD and the federal securities laws. The aforesaid bond shall include
coverage for larceny and embezzlement and shall be issued by a reputable
bonding company. All parties shall make all reasonable efforts to see that
this bond or another bond containing these provisions is always in effect,
shall provide evidence thereof promptly to any other party upon written request
therefor, and shall notify the other parties promptly in the event that such
coverage no longer applies.
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ARTICLE IV
REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
4.1. TRUST FILINGS. The Trust shall amend the Trust's Registration
Statement and the Trust's 1940 Act Registration Statement from time to time as
required in order to effect the continuous offering of Trust shares in
compliance with applicable law and to maintain the Trust's registration under
the 1940 Act for so long as Trust shares are sold.
4.2. CONTRACTS FILINGS. The Company shall amend the Contracts'
Registration Statement and the Account's 1940 Act Registration Statement from
time to time as required in order to effect the continuous offering of the
Contracts in compliance with applicable law or as may otherwise be required by
applicable law, but in any event shall maintain a current effective Contracts'
Registration Statement and the Account's registration under the 1940 Act for so
long as the Contracts are outstanding unless the Company has supplied the Trust
with an SEC no-action letter or opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Trust's
counsel to the effect that maintaining such Registration Statement on a current
basis is no longer required. The Company shall be responsible for filing all
such Contract forms, applications, marketing materials and other documents
relating to the Contracts and/or the Account with state insurance commissions,
as required or customary, and shall use its best efforts: (i) to obtain any and
all approvals thereof, under applicable state insurance law, of each state or
other jurisdiction in which Contracts are or may be offered for sale; and (ii)
to keep such approvals in effect for so long as the Contracts are outstanding.
4.3. VOTING OF TRUST SHARES. With respect to any matter put to
vote by the holders of Trust shares ("Voting Shares"), the Company will provide
"pass-through" voting privileges to owners of Contracts registered with the SEC
as long as the 1940 Act requires such privileges in such cases. In cases in
which "pass-through" privileges apply, the Company will (i) solicit voting
instructions from Contract Owners of SEC-registered Contracts; (ii) vote Voting
Shares attributable to Contract Owners in accordance with instructions or
proxies timely received from such Contract Owners; and (iii) vote Voting Shares
held by it that are not attributable to reserves for SEC-registered Contracts
or for which it has not received timely voting instructions in the same
proportion as instructions received in a timely fashion from Owners of
SEC-registered Contracts. The Company shall be responsible for ensuring that
it calculates "pass-through" votes for the Account in a manner consistent with
the provisions set forth above and with other Participating Insurance
Companies. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates will in any way
recommend action in connection with, or oppose or interfere with, the
solicitation of proxies for the Trust shares held for such Contract Owners,
except with respect to matters as to which the Company has the right under Rule
6e-2 or 6e-3(T) under the 1940 Act, to vote Voting Shares without regard to
voting instructions from Contract Owners.
4.4. STATE INSURANCE RESTRICTIONS. The Company acknowledges and
agrees that it is the responsibility of the Company and other Participating
Insurance Companies to determine investment restrictions and any other
restrictions, limitations or requirements under state insurance law applicable
to any Fund or the Trust or the Distributor, and that neither the Trust nor the
Distributor shall bear any responsibility to the Company, other Participating
Insurance Companies or any Product Owners for any such determination or the
correctness of such determination. Schedule 4 sets forth the investment
restrictions that the Company and/or other Participating Insurance Companies
have determined are applicable to any Fund and with which the Trust has agreed
to comply as of the date of this Agreement. The Company shall inform the Trust
of any investment restrictions imposed by state insurance law that the Company
determines may become applicable to the Trust or a Fund from time to time as a
result of the Account's investment therein, other than those set forth on
Schedule 4 to this Agreement. Upon receipt of any such information from the
Company or any other Participating Insurance Company, the Trust shall determine
whether it is in the best interests of shareholders to comply with any such
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restrictions. If the Trust determines that it is not in the best interests of
shareholders (it being understood that "shareholders" for this purpose shall
mean Product Owners) to comply with a restriction determined to be applicable
by the Company, the Trust shall so inform the Company, and the Trust and the
Company shall discuss alternative accommodations in the circumstances. If the
Trust determines that it is in the best interests of shareholders to comply
with such restrictions, the Trust and the Company shall amend Schedule 4 to
this Agreement to reflect such restrictions, subject to obtaining any required
shareholder approval thereof.
4.5. COMPLIANCE. Under no circumstances will the Trust, the
Distributor or any of their affiliates (excluding Participating Investors) be
held responsible or liable in any respect for any statements or representations
made by them or their legal advisers to the Company or any Contract Owner
concerning the applicability of any federal or state laws, regulations or other
authorities to the activities contemplated by this Agreement.
4.6. DRAFTS OF FILINGS. The Trust and the Company shall provide to
each other copies of draft versions of any Registration Statements,
Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, periodic and other
shareholder or Contract Owner reports, proxy statements, solicitations for
voting instructions, applications for exemptions, requests for no-action
letters, and all amendments or supplements to any of the above, prepared by or
on behalf of either of them and that mentions the other party by name. Such
drafts shall be provided to the other party sufficiently in advance of filing
such materials with regulatory authorities in order to allow such other party a
reasonable opportunity to review the materials.
4.7. COPIES OF FILINGS. The Trust and the Company shall provide to
each other at least one complete copy of all Registration Statements,
Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information, periodic and other
shareholder or Contract Owner reports, proxy statements, solicitations of
voting instructions, applications for exemptions, requests for no-action
letters, and all amendments or supplements to any of the above, that relate to
the Trust, the Contracts or the Account, as the case may be, promptly after the
filing by or on behalf of each such party of such document with the SEC or
other regulatory authorities (it being understood that this provision is not
intended to require the Trust to provide to the Company copies of any such
documents prepared, filed or used by Participating Investors other than the
Company and the Account).
4.8. REGULATORY RESPONSES. Each party shall promptly provide to
all other parties copies of responses to no-action requests, notices, orders
and other rulings received by such party with respect to any filing covered by
Section 4.7 of this Agreement.
4.9. COMPLAINTS AND PROCEEDINGS
(a) The Trust and/or the Distributor shall immediately
notify the Company of: (i) the issuance by any court or regulatory
body of any stop order, cease and desist order, or other similar order
(but not including an order of a regulatory body exempting or
approving a proposed transaction or arrangement) with respect to the
Trust's Registration Statement or the Prospectus of any Series or
Class; (ii) any request by the SEC for any amendment to the Trust's
Registration Statement or the Prospectus of any Series or Class; (iii)
the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose or for any other
purposes relating to the registration or offering of the Trust shares;
or (iv) any other action or circumstances that may prevent the lawful
offer or sale of Trust shares or any Class or Series in any state or
jurisdiction, including, without limitation, any circumstance in which
(A) such shares are not registered and, in all material respects,
issued and sold in accordance with applicable state and federal law or
(B) such law precludes the use of such shares as an underlying
investment medium for the Contracts. The Trust will make every
reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any such stop order,
cease and desist order or similar
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order and, if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof
at the earliest possible time.
(b) The Company shall immediately notify the Trust and
the Distributor of: (i) the issuance by any court or regulatory body
of any stop order, cease and desist order, or other similar order (but
not including an order of a regulatory body exempting or approving a
proposed transaction or arrangement) with respect to the Contracts'
Registration Statement or the Contracts' Prospectus; (ii) any request
by the SEC for any amendment to the Contracts' Registration Statement
or Prospectus; (iii) the initiation of any proceedings for that
purpose or for any other purposes relating to the registration or
offering of the Contracts; or (iv) any other action or circumstances
that may prevent the lawful offer or sale of the Contracts or any
class of Contracts in any state or jurisdiction, including, without
limitation, any circumstance in which such Contracts are not
registered, qualified and approved, and, in all material respects,
issued and sold in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance
of any such stop order, cease and desist order or similar order and,
if any such order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the
earliest possible time.
(c) Each party shall immediately notify the other parties
when it receives notice, or otherwise becomes aware of, the
commencement of any litigation or proceeding against such party or a
person affiliated therewith in connection with the issuance or sale of
Trust shares or the Contracts.
(d) The Company shall provide to the Trust and the
Distributor any complaints it has received from Contract Owners
pertaining to the Trust or a Fund, and the Trust and Distributor shall
each provide to the Company any complaints it has received from
Contract Owners relating to the Contracts.
4.10. COOPERATION. Each party hereto shall cooperate with the other
parties and all appropriate government authorities (including without
limitation the SEC, the NASD and state securities and insurance regulators) and
shall permit such authorities reasonable access to its books and records in
connection with any investigation or inquiry by any such authority relating to
this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. However, such access
shall not extend to attorney-client privileged information.
ARTICLE V
SALE, ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICING OF THE CONTRACTS
5.1. SALE OF THE CONTRACTS. The Company shall be fully responsible
as to the Trust and the Distributor for the sale and marketing of the
Contracts. The Company shall provide Contracts, the Contracts' and Trust's
Prospectuses, Contracts' and Trust's Statements of Additional Information, and
all amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing to Contract Owners and
prospective Contract Owners, all in accordance with federal and state laws.
The Company shall ensure that all persons offering the Contracts are duly
licensed and registered under applicable insurance and securities laws. The
Company shall ensure that each sale of a Contract satisfies applicable
suitability requirements under insurance and securities laws and regulations,
including without limitation the rules of the NASD. The Company shall adopt and
implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that information concerning
the Trust and the Distributor that is intended for use only by brokers or
agents selling the Contracts (i.e., information that is not intended for
distribution to Contract Owners or offerees) is so used.
5.2. ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICING OF THE CONTRACTS. The Company
shall be fully responsible as to the Trust and the Distributor for the
underwriting, issuance, service and
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administration of the Contracts and for the administration of the Account,
including, without limitation, the calculation of performance information for
the Contracts, the timely payment of Contract Owner redemption requests and
processing of Contract transactions, and the maintenance of a service center,
such functions to be performed in all respects at a level commensurate with
those standards prevailing in the variable insurance industry. The Company
shall provide to Contract Owners all Trust reports, solicitations for voting
instructions including any related Trust proxy solicitation materials, and
updated Trust Prospectuses as required under the federal securities laws.
5.3. CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS. The Company shall promptly address all
customer complaints and resolve such complaints consistent with high ethical
standards and principles of ethical conduct.
5.4. TRUST PROSPECTUSES AND REPORTS. In order to enable the
Company to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement and the federal
securities laws, the Trust shall provide the Company with a copy, in
camera-ready form or form otherwise suitable for printing or duplication of:
(i) the Trust's Prospectus for the Series and Classes listed on Schedule 3 and
any supplement thereto; (ii) each Statement of Additional Information and any
supplement thereto; (iii) any Trust proxy soliciting material for such Series
or Classes; and (iv) any Trust periodic shareholder reports. The Trust and the
Company may agree upon alternate arrangements, but in all cases, the Trust
reserves the right to approve the printing of any such material. The Trust
shall provide the Company at least 10 days advance written notice when any such
material shall become available, provided, however, that in the case of a
supplement, the Trust shall provide the Company notice reasonable in the
circumstances, it being understood that circumstances surrounding such
supplement may not allow for advance notice. The Company may not alter any
material so provided by the Trust or the Distributor (including without
limitation presenting or delivering such material in a different medium, e.g.,
electronic or Internet) without the prior written consent of the Distributor.
5.5. TRUST ADVERTISING MATERIAL. No piece of advertising or sales
literature or other promotional material in which the Trust or the Distributor
is named (including, without limitation, material for prospects, existing
Contract Owners, brokers, rating or ranking agencies, or the press, whether in
print, radio, television, video, Internet, or other electronic medium) shall be
used by the Company or any person directly or indirectly authorized by the
Company, including without limitation, underwriters, distributors, and sellers
of the Contracts, except with the prior written consent of the Trust or the
Distributor, as applicable, as to the form, content and medium of such
material. Any such piece shall be furnished to the Trust for such consent
prior to its use. The Trust or the Distributor shall respond to any request
for written consent on a prompt and timely basis, but failure to respond shall
not relieve the Company of the obligation to obtain the prior written consent
of the Trust or the Distributor. After receiving the Trust's or Distributor's
consent to the use of any such material, no further changes may be made without
obtaining the Trust's or Distributor's consent to such changes. The Trust or
Distributor may at any time in its sole discretion revoke such written consent,
and upon notification of such revocation, the Company shall no longer use the
material subject to such revocation. Until further notice to the Company, the
Trust has delegated its rights and responsibilities under this provision to the
Distributor.
5.6. CONTRACTS ADVERTISING MATERIAL. No piece of advertising or
sales literature or other promotional material in which the Company is named
shall be used by the Trust or the Distributor, except with the prior written
consent of the Company. Any such piece shall be furnished to the Company for
such consent prior to its use. The Company shall respond to any request for
written consent on a prompt and timely basis, but failure to respond shall not
relieve the Company of the obligation to obtain the prior written consent of
the Company. The Company may at any time in its sole discretion revoke any
written consent, and upon notification
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of such revocation, neither the Trust nor the Distributor shall use the
material subject to such revocation. The Company, upon prior written notice to
the Trust, may delegate its rights and responsibilities under this provision to
the principal underwriter for the Contracts.
5.7. TRADE NAMES. No party shall use any other party's names,
logos, trademarks or service marks, whether registered or unregistered, without
the prior written consent of such other party, or after written consent
therefor has been revoked. The Company shall not use in advertising, publicity
or otherwise the name of the Trust, Distributor, or any of their affiliates nor
any trade name, trademark, trade device, service xxxx, symbol or any
abbreviation, contraction or simulation thereof of the Trust, Distributor, or
their affiliates without the prior written consent of the Trust or the
Distributor in each instance.
5.8. REPRESENTATIONS BY COMPANY. Except with the prior written
consent of the Trust, the Company shall not give any information or make any
representations or statements about the Trust or the Funds nor shall it
authorize or allow any other person to do so except information or
representations contained in the Trust's Registration Statement or the Trust's
Prospectuses or in reports or proxy statements for the Trust, or in sales
literature or other promotional material approved in writing by the Trust or
its designee in accordance with this Article V, or in published reports or
statements of the Trust in the public domain.
5.9. REPRESENTATIONS BY TRUST. Except with the prior written
consent of the Company, the Trust shall not give any information or make any
representations on behalf of the Company or concerning the Company, the Account
or the Contracts other than the information or representations contained in the
Contracts' Registration Statement or Contracts' Prospectus or in published
reports of the Account which are in the public domain or in sales literature or
other promotional material approved in writing by the Company in accordance
with this Article V.
5.10. ADVERTISING. For purposes of this Article V, the phrase
"sales literature or other promotional material" includes, but is not limited
to, any material constituting sales literature or advertising under the NASD
rules, the 1940 Act or the 1933 Act.
ARTICLE VI
COMPLIANCE WITH CODE
6.1. SECTION 817(h). Each Fund of the Trust shall comply with
Section 817(h) of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder to the extent
applicable to the Fund as an investment company underlying the Account, and the
Trust shall notify the Company immediately upon having a reasonable basis for
believing that a Fund has ceased to so qualify or that it might not so qualify
in the future.
6.2. SUBCHAPTER M. Each Fund of the Trust shall maintain the
qualification of the Fund as a registered investment company (under Subchapter
M or any successor or similar provision), and the Trust shall notify the
Company immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing that a Fund
has ceased to so qualify or that it might not so qualify in the future.
6.3. CONTRACTS. The Company shall ensure the continued treatment
of the Contracts as annuity contracts or life insurance policies, whichever is
appropriate, under applicable provisions of the Code and shall notify the Trust
and the Distributor immediately upon having a reasonable basis for believing
that the Contracts have ceased to be so treated or that they might not be so
treated in the future.
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ARTICLE VII
EXPENSES
7.1. EXPENSES. All expenses incident to each party's performance
under this Agreement (including expenses expressly assumed by such party
pursuant to this Agreement) shall be paid by such party to the extent permitted
by law.
7.2. TRUST EXPENSES. Expenses incident to the Trust's performance
of its duties and obligations under this Agreement include, but are not limited
to, the costs of:
(a) registration and qualification of the Trust shares under the
federal securities laws;
(b) preparation and filing with the SEC of the Trust's
Prospectuses, Trust's Statement of Additional Information,
Trust's Registration Statement, Trust proxy materials and
shareholder reports, and preparation of a camera-ready copy of
the foregoing;
(c) preparation of all statements and notices required by any
Federal or state securities law;
(d) printing and mailing of all materials and reports required to
be provided by the Trust to its existing shareholders;
(e) all taxes on the issuance or transfer of Trust shares;
(f) payment of all applicable fees relating to the Trust,
including, without limitation, all fees due under Rule 24f-2
in connection with sales of Trust shares to qualified
retirement plans, custodial, auditing, transfer agent and
advisory fees, fees for insurance coverage and Trustees' fees;
and
(g) any expenses permitted to be paid or assumed by the Trust
pursuant to a plan, if any, under Rule 12b-1 under the 1940
Act.
7.3. COMPANY EXPENSES. Expenses incident to the Company's
performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement include, but are
not limited to, the costs of:
(a) registration and qualification of the Contracts under the
federal securities laws;
(b) preparation and filing with the SEC of the Contracts'
Prospectus and Contracts' Registration Statement;
(c) the sale, marketing and distribution of the Contracts,
including printing and dissemination of Contracts' and the
Trust's Prospectuses and compensation for Contract sales;
(d) administration of the Contracts;
(e) solicitation of voting instructions with respect to Trust
proxy materials;
(f) payment of all applicable fees relating to the Contracts,
including, without limitation, all fees due under Rule 24f-2;
(g) preparation, printing and dissemination of all statements and
notices to Contract Owners required by any Federal or state
insurance law other than those paid for by the Trust; and
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(h) preparation, printing and dissemination of all marketing
materials for the Contracts and Trust except where other
arrangements are made in advance.
7.4. 12b-1 PAYMENTS. The Trust shall pay no fee or other
compensation to the Company under this Agreement, except that if the Trust or
any Series or Class adopts and implements a plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under
the 1940 Act to finance distribution expenses, then payments may be made to the
Company in accordance with such plan. The Trust currently does not intend to
make any payments to finance distribution expenses pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under
the 1940 Act or in contravention of such rule, although it may make payments
pursuant to Rule 12b-1 in the future. To the extent that it decides to finance
distribution expenses pursuant to Rule 12b-1 and such formulation is required
by the 1940 Act or any rules or order thereunder, the Trust undertakes to have
a Board of Trustees, a majority of whom are not interested persons of the
Trust, formulate and approve any plan under Rule 12b-1 to finance distribution
expenses.
ARTICLE VIII
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS
8.1. EXEMPTIVE ORDER. The parties to this Agreement acknowledge
that the Trust has filed an application with the SEC to request an order (the
"Exemptive Order") granting relief from various provisions of the 1940 Act and
the rules thereunder to the extent necessary to permit Trust shares to be sold
to and held by variable annuity and variable life insurance separate accounts
of both affiliated and unaffiliated Participating Insurance Companies and other
Qualified Persons (as defined in Section 2.8 hereof). It is anticipated that
the Exemptive Order, when and if issued, shall require the Trust and each
Participating Insurance Company to comply with conditions and undertakings
substantially as provided in this Article VIII. The Trust will not enter into
a participation agreement with any other Participating Insurance Company unless
it imposes the same conditions and undertakings on that company as are imposed
on the Company pursuant to this Article VIII.
8.2. COMPANY MONITORING REQUIREMENTS. The Company will monitor its
operations and those of the Trust for the purpose of identifying any material
irreconcilable conflicts or potential material irreconcilable conflicts between
or among the interests of Participating Plans, Product Owners of variable life
insurance policies and Product Owners of variable annuity contracts.
8.3. COMPANY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. The Company shall report any
conflicts or potential conflicts to the Trust Board and will provide the Trust
Board, at least annually, with all information reasonably necessary for the
Trust Board to consider any issues raised by such existing or potential
conflicts or by the conditions and undertakings required by the Exemptive
Order. The Company also shall assist the Trust Board in carrying out its
obligations including, but not limited to: (a) informing the Trust Board
whenever it disregards Contract Owner voting instructions with respect to
variable life insurance policies, and (b) providing such other information and
reports as the Trust Board may reasonably request. The Company will carry out
these obligations with a view only to the interests of Contract Owners.
8.4. TRUST BOARD MONITORING AND DETERMINATION. The Trust Board
shall monitor the Trust for the existence of any material irreconcilable
conflicts between or among the interests of Participating Plans, Product Owners
of variable life insurance policies and Product Owners of variable annuity
contracts and determine what action, if any, should be taken in response to
those conflicts. A majority vote of Trustees who are not interested persons of
the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act (the "disinterested trustees") shall
represent a conclusive determination as to the existence of a material
irreconcilable conflict between or among the interests of Product Owners and
Participating Plans and as to whether any proposed action adequately remedies
any material
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irreconcilable conflict. The Trust Board shall give prompt written notice to
the Company and Participating Plan of any such determination.
8.5. UNDERTAKING TO RESOLVE CONFLICT. In the event that a material
irreconcilable conflict of interest arises between Product Owners of variable
life insurance policies or Product Owners of variable annuity contracts and
Participating Plans, the Company will, at its own expense, take whatever action
is necessary to remedy such conflict as it adversely affects Contract Owners up
to and including (1) establishing a new registered management investment
company, and (2) withdrawing assets from the Trust attributable to reserves for
the Contracts subject to the conflict and reinvesting such assets in a
different investment medium (including another Fund of the Trust) or submitting
the question of whether such withdrawal should be implemented to a vote of all
affected Contract Owners, and, as appropriate, segregating the assets
supporting the Contracts of any group of such owners that votes in favor of
such withdrawal, or offering to such owners the option of making such a change.
The Company will carry out the responsibility to take the foregoing action with
a view only to the interests of Contract Owners.
8.6. WITHDRAWAL. If a material irreconcilable conflict arises
because of the Company's decision to disregard the voting instructions of
Contract Owners of variable life insurance policies and that decision
represents a minority position or would preclude a majority vote at any Fund
shareholder meeting, then, at the request of the Trust Board, the Company will
redeem the shares of the Trust to which the disregarded voting instructions
relate. No charge or penalty, however, will be imposed in connection with such
a redemption.
8.7. EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REMEDIAL ACTION. In no event shall
the Trust be required to bear the expense of establishing a new funding medium
for any Contract. The Company shall not be required by this Article to
establish a new funding medium for any Contract if an offer to do so has been
declined by vote of a majority of the Contract Owners materially adversely
affected by the irreconcilable material conflict.
8.8. SUCCESSOR RULES. If and to the extent that Rule 6e-2 and Rule
6e-3(T) are amended, or Rule 6e-3 is adopted, to provide exemptive relief from
any provisions of the 1940 Act or the rules promulgated thereunder with respect
to mixed and shared funding on terms and conditions materially different from
those contained in the Exemptive Order, then (i) the Trust and/or the Company,
as appropriate, shall take such steps as may be necessary to comply with Rules
6e-2 and 6e-3(T), as amended, or Rule 6e-3, as adopted, as applicable, to the
extent such rules are applicable, and (ii) Sections 8.2 through 8.5 of this
Agreement shall continue in effect only to the extent that terms and conditions
substantially identical to such Sections are contained in such Rule(s) as so
amended or adopted.
ARTICLE IX
INDEMNIFICATION
9.1. INDEMNIFICATION BY THE COMPANY. The Company hereby agrees to,
and shall, indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, the Distributor and each
person who controls or is affiliated with the Trust or the Distributor within
the meaning of such terms under the 1933 Act or 1940 Act (but not any
Participating Insurance Companies or Qualified Persons) and any officer,
trustee, partner, director, employee or agent of the foregoing, against any and
all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several (including any
investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with,
and any amounts paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any
claim asserted), to which they or any of them may become subject under any
statute or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses,
claims, damages or liabilities:
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(a) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement of any
material fact contained in the Contracts Registration
Statement, Contracts Prospectus, sales literature or other
promotional material for the Contracts or the Contracts
themselves (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing), or arise out of or are based upon the omission to
state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in
light of the circumstances in which they were made; provided
that this obligation to indemnify shall not apply if such
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in
conformity with information furnished in writing to the
Company by the Trust or the Distributor for use in the
Contracts Registration Statement, Contracts Prospectus or in
the Contracts or sales literature or promotional material for
the Contracts (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing) or otherwise for use in connection with the sale of
the Contracts or Trust shares; or
(b) arise out of any untrue statement of a material fact contained
in the Trust Registration Statement, any Prospectus for Series
or Classes or sales literature or other promotional material
of the Trust (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing), or the omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, if such statement or
omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished to the Trust or Distributor in writing
by or on behalf of the Company; or
(c) arise out of or are based upon any wrongful conduct of, or
violation of federal or state law by, the Company or persons
under its control or subject to its authorization, including
without limitation, any broker-dealers or agents authorized to
sell the Contracts, with respect to the sale, marketing or
distribution of the Contracts or Trust shares, including,
without limitation, any impermissible use of broker-only
material, unsuitable or improper sales of the Contracts or
unauthorized representations about the Contracts or the Trust;
or
(d) arise as a result of any failure by the Company or persons
under its control (or subject to its authorization) to provide
services, furnish materials or make payments as required under
this Agreement; or
(e) arise out of any material breach by the Company or persons
under its control (or subject to its authorization) of this
Agreement; or
(f) any breach of any warranties contained in Article III hereof,
any failure to transmit a request for redemption or purchase
of Trust shares or payment therefor on a timely basis in
accordance with the procedures set forth in Article II, or any
unauthorized use of the names or trade names of the Trust or
the Distributor.
This indemnification is in addition to any liability that the Company may
otherwise have; provided, however, that no party shall be entitled to
indemnification if such loss, claim, damage or liability is caused by the
wilful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of duty
by the party seeking indemnification.
9.2. INDEMNIFICATION BY THE TRUST. The Trust hereby agrees to, and
shall, indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each person who controls or
is affiliated with the Company within the meaning of such terms under the 1933
Act or 1940 Act and any officer, director, employee or agent of the foregoing,
against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several
(including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in
connection with, and any amounts paid in settlement of, any action, suit or
proceeding or any
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claim asserted), to which they or any of them may become subject under any
statute or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses,
claims, damages or liabilities:
(a) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement of any
material fact contained in the Trust Registration Statement,
any Prospectus for Series or Classes or sales literature or
other promotional material of the Trust (or any amendment or
supplement to any of the foregoing), or arise out of or are
based upon the omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances in which they were made; provided that this
obligation to indemnify shall not apply if such statement or
omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing by the Company to the Trust
or the Distributor for use in the Trust Registration
Statement, Trust Prospectus or sales literature or promotional
material for the Trust (or any amendment or supplement to any
of the foregoing) or otherwise for use in connection with the
sale of the Contracts or Trust shares; or
(b) arise out of any untrue statement of a material fact contained
in the Contracts Registration Statement, Contracts Prospectus
or sales literature or other promotional material for the
Contracts (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing), or the omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, if such statement or
omission was made in reliance upon information furnished in
writing by the Trust to the Company; or
(c) arise out of or are based upon wrongful conduct of the Trust
or its Trustees or officers with respect to the sale of Trust
shares; or
(d) arise as a result of any failure by the Trust to provide
services, furnish materials or make payments as required under
the terms of this Agreement; or
(e) arise out of any material breach by the Trust of this
Agreement (including any breach of Section 6.1 of this
Agreement and any warranties contained in Article III hereof);
it being understood that in no way shall the Trust be liable to the Company
with respect to any violation of insurance law, compliance with which is a
responsibility of the Company under this Agreement or otherwise or as to which
the Company failed to inform the Trust in accordance with Section 4.4 hereof.
This indemnification is in addition to any liability that the Trust may
otherwise have; provided, however, that no party shall be entitled to
indemnification if such loss, claim, damage or liability is caused by the
wilful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of duty
by the party seeking indemnification.
9.3. INDEMNIFICATION BY THE DISTRIBUTOR. The Distributor hereby
agrees to, and shall, indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each person
who controls or is affiliated with the Company within the meaning of such terms
under the 1933 Act or 1940 Act and any officer, director, employee or agent of
the foregoing, against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities,
joint or several (including any investigative, legal and other expenses
reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amounts paid in settlement of,
any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted), to which they or any of
them may become subject under any statute or regulation, at common law or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities:
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(a) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement of any
material fact contained in the Trust Registration Statement,
any Prospectus for Series or Classes or sales literature or
other promotional material of the Trust (or any amendment or
supplement to any of the foregoing), or arise out of or are
based upon the omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances in which they were made; provided that this
obligation to indemnify shall not apply if such statement or
omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing by the Company to the Trust
or Distributor for use in the Trust Registration Statement,
Trust Prospectus or sales literature or promotional material
for the Trust (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing) or otherwise for use in connection with the sale of
the Contracts or Trust shares; or
(b) arise out of any untrue statement of a material fact contained
in the Contracts Registration Statement, Contracts Prospectus
or sales literature or other promotional material for the
Contracts (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
foregoing), or the omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances in which they were made, if such statement or
omission was made in reliance upon information furnished in
writing by the Distributor to the Company; or
(c) arise out of or are based upon wrongful conduct of the
Distributor or persons under its control with respect to the
sale of Trust shares; or
(d) arise as a result of any failure by the Distributor or persons
under its control to provide services, furnish materials or
make payments as required under the terms of this Agreement;
or
(e) arise out of any material breach by the Distributor or persons
under its control of this Agreement (including any breach of
Section 6.1 of this Agreement and any warranties contained in
Article III hereof);
it being understood that in no way shall the Distributor be liable to the
Company with respect to any violation of insurance law, compliance with which
is a responsibility of the Company under this Agreement or otherwise or as to
which the Company failed to inform the Distributor in accordance with Section
4.4 hereof. This indemnification is in addition to any liability that the
Distributor may otherwise have; provided, however, that no party shall be
entitled to indemnification if such loss, claim, damage or liability is caused
by the wilful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
duty by the party seeking indemnification.
9.4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. It is the parties' intention that, in
the event of an occurrence for which the Trust has agreed to indemnify the
Company, the Company shall seek indemnification from the Trust only in
circumstances in which the Trust is entitled to seek indemnification from a
third party with respect to the same event or cause thereof.
9.5. INDEMNIFICATION PROCEDURES. After receipt by a party entitled
to indemnification ("indemnified party") under this Article IX of notice of the
commencement of any action, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made by the
indemnified party against any person obligated to provide indemnification under
this Article IX ("indemnifying party"), such indemnified party will notify the
indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof as soon as
practicable thereafter, provided that the omission to so notify the
indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability under this Article
IX, except to the extent that the omission results in a failure of
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actual notice to the indemnifying party and such indemnifying party is damaged
solely as a result of the failure to give such notice. The indemnifying party,
upon the request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably
satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and
any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall
pay the reasonable fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such
proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right
to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be
at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and
the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such
counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any
impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified
party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be
inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. The
indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding
effected without its written consent but if settled with such consent or if
there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to
indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by
reason of such settlement or judgment.
A successor by law of the parties to this Agreement shall be entitled
to the benefits of the indemnification contained in this Article IX. The
indemnification provisions contained in this Article IX shall survive any
termination of this Agreement.
ARTICLE X
RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES; TERMINATION
10.1. RELATIONSHIP OF PARTIES. The Company is to be an independent
contractor vis-a-vis the Trust, the Distributor, or any of their affiliates for
all purposes hereunder and will have no authority to act for or represent any
of them (except to the limited extent the Company acts as agent of the Trust
pursuant to Section 2.3(a) of this Agreement). In addition, no officer or
employee of the Company will be deemed to be an employee or agent of the Trust,
Distributor, or any of their affiliates. The Company will not act as an
"underwriter" or "distributor" of the Trust, as those terms variously are used
in the 1940 Act, the 1933 Act, and rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder.
10.2. NON-EXCLUSIVITY AND NON-INTERFERENCE. The parties hereto
acknowledge that the arrangement contemplated by this Agreement is not
exclusive; the Trust shares may be sold to other insurance companies and
investors (subject to Section 2.8 hereof) and the cash value of the Contracts
may be invested in other investment companies, provided, however, that until
this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Article X:
(a) the Company shall promote the Trust and the Funds made
available hereunder on the same basis as other funding
vehicles available under the Contracts;
(b) the Company shall not, without prior notice to the Distributor
(unless otherwise required by applicable law), take any action
to operate the Account as a management investment company
under the 1940 Act;
(c) the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of
the Distributor (unless otherwise required by applicable law),
solicit, induce or encourage Contract Owners to change or
modify the Trust to change the Trust's distributor or
investment adviser, to transfer or withdraw Contract Values
allocated to a Fund, or to exchange their Contracts for
contracts not allowing for investment in the Trust;
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(d) the Company shall not substitute another investment company
for one or more Funds without providing written notice to the
Distributor at least 60 days in advance of effecting any such
substitution; and
(e) the Company shall not withdraw the Account's investment in the
Trust or a Fund of the Trust except as necessary to facilitate
Contract Owner requests and routine Contract processing.
10.3. TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement shall not terminate
until (i) the Trust is dissolved, liquidated, or merged into another entity, or
(ii) as to any Fund that has been made available hereunder, the Account no
longer invests in that Fund and the Company has confirmed in writing to the
Distributor, if so requested by the Distributor, that it no longer intends to
invest in such Fund. However, certain obligations of, or restrictions on, the
parties to this Agreement may terminate as provided in Sections 10.4 through
10.6 and the Company may be required to redeem Trust shares pursuant to Section
10.7 or in the circumstances contemplated by Article VIII. Article IX and
Sections 5.7, 10.8 and 10.9 shall survive any termination of this Agreement.
10.4. TERMINATION OF OFFERING OF TRUST SHARES. The obligation of
the Trust and the Distributor to make Trust shares available to the Company for
purchase pursuant to Article II of this Agreement shall terminate at the option
of the Distributor upon written notice to the Company as provided below:
(a) upon institution of formal proceedings against the Company, or
the Distributor's reasonable determination that institution of
such proceedings is being considered by the NASD, the SEC, the
insurance commission of any state or any other regulatory body
regarding the Company's duties under this Agreement or related
to the sale of the Contracts, the operation of the Account,
the administration of the Contracts or the purchase of Trust
shares, or an expected or anticipated ruling, judgment or
outcome which would, in the Distributor's reasonable judgment
exercised in good faith, materially impair the Company's or
Trust's ability to meet and perform the Company's or Trust's
obligations and duties hereunder, such termination effective
upon 15 days prior written notice;
(b) in the event any of the Contracts are not registered, issued
or sold in accordance with applicable federal and/or state
law, such termination effective immediately upon receipt of
written notice;
(c) if the Distributor shall determine, in its sole judgment
exercised in good faith, that either (1) the Company shall
have suffered a material adverse change in its business or
financial condition or (2) the Company shall have been the
subject of material adverse publicity which is likely to have
a material adverse impact upon the business and operations of
either the Trust or the Distributor, such termination
effective upon 30 days prior written notice;
(d) if the Distributor suspends or terminates the offering of
Trust shares of any Series or Class to all Participating
Investors or only designated Participating Investors, if such
action is required by law or by regulatory authorities having
jurisdiction or if, in the sole discretion of the Distributor
acting in good faith, suspension or termination is necessary
in the best interests of the shareholders of any Series or
Class (it being understood that "shareholders" for this
purpose shall mean Product Owners), such notice effective
immediately upon receipt of written notice, it being
understood that a lack of Participating Investor interest in a
Series or Class
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may be grounds for a suspension or termination as to such
Series or Class and that a suspension or termination shall
apply only to the specified Series or Class;
(e) upon the Company's assignment of this Agreement (including,
without limitation, any transfer of the Contracts or the
Account to another insurance company pursuant to an assumption
reinsurance agreement) unless the Trust consents thereto, such
termination effective upon 30 days prior written notice;
(f) if the Company is in material breach of any provision of this
Agreement, which breach has not been cured to the satisfaction
of the Trust within 10 days after written notice of such
breach has been delivered to the Company, such termination
effective upon expiration of such 10-day period;
(g) upon the determination of the Trust s Board to dissolve,
liquidate or merge the Trust as contemplated by Section
10.3(i), upon termination of the Agreement pursuant to Section
10.3(ii), or upon notice from the Company pursuant to Section
10.5 or 10.6, such termination pursuant hereto to be effective
upon 15 days prior written notice; or
(h) at any time more than 18 months after the date of this
Agreement, upon six months prior written notice.
Except in the case of an option exercised under clause (b), (d) or (g), the
obligations shall terminate only as to new Contracts and the Distributor shall
continue to make Trust shares available to the extent necessary to permit
owners of Contracts in effect on the effective date of such termination
(hereinafter referred to as "Existing Contracts") to reallocate investments in
the Trust, redeem investments in the Trust and/or invest in the Trust upon the
making of additional purchase payments under the Existing Contracts.
10.5. TERMINATION OF INVESTMENT IN A FUND. The Company may elect to
cease investing in a Fund, promoting a Fund as an investment option under the
Contracts, or withdraw its investment or the Account's investment in a Fund,
subject to compliance with applicable law, upon written notice to the Trust
within 15 days of the occurrence of any of the following events (unless
provided otherwise below):
(a) if the Trust informs the Company pursuant to Section 4.4 that
it will not cause such Fund to comply with investment
restrictions as requested by the Company and the Trust and the
Company are unable to agree upon any reasonable alternative
accommodations;
(b) if shares in such Fund are not reasonably available to meet
the requirements of the Contracts as determined by the Company
(including any non-availability as a result of notice given by
the Distributor pursuant to Section 10.4(d)), and the
Distributor, after receiving written notice from the Company
of such non-availability, fails to make available, within 10
days after receipt of such notice, a sufficient number of
shares in such Fund or an alternate Fund to meet the
requirements of the Contracts; or
(c) if such Fund fails to meet the diversification requirements
specified in Section 817(h) of the Code and any regulations
thereunder and the Trust, upon written request, fails to
provide reasonable assurance that it will take action to cure
or correct such failure;
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Such termination shall apply only as to the affected Fund and shall not apply
to any other Fund in which the Company or the Account invests.
10.6. TERMINATION OF INVESTMENT BY THE COMPANY. The Company may
elect to cease investing in all Series or Classes of the Trust made available
hereunder, promoting the Trust as an investment option under the Contracts, or
withdraw its investment or the Account s investment in the Trust, subject to
compliance with applicable law, upon written notice to the Trust within 15 days
of the occurrence of any of the following events (unless provided otherwise
below):
(a) upon institution of formal proceedings against the Trust or
the Distributor (but only with regard to the Trust) by the
NASD, the SEC or any state securities or insurance commission
or any other regulatory body;
(b) if, with respect to the Trust or a Fund, the Trust or the Fund
ceases to qualify as a regulated investment company under
Subchapter M of the Code, as defined therein, or any successor
or similar provision, or if the Company reasonably believes
that the Trust may fail to so qualify, and the Trust, upon
written request, fails to provide reasonable assurance that it
will take action to cure or correct such failure within 30
days;
(c) if the Trust or Distributor is in material breach of a
provision of this Agreement, which breach has not been cured
to the satisfaction of the Company within 10 days after
written notice of such breach has been delivered to the Trust
or the Distributor, as the case may be; or
(d) at any time more than 18 months after the date of this
Agreement, upon six months prior written notice.
10.7. COMPANY REQUIRED TO REDEEM. The parties understand and
acknowledge that it is essential for compliance with Section 817(h) of the Code
that the Contracts qualify as annuity contracts or life insurance policies, as
applicable, under the Code. Accordingly, if any of the Contracts cease to
qualify as annuity contracts or life insurance policies, as applicable, under
the Code, or if the Trust reasonably believes that any such Contracts may fail
to so qualify, the Trust shall have the right to require the Company to redeem
Trust shares attributable to such Contracts upon notice to the Company and the
Company shall so redeem such Trust shares in order to ensure that the Trust
complies with the provisions of Section 817(h) of the Code applicable to
ownership of Trust shares. Notice to the Company shall specify the period of
time the Company has to redeem the Trust shares or to make other arrangements
satisfactory to the Trust and its counsel, such period of time to be determined
with reference to the requirements of Section 817(h) of the Code. In addition,
the Company may be required to redeem Trust shares pursuant to action taken or
request made by the Trust Board in accordance with the Exemptive Order
described in Article VIII or any conditions or undertakings set forth or
referenced therein, or other SEC rule, regulation or order that may be adopted
after the date hereof. The Company agrees to redeem shares in the
circumstances described herein and to comply with applicable terms and
provisions. Also, in the event that the Distributor suspends or terminates
the offering of a Series or Class pursuant to Section 10.4(d) of this
Agreement, the Company, upon request by the Distributor, will cooperate in
taking appropriate action to withdraw the Account's investment in the
respective Fund.
10.8. MINIMUM INVESTMENT. The Company acknowledges its intention to
make the selected Funds of the Trust available under the Contracts for a
significant period of time and acknowledges further that a termination of this
Agreement or the availability of a Fund would prevent the Trust from
benefitting from the anticipated economies of scale and the Distributor
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from recovering its up-front costs in establishing the systems and interface
required under the terms of this Agreement. Accordingly, in the event that the
Company withdraws all or substantially all of its investment in the Trust or a
Fund less than two years after the initial investment in the Trust or Fund
(other than in response to actions by the Distributor pursuant to Section
10.4(d) of this Agreement), the Company, upon request, shall reimburse the
Distributor for reasonably identifiable costs attributable to the start-up of
the Trust or Fund, as applicable, and establishing the systems and interface
contemplated by this Agreement.
10.9. CONFIDENTIALITY. The Company will keep confidential any
information acquired as a result of this Agreement regarding the business and
affairs of the Trust, the Distributor, and their affiliates.
ARTICLE XI
APPLICABILITY TO NEW ACCOUNTS AND NEW CONTRACTS
The parties to this Agreement may amend the schedules to this
Agreement from time to time to reflect, as appropriate, changes in or relating
to the Contracts, any Series or Class, additions of new classes of Contracts to
be issued by the Company and separate accounts therefor investing in the Trust.
Such amendments may be made effective by executing the form of amendment
included on each schedule attached hereto. The provisions of this Agreement
shall be equally applicable to each such class of Contracts, Series, Class or
separate account, as applicable, effective as of the date of amendment of such
Schedule, unless the context otherwise requires. The parties to this Agreement
may amend this Agreement from time to time by written agreement signed by all
of the parties.
ARTICLE XII
NOTICE, REQUEST OR CONSENT
Any notice, request or consent to be provided pursuant to this
Agreement is to be made in writing and shall be given:
If to the Trust:
Xxxxxxx X. Grip
President
Xxxxxxx Sachs Variable Insurance Trust
Xxx Xxx Xxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
If to the Distributor:
Xxxxxxx X. Grip
Vice President
Xxxxxxx Sachs & Co.
Xxx Xxx Xxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
If to the Company:
D. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Counsel
National Life Insurance Company
One National Life Drive
Montpelier, Vermont 05604
or at such other address as such party may from time to time specify in writing
to the other party. Each such notice, request or consent to a party shall be
sent by registered or certified United
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States mail with return receipt requested or by overnight delivery with a
nationally recognized courier, and shall be effective upon receipt. Notices
pursuant to the provisions of Article II may be sent by facsimile to the person
designated in writing for such notices.
ARTICLE XIII
MISCELLANEOUS
13.1. INTERPRETATION. This Agreement shall be construed and the
provisions hereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of the
state of Delaware, without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of
laws, subject to the following rules:
(a) This Agreement shall be subject to the provisions of the 1933
Act, 1940 Act and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
and the rules, regulations and rulings thereunder, including
such exemptions from those statutes, rules, and regulations as
the SEC may grant, and the terms hereof shall be limited,
interpreted and construed in accordance therewith.
(b) The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of
reference only and in no way define or delineate any of the
provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or
effect.
(c) If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made
invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the
remainder of the Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
(d) The rights, remedies and obligations contained in this
Agreement are cumulative and are in addition to any and all
rights, remedies and obligations, at law or in equity, which
the parties hereto are entitled to under state and federal
laws.
13.2. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed simultaneously
in two or more counterparts, each of which together shall constitute one and
the same instrument.
13.3. NO ASSIGNMENT. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights
and obligations hereunder may be assigned by the Company, the Distributor or
the Trust without the prior written consent of the other parties.
13.4. DECLARATION OF TRUST. A copy of the Declaration of Trust of
the Trust is on file with the Secretary of State of the state of Delaware, and
notice is hereby given that this instrument is executed on behalf of the
Trustees of the Trust as trustees, and is not binding upon any of the Trustees,
officers or shareholders of the Trust individually, but binding only upon the
assets and property of the Trust. No Series of the Trust shall be liable for
the obligations of any other Series of the Trust.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this
Agreement to be executed in its name and behalf by its duly authorized officer
on the date specified below.
XXXXXXX XXXXX VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST
(Trust)
Date: By:
------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Name:
Title:
XXXXXXX, SACHS & CO.
(Distributor)
Date: By:
------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Name:
Title:
NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
(Company)
Date: By:
------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Name:
Title:
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SCHEDULE 1
Accounts of the Company
Investing in the Trust
Effective as of the date the Agreement was executed, the following separate
accounts of the Company are subject to the Agreement:
==============================================================================================================
Date Established by
Name of Account and Board of Directors of the SEC 1940 Act Registration Type of Product
Subaccounts Company Number Supported by Account
==============================================================================================================
National Variable Life
Insurance Account February 1, 1985 811-9044 Variable Life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================================================
[Form of Amendment to Schedule 1]
Effective as of_____________ , the following separate accounts of the Company
are hereby added to this Schedule 1 and made subject to the Agreement:
==============================================================================================================
Date Established by
Name of Account and Board of Directors of the SEC 1940 Act Registration Type of Product
Subaccounts Company Number Supported by Account
==============================================================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================================================
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust, the Distributor and the Company hereby amend
this Schedule 1 in accordance with Article XI of the Agreement.
--------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Variable Insurance Trust National Life Insurance Company
---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
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SCHEDULE 2
Classes of Contracts
Supported by Separate Accounts
Listed on Schedule 1
Effective as of the date the Agreement was executed, the following classes of
Contracts are subject to the Agreement:
==============================================================================================================
SEC 1933 Act Registration
Policy Marketing Name Number Contract Form Number Annuity or Life
==============================================================================================================
Sentinel Estate Provider Variable Life
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================================================
[Form of Amendment to Schedule 2]
Effective as of _______, the following classes of Contracts are hereby added to
this Schedule 2 and made subject to the Agreement:
==============================================================================================================
SEC 1933 Act
Policy Marketing Name Registration Number Contract Form Number Annuity or Life
==============================================================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================================================
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust, the Distributor and the Company hereby amend
this Schedule 2 in accordance with Article XI of the Agreement.
--------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Variable Insurance Trust National Life Insurance Company
---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
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SCHEDULE 3
Trust Classes and Series
Available Under
Each Class of Contracts
Effective as of the date the Agreement was executed, the following Trust
Classes and Series are available under the Contracts:
==================================================================================
Contracts Marketing Name Trust Classes and Series
==================================================================================
Sentinel Estate Provider International Equity Fund
Global Income Fund
CORE Small Cap Equity Fund
Mid Cap Equity Fund
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==================================================================================
[Form of Amendment to Schedule 3]
Effective as of __________________, this Schedule 3 is hereby amended to
reflect the following changes in Trust Classes and Series:
==================================================================================
Contracts Marketing Name Trust Classes and Series
==================================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==================================================================================
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust, the Distributor and the Company hereby amend
this Schedule 3 in accordance with Article XI of the Agreement.
--------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Variable Insurance Trust National Life Insurance Company
---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
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SCHEDULE 4
Investment Restrictions
Applicable to the Trust
Effective as of the date the Agreement was executed, the following investment
restrictions are applicable to the Trust:
[Form of Amendment to Schedule 4]
Effective as of ___________________, this Schedule 4 is hereby amended to
reflect the following changes:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust, the Distributor and the Company hereby amend
this Schedule 4 in accordance with Article XI of the Agreement.
--------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Variable Insurance Trust National Life Insurance Company
---------------------------------------------------
Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
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