Exhibit 24(b)(15)(i)
SERVICE PLAN AND AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
AND
XXXXXXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
FOR CLASS A SHARES
SERVICE PLAN AND AGREEMENT (the "Plan") dated the 21st day of March, 1996, by
and between XXXXXXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND (the "Fund") and
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC. (the "Distributor").
1. The Plan. This Plan is the Fund's written service plan for its Class A Shares
described in the Fund's registration statement as of the date this Plan takes
effect, contemplated by and to comply with Article III, Section 26 of the Rules
of Fair Practice of the National Association of Securities Dealers, pursuant to
which the Fund will reimburse the Distributor for a portion of its costs
incurred in connection with the that hold Class A Shares (the "Shares") of such
series and class of the Fund. The Fund may be deemed to be acting as distributor
of securities of which it is the issuer, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), according to the terms of this
Plan. The Distributor is authorized under the Plan to pay "Recipients," as
hereinafter defined, for rendering services and for the maintenance of Accounts.
Such Recipients are intended to have certain rights as third-party beneficiaries
under this Plan.
2. Definitions. As used in this Plan, the following terms shall have the
following meanings:
(a) "Recipient" shall mean any broker, dealer, bank or other institution
which: (i) has rendered services in connection with the personal service
and maintenance of Accounts; (ii) shall furnish the Distributor (on behalf
of the Fund) with such information as the Distributor shall reasonably
request to answer such questions as may arise concerning such service; and
(iii) has been selected by the Distributor to receive payments under the
Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a majority of the Fund's Board of
Trustees (the "Board") who are not "interested persons" (as defined in the
0000 Xxx) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the
operation of this Plan or in any agreements relating to this Plan (the
"Independent Trustees") may remove any broker, dealer, bank or other
institution as a Recipient, whereupon such entity's rights as a
third-party beneficiary hereof shall terminate.
(b) "Qualified Holdings" shall mean, as to any Recipient, all Shares owned
beneficially or of record by: (i) such Recipient, or (ii) such customers,
clients and/or accounts as to which such Recipient is a fiduciary or
custodian or co-fiduciary or co-custodian (collectively, the "Customers"),
but in no event shall any such Shares be deemed owned by more than one
Recipient for purposes of this Plan. In the event that two entities would
otherwise qualify as Recipients as to the same Shares, the Recipient which
is the dealer of record on the Fund's books shall be deemed the Recipient
as to such Shares for purposes of this Plan.
3. Payments.
(a) Under the Plan, the Fund will make payments to the Distributor, within
forty-five (45) days of the end of each calendar quarter, in the amount of
the lesser of: (i) .0625% (.25% on an annual basis) of the average during
the calendar quarter of the aggregate net asset value of the Shares,
computed as of the close of each business day, or (ii) the Distributor's
actual expenses under the Plan for that quarter of the type approved by
the Board. The Distributor will use such fee received from the Fund in its
entirety to reimburse itself for payments to Recipients and for its other
expenditures and costs of the type approved by the Board incurred in
connection with the personal service and maintenance of Accounts
including, but not limited to, the services described in the following
paragraph. The Distributor may make Plan payments to any "affiliated
person" (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Distributor if such affiliated
person qualifies as a Recipient.
The services to be rendered by the Distributor and Recipients in
connection with the personal service and the maintenance of Accounts may
include, but shall not be limited to, the following: answering routine
inquiries from the Recipient's customers concerning the Fund, providing
such customers with information on their investment in shares, assisting
in the establishment and maintenance of accounts or sub-accounts in the
Fund, making the Fund's investment plans and dividend payment options
available, and providing such other information and customer liaison
services and the maintenance of Accounts as the Distributor or the Fund
may reasonably request. It may be presumed that a Recipient has provided
services qualifying for compensation under the Plan if it has Qualified
Holdings of Shares to entitle it to payments under the Plan. In the event
that either the Distributor or the Board should have reason to believe
that, notwithstanding the level of Qualified Holdings, a Recipient may not
be rendering appropriate services, then the Distributor, at the request of
the Board, shall require the Recipient to provide a written report or
other information to verify that said Recipient is providing appropriate
services in this regard. If the Distributor still is not satisfied, it may
take appropriate steps to terminate the Recipient's status as such under
the Plan, whereupon such entity's rights as a third-party beneficiary
hereunder shall terminate.
Payments received by the Distributor from the Fund under the Plan
will not be used to pay any interest expense, carrying charges or other
financial costs, or allocation of overhead by the Distributor, or for any
other purpose other than for the payments described in this Section 3. The
amount payable to the Distributor each quarter will be reduced to the
extent that reimbursement payments otherwise permissible under the Plan
have not been authorized by the Board of Trustees for that quarter. Any
unreimbursed expenses incurred for any quarter by the Distributor may not
be recovered in later periods.
(b) The Distributor shall make payments to any Recipient quarterly, within
forty-five (45) days of the end of each calendar quarter, at a rate not to
exceed .0625% (.25% on an annual basis) of the average during the calendar
quarter of the aggregate net asset value of
the Shares computed as of the close of each business day, of Qualified
Holdings owned beneficially or of record by the Recipient or by its
Customers. However, no such payments shall be made to any Recipient for
any such quarter in which its Qualified Holdings do not equal or exceed,
at the end of such quarter, the minimum amount ("Minimum Qualified
Holdings"), if any, to be set from time to time by a majority of the
Independent Trustees. A majority of the Independent Trustees may at any
time or from time to time increase or decrease and thereafter adjust the
rate of fees to be paid to the Distributor or to any Recipient, but not to
exceed the rate set forth above, and/or increase or decrease the number of
shares constituting Minimum Qualified Holdings. The Distributor shall
notify all Recipients of the Minimum Qualified Holdings and the rate of
payments hereunder applicable to Recipients, and shall provide each
Recipient with written notice within thirty (30) days after any change in
these provisions. Inclusion of such provisions or a change in such
provisions in a revised current prospectus shall constitute sufficient
notice.
(c) Under the Plan, payments may be made to Recipients: (i) by
OppenheimerFunds, Inc. ("OFI") from its own resources (which may include
profits derived from the advisory fee it receives from the Fund), or (ii)
by the Distributor (a subsidiary of OFI), from its own resources.
4. Selection and Nomination of Trustees. While this Plan is in effect, the
selection or replacement of Independent Trustees and the nomination of those
persons to be Trustees of the Fund who are not "interested persons" of the Fund
shall be committed to the discretion of the Independent Trustees. Nothing herein
shall prevent the Independent Trustees from soliciting the views or the
involvement of others in such selection or nomination if the final decision on
any such selection and nomination is approved by a majority of the incumbent
Independent Trustees.
5. Reports. While this Plan is in effect, the Treasurer of the Fund shall
provide at least quarterly a written report to the Fund's Board for its review,
detailing the amount of all payments made pursuant to this Plan, the identity of
the Recipient of each such payment, and the purposes for which the payments were
made. The report shall state whether all provisions of Section 3 of this Plan
have been complied with. The Distributor shall annually certify to the Board the
amount of its total expenses incurred that year with respect to the personal
service and maintenance of Accounts in conjunction with the Board's annual
review of the continuation of the Plan.
6. Related Agreements. Any agreement related to this Plan shall be in writing
and shall provide that: (i) such agreement may be terminated at any time,
without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Independent
Trustees or by a vote of the holders of a "majority" (as defined in the 0000
Xxx) of the Fund's outstanding voting securities of the Class, on not more than
sixty days written notice to any other party to the agreement; (ii) such
agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its "assignment" (as
defined in the 1940 Act); (iii) it shall go into effect when approved by a vote
of the Board and its Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for
the purpose of voting on such agreement; and (iv) it shall, unless terminated as
herein provided, continue in effect from year to year only so long as such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board and its
Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on such continuance.
7. Effectiveness, Continuation, Termination and Amendment. This Plan has been
approved by a vote of the Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting
called on February 22, 1996 for the purpose of voting on this Plan, and shall
take effect on the date that the Fund's Registration Statement is declared
effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless terminated as
hereinafter provided, it shall continue in effect from year to year thereafter
or as the Board may otherwise determine only so long as such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by the Board and its Independent
Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such
continuance. This Plan may be terminated at any time by vote of a majority of
the Independent Trustees or by the vote of the holders of a "majority" (as
defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Fund's outstanding voting securities of the
Class. This Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of
payments to be made without approval of the Class A Shareholders, in the manner
described above, and all material amendments must be approved by a vote of the
Board and of the Independent Trustees.
8. Disclaimer of Shareholder and Trustee Liability. The Distributor understands
that the obligations of the Fund under this Plan are not binding upon any
Trustee or shareholder of the Fund personally, but bind only the Fund and the
Fund's property. The Distributor represents that it has notice of the provisions
of the Declaration of Trust of the Fund disclaiming shareholder and Trustee
liability for acts or obligations of the Fund.
XXXXXXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL GROWTH FUND
/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
---------------------------------
Xxxxxx X. Xxxx, Assistant Secretary
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS DISTRIBUTOR, INC.
/s/ Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx
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Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxx
Vice President & Secretary
